ROSE: Entertain Guest

Rose sat at her kitchen table, playing with a wine glass, her eyes transfixed on the wine sloshing in circles on the inside as she twisted the glass around.

The kitchen was dark, and she was sitting at the table, her head resting on her free hand. The only light in the kitchen came from the clock on the microwave. Somewhere in the living room, across from the kitchen, her Mother's old Wizard Grandfather Clock ticked away. She listened to the sound of the second hands ticking away, or the sound of the pendulum rocking back and forth.

"I really wish you did not do that."

The voice startled Rose, and she would be lying if she said she did not jump, at least a little, but she did not turn around. She continued to stare at the wine sloshing in circles. She heard the sound of slippered feet walking gently across the kitchen floor, before a hand rested on her shoulder. Rose reached up and patted the hand, before it was removed, and a woman sat across from her at the table.

The woman has short black hair, and was wearing a beautiful jade housecoat. She stared at Rose through sleepy, jade-coloured eyes, "I would think you would have learned from your late Mother, or your brother not to drink."

"Its all about moderation." Rose shrugged, resting the wine glass on the table, and pulling her hand away from it, "Anything is fine, as long as you take it in moderation."

The woman nodded, "But two of the three Lalondes don't seem to understand that, and I would hate to see you go the route your Mother did."

Rose smirked, "Don't worry, Kanaya." She looked away from the raven-haired woman and at the clock, "You really are my best friend. Thank you for your concern."

"That is what best friends do." Kanaya smiled, "We support each other in times of need. And speaking of need, where is our guest? Last I saw him, he had fallen asleep on the couch?"

"I put him to bed a few hours ago in the guest room." Rose stated,

"You know there is a huge possibility he will not be here in the morning." Kanaya stated.

"Yes, I know." Rose nodded, looking back into her drink, "And that will be his decision."

"Are you not going to take measures to keep him here?" Kanaya asked, "You told the doctor you would watch him."

Rose smirked and picked up the glass again, sipping it lightly, "I have had… patients like Dave before. Fiercely independent people, who no longer know how to accept help. People in Dave's state may take offence to an outside source trying to control him. The last thing we want, is for Dave to think we are taking some of his control away."

"He has not shown us much self-control so far." Kanaya pointed out.

"Many people in Dave's predicament, often tell themselves otherwise." Rose explained, "While they feel they do not have much power over their situation, they feel they take their own independence that much more seriously… all Dave has is that. If we try to take it away, he may resent us, and if he resents us, he will not let us in, and we cannot help him."

"So what do you plan to do?" Kanaya asked,

"Guide him." Rose said, "That is all we can. We could force him to stay here… lock him in a room, and make sure he has no access to any sort of liver-damaging substance, and risk him resenting us… but that brings on more risks then what it is worth."

She paused, putting the glass down, "I have worked at the Rehabilitation Center for many years. I have seen many families force a loved one to enter… hoping to help them… only for that person to grow to hate the place, and instead of seeing it as a center to help them, they see it as a prison. Over ninety-percent of people forced into rehabilitation, will go right back to the substance as soon as they are out, and something does not go their way."

"So you think there is no hope for Dave?" Kanaya asked,

Rose shook her head, "I do think there is. But we cannot force him down that road, he must walk it himself. We can guide him, and walk down it with him… but if we force him, it would do him no good in the long run."

They both fell silent for few seconds, Kanaya looking at Rose with sympathy, and Rose looking at her now empty glass with distain.

Finally Rose sat up. She ran her tired fingers over her face, "I just do not know anymore, Kanaya."

"Hmm?"

"I guess…" Rose sighed, "I was expecting something else. Ever since I was a child, I wondered what happened to my long lost brother… I always knew there was a possibility that this would happen… but I really hoped our meeting would be more… happy."

"I know." Kanaya reached over and stroked the back of Rose's hand comfortingly, "You have been looking forward to meeting him for a long time. This will be hard, Rose… but I know it will be worth it in the end."

Rose gave out a tired sigh, "I hope you are right."

She straightened up, fighting off a yawn, "I told him we were married."

Kanaya smirked, "And why did you do that?"

She shrugged, "I was hoping for some reaction from him… the way he was looking at me…worried me. His eyes looked dead… like there was no life in him whatsoever."

"And did you get a reaction from him?" Kanaya asked,

"No." Rose muttered.

Kanaya got up and walked around the table, wrapping her arms around Rose, and hugging her 'best-friend' tightly, "It will all be alright. You will see. But it is late, and you need to work in the morning, so lets go to bed."

Rose nodded.

… … …

Dave had been there the next morning. And the morning after that, and so on.

The forest was beautiful this time of the year. Very much alive and green. Rose was not very much an outdoors person, but she liked to stare at it outside the window while she talked on the phone with a client. Today though, she was not talking to a client, but a doctor.

It had been three weeks since Dave came to stay with them. He had done terrific so far, though the last three weeks were hell on everyone. Rose knew what to expect… she had dealt with many patients going through withdrawal. She knew exactly what to expect when he started the dramatic mood swings, or the heavy sweating, or the vomiting, and even the gasping for breath.

Right now, he sat across from her at the table, making faces at her while she tried to talk to the doctor. She struggled to ignore him, but could not help herself from breaking a smile. He had definitely made it through the worst. But she could clearly remember the first week was awful. He would wonder the house in a daze, looking through all the cupboards and the fridge over and over, looking for something, but not knowing what. When Kanaya had gone up to him and asked him if he needed help finding something, he exploded on her, and after that, she rarely approached him for a long time. Rose knew exactly what he was doing, while Dave himself was not looking for drugs, his subconscious was. By the second week, that stopped, and Dave had become desperate, often trying to sneak out to try and find his fix.

Never once did Rose try and stop him, and even once or twice asked him if he wanted a ride. But she did lecture him. Every single time he talked about leaving, she would remind him what he had at stake, and if he really wanted to live, he would stay. Only twice he had left, but to Rose's delight, he returned without smelling like anything. The second time, he even returned with some wild flowers and an apology. He begged Kanaya and Rose for forgiveness for his behaviour, and thankfully, Kanaya forgave him. Rose then took the two of them out for dinner.

The third week, Dave started to show symptoms not normal to withdrawal. He was getting weaker, and he never complained, but Rose could see his face twist in pain whenever he tried to make any sort of movement. It was clear he was in pain, and while she hated to admit it, she knew it was his liver.

She then made Dave a deal he could not refuse. She would buy him new aviator sunglasses, not the cheap ones either - if he would start going to the doctor for weekly checkups. When she took him to his first appointment, she bought him the sunglasses on the way home. He acted like a little kid who lost his stuffed animal with them. She had never seen him so happy, and that made her happy.

Dave's liver was failing. The news was like a blow to the face to her, because he was doing so well. But the doctor said the damage was done when Dave tried to kill himself by overdosing. Dave himself, did not look startled by the news, and was quiet on the ride to the eye-glass store where she bought him the shades.

He started walking with a cane shortly after that, and even started his first Liver Dialysis, to clean up the toxins in his blood that the liver could no longer. It only took a few days, but Dave was already looking a lot better. His skin was losing some of that yellow tinge to it, and he seemed to have regained some of his energy. He no longer looked like he was on death's door.

"Dave, stop!" Rose whispered, covering the receiver with her hand as he continued to make faces at her, "I'm on the phone with your doctor."

"Oh, heaven's no! Whatever will we do?" Dave replied sarcastically, "Doctor Mc Snooty Panty! I know you hate me, but please save me!"

Rose rolled her eyes, and went back to talking to the Doctor. He was reluctant to put Dave on a waiting list to receive a new liver, though Rose assured him that he was making progress in the right direction to quit the drugs.

Dave himself, outright refused it.

Every time Rose mentioned a Liver Transplant, he would get angry.

"Might as well hang up, Rose." Dave snapped, "I'm not getting surgery."

"Yes, I will bring him down tomorrow for his check up." Rose said, ignoring Dave, "Thank you, very much. I will see you then."

She hung up the phone, "He has put you on the waiting list."

"I don't deserve it." Dave replied,

"Dave." Rose said sternly. He looked at her, and she suddenly wished the 'shades' as he called them, were not so dark so she could see his eyes, "Let's go for a walk."

He seemed startled by that answer, and blinked a few times before responding, "A walk?"

"Yes. A walk." Rose nodded, "It is a nice day outside, and we won't have much more until the cold weather settles in."

Dave frowned, and for a second, Rose thought he was going to say something sarcastic again, but he finally smiled and nodded, "Yeah. Let's go for a walk."

DAVE: Go for a walk