Since their last argument, Tony's drinking had increased. When Michelle returned home from work, she knew that she would find him slouched on the sofa, staring at the TV, drunk. He drank throughout the evening, the beer bottles filling the coffee table in their lounge, then started again the following morning. Most nights he didn't even join Michelle in bed; he simply fell asleep on the sofa, in a world far away. He had made no attempt to find a job, called no one, and barely spoke two words to Michelle in an evening.
Michelle was worried. Worried, angry, and despairing. She didn't know what to do with him. She had known when he was released from prison that he might be angry, but he had become worse. What had been a few occasional drinks, had turned into a twenty-four hour binge, every day. He had become more secluded and brooding as time went on. He wasn't getting better; he was getting worse.
When her boss awarded her the promotion to Deputy Director at Division, Michelle hadn't been overjoyed, as she once would have been. She had accepted, but all the time there had been a painful thought in her mind. What would Tony say? She had considered not telling him, but remembered the last time that she had concealed work-related matters to him. She didn't want Tony to find out through someone else. She had to tell him.
Tony swore at the TV, cursing the baseball player who had messed up. His mind strayed to Michelle, spending all her time at work, while he was stuck here on his own, bored. He took another swig of his beer, trying to block out the thought of her. 'Great' he thought to himself. 'Don't focus on Michelle, don't think about how you landed in prison, forget about how you don't have a job, or friends, or a wife who gives a damn about you; there isn't much else to think about!' He downed the rest of his beer in one, willing the alcohol to make him forget.
Michelle stepped out of the car and made her way into the house apprehensively. She hated returning to the smell of beer, and a darkened living room with a flickering TV, containing Tony; her now silent, depressed, permanently drunk husband. She took a few deep breaths, before stepping into the living room and greeting Tony. She was rewarded with a grunt, and a slight nod.
"Tony, I…" she stopped, swallowed, then continued, dreading his reaction. "I got a promotion".
Tony's head snapped up, and his eyes flashed angrily. "What?" he demanded. It was bad enough that she spent so much time away from home at the moment, but he knew that a promotion would lead to longer hours. They always did. God, he hated her working at Division. The thought that he had failed at CTU, but she could still remain a government agent killed him.
"A promotion. I'm Deputy Director at Division" Michelle said hesitantly, not liking the look on Tony's face. Couldn't he be happy for her? But she had known that that was unlikely. He didn't seem to care about anything that she did anymore.
Tony's mind was whirling with thoughts of Division and CTU; his own promotions, and then his downfall. The alcohol was slowing down his brain, and he couldn't concentrate. He turned back to the TV, grabbed another beer, and muttered, "congratulations", hating his life.
Michelle knew that she had to try and do something to get Tony out of this, otherwise he would completely ruin his life. "Tony, look," she started, moving forward and perching on the end of the sofa. "We need to talk about this. You never used to drink, and it needs to stop if you want any hope of getting a job. Can't you try to put prison behind you?"
Tony glanced up at her, and smiled sarcastically. "You don't have a bloody clue, do you? You weren't bloody well there!" He paused, took a mouthful of beer and turned back to the TV. Realising that Michelle was still there, he spoke quietly, hiding all emotion. "I don't need to talk. If I want to drink, I'll damn well drink! It's not like I need a job, now you've got your super new promotion."
Put prison behind him? Michelle didn't have any idea what he had gone through for her. He had become a traitor to America to protect her, spent six months of his life in a cell for her, lost his job for her… And here she was, moaning that he was drinking, after all that he had sacrificed.
Michelle stood up, and walked away, fighting back tears. She knew how much Tony had given up to save her life, but if he really loved her that much, why was he now doing this to her? She had wished that he could be released from prison every day since his trial, but now that he was back, he was so different. He no longer acted like he loved her. Michelle wondered if Tony would be happier if she wasn't here, as a constant reminder of what he had done. Did he wish she was dead, and he hadn't made that decision to save her?
She dragged herself upstairs, and slumped in front of the computer, intending to work on an investigation report for Division. But she couldn't concentrate. What was happening to Tony? Her mind was filled with images from their early relationship, before he had been arrested and jailed. They had always been so happy together, and Tony had always looked after her, and treated her kindly. Not like he did now.
Michelle rested her head on the desk, unable to block out the sound of his drunken accusations over the past few months. She remembered the way in which he had stormed out of the house after a big row, and yet had returned to apologise. She had thought that after that things would improve. But they hadn't. They'd become worse.
Michelle wished life could go back to being simple, but knew that it wouldn't. Tony just didn't seem to be able to deal with his issues.