Page 140 of Prized Possession

“But he’s well enough to see us?” I ask.

Miles nods. “I think so. The doctor agrees. Jacob is a little more hesitant, but that’s just because he has a lot to work through, and some of that involves the two of you. But as both me and his doctor reminded him, he won’t know if he’s capable of doing it unless he tries. So, can you both come?”

I look over at Chloe, who is already nodding her head rapidly. She then glances over at me, her eyes pleading.

“Can you spare the time away from work to come?”

I reach over and grab her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Of course. Nothing is more important than this.”

Just over half an hour later, we’re in the car, making the journey to Jake’srehab centre. It’s a small, private facility out in the countryside, so we have to drive for close to an hour to get there.

I use the time to mentally prepare for what we might be walking into, whereas Chloe uses the drive to get more and more anxious.

She fidgets constantly, drumming her hand on her thigh, shuffling in her seat, not able to sit still. Eventually, when she’s almost driven me mad, I reach over, unfasten her seat belt, and pull her over to me. She curls up by my side, resting her head on my chest as I wrap my arms around her.

We don’t say anything, as I know she doesn’t want to hear false platitudes, so I just stroke her hair and comfort her the best way I can. I just hope like hell Miles has read the situation correctly and we’re not visiting him too soon.

From the small amount of research I’ve done, people can detox in a month, but the road to true recovery is much longer. Getting free of the substances is almost the easy part.

Looking at why people use in the first place, and making enough changes to stop them from using again when they’re back in their real life, that’s the hard part.

Jacob has never spoken to me about the catalyst that made him fall off the deep end. I’m not even sure if there was just one, or if it was a series of things that snowballed. I’ve tried looking back, to see if I could tell when he started becoming wilder, but I honestly can’t pinpoint any specific time.

Maybe he’s just been losing control for so long, I can’t remember a time when he didn’t drink or do drugs?

Then again, he wasn’t like this when we were teenagers, so something must have changed. The more I think about it, the worse I feel about myself. What kind of shit friend doesn’t notice their best friend slowly falling into the darkness?

Don’t make this about you, arsehole, I remind myself.This is about Jake, you can berate yourself another time.

Fuck, my mind really can be brutal sometimes, but it’s not wrong. I’m here for Jake, and to support Chloe. It’s time for me to be the friend I should have been all along.

As we arrive at the facility, with the exception of all the security we have to pass, I’m shocked by how normal the place looks. It’s a large manor house, and seems more like a home than a healthcare facility. Though if you look closely, there are a few giveaways.

The old-fashioned windows have bars over them, painted white so as to not detract from their beauty. All of the doors have locks on them, along with magnetic strips that appear to be for key cards.

It’s eerily quiet, and we don’t see another person until after Miles hasparked the car, and he takes us to what looks to be a white security hut. There’s a glass window with a two-way speaker in the middle, and behind the person who is sitting waiting for us, I can see several security monitors showing the various CCTV streams.

Miles steps towards the microphone. “Hello, Doris. It’s lovely to see you again. Are you having a good day?” he says, far more chirpy than he was in the car.

The older lady with tight curls all over her head gives him a bright smile. “My day always gets better when I see you.”

Miles laughs, winking at her as her cheeks flush.

“You flatter me. I’m here to see Jacob, and I’ve got the two visitors with me that I told you about.”

Doris turns her attention to me and Chloe, and she’s much less friendly with us. Her assessing gaze turns into more of a glare when she gets to me. Although she’s staring at me, she talks to Miles.

“Have you made them aware of the security protocols?”

“Of course, Doris. You know me.”

Miles went over the very extensive rules that the place has when we were in the car. We both listened intently, making sure we do right by Jake.

“Do they have anything that will need to be stored?” she asks.

“Our electronics. Marcus is wearing a belt, and Chloe will give over her bag too,” Miles states, pointing to us as he does.

Doris glares at me, her gaze dropping to my jeans, and for just a second, I worry she’s staring at my junk, until Miles elbows me.

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