I ran out of the gallery in a flurry, not stopping when Ashford tried to flag me down. Ignoring all speed limits, I got to August's place as fast as I could.

When I arrived, the front door was unlocked. One of the windows framing it was smashed in. I stepped through the door, avoiding the crunch of glass underfoot.

I called out August's name. No answer.

My ear caught a small scuffling sound at the far end of the vast foyer. An open entrance under an arched ceiling led to a living room.

August sat huddled on the sofa. His shivering form was wrapped in a beige knitted blanket. He held it tight around his body with shaky hands, clutching the corners to his chest. Stringy, sweat-dampened hair fell over his pale face. His eyes were squeezed shut.

I approached slowly, not wanting to startle him.

"I'm here, August," I said softly.

He didn't reply, just took in a shuddering breath.

I perched carefully next to him on the sofa. I brushed loose strands of hair away from his jaw, tucking them behind his ear, like he always did to me.

"Can you tell me what's going on?" I asked needlessly.

I knew exactly what was going on. My heart ached, wondering how long August had been going through withdrawal alone.

"You came." The words were strained, scarcely audible.

"Of course I came."

He made a sound in the back of his throat, a wounded noise. I laid my head on his shoulder and took one of his shaky hands in mine.

"What can I do to help?"

With trembling fingers, he pointed to something on the coffee table.

"Throw that out."

It was a pill bottle, the kind that came with a prescription. There was no label.

"Are these…?"

"You need to get rid of them. Throw them away, flush them down the toilet." August let out a sick, thready laugh. "I can't make myself do it. I tried. I can't."

"Okay," I said softly. I took the pill bottle and shoved it far down in the depths of my purse. "I'll get rid of them. I promise."

He let out a slow breath, as if a weight had been taken off his shoulders.

"How long have you been like this?" I asked.

"Dunno," he said, voice hollow. "What day is it?"

"Saturday."

"Oh. Almost a week, then."

"A week?" I asked, astonished. "Why didn't you tell someone?"

"Thought I could do it myself. I didn't want anyone to worry."

"We were already worried."

"I didn't think it would be this bad," he whispered. He doubled over on himself with a choked gasp.

"What's wrong?" I asked, panicked. "What can I do?"

He breathed heavily, trying not to move.

"Nothing," he said dully. "You can't do anything."

"Tell me about it." I ran my hands over his back, soothing. "Walk me through what's going on."

"Everything aches. Like there's a knife stabbing through all my joints." He swallowed hard, pale face turning green. "It feels like my insides are going to come spewing out of my mouth. I'm burning hot one minute and freezing cold the next. Like the flu but a thousand times worse."

This was serious. Did people die from withdrawal?

"We should go to a hospital," I said.

"No." His voice wasn't as firm as he no doubt tried to make it sound. "I can't show up at a hospital like this. The media will find out. It'll be all over the news."

"August, I'm not kidding, you need a doctor."

"No."

"Why are you so stubborn?" I asked, exasperated.

"People can't find out." He ran one trembling hand over his face. "I just need to get through this. Should only be a couple more days."

His forehead broke out in a sweat. I put my hand to his clammy skin.

"You're burning up," I said, alarmed. "Let me go get something."

The house was large, but the living room was connected to a dining room, which was adjacent to the kitchen. I fumbled around for a cloth and wet it with cold water in the sink. I took a fruit bowl from the counter, tipped out the apples and oranges, and filled it with ice from the freezer. I grabbed a few bottles of water from the fridge.

Hands full, I looked around helplessly, not knowing what else to do.

I returned to August's side. The trembling had intensified.

"Why don't you rest?" I asked.

I put my hand on his back and urged him to lay down flat on the sofa. He let me maneuver him without protest.

"I really think we need medial supervision," I insisted.

"I just want you."

With a heavy sigh, I placed the cold cloth on his forehead. "Maybe this will help a bit."

He groaned in pleasure, sinking down into the sofa cushions.

"Thank you," he said. "I wasn't sure… when I texted you, I thought you probably wouldn't show up."

"Why would you think that?" I asked gently. I tucked the blanket around him, covering every inch of him, from chin to feet.

"I was an asshole. I said horrible stuff to you. I never should have done that. I hated myself for it the minute I said it. I was just so fucked up and upset and scared and—"

I placed my finger on his lips, stopping him.

"We can talk about this later, when you're feeling better."

I went back to tucking in his blankets.

"Anyway, you were right," I said. "I shouldn't have tried to lecture you about lying. It's not my place."

"It is," he insisted. "You're the one who calls me on my bullshit. I need that sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" I suppressed a smile.

August let out a short laugh, before groaning, clutching at himself. He curled onto his side. The cloth fell from his forehead. I picked it up and held it in place.

He stayed in that position for long minutes, his breathing turning labored and pained. Every small shift of his body brought another grimace, another wave of sharp aches.

"I can't believe you went days like this with no help," I said.

"It didn't start getting really bad until yesterday," he mumbled. "I thought I could power through."

"I know you're stubborn, but even you can't just will this away."

"I know." He cast his eyes down, averting his gaze. "I was five seconds away from just swallowing all those damn pills before you showed up."

I inhaled a sharp breath. If I'd been just five minutes too late…

"I know I have no right to ask this after the shit I said to you," he said quietly. "But I can't do this alone." He lifted his eyes to meet mine. "I need you."

I didn't hesitate for a moment.

"I'll stay here for as long as you want me to."