The Way Back

Confirmation

Lindsey nursed his third cup of coffee as he absentmindedly thumbed through a newspaper. He took a bite of his buttered toast and frowned, leaning forward and spitting the half-chewed food onto the plate. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and tossed it onto the plate. The man had been distracted for over an hour and let his breakfast get cold. He rubbed his hand over his face and yawned, extending his arms over his head and stretching. Lindsey glanced at the clock on the wall and grumbled under his breath. An hour and a half. He pushed the chair away from the table and stood, strolling out of the kitchen and to the stairs. He needed to fall into bed and simply sleep. Lindsey snuck into the bedroom and fell onto the bed, landing in the middle and not bothering to move.

Another hour and a half later, Stevie escorted the fifty something Chinese American psychiatrist out of her home and thanked him for his time with her, blushing at his compliments about her progress. She closed the front door and leaned against it as a proud, satisfied smile broke across her lips. Two weeks ago, she had fought Lindsey tooth and nail over his recommendation of her being placed under Dr. Wong's care, but it had been the best idea. She was now taking less than two milligrams of the prescription drug. Dr. Wong's plan was to wean her off the medication. Her dose would be reduced by 0.5 milligrams every two weeks until she reached one milligram then it would be decreased by 0.25 milligrams until stopped altogether. She couldn't remember the last time she'd taken such a small amount.

Stevie let out a content sigh and wandered up the stairs, knowing she would find Lindsey in bed. Her insomnia had been terrible the night before, but he had stayed awake with her every other night sleeplessness attacked her. She tiptoed into her room and put a knee at the foot of the bed, crawling towards her lover and watching him snooze. Stevie tossed her hair over her shoulder and leaned down to kiss the back of his head before tucking herself next to him. She didn't know what she had done to deserve him the last few weeks. He'd packed a bag and stayed with her every day since her decision to detox. Lindsey had held her hair back when the nausea become too much, hummed Stephanie to her during anxiety attacks, put up with her irritability since Dr. Wong wasn't allowing her to have caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol, and held her hands when they shook. She placed his arm over her and nestled into his side.

Lindsey mumbled in his sleep, turning his head and scrunching his nose as her honey tresses tickled his face. He put his head against her chest. "How'd it go?" he asked, voice thick and hoarse with sleep.

"I didn't mean to wake you," she responded, playing in his tangled, wild curls.

"How'd it go?"

"Under two milligrams," Stevie informed him with a smile.

He lifted his head to look at her. "Baby, that's great. I'm proud of you," he said, meeting her halfway for a kiss.

"Linds, I still have a long way to go," she confessed. Some days she wanted to snap her fingers and be clean, but she knew it wasn't possible. It was hard, demanding work and a daily struggle. She'd learned that from her dabbling into cocaine.

"I know, but you'll get there," Lindsey spoke confidently. He knew she would win the battle since she had been the one to realize she needed help. The light was back in her eyes. He hadn't realized how much light had left until he witnessed it coming back to her. More and more each day he saw the girl he fell in love with in the late 1960s. He put his head back down and breathed out a relaxed sigh.

"I hate how he's a morning person," Stevie complained as she stretched out one of his curls, laughing softly as it sprang back into place. "No one should be that damn cheerful before noon. I tried to make an afternoon appointment with him."

"I told him you weren't a morning person," Lindsey informed her sheepishly.

"Thanks, Lindsey," she retorted acerbically. "You're probably the reason why he wants to see me at an ungodly hour of the day."