Stranger is the Sail Ch. 02

"Okay," he says, almost amiably, and steps back. A surreal calm surrounds him, now.

Opening the suitcase back up, I wince and then try to think of something to say. Some way to tell him what I am going to have to without causing upset. Nothing comes to mind.

"What?" he asks, leaning forward but still sounding distant and weird. "Is something wrong?"

"Adrian," I say, "what exactly do you think you packed?"

"Some clothes. My...I guess just that. Why?"

"Look at this and tell me what you see." I wave at the suitcase.

He squints at the pile like he's trying to make sense of it, like he's looking at something far away, then just shakes his head and looks at me. "What?" he asks.

I study his face. His good eye is glassy, unfocused. His blind one is red, the area around it puffy and swollen. It almost looks like a fresh injury. His pupils are dialated, and he almost seems...

"Adrian," I say quickly, "did you take some of your pills?"

He nods. "My evening pills," he smiles.

"Did you take them from the pill box Laura filled for you?"

His smile grows. "Nope. Did it myself." He makes a surprised face. "Isn't that great? I can..." his expression glazes again. He's sweating. He blinks rapidly and opens and closes his mouth without offering any more words.

"How many did you take?"

He holds up the pharmacy bottle. It's completely empty. "My pills," he says. "I took my pills." Then he collapses against me.

Shit!

"AMANDA!" I call out. "CALL 911!!!"

Laura comes rushing into the room, reaching out for Adrian. But he's too heavy for me to support, and she's not much help, so I control fall us onto the bed. We land right next to that suitcase, which he has meticulously filled with nothing but every single sock that he owns.