The Right One - Felice Stevens Page 0,38
after visiting his mother, Leo will come and work out until he almost can’t walk. It’s like he’s doing some kind of penance, but for what…” She shrugged. “That’s the mystery of Leo.”
Morgan chewed his lip. “I didn’t know anything about it…the boxing or the issues with his mother.” He ducked his head. “I don’t know anything about him at all.”
“But you’d like to? You don’t have to answer me. I wish Leo could find someone to confide in and trust. He’s wrapped so tight, one day he’s gonna explode.”
The door opened, and Leo stumbled in, Peter and Georgie on his heels. “Morgan, thought you bailed on me ’cause I was a ba—” Leo hiccupped. “Bastard.” He clapped his hand over his mouth. “Oops, sorry, Marla. Din’ mean to curse.”
“Peter, the kids?” Marla stood. “Who’s watching them?”
“Angela. Don’t worry,” he answered, but Marla rolled her eyes.
“She’s a thirteen-year-old kid. I’d better go.” She leaned over to Morgan. “Help him. Please.” She hurried out of the room.
Morgan left his seat but didn’t know what to do except watch helplessly as Leo shuffled about the kitchen, mumbling to himself.
“I’m a bastard an’ a fuckup.” Leo swayed, his eyes bloodshot and dazed. “Bad to her…bad to you…poor Morgan. You’re sweet. Too nice. Don’ wanna fuck you over…jus’ stupid…” He put his hand out and moaned. “Feel sick.” He began to heave.
“Shit.” Alarmed, Peter jumped into action, grabbing Leo’s arm. “Morgan, come on. First door on the right. Let’s get him in there before he pukes all over the floor.”
They made it with seconds to spare, and it was Morgan who sat with Leo on the floor of the bathroom as he lost his burger and whatever else was in his stomach. Morgan flushed the toilet.
“Fuck, lemme die,” Leo groaned, his head lolling onto Morgan’s shoulder. “I feel like shit.”
“I bet you do.” Morgan wiped the sweat off Leo’s pale face. “Can you stand?”
“I don’ wanna. Stay with me.”
“If you get up and brush your teeth, I will.” He’d say anything to get out of that bathroom.
Peter called out from the hallway, “Morgan, if you open the medicine cabinet, there are extra toothbrushes we keep for the kids. He can use one of those.”
It wasn’t easy to keep Leo’s full weight braced against him while squeezing out toothpaste, but he managed, and Leo stared at the toothbrush when Morgan handed it to him.
“Go ahead, Leo. You know what to do with it.”
Apparently not, as Leo put the toothbrush in his mouth and basically chewed it, but eventually he managed to work it over his teeth well enough. After rinsing, he muttered, “Shit, the room keeps spinning. What the fuck.” He closed his eyes, and after releasing a drawn-out sigh, passed out on Morgan’s shoulder, sinking halfway to the floor.
“Can I get a little help here?” Morgan’s attempt at moving was thwarted by Leo snuggling into his neck and humming. It might’ve been funny and damn sexy if they’d been in bed together, but in a bathroom in front of a toilet? Not so much.
Especially with all the snickering going on.
“Come on, guys, please?” He wiggled from under Leo’s bulk, and appealed to Peter. “It’s not funny on this end.”
“All right. One, two, three, heave.” They shoved Leo upward, but he rocked back and forth and began to sink to his knees again. Morgan grabbed him, and Leo fell over, pinning him to the counter.
“Guy can’t keep his hands off you, Morgan.”
“Yeah, that’d be great if he wasn’t half-dead and smelling like a sewer.”
Leo snuffled and held him tighter.
“Okay, big guy, let’s get going.”
Morgan pushed off the bathroom vanity, and with Leo hanging limply between him and Peter, they shuffled out.
“I got Georgie bringing the car around. We’ll drive you home.”
True to his word, Georgie was waiting in front of the house. Morgan and Peter pushed Leo inside. Peter took the front seat, and Leo lay passed out in the rear. Morgan sat next to him, feeling stupidly helpless as they drove away.
They sat silent for a few minutes, Morgan’s anxiety rising with each block they traveled.
“Please tell Marla I’m sorry, and thank you. To both of you.”
“Don’t sweat it, buddy.” Peter waved him off, glancing over to Leo before focusing his gaze on Morgan. “I don’t know what happened to set him off tonight. I tried to stop him from drinking too much when he got to the house, but he was like a man on a mission.”
Mission accomplished, because Leo had gotten him