(Day 3)

Adam, if being honest, would have to admit the the nap had him feeling much better. And the much needed food in his stomach helped also. Since he knew that Tim was in good hands, he headed for the downstairs bathroom for a badly needed shower.

Standing under the shower, he let the hot water relax his tense muscles. He tried his best to mentally prepare him for what was to come. Both, Nate and Avi had warned him that the next two days would be the worst. 

He really didn't see how it could get much worse.

He had mixed feelings about going back into their bedroom. He wanted and needed to be with Tim but also didn't want to see how bad he's gotten since he last saw his husband. After all, this was the beginning of the third day.

His legs felt weak as he slowly climb the stairs. Each step more difficult to take. His nerves were at the top of the scales. He looks up as he reaches the top of the stairs and sees a very tired looking Nate walking toward him. In his hand was a bag.

"Hey, you look pretty rough." Adam smiles. "What's in the bag?"

"Well, I must say that you look 100% better." Nate chuckles and then holds up the bag. "Anything that Tim might use to harm himself. Razors and stuff like that."

"He would try to do that?" Adam asks, a look of fear coming across his face.

"Adam, Tim is not in the right mind, right now. He's not thinking straight. He's hurting. He's wanting relief, in ANY form." Nate says, his expression becoming very serious.

"Oh, my God." Adam groans as he rubs his hands over his face.

"He, uh, he had a pretty rough night. He's weak, exhausted, he's hurting, hungry." Nate says. "He's sick of Gatorade. Chance and Austin tried to feed him some chicken broth but it came right back up."

"I guess I need to go and let them get some rest." Adam says with a slight nod.

"Just be strong for him, Adam, cause he can't be strong for himself." Nate says. "And just remember, he is NOT in his right mind. Okay?"

Adam nods and begins to head down the hall towards the bed he shares with his husband.

He slowly opens the door and peeks in. The sight he saw, broke his heart in a million pieces.

Sitting on the bed was a shell of a man that was feared by many. Austin was on his knees beside him, helping to support his weaken body as Chance tries desperately to get him to drink some Gatorade. His appearance was horrifying. His skin was pale. His hair, filthy and tangled from the sweat, hung in his face. His once beautiful brown eyes were now bloodshot and swollen, surrounded by dark circles but wide open with a crazed look. He seemed to be fighting for each breath he took.

"Here, Tim. You need to drink some." Chance says as he holds the bottle up to the hit man's dry, cracked lips.

"Get that sh*t away from me." Tim growls as he shoves the bottle away.

"Come on, man. You're dehydrated." Chance says making another attempt.

"I SAID, GET THAT SH*T AWAY FROM ME!!!" Tim yells, swinging his arm and knocking the bottle out of Chance's hand and onto the floor. "JUST LEAVE ME THE F*CK ALONE!!!"

The others come running into the room when they heard Tim yelling.

"ADAMMMMM!!" Tim screams out as he clutches his stomach in pain.

"I'm here, Baby." Adam says, crawling onto the bed. Austin quickly and gladly gives his spot to Adam. "I'm right here."

"OH, GODDD!!! I CAN'T DO THIS!!" Tim screams through his heavy sobs.

"You're doing fine, Tim." Chris says, trying to give his friend words of support.

Tim suddenly jerks his head up and glares at the cowboy. His crazed eyes full of anger.

"OH, F*CK YOU, YOU SON OF A B*TCH!! YOU HAVE NO F*CKING IDEA WHAT I'M FEELING RIGHT NOW!!!" Tim yells in anger.

"No, he doesn't, Timbo. But I do." Avi says. "I know exactly what you're going though."

"That's right, you do, Avriel." Tim growls, turning his angry eyes toward the bearded man. "You knew the signs! You knew the signs of addiction because you were addicted. WHY IN THE HELL DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING!!??"

"Sweetie, we're all just trying to help." Adam says as he gently rubs Tim on the back.

"HELP??" Tim shouts as he turns on Adam. "SERIOUSLY?? LIKE YOU HELPED AS I WAS SWALLOWING ALL THOSE DAMN PILLS? YOU SEEN ME DOING IT BUT NOT ONCE DID YOU SAY ANYTHING!!"

His eyes darts around at his friends gathered around his bed.

"Maybe all I needed was one word. One word from someone to say, hey, look what you're doing to yourself. But I got nothing." Tim says in a whisper. "If you really wanna help? Then give me my d*mn pills back. If you can't, then get the hell out of my sight."

"Baby..." Adam says quietly.

"DON'T!" Tim growls, holding up a shaking hand. "All of you, just GET THE F*CK OUT!!!"

Shaking his head, Avi grabs Adam by the arm as he sees a tear roll down the blond's face. He had tried to warn Adam about this. He pulls Adam from the bed and to the hallway.

"Wow!" Chris says, shaking his head. "You guys were right."

Adam paces back and forth in the hallway, tears streaming down his face. Was Tim right? Could he have stopped him by just opening his mouth and saying something.

"Adam? Honey, are you okay?" Esther asks.

"He hates me." Adam sobs shaking his head.

"No, he doesn't." Esther shakes her head. "Honey, you are his life."

"That was pure hate in his eyes." Adam says, wiping his tears.

"That wasn't hate. That was anger." Eddie says as he leans against the wall. "At one time, if Tim Foust had looked at me that way, I'd know my life was about to end."

"Adam, will you stop and listen to me." Avi says, grabbing the blond by his arm and pushing him against the wall to stop his pacing. "Tim loves you with every breath he takes. But that man inside that bedroom is not the Tim you fell in love with and married. That is not the Tim that we all know and love. That man is a strung-out pill head. He's an addict. Yes, he's angry. But mainly at himself. He's trying to relieve that angry by striking out at us."

"Sweetie, Avi did the very same thing. He lashed out at me and Eddie." Esther says as she rubs Adam on the shoulder. "He actually told me that he hated my guts and wished that I would just drop dead."

"And I don't remember saying a word of that." Avi says, shaking his head. "And Tim won't remember any of the things he just said either."

"We just gotta try and get through these next couple of days. Our main concern is his dehydration. I can't express enough how important that is." Nate says. "It could kill him."

"What about putting an IV in his arm?" Kirstie asks.

"That wouldn't work." Nate says shaking his head. "In his state of mind, he would just jerk it out."

"Listen. He's so weak. I was having to hold him up so Chance could try to get him to drink something." Austin says. "Eddie, surely you, Chris and Chance could force him to drink something."

"That sounds, I don't know, kinda cruel?" Kirstie says.

"If that's what it takes to keep my husband alive? Then, I'm all for it." Adam says.

"Well, before we try force. Let's see how he is after that outburst." Nate says. "But, I don't think we all need to go back in there."

"Yeah, send Adam in." Avi says. "If he survives then we'll know it's safe to go in."

*********

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