Chapter Nine-6 Days Ago

Emotions run high...and a friend comes to stay

Chapter Nine

6 Days Ago-Saturday, June 11^th

The entire night I had spent at my parents’ bedside, just wanting to be close to them--to feel their soothing presence.  Every time they began coughing fear coiled in the bowels of my abdomen.  Last night I did not sleep; thus, mercifully, I did not dream.  Instead, I watched my parents’ chest rise and fall with each breath, knowing that their bodies were still fighting the flu or virus--whatever you want to call it.  I am not in the mood for political correctness.  What mattered to me was my parents’ survival--nothing else.  It was impossible to imagine my life without them, so I did not let those morbid thoughts cross my mind.  Still, it was hard to keep these thoughts at bay, especially when I glanced at them and saw the fight for their next breath. 

When their pain became too unbearable to deal with, I administered the medicine Dr. Hamlin had given me for them.  Once they had the painkillers in their system, they were out for the night.  The first chance I got I turned on the news only to switch if off within thirty seconds.  None of what I saw was encouraging in anyway.  All that was reported was body counts and where the flu had next emerged, which was not comforting.  It was moving at an alarming rate--city to city, state to state, country to country.  All the experts were babbling on about how to protect yourselves, but each expert instructed something different.  None of them knew anything useful was too painfully obvious.  Even the regular newscasters were showing symptoms of the flu, so it was hard for me to watch their pain; thus, I turned the television off.

Around four in the morning, while my parents slept in medicated bliss, I went to check on Caleb, who I had not seen since the previous morning.  I tapped at his door gently.  There was no answer.  Under normal circumstances, I would not dare to venture into the disaster area known as Caleb’s room, but I was worried about my little bro.  As I entered his room, the lights were off per usual at this time of morning; however there was a blue flickering light coming from his personal bathroom.  With a slight push of my hand, the bathroom door swung open to reveal my brother curled up in the tub with his laptop.

He was awake, but he did not look up at me.  His eyes were trained on what was on the computer screen.  As I approached Caleb to see what he was so fixated on, the sounds of what was on the laptop finally registered in my mind. 

“Look at the camera!”  My dad said to us.  We had gone to Boston that day to go whale watching.  It had been a family getaway day.  There was nothing particular special about this trip than any of the other numerous family outings we had had taken together. 

“Ugh…I’m going to be sick!” Jared announced, and you could hear him and his stomach contents splash over the side of the boat.  I heard Caleb in the background whooping in joyous laughter at Jared’s predicament.

“Ewwwww!  Really Jared?!  You’re so gross!”  This had come from me, of course.  Watching someone hurl their guts was not my idea of a good time--it still grossed me out just thinking about it.

I knelt beside Caleb, noticing his tear-streaked face.  He did not speak as I took a position next to him.  I guess most big sisters know what to say at moments like this, but I was at a loss for words.  How could I comfort him, when we both knew the outcome of this flu?  I guess I could lie to him to make him feel better, but I was not sure if this would be the better course of action.  I watched enough crime/psychological shows to know that lies would most likely be detrimental to his psyche.  So I did the only thing I could do…I sat there silently and watched our old family videos with Caleb.

 I am not sure how much time past as I sat there.  Caleb had all our family videos downloaded and on random.  One minute we were watching our whale watching trip, and the next the three of us were young kids at Disneyworld.  We were on the Mad Hatter’s teacups.  Caleb was five at the time and had dissolved into tears, when Jared and I kept rotating the teacup at top speed.  Yes, we were childish daredevils, and teacups are one of the wilder rides I would go on.  No tower of terror for me!  Once the ride was over, Caleb had run to our mother, pointing at Jared and me for being so mean.  Boy, did we get in trouble for that!

The next video was of our family vacation to Pennsylvania--more specifically, Hershey Park--that we took last summer.  I remember that I had just got my license a month or two before, so my mother wanted me to get some experience driving.  I drove most of the way to Hershey, Pennsylvania, which was a very long drive mind you.  When we stopped at our hotel for the night, my two brothers and father jumped out of our mini-van hoverer and began kissing the ground.

Caleb had cried out, “Land!  Mom, I’m gonna walk back!  No way am I getting back in the van with Lex driving!”  My mother, who had the video camera, was shaking with laughter, which caused the whole scene to bounce up in down.  I heard my own voice rising in indignation at Caleb’s accusation that I was a bad driver.  The video zoomed in on our father, who was a little green around the gills, and his fake smile plastered on his face; he muttered something about women drivers.  Of course, that little comment made my mother remind him how many parking violations and speeding tickets he had.  I began to earnestly laugh at the whole video, because it felt good to do so.  I remember this trip fondly; even though, it had been awhile before I was allowed to drive again.  But that trip had been fun, and we were together as a family.

My laughter must have been contagious, because it was not long before Caleb began to chuckle.  We sat there for awhile joined in laughter, until it died, when Caleb asked me the question I had been dreading to hear.  “Lex…”  His brown eyes were uncertain and filled with hope and despair--a deadly duo.  My breath was caught in my throat, waiting in anticipation for what my brother planned to ask.

“Lex, will they be ok?  I’ve been watching the news, but none of it mentions a search for a cure.  All they say is how many people have…”  Caleb’s words trailed off.  I knew that he did not want to face the facts; I could not blame him.  Death was never a pleasant subject to discuss.

“Caleb,” I sighed, exhaling the air I had been holding in, “I could lie and tell you that everything is going to be fine…but I don’t think that is for the best…”

“NO!!  Lex, please--please, lie to me…”  Big, fat tears rolled down my brother’s face, and he threw the laptop away from him.  Burying his head in his arms, I was shocked at this emotion coming from him.  Caleb was usually fun-loving and easy-going to see him completely fall apart was unnerving.  What was I to do?  I did not have a manual on this type of stuff; although, I would be pressed to heavily invest in any manual that could help me.

Only a high school student, without a PhD in psychology, I did not know any fancy words or technical terms to make me sound smarter or like I had some experience in this matter, because I did not.  The only way I could respond was to be honest, yet kind.  “Caleb, I can’t lie to you.  I don’t know what’s going to happen.  They could come up with a cure before earth goes to hell in a hand basket.”  That was one of my mother’s favorite sayings, so I thought it was appropriate for usage.  Caleb’s head lifted from it hidey space and his eyes shone with hope.  “But you need to face reality that they might not find a cure in time.”  The words sounded a bit harsh, even though I was trying so hard to be kind. 

As soon as I said those words, the optimism that I had seen in Caleb’s eyes faded away to anger--at me.  “Shut the f**k up, Lex!  You’ve no idea what you’re talking about!  Get out!”  My mind was boggled at this change in Caleb and his wrath towards me.  I was shocked at how harsh Caleb’s voice sounded.  Never before had I heard his voice so filled with malice and hate.  Not knowing how to respond, I got up, but I stood there--torn.  It was clear that Caleb needed me, but he did not want me.  “Get out!”  He screamed at me again, so that is what I did.  The feeling that leaving him was a bad idea lingered with me throughout the day.

#

A little while later, after I had returned to my parents’ bedside, Jared came in to relieve me of my duties.  He basically stated that I looked like s**t and I need to eat and sleep; although, he said it in fewer words.  He was right though; I needed a break to recuperate from Caleb’s anger and from my parents’ sickness.  As I was leaving the room, he mentioned to call Heather.  In everything that was going on, I had forgotten to call my bestie, especially after I heard Dr. Hamlin told me that her parents were sick.

Once I was in the safe haven of my room, I sat at my vanity and called Heather.  It took a few calls and a total of forty minutes before Heather picked up the phone.  When she did, I saw from her hologram the black circles underneath her eyes, along with the worn look in her eyes.  “Hey,” I said in a pathetic attempt at enthusiasm.  It was hard to even try that, because my energy had been drained from all the emotional crap that I had been put through.  Still, I felt horrible that I had not contacted my bestie sooner.

“Hi Lex.”  I saw tears form in Heather’s hazel eyes, and I saw her struggling to staunch the waterworks. 

“How are you?” 

Heather’s lower lip trembled and that was a telltale sign for me that she was barely holding it together.  “My parents are sick…really sick.  They can’t get up from bed…”

“Is there anything I can do?”  Yes, it was a stupid question, but I was not sure what else to say.  What else is there to say in a crisis like this?

“Oh, Lex!”  And then she burst into heart wrenching sobs that had me crying with her.  “I don’t know what to do!  I called all the doctors in the phonebook…none of them are making house calls anymore.  Most of them are sick themselves, while the others don’t want to risk getting sick themselves.”

It was plain to see that she was falling apart.  She was hiccupping from crying so hard, and I saw her gasping for breath that seem to painful to take.  “Do you want me to come over for a bit?”  This stopped her crying for a second.  She nodded and hung up the phone, when loud raucous coughing from her end could be heard. 

I went to check on my parents, who were still sleeping.  Although, their breathing was a bit raspy, they did not look any worse.  I have to count my blessings where I can get them.  I told Jared what was going with Heather and he agreed that I should go check on them.  Going back to my room, I gathered up a few things, because I was unsure of how long I would be there.  A pair of red stiletto heels that Heather had been coveting for the past six months found a spot in my satchel.  I know it was a meaningless gesture to most people, but to Heather, who knew how much I loved those shoes, would understand and might make her smile a bit. 

Once all my stuff was gathered, I picked up my satchel and flung it over my shoulder.  I left the room and began my small trek down the hallway, only stopping once at Caleb’s door.  For a moment, I stood there, wanting to knock on the door.  In the end, I reluctantly turned away, not wanting to stir my brother’s anger again.  My old sneakers loudly squeaked as I descended the grand staircase that I almost missed the ringing of the doorbell.

Racing down the staircase in no time, I quickly opened the door to see Greg on my doorstep.  Like Heather, Greg and my other friends had been put to the backburner of my mind, so it was a bit of a shock to see him.  But there he stood, hugging himself in attempt to hold himself together--or it seemed that way to me.  Fragile was the word that came to mind, when I looked at Greg.  His lashes were still wet with tears and his eyes were so full of misery that I almost could not bear to look at him.

“Greg, what’s wrong?”

Greg fell into my arms, and I held him up as he sobbed on my shoulder.  He was mumbling words that I could not understand due to his wretched sobbing.  Greg was clinging to me for dear life.  All I could do was rub his back and let him weep.  I had a nagging suspicion about what had caused Greg to come here so distraught, but I could not bring myself to ask.  For a good twenty minutes, I let Greg sob, until he began hiccupping in an effort to calm himself.

“They’re dead!”  This unwanted announcement brought another round of lamenting.  “Th-they d-didn’t w-wake up this m-morning,” He backed up away from me and began wiping his face on his jacket, which he would never--NEVER--do.  Digging into my gigantic purse, I pulled out several tissues for him, which he gratefully took.  Just looking at him was painful.  After he wiped his face, he was able to speak somewhat normally.  “I didn’t kn-know,” he hiccupped, “w-what to do, Lex.  I just sat there…until I c-couldn’t sit there anymore…” 

“It’s ok, Greg…”  I paused, thinking of something to say to make the situation somewhat bearable, but I could not find the right words.  Greg needed me just as much as Heather, so I had to figure out a plan to help them both.  “Greg, let’s go to my room.  You need to sleep, you look horrible.”  Yes, it was a callous thing to say, but I knew Greg.  I knew what might wake him up and pull himself together just a bit to function properly.

“Oh no!”  Greg went to the foyer mirror to peer at himself.  One might think that Greg was vain, and yeah he is a little.  But he was always there for his friends and family, regardless of how he looked.  I think it was more of a normal gesture of looking into a mirror that helped Greg just a teeny tiny bit of a fraction.  From my vantage point, I could see Greg’s reflection, and noticed tears start to form again.  “Lex, what are we going to do?”

“I’m not sure Greg, but first things first…you need to sleep.  You have dark bags under your eyes.  You won’t be able to think properly until you sleep a bit.”

#

Forty minutes later, Greg was sleeping soundly in my bed.  As much as I do not condone using sedatives for any reason, I had to give him one.  He had begun to rock back in forth, sobbing uncontrollably and pitifully.  I panicked, since I only seen that type of behavior from crazy people.  Giving him the sedative seemed my only course of action.  Hey, I am just a teenager!  You may not like what I did, but I did not know what else to do.  All of our authority figures are either dead or dreadfully ill, so there really was no one I could ask: What should I do?  I could no longer bear Greg’s wretched sadness; because if I listened to it any longer, I would have a mental breakdown.  I loved Greg, so it was hard to see him so unstable and upset.  He was always the voice of reason in our group of friends…I was the usual one to fall apart.   

As soon as he was resting peacefully, I went to my parents’ room to talk to Jared about what had happened.  When I entered the room, I saw my mother awake, and she was furiously scribbling an entry in her journal that she wrote in daily.  A smile formed on my face as soon as I saw my mom. 

“Hey,” she said rather weakly, which was then followed by a cough.  I winced every time it wrecked her body.  “How are you hun?”  With her arms open wide, I ran to my mother’s comforting embrace like I did when I was a little girl.  It felt so normal, so right to be in my mother’s arms.  She had been there when I first got my period…do you know how scary that can be for a thirteen year old?  Yes, I had known about “the curse”, but that did not mean I was prepared for it…just like I am not prepared for all of this.   

“I’m ok,” I lied.  “How are you is the more important question?”

“I’m ok too,” she also lied, but a small part of me clung to that lie as if it were truth.  With my whole being, I so desperately wanted that to be true.  For a few moments more, I basked in my mother’s love, not wanting to forget any second of it.  Unfortunately, reality began to set in.  I had important matters to deal with.

Reluctantly, I had to disengage from our hug, because I had come to talk to Jared.  I told mom that I had to speak with Jared privately about Heather.  She nodded as if understanding that we had to take over care for ourselves without their supervision.  With a small glance at my mother’s eyes, I saw what I think was approval shining in them.  Stepping out the room, I launched into an explanation of what was going on with Heather and what had happened to Greg and his parents.  “So you see, I can’t just leave Greg, but Heather needs me too.”

“I’ll go.”  Jared stated with restrained emotion.  His love for Heather was apparent and I know I would not be able to stop him from going.

“Ok…just let her know why I couldn’t come.  I hope she won’t be too mad.”  I said the last part to myself rather than to Jared.

“She will understand.  She is your best friend after all.” 

With a quick hug that stunned me, Jared was gone.  I took a peek into my room to make sure Greg was still sleeping, which he was; and then I went to Caleb’s room.  This time I did not knock or hesitate.  I walked in boldly, wanting to--to… I do not know what I wanted, but I did not want my brother to be in pain.  Snores greeted me when I entered the room.  A sigh of relief escaped me.  I was glad that he had exhausted himself enough to sleep.

Grabbing a blanket, I pulled it over my brother so he would not get too cold during the night.  Massachusetts can get pretty cold at night, even during the summer.  As I was tucking him in, a white pill bottle caught my attention.  There on his night stand were sleeping pills, along with a small bottle of sedatives.  Fear was my first emotion.  I unscrewed the lids to check if he had downed the entire contents of the bottle.  Once I realized both bottles were still full to the rim did my fear subside a notch.  I stood watching his chest rise and fall with every breath just to make sure that he was ok.  As angry as I was that he had resorted to using drugs to help himself deal with his emotions, I could fully understand…I was tempted myself to take one of those white pills that could offer oblivion for a time.  They were a temptation that I could not let conquer me.

Walking away from those pills was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done.  I really--really--wanted to take one, but I needed to face this time of crisis.  I was determined not to freeze up like I had in the past, because I still felt the shame and guilt of my cowardice.  It was a difficult thing to live with, but I had made those choices.  I guess that old saying is true.  I made my bed, now I have to lie in it. 

Closing the door behind me both to my brother and my tempter, I leaned back on the door, taking deep breaths to calm myself.  My phone went off, startling me.  It was a text message from Jared, letting me know that he made it to Heather’s house safe and sound.  He also said Heather understood and that she wanted me to tell Greg that she loved him.  I was about to slip my phone back into my pocket, when I noticed one text message from Drake.

Maybe they deserve it.

Reading the message filled me with anger and hatred towards Drake and his whole cavalier attitude about what was going on.  I shook my head and returned my phone to my pocket.  I had enough things to deal with in my life than letting Drake upset me.  How wrong I had been about him!  I vowed to myself that I would not let another boy fool me so completely like Drake had.  Squaring my shoulders, I returned to my parents’ room to care for those that loved me and did not deceive me. 

Author's Note

I am sorry that this chapter took so long for me to write! It truly was the bane of my existance, because I had so many ideas for this chapter. However, I am glad at how it ended. I wanted to show a more emotional--human--side to this story! Anything that doesnt make sense or any grammatical errors let me know! Constructive criticism is appreciated!
I would like to know if this chapter and how my characters interact with each other believable along with their reactions. Any feedback is appreciated! Let me know what you liked or didnt like!

Reviews

[Blue Moon Ice Cream]

Kind of typing this as I go along...
"None of them knew anything useful was too painfully obvious."
This didn't make sense to me. I think it's just a matter of a couple words--maybe if you started the sentence with, "The fact that..."

"One might think that Greg was vain, and yeah he is a little."
This should be "...and yeah, he is a little." I really liked that bit of humor thrown in, in contrast to all the weepy stuff.

I do think you went on too long about Lexxie giving Greg sedatives. Just the first sentence saying that she normally didn't condone that was fine. Really minor thing, but as I kept reading, I found myself thinking, "Okay, I get it...she doesn't normally do this...what else is going to happen?" You could still work in her thoughts about Greg being the calm one, maybe as she watches him sleep.

“How are you (insert comma) hun?” With her arms open wide, I ran to my mother’s comforting embrace (insert comma) like I did when I was a little girl.

There were a few instances where you switched tenses (very easy to do when writing a journal entry--just try to stick with one tense). "His love for Heather was apparent and I know I would not be able to stop him from going." KNOW should be KNEW.

"Once I realized both bottles were still full to the rim did my fear subside a notch." This sentence also didn't make sense--again, just change a few words here and there.

Drake is becoming more and more evil! I can't wait to see how this all plays out. You're doing a great job of keeping the story interesting even though you revealed at the beginning that all the adults died. I thought the character interaction was perfect; the scene with the family videos was so touching. The characters are maturing very believably as the circumstances get worse.

[TL Boehm]

my heart goes out to Caleb - I felt real empathy for him. The characters are well developed and easy to relate to. the dialogue feels "real"

[Jim]

Powerful writing! You do an excellent job of weaving Lexxie's memories into the narrative to make us feel what the impending loss of her parents means to her.

"Instead, I watched my parents’ chest[s] rise and fall with each breath . . . "

"Every time they began coughing[,] fear coiled in the bowels of my abdomen." That last phrase feels redundant. I'd just make it: " . . . fear coiled in my bowels."

"Once all my stuff was gathered, I picked up my satchel and flung it over my shoulder." I'd make it "gathered together, I picked up . . ."

"My old sneakers loudly squeaked [so loudly] as I descended the grand staircase that I almost missed the ringing of the doorbell."

[melissa]

Wow this chapter is so sad but it is a great chapter keep up the great work keep them coming my way I love reading this book

[Morgan]

This is my favorite chapter so far, because you have captured the emotion of these kids so well. My absolute favorite part of this chapter is when Lex finds Caleb in his room watching home movies and crying. Your description of the movies was so realistic, it really added so much depth to the characters and the normalcy of their lives up to that point. Very well done, actually reminded me very much of my own parents and siblings. Having Caleb explode at Lex like that was very intense, since up to this point he has always been so laid back. You really explored a lot of the character's emotions in this chapter, my favorite being when Lex's mom looks at her with so much pride, as if she knows that if she dies Lex will be able to take care of her brothers. That was a great moment in this chapter.

The end of the chapter was so perfect by the way! Drake just had to swoop in and pour salt on an open wound didn't he? That guy is getting on my last nerve! Amazing chapter Vanessa!

[Miss Sally Sunshine]

I think this chapter was perfect. The reactions and interactions were perfect and right on the money! Also, I love the fact that you used Massachusetts for the home fo your characters, it just brings the whole story just a little bit closer to home for me, because I live in Massachusetts. Great chapter!

[Misty Blue Eyes]

very good chapter

[Neva Flores Smith - Cha..]

Wow! These children are going to have to grow up fast

[M Garcia]

Ok, I am coming into this a little late, but bravo! Please send me the other chapters to read. Sounds a little like the Stand, but you are coming at this from a different angle than King could ever imagine. Keep it up.

[Coyote Poetry]

The story is amazing. I like how you are making everything that should be important a priority in the story. Example taking care of parent. The story is getting stronger and more scary for the kids. Would be hard to watch the important people die for a young person. I like the way you are making the story feel real and the character alive. A excellent chapter.
Coyote

[BlackCl0ud]

I did like it and there are no grammatical errors that I am certain of or really need to point out. The only thing remotely awkward is between Heather, Lex, Greg and Jared; for some reason I thought there should have been something else between the decision for Jared to go to Heather and the fact Greg came over to, probably, stay. *Head Shake* Maybe just put in some fluff? ~ BlackCl0ud