Page 82 of Tru Blue
“Don’t ask me to look the other way,” she said.
The sadness in his eyes nearly took her to her knees. “What if it’s the only way I can keep them?”
Tension pressed in on her and she fell silent, unwilling to form an answer and hoping she wouldn’t be forced to.
Chapter Twenty-Four
TRUMAN FOLLOWED A woman down the hall of the rehab center hoping he was doing the right thing. After his and Gemma’s perfect evening had turned into a shitty night, he hadn’t slept a wink. He lay awake all night holding her and trying to figure out what to do. By the time she left this morning to go to work, and then to the fundraiser, he still didn’t have any answers. But at least he had an idea, and an idea was better than nothing. He couldn’t chance losing the kids, and he didn’t want to lose Gemma, either. The way he saw it, Quincy was his only hope.
He stepped into the same room he’d been in the last time he’d visited Quincy, only this time it felt different. Because this time he was going to ask something of his brother that he wasn’t sure he had the right to ask. Something he hoped would motivate Quincy to finish the program and stay clean.
Something that had the power to backfire.
Badly.
Quincy came through the door a few minutes later, and for a beat all the air left the room as they stared at each other. The counselor had told Truman that Quincy was doing great, making progress. Past the worst of it doesn’t mean any of it is easy. Quincy’s face was clear of bruises, his eyes were sharper, and his movements weren’t as jerky and tense.
“Hey,” Quincy said.
His friendly yet tentative tone took Truman off guard. He’d half expected him to still be angry and combative despite what the counselor had said.
“Hey.” Still unsure of how to read him, he waited for his brother to make the first move.
Quincy stepped forward, lifted one arm, as if he were going to reach for Truman, then dropped it to his side again, his eyes coasting to the floor.
Truman couldn’t leave it at that. He stepped forward and embraced him. Quincy’s arms hung limply by his sides, and Truman’s heart sank again. As he released him, his brother’s arms came around him, bringing tears to Truman’s eyes. Figures. If anyone could make him look like a pussy, it was Quincy.
They embraced for a second, maybe three. Long enough for Truman’s gut to right itself again. Quincy stepped back and nervously waved toward the chairs. “We should…”
“Yeah.” Truman took a seat, relieved by the change in his demeanor. “Listen, I’m sorry for upsetting you last time.”
“No, man. It’s all good.” He tucked a lock of hair behind his ear.
That simple movement unearthed an avalanche of memories inside Truman. He sat back, feeling like he’d seen a ghost. Quincy used to hate it when Truman would try to get him to cut his hair, and he’d had a habit of tucking it behind his right ear. How could something so small feel like a good sign? A huge sign? A sign of his brother becoming the person he’d once known?
“How are the kids?” Quincy asked, taking Truman by surprise again.
“Good. Great, actually. They’re why I wanted to see you.”
Quincy nodded. “I’ve been thinking about them a lot. The way they lived. The way I let them live.” He looked away. “I…”
“Quin, don’t, man. Don’t do that to yourself.”
He lifted a sorrowful gaze to Truman. “Did I fuck them up forever?”
“No,” he said emphatically. “You did not. They have good lives. They’re happy, Quin. They’re so fucking happy.” Unexpected tears welled in Truman’s eyes, and his brother turned away, his eyes suspiciously damp as well. Truman cleared his throat to try to regain control of his emotions.
“Good. She didn’t use when she found out she was pregnant. There was this guy.” He looked at Truman, his blue eyes serious and narrow. “You don’t want to know what it was like, but she did it, man. This user was some kind of doctor turned crackhead or something. I don’t know. He could have been bullshitting. But he knew what to do. He helped her through withdrawal, and when she gave birth”—he shook his head with a disgusted expression—“he was right there giving her drugs.” Tears filled his eyes, and he swiped angrily at them. “But the babies were born okay. And they’re okay now, right?”
