Page 163 of Once in a Lifetime, Part 2

He staggered toward the building. Inside, the door swung shut behind him, nearly taking him down with it. He caught himself, straightened, and made it to the elevator.

The buttons blurred. He stared at them, mind blank. Then he pressed all of them. The elevator jerked into motion. Up, down. Doors opening, closing. He stepped out at each floor, scanning names, moving on.

By the time he found the right door, the letters were shifting under his eyes. He leaned against the wall and rang the bell. The spinning hit again. He slid down until his forehead pressed against the door. He started banging on it. Hard. Again and again. His fist hit the wood until it stung. He didn’t stop. All he wanted was to lie down. He sank onto the doormat, back against the door, still hitting it in uneven bursts.

Inside, Ody heard it. At first, he thought it was Steve. He didn’t want to open, but the pounding didn’t stop. Tear-streaked, he pushed himself up and opened the door, just as a body fell backward into the apartment with it. His eyes widened. “Mano?”

Mano lay on the floor, staring up at him, vision unfocused. “Steve told me…” he mumbled, struggling to keep his eyes open. “That… you were gonna… hurt yourself…”

“What?” Ody wiped at his face.

Mano groaned, clutching his head.

Ody took one look at him, grabbed his wrists, dragged him inside, and kicked the door shut. He filled a glass with water and came back from the kitchen, dropping to his knees in front of him. “Drink.”

Mano didn’t move. He just shook his head.

Ody exhaled, then threw the water in his face. Mano gasped, jerking, wiping at his face as he blinked up at him. “What the hell, man?”

Ody didn’t answer. He hauled him up, dragged him to the couch, and forced him down. “Stay.” He disappeared, then came back with a pill and water. “Take it.”

No response.

“Mano.” He nudged him. “Come on.”

After a moment, Mano swallowed it. Ody dropped onto the couch beside him. They were both wrecked. Just in different ways.

“Why are you like this?” he asked.

Mano didn’t answer.

“How much have you had to drink?”

“I need to pee,” Mano muttered.

Ody helped him to the bathroom and stayed by the door.

A minute later, Mano opened it. “I wanna brush my teeth.”

Ody opened the drawer, grabbed a sealed toothbrush, and handed it to him. “Here.”

Mano just stood there, holding it, barely steady.

Ody took it back, tore the packaging open, added toothpaste, and pressed it into his hand.

Mano bent over the sink and started brushing. Ody watched him, then turned and headed back to the living room.

Mano’s phone lit up on the couch. Steve was calling.

Ody grabbed it. “What do you want?”

“...Mano?”

“Wrong. Try again.”

“Ody?”

“Was this your plan?” he snapped. “Sending him here to check on me? Who’s checking on him when he can barely stand? I don’t even know how he made it here.”