Jack’s heart literally ached for her. He knew she was scared and she had every right to be. But she was also strong, he’d help her see that, and he would help her get through this.
Jack pulled her into his arms and told her not to worry. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, I promise, Jenny.” He may have said the name with a hint of an accent.
Adrianna choked out a laugh. “I know you won’t, Forrest. Thank you.”
Chapter 8
Bloop. Bloop. Bloop.
Pill after pill dropped into the toilet and Adrianna’s stomach clenched with each resonating sound.
Bloop. Bloop. Bloop.
Clench. Clench. Clench.
When the bottle was empty, she tossed it into the pail in her bathroom and it hit the bottom with a loud thunk. Every sound seemed to be overly sensitive to Adrianna’s ears and the whoosh when she flushed the toilet actually made her head ache. Maybe she already had a headache, she didn’t know. Every thought that came across her mind was fleeting, immediately replaced with how scared she was.
Jack watched her from the doorway, feeling just as anxious, though he wouldn’t let Adrianna see it. He needed to stay calm for her and he told himself the same thing he told Adrianna for the last three days.
“Everything is going to be okay.”
Fuck if he knew if that was the truth, but he needed to believe it. He had a basic idea of what to expect over the next several days, but everyone was different and reacted differently to detoxification. At least that’s what the doctor had said yesterday when they went to see him, at Adrianna’s insistence.
Jack had been proud when she told him she wanted to go to her doctor, admit to him that she had become dependent on the Vicodin, and ask for his help. However, he didn’t trust the man who had been so irresponsible to allow his patient to abuse narcotics, so he suggested she go to his own general physician. Dr. DeLuca gave Adrianna a complete physical with blood work, a rundown on what to expect during detox, and a prescription for a week’s worth of Valium.
“It’s a low dosage,” the doctor had said, “but it should help with anxiety and rest.”
He went on to explain the different options when it came to narcotic withdrawal and that he didn’t think she was in a situation that called for Methadone or Suboxone. When Jack told him about the items he had purchased to help Adrianna, the doctor had smiled and told Adrianna she had a good man. Adrianna already knew that though.
Jack watched as Adrianna flushed the last of her pills and then put his hands on her shoulders. “Good job,” he praised. “Are you sure there aren’t any others?”
Adrianna blinked up at him and frowned. “You know, for someone who told me I’m not an addict, you sure are treating me like one.”
An apology crossed over Jack’s features and he said, “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
It was late and they were in Adrianna’s apartment, there to collect some of her things, and rid herself of her pills that she did not, thank you very much, have hidden around in little caches. She lived alone, what reason would she have to hide them? She reminded herself that Jack was being more than generous, offering to help her through this, and so she forgave him and told him it was okay.
After packing a few bags, grabbing her pillow, and slipping a note under Heather’s door to let her know she’d be away for a few days, Adrianna left her apartment with Jack, hoping to return to it a completely different girl.
The first day without her pills wasn’t as horrible as Adrianna had imagined. She woke up around seven a.m. after having slept for five hours, aided by the melatonin Jack had purchased for her. She woke up with aches, feeling very nauseated, but that passed by noon after sipping several cups of ginger tea that Jack prepared for her. When she complained of her back hurting, he ran her a hot bath and then gave her a full body massage.
“Where did you learn to do this?” Adrianna sighed, lying on Jack’s bed with her head in his lap as he passed over the contours of her face with the lightest of touches. His fingers, soft from the lotion he had used on her body, feathered over her closed eyes, down her nose, and across her lips before running the circuit again.