For a few days, no one knew where Tony was. He was able to escape the paparazzi, agents who watched his every move, and his dearest friends.
Tony needed to get away from everyone. He couldn't handle the stress anymore, and it was time to clear his head. For the first time in years Tony bought some drugs and several twelve packs of cheap beer. He didn't want to purchase anything too fancy, otherwise it would draw attention.
He parked the old, dirty truck he bought just for the trip in front of a perfect blue building. It was on the corner of Virginia and La Loma somewhere in Middle America. Maybe it was in Omaha. Tony didn't know at this point; he was too high to care. It turned out to be a hotel, so he paid a week's work in cash and got a key to a room on the top floor.
After Tony took a few pills he stumbled over to the musty mattress in his room and fell onto it. Even though it was disgusting and reeked of sweat and sex, it put Tony at ease. Just like his old life, he thought.
Tony reached his hand out and slapped it against the nightstand. He slid his hand around in an attempt to grab his beer, but instead Tony picked up his cellphone.
He wanted to resist, because he knew exactly who would try and contact him. Tony didn't want to hear from her. She meant too much to him to ignore her completely, so he picked up the phone and read her text.
I wanted to see someone staring back at me when I woke up this morning, but you were gone. So when are you coming home? You leaving me all alone?
Tony threw his phone across the room, smashing it into pieces. He shouldn't have looked.
He pulled himself up, cracked open his beer and chugged it. The drunker he was the better he'd feel.
After he downed several cans he passed out. The mixture of alcohol and whatever drugs he bought sedated him.
As he slept, he dreamed of being a different kind of person, but Tony knew he never could be.
When Tony woke up, he could barely see. The drug cocktail he consumed the night before must've affected his vision. Good. If Tony never saw anything again he'd be happy.
Tony's head pounded. He knew the only solution to his hangover was to get drunk again. He fell out of bed and crawled over to his cooler. As he opened up the lid, Tony heard someone come in.
"Clearly you can't read, because there is a 'do not disturb' sign on my doorknob. You can clean this place when I'm gone," Tony said as he pulled out a beer.
"I clean up after you enough."
It was Steve. Without a doubt Steve was the second to last person he wanted to see. Every time Tony went missing it was Steve who found him. He guessed he'd waited a bit too long to go home.
"She's dying, Tony," Steve said.
"And I've been drinking," Tony replied.
"You know she needs you more than anyone right now. Whether you like it or not I'm taking you home."
He could hear Steve walking toward him. Tony took a small back of a crushed substance from his pocket and emptied the contents in his mouth before downing the rest of his drink. Maybe this time he'd be successful.
Tony fell on his back. The room began to spin and he heard Steve rush toward him. His body was completely numb, and when Steve picked him up he could barely feel it.
Tony closed his eyes and opened them half-way. His vision was still blurred, and he noticed he was now color blind. Everything was coffee black and egg white.
"Help me stay awake, Steve... I feel like I'm falling…" a tear rolled down Tony's cheek.
As Steve placed Tony's unconscious body on the bed, he looked outside. Without warning a torrential downpour began.
"Every time you cry this happens… I swear you're the Rain King," Steve sighed as he started chest compressions.