Chapter 18: To Sleep
Derek drove home at the slowest pace ever. And even then, every once in a while, he stopped. Normally, when he rolled the windows down, it was so that the cool night air would keep him awake. But this time, the open windows brought with them a new temptation.
He had gone to a lot of trouble to get the sleeping pills. But now that he had them, he did not want them. Having them in his pocket felt like carrying a bright red piece of coal with his bare hands. And every time he looked out the window, he wanted nothing more than to throw them out into the night.
But then he remembered getting angry at Emily for something that had been partly his fault too, and his pride took a knock. He could not go on that way.
Just a little while. He just had to use them for a little while, endure all of the ill effects for that period and then he could stop. Hopefully by then, he would be doing much better.
His internal pep talk strengthened his resolve. But just to be safe, he rolled the windows back up. There was only a short way to go before he got home, he did not think he was in danger of falling asleep at the wheel before then.
By the time he got home, the manor was quiet, and he took it to mean that everyone had retired for the night. Which was odd seeing as it was not even past eight yet. But he shrugged off the strangeness of it and made his way to the kitchen, expecting to find his food in the oven.
He did find his evening meal there. But he also found something else...his mother. She was not dressed to the nines like she usually was, instead, she wore jeans and a shirt, a simple black apron thrown over them.
"Hey there, darling, have your meal while keeping me company," She said in greeting, twirling gracefully as she grabbed a mixing bowl off the counter.
"Is there a reason for this sudden baking frenzy?" He asked as he dug into his meal. She shrugged, giving a look over her shoulder.
"Tomorrow, I am going to be visiting the local fire station. I figured the firefighters would appreciate my efforts," She told him, and Derek nodded, the hidden meaning behind her actions coming to him easily enough.