be all right. I promise.” Mrs. Guerrero’s soothing cadence was working its magic. “I love you.”
“Love you too.” Moments of silence passed as Val collected her emotions and thoughts.
“Better?” Mrs. Guerrero said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Wash your face, then please check on Natalie.”
I shoved the covers off and hauled myself to the edge of the bed. One of my new gigantic T-shirts covered me. How’d that get there? Breathing hard, I pushed up to a standing position. I started to sway, grabbed the bedside table. Everything hurt.
Val peered around the half-open door.
“Hey, you’re awake—whoa there. You’re not going anywhere.” She set me down on the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Sorry I made you cry.” I struggled to get up. “Where’s my cane? Did those people take it?”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Got to leave. Hurt you and your mom real bad.” I wobbled as I stood again, then careened into her.
“Need my cane. Where’s my pistol? Need keys. Can you give me a ride?” I forgot where I was going. “Need another blanket. Freezing.”
“I’ll get you another blanket if you stay put.” She placed me in bed and glided out of the room.
Softness slipped over me. The bed shifted and something skimmed across my forehead.
“I didn’t tell!” I clutched at the covers, trying to move away. My body wasn’t happy about the escape endeavor. Panic filled my lungs as I swatted at the extrinsic hand. “I didn’t tell!”
“It’s just me,” Val said. “Take slow breaths.”
“Sorry. Bad day.”
“No kidding.” She brushed the sweaty hair from my forehead. “You feel kind of warm. How’s the pain?”
“Coke.” My mouth was beyond dry.
“The only thing we have on tap tonight is water.” She lifted my head and let me take a sip from the straw. She was blurry, moving all over the room.
“Will you sit still?” I said.
“I am.”
“Tina didn’t hurt me … I got dizzy … fell. My fault, all of it. Hate when you fight with your mom.”
“You better not be lying to me about Tina. And the fight with Mom was a long time coming. Go to sleep.”
“Where’d you go before? Thought he got you. You okay?”
“Pissed, but fine. They sent me on a wild goose chase.”
“What did they do to me?” Agitated fear crept through me along with the other memories that surfaced with it. “I tried to get away. Too many of them.”
Val’s hand took mine. “It’s over. How do you feel?”
“Don’t know. Hurts some. Strange. Did they give me drugs? Told them no. I can take it.” My head was swirling. I tried to wet my lips, but my tongue weighed about fifty pounds.
The straw appeared again. I squinted at it.
“No drugs … please.”
“You’re nothing like your mom.” The conviction in Val’s voice sent a wave of relief through my worn-out body.
“Val?”
“Yes?” Her gentle voice was hovering close by.
My eyes were closing without my permission, the lids heavy with guilt.
“What’s it like?”
“What’s what like?” she said.
“To have …” I struggled to finish the words as I looked into her beautiful face. “… your mom love you?”
Her eyes seemed wet and shiny, making the flecks of gold in them shimmer.
“Shh, go to sleep.”
“Make me an angel.”
“Just a little bit. Then you have to sleep. I’m going to stay with you, okay?”
I nodded. Val would stay with me when things got bad. The warmth of her body quieted me as she lay down beside me.
Her voice was soothing, the words were soft and melodic.
“… Make me an angel, That flies from Montgomery, Make me a poster, Of an old rodeo, Just give me one thing, That I can hold onto, To believe in this livin’, Is such a hard way to go …”
S pending time with Tina was like being stung by fire ants. One was kind of annoying, a few were bothersome, but an entire colony could bring death to a sensitive person.
She was coming for an extended visit.
“I do wish you
“Love you too.” Moments of silence passed as Val collected her emotions and thoughts.
“Better?” Mrs. Guerrero said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Wash your face, then please check on Natalie.”
I shoved the covers off and hauled myself to the edge of the bed. One of my new gigantic T-shirts covered me. How’d that get there? Breathing hard, I pushed up to a standing position. I started to sway, grabbed the bedside table. Everything hurt.
Val peered around the half-open door.
“Hey, you’re awake—whoa there. You’re not going anywhere.” She set me down on the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Sorry I made you cry.” I struggled to get up. “Where’s my cane? Did those people take it?”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Got to leave. Hurt you and your mom real bad.” I wobbled as I stood again, then careened into her.
“Need my cane. Where’s my pistol? Need keys. Can you give me a ride?” I forgot where I was going. “Need another blanket. Freezing.”
“I’ll get you another blanket if you stay put.” She placed me in bed and glided out of the room.
Softness slipped over me. The bed shifted and something skimmed across my forehead.
“I didn’t tell!” I clutched at the covers, trying to move away. My body wasn’t happy about the escape endeavor. Panic filled my lungs as I swatted at the extrinsic hand. “I didn’t tell!”
“It’s just me,” Val said. “Take slow breaths.”
“Sorry. Bad day.”
“No kidding.” She brushed the sweaty hair from my forehead. “You feel kind of warm. How’s the pain?”
“Coke.” My mouth was beyond dry.
“The only thing we have on tap tonight is water.” She lifted my head and let me take a sip from the straw. She was blurry, moving all over the room.
“Will you sit still?” I said.
“I am.”
“Tina didn’t hurt me … I got dizzy … fell. My fault, all of it. Hate when you fight with your mom.”
“You better not be lying to me about Tina. And the fight with Mom was a long time coming. Go to sleep.”
“Where’d you go before? Thought he got you. You okay?”
“Pissed, but fine. They sent me on a wild goose chase.”
“What did they do to me?” Agitated fear crept through me along with the other memories that surfaced with it. “I tried to get away. Too many of them.”
Val’s hand took mine. “It’s over. How do you feel?”
“Don’t know. Hurts some. Strange. Did they give me drugs? Told them no. I can take it.” My head was swirling. I tried to wet my lips, but my tongue weighed about fifty pounds.
The straw appeared again. I squinted at it.
“No drugs … please.”
“You’re nothing like your mom.” The conviction in Val’s voice sent a wave of relief through my worn-out body.
“Val?”
“Yes?” Her gentle voice was hovering close by.
My eyes were closing without my permission, the lids heavy with guilt.
“What’s it like?”
“What’s what like?” she said.
“To have …” I struggled to finish the words as I looked into her beautiful face. “… your mom love you?”
Her eyes seemed wet and shiny, making the flecks of gold in them shimmer.
“Shh, go to sleep.”
“Make me an angel.”
“Just a little bit. Then you have to sleep. I’m going to stay with you, okay?”
I nodded. Val would stay with me when things got bad. The warmth of her body quieted me as she lay down beside me.
Her voice was soothing, the words were soft and melodic.
“… Make me an angel, That flies from Montgomery, Make me a poster, Of an old rodeo, Just give me one thing, That I can hold onto, To believe in this livin’, Is such a hard way to go …”
S pending time with Tina was like being stung by fire ants. One was kind of annoying, a few were bothersome, but an entire colony could bring death to a sensitive person.
She was coming for an extended visit.
“I do wish you
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