You'd Be Home Now

Joey is different from the brother whom Emory knew before he left. Blue Spruce made him shave his long hair, and he carries himself more confidently than before. Joey is much more present and energetic now that he is sober. Joey is disappointed that his father didn’t come home early from work to greet him, and Abigail unpacks as if everything is normal. Emory apologizes to Joey for allowing Luther to drive on the night of the accident. Joey assures her he isn’t angry and admits his fault in the situation. Joey tells her about the wilderness training he experienced at Blue Spruce, and they agree that getting back to normal may be tough.

Joey settles in Maddie’s room which is decorated in a bohemian style befitting her personality. Maddie calls on video chat and becomes emotional when she sees Joey. He makes a joke about relapsing due to the décor in her room, and the comment unnerves Emory as she thinks about the statistics that she read on Blue Spruce’s website: “forty to sixty percent of people with substance addictions relapse during the first year of recovery” (53). Maddie’s tears make Joey uncomfortable, and he leaves the room.