Drain

Hunter winced as he got whacked a little too hard, then opened his mouth to argue, but it was of little use. Ryan had obviously made up her mind. Not to mention, after their conversation and all that was involved, he was simply exhausted, without energy to fight. He slouched down, ready to either sulk or sleep, when he got the order to finish the toast. He smirked at her, but nodded. "Yeah... okay."

Once she was gone, he was tempted to stuff the toast into the trash where she wouldn't find it, but instead, he did manage to eat it, and forced himself to finish the coffee and the glass of water. Getting up just once to use the bathroom, he was right back in bed again, curling up with his pillow and wanting sleep to take his headache away. His mind was almost too full though... mostly of Ryan. He wasn't sure but had he heard a slight slip of the tongue right before she'd left? And why was she doing all this for him? Had he...been wrong to assume she'd leave him like everybody else? He almost dared not hope.

Eventually, sleep did overtake him once more, offering relief, if only for a little while.


Utterly confused about what was going on, Eli was glad when Ryan finally showed up again. Sitting up in his chair, he listened intently. He wasnt surprised about Hunter, and yet he was. He knew Hunter had been a partyer, but had thought that life was behind him. Realizing he really did have an issue with alcohol though did clear a few things up. And while Eli didn't really like the thought of Ryan staying over with Hunter, he couldn't very well tell her not to help. Not to mention, he saw in her eyes something he liked. It was life. Maybe helping Hunter was giving her some extra purpose. 

"Well..." Eli thought for a few moments before he eventually stood up. He wandered to the kitchen where he pulled a six-pack of beer from the fridge. Then he reached the high cupboard above the stove and retrieved a half-bottle of whiskey he opened in rare occasion. Opening it, he poured the contents down the drain, then threw the bottle away. The beer, he took and set by the door. "I'll find a better place for this when I go out later," he explained. 

Sighing, he put his hands on his hips and looked at his sister. He'd already made up his mind. Hunter was a good man and Eli liked him. So he wasn't going to balk at helping too. "He can be here whenever he wants, and there won't be anything to tempt him." He shrugged. "You know I like my beer, but I don't need it. I can always grab one somewhere else. Besides..." He patted his stomach. "I wouldn't wanna get a beer belly."