I'll Always Be Right Beside You - Completed

Chapter 28

About a week before my next doctor's appointment - the one where I would find out if I was having a boy or girl, I noticed something different in Josh. He was at the studio a lot later than he usually was. He was acting funny. Whenever I called him out on it, he denied that anything was wrong and that he was just tired.

I was having lunch with Jessica when I got a very odd text message from Matt.

There's something wrong.

Jessica saw me give my phone a look. "What's up?"

"Matt just sent me a weird text message."

"What is it?"

"'There's something wrong.'"

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know."

I quickly texted him back. What do you mean?

Josh. He's acting weird.

How weird?

Distant. Quiet. Won't drink Coke Zero.

That is weird.

Yeah. Can you come and see him or call him or something? Please?

Yeah, I'll be there in a few.

"Sorry Jess, but I have to go see what's up with him."

"Oh yeah no problem, I'll go with you?"

"Yeah that's fine."

We left the restaurant and went to my car, driving quickly to the studio. Within minutes we walked in the door and marched down to the room the band was in. I knocked quietly in case they were recording something before I walked in the room.

"Anyone here?" I asked.

"In here," Matt said from the kitchen. Jess and I walked around the corner, momentarily ignoring Josh who was sitting in front of the computer. Jess closed the door behind us, so Josh wouldn't hear us.

"What's going on?" I asked, worried.

"I don't know Al. I wish I did, but I really don't. He's just not acting himself. Has he been fine at home?"

"Yeah, for the most part. He's acting distracted sometimes but I thought he was just thinking about the album."

Matt shook his head. "Al I hate to say it but I've seen him like this before."

"What are you implying Matt? That's he's falling back into drugs?" I asked, more harshly than I intended.

"I'm not implying anything, Al. I'm just saying that he acted like this before when he wanted a fix. You know. You were there. You can't ignore it."

"I'm not ignoring it, Matt. But he's been good for so long."

"He's gone to rehab many times. He's always fallen back into the drugs."

"But - "

"Al, I'm sorry okay? I'm just saying that's what it seems like. I don't want him to be like that again. No one does. We're finally getting somewhere. No one wants him back in that world, but what if he can't help it? You know how he is with addictions. He's been like this his whole life."

"But he has no reason to go back to drugs. I don't understand. We've been happy."

"Maybe it's the stress of the album, I don't know, Al. I don't know how his mind works. I never have. I'm just pointing it out."