Black Sheep Part 2 - 16. Chapter 16

“I'm gonna check up on him, okay?” I touch Adams shoulder. After everything that happened yesterday and last night, especially in the drugged state he was in now, this was not fair on him.

Adam nods, eyes barely open, gaze drifting off. I pull the blanket a bit higher on him.

I'm scared but I need to see it for myself, I need to see how he is doing. I need to know he will be okay, even if it hurts. I slowly walk up the stairs, dreading every step. The front door is closed but I open it with the key that was on the table in Adams hallway.

The apartment looks the same as Adam and Toms but the colours are different. I hear sounds from the bathroom. I wait a couple of seconds, trying to gather some courage to walk on. As I stand in the door to the bathroom I can see them.

Vic is sitting on the edge of the bath. Liza is kneeling in front of him, cleaning out a wound on his chest. Vic is covered in bruises and cuts. I retch. The sound attracts both their attention and they look up at me.

“Jack.” My name is no more than a whisper on his lips.

“Why? You've got me. Why would you go back to him?” I back away a few steps. The pain in my chest too much to deal with right now, but I'm not leaving. I need to know.

“I'm sorry.”

“I don't want to hear that. I want to know why.” I'm begging. Begging him to give me an explanation that did not include Adam, cutting or depression.

“I don't know why I did it. I'm so sorry.” He looks down, avoiding my eyes.

A thought comes to me. “You didn't take your medication yesterday, did you?”

Liza stops cleaning Vics wounds and looks up at him, shocked. We're waiting for his answer which comes as a slow shaking of his head. I hoped I was wrong but I wasn't. Of course, the moments he does take his medication I'm the most important thing in his life, if he doesn't it's his ex.

Liza's face hardens. “I think you need to leave, Jack.”

“I think so too.” I take one last look at Vic who seems frozen on the spot.

His lip trembles when he whispers, “please stay. I... I...”

I shake my head before I walk away in silence.

When the door closes behind me I can hear Liza's screaming through it. “Vic, how could you?”

“He loves you, Jack, he really does.” Adam gives me a cup of tea and sits down next to me on the couch, the roles reversed.

“Then why did he do it? Why did he go back?” Tears slide down my face.

“Because we fought. He went and did what he knew would be the only thing that would hurt as much on the outside as he did on the inside. The only person he knew would do what he no longer could do to himself.”

“Why? Why did he not hurt himself?”

“His conscientious would not let him. Please don't push him away. Let him answer your questions before you decide anything.”

“I don't want to talk to him right now. I'm not even sure if I wouldn't hurt him right now. Even though I hate what his ex did to him.”

“You and me both.” We sigh and sit in silence, sipping tea, staring at nothing.

I hear a soft knock on the door. Adam doesn't move and as I try to get up to open the door he pulls me down and shakes his head. A couple of seconds later Liza opens the door herself.

“Adam?” Liza walk though the hall into the living room.

Next to me Adam doesn't move, he stares straight ahead. Liza looks at me with a questioning look. I shake my head, I also don't know why Adam acts like this.

“Adam.” Liza drops her voice. “At least reply to me.”

Adams jaw sets but other than that he doesn't move.

“Adam, please talk to me.” She moves in front of him.

He now looks up at her and then shakes his head. “I don't want to talk about it. This is between Vic and me. Just, just leave.” He stands up and walks into his bedroom.

Liza stares after him. “Do you know what is going on?” She turns to me, her eyes are cast down and her shoulders hunched.

“No, neither will tell me. I'm sorry.” We both sigh. “I'm gonna check if he's okay.” I follow Adam to the bedroom, but just as I walk into the room I see movement from the corner of my eye. I quickly turn around.

Vic is standing in the doorway, his eyes cast down, his face black and blue, but at least it's clean now. He looks up when Liza comes out of the living room and then he sees me. He quickly looks away. His face is streaked with tears that he quickly tries to hide. Our eyes tentatively meet again and then he quickly limps into the guest room, locking the door behind him.

I take one last glance at the closed door before I turn to Adams room. He is lying on his bed, rolled into a ball, hiding under the covers. I sit on the far side of the bed and softly shake him. “Come on Adam. Please don't hide.”

One hand comes from under the covers and softly grabs mine, holding it tight.

“Adam, we really need to talk. Not about what happened to Vic, but why you guys were fighting in the first place.” Liza sits down on the other side of Adam.

An indistinguishable mumbling comes from the covers. Liza sighs and pulls the covers away. Adam curls up into a tighter ball, still holding onto my hand.

“Adam?!”

Adam looks up at me. “Jack, you don't have to hear this. If it gets too much you can always leave the room.” He squeezes my hand for a moment.

“I want to know what happened. He is my boyfriend.” I now hold his one hand with the both of mine.