Confession
Katherine had never been much of a deep sleeper. After living in constant fear for so long, sleeping soundly became somewhat impossible. So tonight when she heard the sound of someone rummaging through the kitchen, Katherine awoke immediately. She stirred for a moment, reminding herself that she was in Bree's guest bedroom. She had moved in with her friend and neighbor a few days earlier, but still was a bit disoriented upon waking.
After listening for a few more minutes, Katherine slowly dragged herself out of bed. She combed a few fingers through her hair and glanced at the clock to see it was 3 AM. She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her vision, and headed toward the sounds.
Katherine crept up to the kitchen and peered inside, appalled at what she saw. Bree had many of her dishes lined up on the counter, and was pulling out a bottle of wine that was hidden in the back of the cabinet.
"What do you think you're doing?" Katherine stated.
Bree jumped, almost loosing her grip on the bottle. "Katherine!" She exclaimed. "I didn't think you were up."
"Well, I wasn't until I heard noises coming from the kitchen. I thought maybe you were getting a late night snack." She came closer to Bree, snatching the bottle of wine from her hands. "But this…" Katherine shook her head. "I didn't expect this."
Bree didn't respond, but rather stared blankly at the bottle in Katherine's hands.
"I thought we had gotten rid of all the wine, Bree." Katherine grabbed a corkscrew, shoving it into the top of the bottle. "You promised me there was no more." Katherine removed the cork from the bottle, and then proceeded to dump all of the wine down the sink. "I guess I shouldn't have been so quick to trust an addict."
"Katherine, please." Bree finally responded. "I was just going to have one glass."
"Oh, don't give me that." Katherine raised her voice. "You and I both know you wouldn't have stopped at one." She swung open another cabinet, sloppily fishing through the bowls and plates inside in search for another hidden bottle. "Let's see what else you're hiding, here."
"That was the last one." Bree slumped against the counter, defeated. She certainly didn't appreciate the way Katherine was acting toward her, but did not have the strength nor the will to fight back.
"Oh, really?" Katherine continued searching. "Because that's what you said yesterday too." Her frustration was obvious. "You lied to me." She stated. "So I have no choice but to search every damn cabinet in this house." Katherine was well aware that yelling would not solve anything, but couldn't see any other option.
"There's no more!" Bree finally mustered the strength to fight back. "Alright? There are no more." She repeated. "You have my word, Katherine." She looked her friend deep in the eye before brushing past her and heading up the stairs.
Katherine sighed, resting her elbows on the counter, realizing just how harsh she had been. Bree was struggling with an addiction; her actions were not her own. What good would it do for Katherine to move in with her friend if all she did to help was scold her?
She neatly put away all of the dishes that Bree had taken out, and then headed upstairs.
Katherine knocked lightly on the door. "Bree?" No response. She knocked once more. "Bree I…I'm sorry." She rested her head against the doorframe. Katherine felt absolutely exhausted, but knew that she would get no rest until she had resolved her situation. "I'm coming in." She explained, slowly opening the door.
The room was dark and quiet, and for a second Katherine wasn't sure if Bree was sleeping. However, she could hear her friend's ragged breath, and knew that she was in fact still awake. Katherine allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkness, and then took a seat on Bree's bed.
"I'm sorry." She repeated. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that." She sighed, looking at the back of Bree's head. "It's just…the reason I moved in here was so that things like that wouldn't happen. I'm here so that when you have a bad night, you can come to me instead of a wine bottle."
"Every night is a bad night." Bree muttered. "You'd never get any sleep."
"Excuse me?"
"Nevermind."
"Bree…" Katherine urged he to continue. "Come on."
The redhead sat up, though she still did not turn to face the other woman. "Every night since Danielle took Benjamin I've just felt..." She searched for the right word. "Empty." She shook her head. "And I can't explain or talk about it because I don't even understand." She took a moment to compose herself. "I just know that wine makes me feel better."
"Look at me." Katherine scooted a little closer to her friend. She gently cupped her face, brushing away a stray tear. "Wine doesn't make you feel better. It puts you to sleep." She made sure that her tone was gentle. "And then you wake up with the same problem you had the night before. It's a vicious cycle, you know that."
"What else am I supposed to do?" Bree felt a single tear escape. "I can't handle feeling like this, Katherine, I just can't."
"I know." Katherine sympathized. "But we'll fix this, okay?" She took her hand.
"I appreciate everything you're saying, but I don't think –"
"We'll fix this." Katherine repeated. "In two days, we're catering a dinner for 60. It's going to be the best work we've ever done and no one will be able to stop talking about it." She smiled. "You're going to feel so accomplished, Bree. I promise you. And then, even if for only that day…or even just a few hours…you won't feel so empty anymore." Katherine tucked a few loose strands behind her friend's ear. "And we'll keep it up, Bree. We'll keep it up until you're almost whole again." She smiled. "So that once Orson comes home, he'll just be the last piece of the puzzle."
Bree attempted a smile, comforted by Katherine's words. "Thank you." She whispered. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Even without me, you'd still come out on top." Katherine paused. "You're stronger than you think you are."
"I'm so sorry I lied to you." Bree buried he head in her hands, feeling a few more tears escape.
Katherine took Bree into her arms. "Shh, it's okay." She held her friend close. "Everything is going to be okay." She stroked her hair gently. "We're gonna get you through this."