Lindsey sat on the edge of the bed and opened the white bottle of pills from the night stand as he did every night for the past several weeks. He took one at first but he was quickly building a tolerance, taking two to three more. He washed it down with what was left of the scotch in his glass and laid back on the bed. It was hard to sleep without his wife and when he did, he was plagued by horrible nightmares. The pills helped. He drifted off easily and it made his sleep dreamless. In the morning, sometimes he would wake up with headaches and take more pills of a different variety, none of them prescribed. He was playing the doctor now.

One afternoon, Stevie was cleaning his bedroom, making his bed and fluffing his pillows from their romp the night before. She found his tumbler of alcohol and frowned. When had he gotten up for a drink? "Oh, Linds..." She sat the glass back down and continued her work. She saw a piece of paper sticking out of the nightstand and her only intention was to push it back inside, that is until she saw the pharmacy he had stashed inside. She gasped, looking over the bottles and running her thumb over the names. Should she confront him? Everyone has medicine but this much of anything made her nervous. She heard him coming up the stairs and she placed everything back inside, shutting the drawer. "Coming" she said, but he was already in the room with her.

"Alan called for you. He wants to confirm your date for Thursday."

"Maybe we can switch it to Friday? I have a session Thursday afternoon and I'd rather go out with you afterward."

"Really?" he asked and she nodded. "Baby, that's fantastic!" He kissed her cheek and stroked her hair. "I'll tell him right now. God, you don't know how happy that makes me." He jogs out of the room and she sits on his bed, breathing a sigh of relief. Maybe this will help him stay off whatever the hell is in that drawer, she thinks.

-----

"I'm heading out, Linds, are you okay here?"

"Yeah...yeah" he said. Something seemed off about him today and it worried her. Was it the pills?

"Are you sure?" she asked, a look of concern creasing her features.

"I know how to watch my own daughter, Stevie."

"Okay, I'm sorry. I will see you in a couple hours."

Stevie went out to the waiting car and made her way to the session with Dr Banzo. She nervously bounced her knee until she arrived. She practically leapt out of the car and hurried into the office building. Her hair was tied up and a little more messy than usual but she wore an attractive outfit and wore jewelry and perfume. It was easy for her to hide her distress if she looked good- usually people didn't notice as much. Dr Banzo welcomed her in. She sat on his sofa and just cried.

"Hey, last week everything was fine." Dr Banzo said. He passed her the box of tissues and she gladly took one.

"I'm sorry...you look nice today." she complimented and he laughed.

"Your husband always says I'm wearing Jimmy Hoffa's surplus suits"

She laughed a little too. "That sounds like Lindsey. He hates these sessions."

"Don't I know it! He makes it clear every time. He's missed a couple though."

"Oh?" Stevie's interest was suddenly piqued.

"Let's not get into that. So why did you come in here so upset?"

"Lindsey. I found...well...he's been taking sleeping pills and that's fine, a lot of my famous friends also take them but it's the amount that makes me nervous. I also found heavy pain relievers and some of the bottles said not to mix the two."

"Have you confronted him?"

"No, I found them completely on accident. He's been acting kind of...spacey..."

"How so?" Dr Banzo asked, taking notes on his yellow steno pad.

"He's forgetful and he claims I never told him things when I have, I even wrote them down."

"That's not too strange."

"God..." Stevie said, wiping her eyes with a tissue. "If you knew my Lindsey, you'd know."

"Ask him about them. Don't attack him, just check in."

"This experiment is getting to both of us."

"Have you mended anything? Does he...woo you?"

"Everyday, that's what you don't understand. He's an amazing husband. He's thoughtful, kind, he surprises me with not just presents but experiences. We travel and we spend a lot of time together. We didn't need this experiment to help us fall back in love. I would die without him, he's my everything. I know we aren't perfect, and what couple is?"

"Then why did you let it go on so long?"

"What?"

"Why did it take you weeks to tell me this?"

"I don't know..."

"Try a couple more weeks...a few more dates."

"What will that accomplish?"

"See for yourself. Make sure Lindsey comes in for his session. We called but he still hasn't show up."

"I will."

"Please remember to record your experience. I would like to see your notes next session."

"I do and I will."

"I will also do my best to get down to the bottom of his drug usage. I promise we will get this sorted out."

"Thank you, Dr Banzo"

Her session was up and she didn't feel better in the least. She stood up and rushed outside for air. She walked down the street to grab a coffee before calling a car to take her home. When she arrived, she unlocked the door and made her way inside. It was quiet, too quiet. She began to panic as she checked Arabella's room, finding it empty. Next, she passed her own then onto Lindsey's where she saw the two of them cuddled up together, fast asleep. Stevie smiled, leaning against the door frame. It reminded her of their photo shoot from two years ago. Lindsey showed how much he loved her and their daughter. It was no secret that they were his world. Looking at them, Stevie got the relief she had been looking for after her therapy session with Dr Banzo. They had mended many times before and she knew in her heart, they would mend now.