But all things considered, it was still nice to let loose. Closer to midnight when the alcohol had dulled his senses he felt a flicker of his old self. He wasn't even aware that he had a wife sick at home, he didn't long to return to.

Four was when he finally got back to his building, the doorman helped him into the elevator before putting in the key to get to the Wong's levels. The doorman had also ridden up to deliver him to the other staff who were waiting for the sir to make an entrance.

Henry waved them off as they converged on him. "Don't . . . there's no need." He had started getting sober so he straightened his steps to a.s.sure his staff he wouldn't break his head on the newly polished floor. They began to voice their concerned until Henry roared that he just wanted to go to bed on his own. Within a second he was completely alone, the only shadows dancing on the wall were from the windows or his own.

He hated how he had always had a helping hand around when he was young, sometimes it bothered others that his hands would be soiled with was.h.i.+ng the dishes or heaven forbid he straightened his own socks. Sometimes doing his own work was it's reward. Hard work always set his mind straight.

He wandered through the hall lost in his own thoughts when he pa.s.sed the foyer, he remembered that Nolan had barged in with another of his brotherly concerned that this wasn't right or Ellie would die yet again. It would inevitable that the ugly head of his anger would rear again to silence the child's concerns. Nolan wanted to take Ellie back to the hospital, just to make sure that the detoxification process could be done properly under monitoring by professionals. He was afraid that Ellie could hurt herself here.

Henry privately actually agreed with the little devil, he would very much like to keep the woman in proper medical care. But he knew that Ellie would object very strongly to it. Nolan didn't know of her terror of being trapped back in a hospital bed again. Ellie, Henry knew, would do something desperate if put into that kind of a position.