anyway.
“No more sightings,” she answered, sitting back to face Riley as she told the lie. “Guess it was just the trauma of the accident and the lingering effects of the pain meds. The apparitions are gone.”
Riley slowly nodded. “That’s good, right? Means you’re not losing your mind.”
“Right.”
Instead, she was faced with a reality more frightening than insanity could ever be.
-~*~
Trevor’s mother, Cheryl, sat next to his bed. She was in her late thirties, short and round. Her bright pink fingernails caught the light from above as she twisted and kneaded a wad of tissue. All the times Audra had seen her before, her blonde hair was poofy, teased at the crown. The past few days, it seemed to have wilted, hanging limp and lifeless around her plump cheeks. The desperation in her eyes was evident. She wasn’t even pretending to think her son would live.
“How you feeling today, Trevor?” Audra came over to stand beside his bed. He’d grown paler and thinner than he’d been only a few days ago. Was it the illness or his lack of hope that was taking such a toll?
The young man dragged his gaze from the ceiling and turned his sullen expression on Audra. “Like shit.”
“Trevor, please. Language,” his mother admonished.
He whipped his head toward her. “Really, Mom? You’re upset that I said shit ? I have poison eating me from the inside out, and you’re worried about my language?”
Cheryl dropped her head and pushed a hand against her mouth. A sob wrenched from her, but she didn’t speak. Trevor cast her an irritated look, then returned to staring at the ceiling without apology.
Teenagers. Most of them had attitude problems, but this was beyond the norm. In all his trips back and forth, Audra had never seen him this bitter. Maybe he knew, like she did, that this could be his last visit. She blinked back tears as she checked his IV. The tape was damp. He’d been sweating...side effects from his medications. She took a roll of tape from her pocket and tore off a few strips, then began re-taping his IV.
“I was finally going to have a shot to make Varsity,” he said quietly. “Starting fullback. Two practices is all I made. Then it came back.” He sniffed and tried to hide it by gritting his teeth and crying out, “Watch what you’re doing, okay? That hurts.”
Audra smoothed the tape over the needle and gently rubbed his arm. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, locking gazes with him.
His lips tightened, but she could see them quiver as he tried to hold back tears.
The silence in the room was oppressive. He and his mother didn’t seem to converse much. Audra hadn’t seen any friends stop by. Poor guy was probably lonely, bored, not to mention, scared out of his mind.
“So, tell me what’s been going on besides football,” Audra said while she charted his vitals. “You have a girlfriend?”
Trevor barked a laugh. “Right. A girlfriend.”
Cheryl lifted her head. Her expression was as bitter as her son’s. “Trevor had a girl he was seeing, but—”
“Tell me something, Miss Perky,” Trevor cut his mother off, glaring at Audra. “Would you want to go out with some dude who’s too weak to carry the equipment when there’s a field full of healthy, able-bodied guys?” His voice rose to a shout. “Would you, huh?”
“Trevor—” his mother began.
“It’s okay.” Audra took a step back. “I understand. It was stupid of me. I shouldn’t pretend everything’s normal in your world.”
Trevor jerked a nod and bowed his head. He was on the precipice of being a man, but death was looming and made him a scared little boy. Suddenly, an image of Gaylen or Dimitri taking him away came to her. They would rip his soul right from his body and—
“Audra? Hey, Audra?”
Trevor’s voice penetrated, and she shook off the images. He looked at her curiously. “You okay? I said, like, ten things to you but you were totally zoned out.”
“Sorry. A lot on my mind. So,
“No more sightings,” she answered, sitting back to face Riley as she told the lie. “Guess it was just the trauma of the accident and the lingering effects of the pain meds. The apparitions are gone.”
Riley slowly nodded. “That’s good, right? Means you’re not losing your mind.”
“Right.”
Instead, she was faced with a reality more frightening than insanity could ever be.
-~*~
Trevor’s mother, Cheryl, sat next to his bed. She was in her late thirties, short and round. Her bright pink fingernails caught the light from above as she twisted and kneaded a wad of tissue. All the times Audra had seen her before, her blonde hair was poofy, teased at the crown. The past few days, it seemed to have wilted, hanging limp and lifeless around her plump cheeks. The desperation in her eyes was evident. She wasn’t even pretending to think her son would live.
“How you feeling today, Trevor?” Audra came over to stand beside his bed. He’d grown paler and thinner than he’d been only a few days ago. Was it the illness or his lack of hope that was taking such a toll?
The young man dragged his gaze from the ceiling and turned his sullen expression on Audra. “Like shit.”
“Trevor, please. Language,” his mother admonished.
He whipped his head toward her. “Really, Mom? You’re upset that I said shit ? I have poison eating me from the inside out, and you’re worried about my language?”
Cheryl dropped her head and pushed a hand against her mouth. A sob wrenched from her, but she didn’t speak. Trevor cast her an irritated look, then returned to staring at the ceiling without apology.
Teenagers. Most of them had attitude problems, but this was beyond the norm. In all his trips back and forth, Audra had never seen him this bitter. Maybe he knew, like she did, that this could be his last visit. She blinked back tears as she checked his IV. The tape was damp. He’d been sweating...side effects from his medications. She took a roll of tape from her pocket and tore off a few strips, then began re-taping his IV.
“I was finally going to have a shot to make Varsity,” he said quietly. “Starting fullback. Two practices is all I made. Then it came back.” He sniffed and tried to hide it by gritting his teeth and crying out, “Watch what you’re doing, okay? That hurts.”
Audra smoothed the tape over the needle and gently rubbed his arm. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, locking gazes with him.
His lips tightened, but she could see them quiver as he tried to hold back tears.
The silence in the room was oppressive. He and his mother didn’t seem to converse much. Audra hadn’t seen any friends stop by. Poor guy was probably lonely, bored, not to mention, scared out of his mind.
“So, tell me what’s been going on besides football,” Audra said while she charted his vitals. “You have a girlfriend?”
Trevor barked a laugh. “Right. A girlfriend.”
Cheryl lifted her head. Her expression was as bitter as her son’s. “Trevor had a girl he was seeing, but—”
“Tell me something, Miss Perky,” Trevor cut his mother off, glaring at Audra. “Would you want to go out with some dude who’s too weak to carry the equipment when there’s a field full of healthy, able-bodied guys?” His voice rose to a shout. “Would you, huh?”
“Trevor—” his mother began.
“It’s okay.” Audra took a step back. “I understand. It was stupid of me. I shouldn’t pretend everything’s normal in your world.”
Trevor jerked a nod and bowed his head. He was on the precipice of being a man, but death was looming and made him a scared little boy. Suddenly, an image of Gaylen or Dimitri taking him away came to her. They would rip his soul right from his body and—
“Audra? Hey, Audra?”
Trevor’s voice penetrated, and she shook off the images. He looked at her curiously. “You okay? I said, like, ten things to you but you were totally zoned out.”
“Sorry. A lot on my mind. So,
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