Page 3 of Estranged Heart
“Here, sweetheart. Drink this and don’t talk if it hurts too much.” My mom places a straw to my mouth and I wrap my lips around it, slurping back the cool water. It’s heaven on my tongue and throat. She continues holding the small pink pitcher until I stop drinking and turn my face away from it.
“All done?”
I nod and she sets the pitcher on the bedside table, never fully averting her attention from me. “Are you hungry? I think they have a tray coming soon.”
“No.” Short answers are easier. Hopefully soon I can upgrade to more syllables.
“Good, cause it’s not very appetizing anyway. Broth, Sprite, and orange jello.”
My nose curls. “My favorites,” I reply, barely louder than a whisper. Good ol’ hospital food never disappoints. All I’m missing are the sugar-free popsicles.
“I thought as much. I can’t wait to be able to take you home and recreate this whole experience for you there. No pasta or burgers for a while. No Twinkies or hot Cheetos either.”
“You’re really hitting me where it hurts today.” Each word feels like it’s cutting me from the inside. Fuck, I hate being so limited. My snark and sarcasm are all I have to keep my spirits up, and now I can’t have them either.
She laughs and ruffles my hair. “Oh, my love. Better to get it all out at once than to spread it out and make it last longer.”
“True. You don’t work today?” As painful as it is to keep the conversation going, I’m not ready for it to stop. It helps me feel more equal to her and like I still have something to offer.
She shakes her head, frowning. “I called in again but Landon didn’t sound too happy about it.” Sighing, her fingers rake through my hair. “I’ll make it up to him by picking up an extra shift this weekend or something.”
“You’re going to lose your job. You love working there.”
“Eh.” She waves her other hand around, looking away from mine. “It’s only temporary anyway. Once our debt is paid off, I can go back down to one job.” Cutting hours at the flower shop has really put us more behind on medical expenses, forcing Stacey to pick up the slack while also trying to care for me. She deserves better. I can’t give her that anymore.
“Baby—”
“It’s fine. He knows you’re sick. I can’t just leave you. What if . . .” She takes a deep breath and tries again. “I don’t want to regret missing anything important.”
In other words she doesn’t want me to die while she’s gone. “You won’t miss anything. I’ll be right here after every shift with jello in my teeth for you to help me brush out.”
She laughs and the sound offers me some comfort. “I might accept another part-time job and then I won’t have to worry about Landon anymore. The hours will be more flexible too.”
My chest caves. I hate that she has to have a part-time job at all. She barely gets free time as it is working at the hospital four nights a week. “If I get a new heart, I’m going to finally take care of you for a change.”
“You already do. In ways money can’t.”
Too bad it isn’t enough. I’ll need a better plan soon. I refuse to leave the woman who’s stood by me all this time with nothing.
Two
Elijah
“What do you think?” Landon spins around, sticking out his hips.
“I think I like what I see,” I say, hooking my fingers onto the bottom of his shirt to pull him closer.
Laughing, he shoves me away, stopping my hand from slipping inside. “Quit, cabrón. We don’t have time for that and you’re wrinkling my new outfit.”
“You bought new clothes for our date?”
He kisses my lips briefly. “Yes. It’s not just any regular date night. We’re celebrating. We’re going to stuff our faces with too much steak, get drunk off the good wine we’ve been saving, and you’re going to rip these clothes off my body.”
“Sounds like you have the whole night planned out. What’s the occasion?”
He rolls his eyes. “Oh, you know, just you opening the bookstore slash wine bar of your dreams.”
“Ah yeah, that.” I grin, tossing a hand in the air.
