Drawing a sigh, Kyle sat down at the bar of the athletic club. Momentarily closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead, he reached into his jacket pocket. Not able to grab his tablets, Kyle examined his pocket, to find it empty. He checked the pocket on the other side and the inside of his jacket. "Where did I leave it?" Kyle wondered aloud, feeling in his pockets a second time.
"Kyle?" Devon's familiar voice broke Kyle's thoughts.
Looking at him Kyle said, "Hi."
"Did you lose something?" Devon said.
"What?" Kyle said.
"The way you were checking your suit, seemed like you lost something," Devon said.
"I thought I had it with me," Kyle said, "I must have left it at the office."
Noticing Kyle seemed distracted, Devon said, "Is everything alright?"
"I'm good," Kyle said.
"I only ask because you are sitting over here seemingly unhappy about something," Devon said.
"There's a lot going on," Kyle said, "I was just sorting it all out. You know, work, weddings. So nothing to worry about."
"I'm just glad it's nothing serious," Devon said, "You mentioned the wedding. It must be coming up soon."
"Six weeks," Kyle said. "We need to have everything finalized yesterday."
"I hear you," Devon said, "If I can help let me know."
"Now that you say that," Kyle started, "I wanted to ask a favour."
"Name it," Devon said.
"I was hoping you would consider being one of my groomsmen at the wedding,"
Kyle said.
"Me?" Devon smiled, "I would like to, but are you sure you don't have someone else you would rather ask?"
"I have already asked other people," Kyle said, "Rachel has a large bridal party, that seems to be continually growing. I have to keep up on my side."
"I appreciate you thinking of me," Devon said, "I would be happy to accept."
"Thank you," Kyle said, standing up, "Now I just need to find two more."
"Any ideas?" Devon said.
"I'm working on it," Kyle said, "I'll be in touch really soon with details."
"I'm looking forward to it," Devon said.
"Me too," Kyle said, wincing as he pressed his hand against his forehead.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Devon said.
"It's okay, I'm fine," Kyle said, taking an unsteady step. The room began to sway, causing Kyle to grab the edge of the bar for support.
"Kyle, what's wrong?" Devon said, going to his aid.
"I'm feeling a little dizzy," Kyle said.
"Okay, come sit down," Devon said.
Traci entered the club and noticing Devon helping an unsteady Kyle to a chair, she rushed over. "Kyle?" she said, "What's going on?"
"He looked like he was having some head pain and now he's feeling dizzy," Devon said.
"Sweetie?" Traci said, sitting next to him, taking one of Kyle's hands.
"I'll get him some water," Devon said.
"Kyle?" Traci said.
"It won't stop," Kyle groaned, continuing to hold his forehead.
"What won't?" Traci said, "Kyle, what's happening?"
Devon returned with a glass of water. "Here," he said, "Take some sips of this."
As Kyle took the glass from Devon, Traci noticed Kyle's hands were shaking, prompting her to assist him, to raise the glass. After Kyle had taken a drink, Traci took the water and put it on the table, as she said, "You don't look good. I think we should get you to a doctor."
"No, it's not necessary," Kyle said.
"Kyle, you are pale, and shaking, plus you are some kind of pain," Traci said.
"I'll be fine," Kyle said, as the motion of the room settled, his shaking also dissipating, "I'm already feeling better."
"Traci, may be right," Devon said, "You looked like you were about to pass out. Maybe you should see someone."
"I appreciate your concern," Kyle said, "I am okay now."
"No, that was something serious," Traci said.
"Honestly I am fine," Kyle said, "I have a lot going on. I have not been taking care of myself the way I should be. It was probably just stress."
"You should take better care," Traci said.
Nodding, Kyle smiled, as he said, "I will."
"I'll drive you home," Traci said.
"It's okay, I can drive myself," Kyle said.
"Maybe, I cannot convince you to see a doctor," Traci began, "At least I can make sure you get home okay."
"Thank you," Kyle said, "I have my car. Besides, I'm going back to the office."
"I don't think you should," Traci said, "Not today. I'm worried about you."
"Don't be," Kyle said, "It's really sweet of you to be concerned but everything is okay," Kyle said. Focusing on Devon, Kyle said, "I'll be in touch."
Nodding Devon said, "Yeah, you take it easy."
Rachel walked into the Abbott house, to find Jack and Abby in a discussion. They both stopped talking and looked at her, prompting Rachel to say, "Am I interrupting?"
"No, not at all," Jack said.
"We might as well tell her," Abby said, "We were talking about you and Kyle."
"Abby perhaps…" Jack started.
"I realize I have not been very welcoming to you," Abby said, "I don't have an issue with you personally. I only want what is best for Kyle."
"As do I," Rachel said.
"Uncle Jack has made me realize, how much you and Kyle truly do love one another," Abby said, "I will always be looking out for my cousin, however, I want him to be happy and you do seem happy together. What I am trying to say, is I will make the effort to be more supportive of your relationship and wish you both well."
"You do?" Rachel said.
"Yes I do," Abby said. She looked at Jack, who raised his eyebrows at her, encouraging her to continue. "And I apologize for the animosity I have shown towards you," Abby said.
"Thank you, I appreciate you saying that," Rachel said.
"Now, that I have I will on my way," Abby said.
"Before you go," Rachel said, "I would like to talk to you about something."
"Okay," Abby said, "About what?"
"I would like to ask you, if you would be one of my bridesmaids," Rachel said.
Overhearing the request, Jack smiled to himself.
"You don't have to extend the olive branch that far," Abby said.
"I really want you to be part of this," Rachel said.
"Kyle, told you to ask me, didn't he?" Abby said.
"Yes, it was his idea," Rachel said, "But it would mean a lot to Kyle if you were in the wedding, therefore it would mean a lot to me."
Abby hesitated, so Rachel said, "If you won't do it for me, at least do it for Kyle."
Abby looked at Jack, who nodded. "Okay," Abby said, breaking into a smile, "I will be your maid of honor."
"Oh, I meant for you to be a bridesmaid," Rachel said.
"Can't blame me for trying," Abby said, laughing, to let Rachel know she was joking, "A bridesmaid it is."
"Thank you," Rachel said.
"Just out of curiosity," Abby said, "Who else is in the bridal party?"
"Tessa is my maid of honor," Rachel said, "Then there's Mariah, Traci, Sharon and my daughter Susie is going to be a junior bridesmaid. Now there's you too."
"You will be a lovely wedding party," Jack said, "I have to admit, I am looking forward to this event."
"No more than I am," Rachel smiled, "I'm happy, excited and nervous as anything."
"We will get you through it," Abby said, "Honestly if you need any help, just ask."
"I'll keep that in mind," Rachel said.
"I really do have to get going," Abby said. She gave Jack a quick hug and then said, "Rachel we will talk soon."
"We will," Rachel said, as she and Jack watched Abby leave. Looking at Jack, Rachel said, "Well wonders never cease."
Jack smiled at her.
Sitting in chair at the athletic club, Traci was lost in her thoughts. She could not get Kyle's episode out of her mind. The more she reflected on it, the more concerned she became. Traci wanted to help her nephew but was not sure how to go about it. Should she call Jack or Rachel? Would she be interfering if she told them what she witnessed? Kyle might be upset with her for telling others, however Traci was convinced Kyle was downplaying his situation, not willing to let others know.
"Traci?" She looked up to see a friendly face.
"Paul," Traci said, "This is a nice surprise."
Gesturing to the chair next to her, Paul said, "May I?"
"Of course," Traci said.
"You seemed to be deep in thought," Paul said, "I don't see a laptop. Were you cooking up ideas for the book?"
"No," Traci said, "Actually, that was the furthest thing from my mind."
"Anything you want to talk about?" Paul said, "I've been known to be a good listener."
"I don't want to trouble you," Traci said.
"You look like you need someone to talk to," Paul said.
"I'm worried about someone close to me," Traci said, "I think he's in a bad situation, a health issue. I want to help him and tell others that are close to him, but am I interfering if I do? Shouldn't he be the one to talk to his family if he wants them to know?"
"Sounds like a tricky situation," Paul said, "Would it benefit him if other people who care about him found out? Maybe he doesn't want anyone to worry and maybe he has it under control more than you realize."
"Maybe I should tell Jack," Traci said, "After all this about his son."
"Kyle is the one you are concerned with?" Paul said.
"I saw him have an upsetting spell," Traci said, "As much as I tried to convince him to see a doctor, he refused."
"Perhaps if you talk to Kyle," Paul said, "Tell him your concerns and how you think his family should be told. I would take your cue from what he tells you."
"That makes sense," Traci said, "It's good advice, thank you."
"Always happy to help," Paul smiled.
"Enough about me," Traci said, "How are things with you?"
"Work is going well," Paul said.
"And personally?" Traci said. Paul paused, so Traci said, "I'm sorry, there I go interfering again."
"You are not doing that," Paul said, "It's just things with Chris have gone from bad to worse. We are hardly connecting at all. Unfortunately, there is a lot of tension, when we do spend time together."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Traci said, "I think we just need to have some faith, that things will get better for both of us."
"I am going to adopt you optimist theory," Paul said. Spotting someone across the room, Paul said, "I see someone I need to talk with. It's been nice seeing you again."
"Yes, you as well," Traci smiled.
Paul smiled back, before he sauntered across the room and sat across from another patron. "Hello, Kevin," he said.
Kevin paused and said, "Won't you join me?"
"I think it's time we have a chat," Paul said.
"About…?" Kevin said.
"About you," Paul said, "I'm investigating Kyle and Rachel's car accident and your possible involvement in it."
"I don't know what makes you think I had anything to do with that," Kevin said.
"They were forced off the road by another driver causing them to crash," Paul said, "Thankfully, there were no serious injuries. We are trying to identify the other driver. People with motive who might want to cause harm to Kyle and Rachel."
"I don't think I like where you are going with this," Kevin said.
"I understand you are in the middle of a custody issue, regarding your daughter," Paul said, "You displayed some hostility towards both of them. Kyle says you even threatened him."
Kevin half laughed as he said, "He was getting in my face and I told him not to mess with me."
"Sounds like a threat," Paul said.
"So, you think it was me who ran them down," Kevin said.
"Was it?" Paul said.
"I may be in a custody struggle with Rachel," Kevin started," And I may not be a fan of her choice of a husband. I would not do something like this to her. It wasn't me. As a matter of fact, when I heard what happened it upset me. Despite what is going on between us, I would never set out to hurt Rachel. You had better find out who did this before I do or I won't be held responsible."
"There you go, making threats again," Paul said, "Let us handle the investigation."
"Then might I suggest you find the real culprit," Kevin said, "Instead of making me out to be the bad guy."
"Oh, we will find the person responsible," Paul said, "Don't worry about that."
Walking out of the den Jack, searched the desk, locating papers he needed. Picking them up he proceeded to walk back to the den, when someone called him back.
"Jack?" Rachel said. He turned to face her, when she said, "I'd like to talk to you if you have a minute?"
"Of course," Jack said, walking further into the room, "What's on your mind?"
"It's about Kyle," Rachel said, "I'm worried about him."
"In what way?" Jack said.
"He's not himself," Rachel said, "He's having mood swings. Sometimes it doesn't take much to set him off. He's fine one minute and irritable the next. I don't think he's sleeping well and that may be part of the problem."
"I've noticed something seems off with Kyle," Jack said, "He's missed some meetings and deadlines at work. That is just not like him."
"The other day, he even suggested we call off the wedding," Rachel said.
"He what?" Jack said, "That doesn't make sense, he's been telling me how much he's looking forward to it."
"I talked him out of that notion," Rachel said, "I know he loves me and I love him. We are getting married."
"I can't think of anything that would make him act this way," Jack said.
"I can," Rachel said. Producing the bottle of tablets, she said, "I found these in Kyle's suit jacket."
"What are those?" Jack said.
"I'm not exactly sure," Rachel said, "But they have his name on them."
Rachel handed the bottle to Jack, who read the label over. "These are painkillers," Jack said.
"Painkillers?" Rachel repeated.
"You knew nothing about this?" Jack said.
"Kyle did not tell me anything about not feeling well or needing a medicine that strong," Rachel said, "I don't like going behind his back to talk to you about this."
"You did the right thing telling me," Jack said, "Now I am very concerned."
"The thing is," Rachel said, "Look at the date on the label, then see how many are gone."
Jack did as instructed, a look of surprise in his eyes. "They are more than half gone," he said.
"Jack, you don't think…that Kyle may have…" Rachel trailed off.
"An addiction?" Jack said.
"I don't want to think it," Rachel said, "I hate to even bring it up. But it would explain his behaviour."
"Yes, it would," Jack sighed.
"I never thought Kyle would have those tendencies," Rachel said.
"It's not hard to fall into that trap," Jack said, "Those kinds of attributes can run in families. After what I went through, I hoped Kyle would never go down that same path."
"What are we going to do?" Rachel said.
"I will have a talk with him," Jack said, "Maybe this is not what we suspect. However, I will get to the bottom of this. If Kyle needs any kind of help, we will make sure he gets it."
Jack sat in the living room chair reading over some papers, when he heard the front door open. When he saw Kyle enter the living room he closed his folder and stood up.
"You're home early," Jack said.
"Yeah," Kyle said, "I needed to come home."
"Is everything alright?" Jack said.
"I'm going to head upstairs," Kyle said.
"Can I talk to you first?" Jack said.
"Is it something that can wait?" Kyle said, "I really don't feel good."
"It's important," Jack said.
"Okay," Kyle sighed, "Does it have anything to do with that folder in your hand?"
"I was doing some reading," Jack said, "Take a look."
Kyle opened the folder, frowning as he looked over the contents. "Why are you looking over addiction and treatment information?" Kyle became alarmed, as he said, "Dad, you're not having trouble again are you?"
"No," Jack said, "This is not about me."
"Then what is it about?" Kyle said.
Pulling the prescription bottle out of his pocket, Jack said, "I found these."
A look of relief came over Kyle as he said, "I've been looking all over for those."
He reached for them, but Jack held them back.
"Can I please have them?" Kyle said.
"Why are you taking painkillers?" Jack said.
"It's not a big deal," Kyle said, "I'd like to have those back."
"Not until you answer my question," Jack said.
Kyle sighed and said, "They are for headaches. I've been having some bad ones so I went to see a doctor. He told me it was likely migraines and those tablets should help."
"You have never had migraines," Jack said.
"They can develop at any age," Kyle snapped, "Would you give those back to me!" Kyle did not need to see the look on Jack's face to know he had been too harsh with his father. "I'm sorry," Kyle said, "I didn't mean to speak to you like that."
"You have been apologizing a lot lately for your behaviour," Jack said.
"I know," Kyle said.
"Kyle, I'm concerned you are taking too much of this medication," Jack said.
Kyle looked from Jack to the folder in his hand and said, "Wait, you think…that I'm dependent on the painkillers?"
"Son, it's okay, we will figure this out," Jack said, "I feel partly responsible, you fell down the same path as me. We will get you whatever help you need."
"I don't need any," Kyle said.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Jack said, "I know how easy it is to come to rely on something like this."
"Dad, I'm not in denial," Kyle said, "I'm not addicted to those pills. I can promise you that."
"You've taken so much of this," Jack said, "They are highly addictive."
"I needed them a lot at first," Kyle said, "It worked to at least take the edge off. I have scaled back the number I take now. Mainly, because they don't work as well anymore. As far as not being able to stop them, that's not the issue."
"If they don't work, why are you so anxious to have them back?" Jack said.
"Because I feel like my head is going to split apart," Kyle said, dropping onto the couch, "I was hoping they might start working again. Dad, I swear dependency is not what is going on here."
"What is going on?" Jack said, "Tell me about these headaches. How long have you had them?"
"It started a few months ago," Kyle said, "They are always at their worst in the morning. Sometimes they ease off by the end of the day, sometimes they don't."
"They are that bad, you needed this strength of medication?" Jack said.
"Yes, they are," Kyle said, "If you are that worried, I won't take them anymore. Like I said, they don't work anyway."
Noticing, Kyle rubbing his forehead, Jack said, "Do you have a bad one right now?" Kyle nodded.
"Is there anything else going on?" Jack said, "Rachel told me you weren't sleeping very well."
"You talked to Rachel about this?" Kyle said, "You didn't tell her your addiction theory, I hope."
"She brought it up to me," Jack said.
"She found the medication," Kyle said, "Why didn't she just talk to me?"
"Your fiancé is very concerned about you," Jack said, "So am I."
"Me too," Kyle admitted.
"Why do you say that?" Jack said, sitting next to him.
"I think there is something wrong with me," Kyle said.
"In what way?" Jack said, "Tell me everything that your worried about."
"Besides the headaches," Kyle began, "It's hard to fall asleep anymore. If I do sleep it's never for very long. More and more, I don't feel well. I get nauseous, I have dizzy spells and I've passed out a few times."
"Passed out?" Jack said, "When did this happen?"
"The first time, I was on my business trip to Dubai," Kyle said, "I passed out in my hotel room. It was just for a few minutes and then I was fine."
"I wish you had confided in me sooner," Jack said.
"I didn't want to worry anyone," Kyle said, "And I kept hoping it would clear up on its own."
"We need to take care of this," Jack said.
"That's not all," Kyle said, "A little while ago I was at Jabot. I couldn't…I didn't know how to find my office." Jack looked at Kyle in surprise. "Dad, I know that building like the back of my hand, but I couldn't remember how to get to the place where I work every day."
"Your work has suffered lately" Jack said, "I knew something had to be wrong, because that is not like you."
"Do you think there is something really wrong with me?" Kyle said.
"I think we need to find out," Jack said, standing up. Gesturing for Kyle to follow suit, Jack continued, "I am taking you to the hospital. We are going to find out what is going on and take care of it."
"Right now?" Kyle said, as he stood.
"You are going to see a doctor today," Jack said.
"I'm almost afraid to," Kyle said.
"Don't worry," Jack said, "I am going to be with you every step of the way. This thing is probably is not as bad as you think." He gave Kyle an encouraging smile.
"Okay," Kyle said, "Let's get this over with."
Jack opened the door, letting Kyle walk past him. Jack paused, momentarily closing his eyes in deep concern for his son. Taking a deep breath, Jack shut the door and followed Kyle down the pathway.