Page 12 of Make Me Bleed
“Definitely.” She laughs lightly with a small shake to her head. “She woke up in a good mood. I think today’s going to be a good day.”
I smile gently at her, my face cracking into one of genuine happiness for the first time in a while. “You know, I was just thinking the same thing.”
“Well, have fun getting your butt kicked!” she says as I start toward the rec room, and I laugh joyfully on the way, already feeling a bit lighter at the prospect of seeing her. It’s only beentwo days because of the way my client schedule lined up, but I don’t like going more than a few days between visits.
She needs someone to see her as often as possible, and I’m that person for her.
When I walk into the room and catch sight of her in her usual spot, dark, curly hair tied in a bright, silk scarf—today it’s covered in purple butterflies—my face cracks into a smile so wide, my cheeks begin to ache.
“Good morning, Mo.”
“Abel!” she squeals, face breaking into a bright smile, and my heartachesfor her. For everything I couldn’t protect her from. Because this is her life now, and I couldn’t save her like I promised.
But I can give her everything she needs and do all I can to keep her as happy as she can be.
“Meredith was telling me you’re in the mood for Uno today,” I say as I take a seat across from her at her favorite table. There’s nothing special about it, but you can see the sunrise perfectly from where she sits across from the large window in front of her—which is exactly what she’s doing right now.
The sun’s rays catch on her dark skin, making her glow as she smirks crookedly. “I always wanna play Uno,” she says as she clumsily pushes the cards toward me to shuffle.
I chuckle as I swipe them up to do just that. “Too true.”
“Coffee?” Margaret asks as she walks up to us, silently checking on Mo as I deal us the cards.
“Oh, that would be amazing, thank you.”
“Me, too!” Mo says, and I lift a brow, lips curling inward with a wince because I know Margaret has to tell her no, and that usually doesn’t go well.
Distraction works better.
“Mo, it’s your turn to go,” I tell her, gesturing to the pile in front of her. Her eyes shift from Margaret and the carafe in her hand to her cards, which she assembles to play her first card.
“Thank you,” Margaret mouths, and I smile at her with a nod and look back down at my cards, sipping my bitter black coffee with a wince as Mo and I play hand after hand of Uno, her beating me almost every single time.
“Well, Mo, you’ve kicked my ass again,” I say in defeat as I drop my cards into the discard pile yet again. She giggles and tucks her cheek against her shoulder, her smile bright and lively, and even though this is her life… she’salive.
She survived.
We both did.
And it may not look how we pictured it, but we’re here now and… well. We’re here, and we’ve gotta take the cards we were dealt—pun intended.
“So, what else do you want to do today?” I ask her as the room starts to fill with the other residents. “Wanna go for a walk? It was pretty nice on my way in—a bit chilly, so you’ll need your jacket.”
“Yeah,” she says, and I nod with a smile.
“Awesome. Let me put these away real quick.” Afterward, I grab her chair and start pushing her toward her room. She’s quiet on the walk, but that’s nothing out of the ordinary. Morana and I are used to existing in comfortable silence.
After helping her into her jacket, I start toward the back doors that lead to the back area and trails that wind around the large expanse of land. Trees line the entire property, so leaves are strewn about as I push Mo down the concrete trail, breathing in the crisp, autumn air. She seems to do the same, smiling contentedly.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” I tell her as we walk slowly together, just enjoying the weather and the fresh air.
“Yes. I love the leaves,” she says, so I reach down and pick a few up, making sure to grab a couple of different colors for her. She grabs them with a smile so wide, my chest aches, and I smile back as I continue on our walk while listening to the sound of her crunching the leaves in her hands, little bits floating in the air and probably getting stuck in my hair.
By the time we make it to the fountain across the lawn, her leaves have been disintegrated, and my fingers are a bit chilly. I turn Mo’s wheelchair to face outward and take a seat on the stone, so we can both stare out at the grounds. We take in the quiet movement of the few others out and about, but it’s mostly quiet.
“How are you doing today, Mo?”
“I’m tired.”
