Anders Point of View


    Never have I cursed rush hour traffic like I am right at this moment. I feel like I am taking one step forward and three backwards. To make matters worse, we are now sitting in a f*****g traffic jam. Nothing is moving, and the rtives from the pit of hell are still following, four cars behind. I let out a frustrated sigh as Billy begins to twitch beside me, still groaning loudly. ncing over, I see that he is sweating so much his hair is stuck to his head, his nose dripping like a tap. This is not good.


    Billy''s clutching his stomach and moaning like a wounded animal. I take a breath, something deep inside me actually cares, not sure why. After all the stunts my family have pulled over the years, but seeing him in so much pain and feeling totally helpless is doing something to me. I need this traffic to move, and I need to get him some help, and quickly.


    "Sick." He groans out, his face white as a sheet, eyes wide with desperation.


    I open the glovepartment, dragging out some stic bags I keep for shopping. Hey, I may be what some may consider ''uber rich'', but I refuse to pay 20 pence per bag every time I go into a shop! I double bagged one, then opened it up and passed it to Billy. "If you are going to puke, do it in there."


    My tone is harsher than I feel right at this moment, but I cannot let him see I care. Seriously, he will take advantage if he knows. As much as I hate seeing him practically rolling around in the seat next to me, I still will not trust him in a million years. Call me cynical, but I have trusted these fuckers before, and got burnt!


    Finally, the traffic begins to slowly edge forward, as Billy''s legs go from twitching, to full on thrashing out, so much so, that his foot connects with my hand when shifting gears. Great!


    Slowly but surly, the traffic begins to build up speed, and as the road ahead begins to clear, there is no apparent reason as to why we were all at a f*****g stand still, f*****g typical! Passing a slip road, the traffic thins out, enough that I can now lose those bastards behind me. Indicating, I pull into the outsidene, then put my foot down. The power from the engine roars through the seats, pushing me back. Billy is retching, but as yet no sicknesses out. I disappear down the A19, looking in my rear-view mirror now, and see I have left the fuckers behind me, they are nowhere in sight. Finally, a bit of good news.


    ncing over to Billy, I can see he is not good. I mean he never was, but he is f*****g worse, and I am actually scared he is going to die on me. His whole body is convulsing, his nose now uncontrobly running, and his groans and moans sound like he has been shot. As he clenches his stomach, I pull onto the A1M, then call Carson at the rehab centre again.


    "Hi, this is Carson. How can I help?" his cheery voice echoes around the speakers in the car.


    "Carson, this is Anders Maxwell. I don''t know what to do man, Billy is in a bad way. It looks like he has lost control of his arms and legs, he is sweating so much it looks like he has been caught in a f*****g typhoon and is retching saying he feels sick." I tell him desperate for some information.


    "How far away are you?" Carson asks me.


    "We got held up in traffic, so still around 9 hours out, I think he is going to die man." I tell this stranger, who right now feels like my only hope, even though he is so far away.


    "Get him to a hospital, I will hold his ce, but find a hospital so they can medicate him." Carson tells me.


    "Okay, I will let you know what they say. But please, do not let his ce go to anyone else." I groan. Yes, I have left the family fuckers miles behind, but it is still not as much distance as I would like.


    "Siri, navigate to nearest hospital." I shout to the car.


    The sat nav directs me to Harrogate District Hospital, pulling up outside the doors, I shout for help, to get Billy out of the car. Some porters arrive, with a gurney and help pick him up, one getting a kick from his uncontroled legs.


    "Sorry mate." I tell him, f*****g hell, this is bad.


    "You need to move your car, then book him in." the porter shouts back at me, as they rush Billy through the double doors.


    I nod my head, for once in my life I am more than happy to follow orders. Spinning the car around, I head into the carpark, then think better of it, I need to park somewhere out of the way. I mean I doubt the family fuckers will know where we are, but at this point I cannot discount it. They know what withdrawal is like, hell they have been there and done it themselves, plenty of times, so whatever brain cell they have left may put two and two together ande up with hospital, thene and check it out. I doubt it, but better to be safe as sorry.


    Driving round the back of the hospital, I find a ce to park between tworge dumpster skips, and pull up, nobody in the right mind would park here, and so I feel it is safe for now.


    I rush round to the ident and Emergency reception and check in with the receptionist.


    "Name?" she asks without making eye contact.


    "I am here to check in my brother." I state.


    "Name?" she asks again, what a ray of f*****g sunshine this woman is.


    "Nabil Horacio Maxwell" I tell her, and she finally looks up raising an eyebrow.


    "What can I tell you, my bastard parents were high when they named their kids." I growl out, not that I owe this woman and exnation.


    I pass her all Billy''s info, then look at her.


    "Mark down on that form that there is nobody to know he is here. If two men arrive one older one around my age, covered in tattoo''s shaved heads, he is not here." I tell her.


    "Do I need to call the police?" the woman asks me, giving me a death stare.


    "Nope, I have him sorted, booked into a rehab facility but those guys are his dealers, oh, and his father and brother." I growl out.


    The receptionist nods her stony face changing slightly giving me a look of sympathy.


    "Go through the double doors, then ask for him at the nurses station." She tells me.


    I nod my head, but before I go through there, I need to call the one person I really want with me right now.


    "Yeah, I just need to make a call first." I tell her then turn to walk out of the reception, resisting the urge to go find my car and just go home, find Josie and hold her till this feeling of helplessness leaves me.


    I pull out my mobile phone, and click on Josie''s name, letting out a low breath.


    "What the f**k is going on?" Josie shouts, I can hear the concern in her voice.


    "Josie, please calm down, I am okay. I don''t have long so just listen." I tell her. I can hear her take a deep breath and knowing my feisty firefighter she will be desperate to shout something at me.


    "To cut a long assed story short, my younger brother Billy contacted mest night, wanting help. He got out of the clink a few weeks ago, he is a heroin addict, along with any other drug he can get his hands on. He stole product from his suppliers, my father and elder brother. They are after him, for the money, and to teach him a lesson. He turned up at the office this morning, wanting help to get clean and away from those fuckers who got him addicted in the first ce. I am taking him to a rehab centre in Cornwall, the fuckers followed us part of the way, but I lost them, and then Billy got really bad Josie, so I am at the hospital in Harrogate." I sigh.


    "s**t, why do I have to stay with Ben though?" Josie asked.


    "Because they know I have helped Billy, and if they find out you are in my life, they may try something. It is just a precaution." I tell her, hoping she doesn''t run off, or think I am not worth the risk being with me.


    "s**t Anders. You cannot do this alone," She whispers.


    "What choice do I have? I need to get him to rehab, and keep the fuckers away from you, from us." I tell her, my voice turning soft, as I swallow the lump of emotion that has formed in my throat.


    "Anders, listen to me. I have a few days off, if you think for one second, I am leaving you to deal with your brother by yourself. You have another thinging. Harrogate hospital, you said?" Josie asks.


    "No Josie, don''te down, if they find us, it is not going to be pretty." I tell her, fearful for her safety.


    "Anders, you cannot drive him all that way in a two-seater midlife crisis car. I am getting into my SUV, Ben ising with me, he will drive your car back, and YOU and I will take Billy to the rehab. One of us needs to sit with him on the way down, because the doctors might stabilise him for now, but he will be back to puking and shitting himself in no time. It is going to take both of us, so stay put. I will see you in a couple of hours."


    I am left speechless as she hangs up the phone. Hell, I want her far away from this s**t, but I know better than to argue with her, because she is right. I do need help, and more than that, I need her like I have never needed anyone in my life.


    My phone pings and I look down smiling at her text.


    Josie Oh and arsehole, I love you too, see you soon xxx