He grabbed a washcloth folded in a triangle over a towel on the rod and tossed it in the sink. Drenching it with cold water, he rung it out and crouched beside her.

He gathered her hair in one fist, gently pulling it from her hand then set the cool cloth on her neck and murmured, “Baby.”

She spit then moved to rest her forehead on her arm as her back bowed with the effort to hold back her gags and Layne reached out and flushed the toilet.

“I hate this,” she whispered on a heavy breath.

“I know, honey,” Layne held her hair and pressed lightly on the cloth at her neck then she moved back over the toilet and heaved again.

She was back to resting her forehead on her arm, her back bowing and arching with the deep breaths she was taking when Layne heard Astley’s voice.

“Has she taken a pill?”

Layne looked to the door to see him standing in it, staring down at them, his face cleared of anger, something Layne didn’t have the focus to read replacing it.

Roc didn’t move.

“Her pill?” Layne asked.

“I took it,” Rocky whispered into the toilet.

“When?” Astley asked.

“Not too…” big breath, “not too long ago,” she answered. “I thought I could fight it.”

Astley sighed loudly before he said, “I’m always telling you Rocky –”

“I know,” she whispered.

“Where are they?” Astley asked.

“Bathroom in my bedroom,” she answered and Astley disappeared.

Layne looked down at Raquel. “Baby, what pill?”

She took in a deep breath and sat back on her calves. He let go of her hair, flushed the toilet again and she looked up at him.

“There’s a pill I have now. Jarrod knew about it. It works, if I take it in time. Sometimes even when I don’t take it in time, if it doesn’t end up in the toilet, like that one did.”

Layne took in this information and moved the cloth from her neck to her face, wiping her brow and sliding it down to clean her mouth last.

“Thanks,” she whispered, her eyes still foggy but pointed at him.

“Anytime, sweetcheeks,” he grinned at her, “you know that.”

Her mouth got soft and her lips parted right before her eyes slid from him and he looked over his shoulder to see Astley at the door, watching them. He had a glass of water in one hand, the other hand balled in a fist. He took one step into the bathroom and put the glass on the basin of the sink and dropped a light blue tablet next to it.

“Give her that, she keeps it down, she’ll be better in an hour,” he stated then he walked out of the room.

Layne listened while he helped Rocky to her feet but he didn’t hear the door downstairs close. He kept listening as he gave Roc the tablet and handed her the glass. She gulped it down, he took the glass from her, set it on the basin and he led her into her room knowing Astley still hadn’t left.

She went direct to the master bath off her bedroom and he leaned against the doorjamb and watched while she quickly brushed her teeth. Then he stepped aside as she wandered in her pain-fuelled fog to the bed, gingerly entered it and just as gingerly laid down on her side, curled her knees into her belly and pressed her head into the pillow.

He walked to her, pulled the covers over her and let them drop lightly on her. Then he leaned in and shifted her hair off her neck. He wanted to kiss her but if it was as bad as it seemed, she wouldn’t want that so he left her in the room and closed the door behind him.

He found Astley standing and staring sightlessly out her huge windows.

“Astley –” he started.

Astley cut him off. “Tell her to tell her attorneys what she wants. I’ll consider it and counter if it’s inappropriate.”

Fuck, he was caving.

“You’re gonna settle?” Layne asked, Astley turned and gazed at him.

He did this for awhile and Layne held his gaze, waiting. Then Astley looked away and walked to the front door.

Hand on the knob, he turned to Layne. “I want you to know it’s not because of your antics.” His eyes slid to the stairs then back to Layne. “It’s because of her.” He stared at Layne a beat that fed into five. Then he whispered, “You’re not the only one who can love her, you know.”

Layne felt his body lock, his temper flare and his patience ebb. “Fuckin’ strange way of showin’ it, man.”

“You think that then you’ve never loved someone so much, wanted someone’s attention so badly, you’d do anything to get it,” Astley shot back. “You think I’m an ass**le. She’s been cheating on me for twelve years, since our first date, sitting across the table from me and wishing I was you.”

His chest got tight at Astley’s words but he still returned, “You’re wrong. She wanted to love you.”

Astley shook his head and looked back to the stairs.

Eyes on the stairs he whispered, “I didn’t stand a chance.”

Then he opened the door, stepped through and was careful to close it quietly.

Layne didn’t hesitate and walked across the room to turn the lock and flip the latch.

He stood with his hand still on the latch not thinking about Astley’s final words. He wasn’t giving headspace to that ass**le. Instead he was thinking one down, half a dozen to go.

Then he walked to the fridge to find Roc’s leftovers.

* * * * *

Forty-five minutes later, Layne quietly entered Rocky’s bedroom.

“I’m awake and I’m better,” she said softly from the bed.

Layne walked to her side and sat on it. She was still curled into a ball, her back to him and she didn’t move. This wasn’t unusual. He remembered, after she’d battled the pain, she wasn’t herself, not in a fog but she’d lose a hint of lucidity.

He leaned over her and put a forearm into the bed in front of her.

“You need anything?” he asked.

“I’m good,” she answered.

“That pill obviously works wonders, sweetcheeks, I remember sometimes it’d be hours and it was only sleep that brought you peace.”

“Yep, it’s the wonder pill,” she whispered.

“So why do you wait to take it?”

“Because I’m an idiot?”

She was joking and he laughed softly, leaned in and kissed her forehead. Then he moved away from her, rounded the bed, closed the curtains she’d left open, pulled off his clothes and joined her.

He reached out, gathered her in his arms and she snuggled closer.