None of the Draiman kids let their father out of their sight the entire day after he was up for the day. “Come on, kids, I have work to do. Give me some space”, he said with a laugh. As he walked, he had two kids on each leg and one Maddie on his back.
“NO, DADDY! YOU NOT GO NOWHERE!” The quads yelled.
“YOU’RE NOT LEAVING MY SIGHT, DADDY!” Maddie said.
“I’ve got to go work, you guys. I need to get downstairs”, he said as he tried to shake the children off of him.
They hung on for dear life, still unwilling to let their father go work. Dan and the other guys laughed. “David, spend time with your kids, bother. We can put off the new album until tomorrow”, Dan said.
“Are you guys sure?” he asked.
“Yeah, man”, John said. “Play with Maddie and the quads. The new album can wait.”
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He pounded his fists into the floor as he screamed, wordlessly and primal. The pain he was experiencing was like no other. God, what the hell is wrong with me? He asked in his mind. I can’t take this shit anymore and the problem is that I have no idea what’s wrong with me. I feel like I’m losing my mind. The door opened and a tray was set just inside the door. “Lunch, Fuzz”, said the voice of Brie.
“Thank you”, he called after her, his voice broken from screaming. He went to the door and inhaled the contents of the plate. Smoked sausage, macaroni and cheese, and a salad with bleu cheese dressing. It was a decent meal for a man that really hadn’t eaten in a while. It looked like something they would have made for the younger children. He didn’t care though. He was hungry. Though he’d eaten that morning, he felt like he hadn’t eaten in months. Don’t make a pig of yourself, Steve. Eat it slowly, he thought as he took the fork in his shaking hands. He stared at the tines of the fork and contemplated shoving it in his neck and hoping that he bled out before he was found. It would end the pain, that’s for sure. No, don’t think like that, Steve. Just eat the food that they brought you and try not to think about what’s going on.
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“David, I’ve got bad news, brother” Matt said when he called after dinner.
“Let me step out of the room so we can talk. I’ve got five kids that refuse to let me out of their sight right
now because of bad dreams”, David said as he stood.
“Maddie and the quads having nightmares?”
“Yeah, nightmares of me getting arrested by the Utopians and carted off by the Commandant.”
“He’s not going to be doing anything like that to you, David. I don’t miss.”
“I know, Matt, but the kids seem to think that it’s going to happen and it doesn’t seem to matter what I tell them, it’s not satisfying enough for them.” He walked into the kitchen at the protest of the younger five children. “What’s the news, Matt?”
“Well, I did a little snooping and found some records of a Steve Kmack being discovered not long after the first evac. Then, he surfaces with more determination than ever to find you guys. At first, he just wanted to beg forgiveness. But, now, brother, I don’t know. But, whatever it was that happened was triggered by the reunion of the four of you. John has nothing to do with it, even though he DID replace Fuzz in the band.”
“What else is in the records?”
“Well, he has a microchip in his brain that’s being used to modify his behavior. And, they have him hooked on some sort of drug. They call it X- 313. Has he been doing anything strange?”
“He’s been scratching uncontrollably at his arms and this morning after I spoke with you he was sitting in the corner talking to himself. He put up a hell of a fight when we tried to restrain him so that we could put him in his room. He was gone, Matt. He didn’t even know where he was or who I am.”
“Shit, they got him then. I looked up the drug. The main and most prominent sign of withdraw is itching. It also causes black outs and memory loss. It can also make the addict very violent. Did he manage to make contact with anyone?”
“Yeah, me. He broke my nose… again. I had to have a septoplasty a few years back because I was drying out my vocal cords breathing through my mouth when I slept.”
“I remember reading about that. It was around the time you guys release Ten thousand Fists, right?”
“Not too very long afterward, actually.” He cleared his throat. “So, just out of curiosity, what does this drug they have him hooked on look like?”
“It’s a small pill, white. It deadens nerves and numbs the brain so that they can implant the microchip. After that, they use the chip to slowly modify his behavior.”
“What can the Agency do to help him out?”
“Rehab and brain surgery to remove the chip. I’ll have to ask the Director if she’s ok with that, though.”
“Do that, please. I kinda feel bad for him, you know. He and I may not get along very well, but I don’t want anything like this to happen to him. He’s actually not that bad a guy.”
“Well, let me get off of the phone and I’ll ask the Director if she’s ok with us bringing him here.”
“Alright, brother. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Alrighty then. I’ll let you know either way. Give the kids Uncle Matt’s love.”
“Will do, Matt.” And they hung up.
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“Anyone under the age of 18, please leave the room”, David said as he walked back into the Living Room. The kids all obliged, even though the younger Draiman children protested. David smiled as Malachai, Jacob and Jordan drug their younger siblings from the room.
“What’s going on, brother?” John asked.
“Well, I now have answers as to why he’s acting the way he is.”
Every adult in the room sat forward and looked at David. “Well, spill it, David”, Tina said.
He told them the story that Matt had just told him and that he was waiting for Matt to call him back in order for Fuzz to go to Rehab and all that. They were all relieved. “At least he’ll get help”, Brie said.
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