Mel
I STRETCHED as I woke up. I never understood those kids who didn’t sleep in on Sunday. Except when there was something exciting to do, I always slept in, and by now my dad probably expected it and looked forward to a little quiet time to himself. Lying there, I thought back to the previous morning when I’d woken up at an obscene hour, but that had been with Raine and Amelia, so it had been okay. It had been nice to be there with the two of them. I couldn’t remember ever having been so happy about waking up before, but with Raine’s soft kisses on my neck and Amelia kissing my mouth, everything was as close to perfect as it could get. Even when we had to hurry out of the house to go spend the morning helping Amelia’s mother find creepy dolls to resell on eBay, things had been good because we were all together.
Lunch had been more than a little surreal ’cause Amelia’s mother would only go to the salad bar, and then only let all of us make one trip. She’d stood over Amelia during her pass through, making disapproving noises when Amelia went to get anything she didn’t think she should have. Afterward Raine needed to go take her brothers somewhere, and Amelia had to go help her mother clean the dolls. I’d come home and taken a nap that had been filled with happy dreams of my girlfriends. I still couldn’t believe I’d been in Colorado less than a month and already had not one, but two girlfriends. It was awesome, even if Amelia did have some problems. We were together and could find a way to get through it.
“Mel, are you up yet?” Dad asked from outside my door. His voice was low enough that if I hadn’t been awake, it wouldn’t have bothered me.
I could’ve ignored him and lain there awhile longer, but figured if he was there, he wanted to go do something. “Just barely,” I called back.
He opened the door and came in with a big smile. “So, what do you say to a bit of hiking today, you and me?”
“Sure.” Since Mom had been killed, Dad and I kept doing the things we’d always done as a family. Sometimes it seemed like a way to keep her memory alive by doing the things she loved, and Mom had always loved being outside. Our garden in Texas had been huge. We knew all the best hiking trails and had gone camping as often as possible. She would’ve loved Colorado where outside was a way of life.
“Great. If you want to grab a shower, I’ll get you some brunch ready, and then we’ll go.”
“Brunch?” I stared at him. “Is it that late?”
“Nearly noon, sleepyhead. Do I need to ask how much sleep you got Friday night?”
I hadn’t realized it was that late. My face grew hot. “I’d rather you didn’t.”
He laughed. “Okay, then I won’t.”
“Thanks.” I slipped out of bed. “I’ll be down in a few minutes.” One thing I loved about the house in Colorado over the house we’d had in Texas was that I had my own bathroom connected to my room. No more using the hall bathroom. It made me feel even more adult.
Dad didn’t say anything, he just turned and left, closing the door quietly behind him.
I grabbed my phone as I headed to the bathroom. I sent a joint text to Amelia and Raine. Good morning, sexy ladies. Hope you both slept well. I think I died last night, only now getting up.
As I stepped into the shower, the phone beeped. I was tempted to see which one had responded but decided to finish my shower first. I didn’t want to get the phone wet. As my need to know what was waiting for me in my text grew, I washed faster. It might’ve ended up being the quickest shower I’d ever taken.
When I got my hand dry, I tapped the screen and looked at my response.
It was Raine. It’s almost afternoon, silly. Slept well, but missed you two. What are you doing today?
Dad wants to go hiking, just the two of us, but I’ll call you later.
I’m taking the bros to a movie. Definitely later. Maybe we can three-way chat.
I liked the idea of lying on the bed while waiting for them to answer. Sure.
Good. Have fun with your dad.
Later.
As I set the phone down, I wondered if Amelia was still asleep or was having to do something with her mom and that’s why she hadn’t responded yet.
By the time I finished breakfast, scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and OJ, she still hadn’t responded, and I started to worry I’d inadvertently done something wrong the previous day and pissed her off. Amelia was a bit high-strung at times, but I figured if my mom had been like hers, I probably would be too.
WE WERE halfway around Cherry Creek park when my phone rang. I started to answer it, but then I remembered Dad wanting this to be just the two of us. I opted to ignore it. It stopped ringing and was silent for a few seconds before it started ringing again.
When it started a third round, Dad frowned. “If they’re trying this hard, it might be important.”
“This is supposed to be father-daughter time,” I said as I pulled the phone out of my pocket.
“If it’s important, I’ll understand.”
I swiped to answer Raine’s call the second I saw her name on my screen. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Oh God.” Her voice broke. “Mel, have you heard?”
I was clueless. “Heard what?”
“I got the text while I was in the movie. I knew I shouldn’t answer, but I was hoping it was Amelia, so I looked. It was from Cass, one of the girls on the squad.”
Her babbling made my heart drop, but I didn’t want to interrupt her.
“She’d gotten a call from their coach, who’d gotten a call from Ms. Yarmer. Amelia’s in the hospital. Cass said she’s dying or something. Seriously, she was hysterical.”
My legs got wobbly, and I collapsed on the trail. “When?”
“Last night. Something about her being unconscious in the bathroom. Mel, what are we going to do?”
“Mel, what’s wrong?” Dad squatted down in front of me.
“We go see her, make sure she’s okay.” I looked up at him. “Amelia’s in the hospital. I need to get there fast.”
“I’ll meet you there,” Raine said, sounding like she was done with her babbling. “I’ve got to drop the bros off at the house first.” There were some loud complaints in the background. “Shut up!” Raine sighed. “Look, sorry for yelling. Amelia’s in trouble, and I’ve got to go. Mel, I’ll call Cass and find out which hospital so we know where we’re going.”
Dad gave me a hand up. He had his own phone out. “Look, there’s a shortcut over here. I think we can get back to the car faster if we use it.”
I gave him a big hug. “Thanks, Dad. I appreciate you understanding.”
“Amelia’s your cheerleader. I understand.” He dusted me off. “You up for jogging back to the car?”
“Sure.” I nodded. Anything to get me to the hospital. Maybe if I made it this time, a friend would still be alive when I got there and I wouldn’t lose someone else. We took off as fast as I could.
With every step, I was afraid I’d be too late again. When Jessica, my friend in Texas, had died, I hadn’t been there. Dad and I had been down on the coast visiting relatives when the call came. Dad was a real trouper when it came to my friends. I think he thought if I had enough friends and he was always there, it might make up for Mom not being there. It didn’t, but I would never tell him that. When Jessica’s mom had called, Jessica had still been alive. She’d been on life support but had still been there. Her system was crashing from lack of nutrients and had gone downhill to the point where nothing the doctors were doing was helping.
We’d driven across the state. Dad had gotten three speeding tickets and had talked his way out of two more, but he hadn’t cared. We’d just pulled into the hospital when Jessica’s mom called to say it was too late. The family was coming out of the hospital when we reached the doors. I’d hugged Mrs. Langford for ten minutes as we stood there sobbing. It had been as hard as losing my mom. I vaguely remembered Dad taking me home and tucking me into bed. For almost a week all I did was cry as I tried to understand what had happened.
It had taken a few months of counseling, and Dad had been there at my side through the whole thing, but eventually I understood Jessica had a disease and she’d hidden it from everyone around her. Sure, I and a bunch of our friends had noticed things like weight loss and how tired and drawn she’d been, but we didn’t chalk it up to more than depression since she’d broken up with Kevin, her boyfriend of three years, a few months before and had never recovered from that. After the funeral I’d cornered Kevin at school and asked him why they’d broken up, and he’d told me he’d found someone skinnier than Jessica. I’d hit him hard enough to knock out his two front teeth. It was the only time I’d ever been suspended from school, and there had been more than a few times I’d wished I’d done more to him than knocked out a couple of teeth. He didn’t even realize that he’d killed Jessica with his words.
DAD STAYED quiet as we drove to the hospital. Raine’s text with the address had come as he reached the car. Dad had known where it was and said it wasn’t too far away. The drive seemed to take longer than our run back to the car.
As we pulled up, I spotted Raine looking miserable on the curb near the doors. “Dad, let me out here.”
He shook his head. “You’re not going through this without me.” He swung away from the curb and quickly found a parking place.
Once the car was stopped, I didn’t wait for him. I got out and raced to Raine. I caught her up in my arms and kissed her. It didn’t matter that we were out there in public, or that my dad was walking up behind us. She looked as bad as I felt, and I knew she needed me.
“I just got here,” she muttered as our lips parted. “I couldn’t bring myself to go in and see her without you.”
I held her hand. “It’s okay. I understand. Dad’s going in with us.”
He walked up and gave her a quick hug. “I’m here for you girls.”
Raine gave him a weak smile. “Thanks, Mr. Carson, my folks are busy today, that’s why I was taking my brothers to the movie. They’re up in Fort Collins with my grandmother who’s….” She paused, closed her eyes, and shook her head. “Sorry. I’m rambling again.”
“It’s okay. You’re going through a lot. Let’s go in and see how Amelia’s doing.” He ushered me and Raine toward the door. I held Raine’s hand, and I didn’t care if anyone noticed.
Between Mom’s death and Jessica’s, I hated the smell of hospitals. The antiseptic smell of bleach and alcohol instantly depressed me. I squeezed Raine’s hand when Dad let go of mine to walk up to the reception desk and ask the woman there where Amelia Yarmer was. It took her a couple of minutes to stop chewing her salad, pull up the information, and direct us to the elevators.
As the steel doors closed on us, my heart pounded furiously. Raine’s hand began to shake as we rose up to the third floor. “This can’t be happening.”
I kept hold of her hand and turned so I could hug her. “We’ll get through this together. We’ll be in time. We have to be. She has to be okay.”
Tears hit my neck. “I hope so,” she muttered.
“I know so.” I did my best to sound sure and brave. I didn’t want to think that Amelia might end up like Jessica. I wasn’t ready to lose either of them. We all had to be strong and get Amelia back on the track to good health.
The elevator door opened, and Dad stepped through, then put his arm out so the door wouldn’t close on us. He glanced up, then pointed to the right. “This way.”
I hadn’t paid enough attention to things when he’d been at the information desk to know where we were going. With each step I wanted to turn and run back for the car. I didn’t want to be there. I couldn’t handle another person I cared about dying. Even with Raine there, I’d probably lose it completely. They’d have to put me in a padded room and drug me silly if Amelia died. It wasn’t fair. I’d just found her. That kept playing over and over in my head as we walked for what felt like a mile before we finally stopped.
The little brown box on the yellow wall next to the slightly open door read Amelia Yarmer. There weren’t many doctors or nurses around. The halls were quiet.
Raine looked at the door and then looked at me. Her expression was a mix of worried and scared.
She’d been Amelia’s friend longer than I had. She should go first. I gestured to the door.
She nodded and after a quick squeeze, let go of my hand. She knocked on the open door. “Amelia?” Before anyone could respond, she pushed it the rest of the way open and walked in.
I followed, and was somewhat bolstered by Dad behind me.
Amelia lay on the bed. She was awake, but hooked up to several machines and looked horrible. She turned her head and smiled. “You guys came.”
Raine and I rushed over to the bed, one on each side.
“Of course we came,” Raine said, taking her hand.
“Why wouldn’t we come?” I asked, taking her other hand. Holding her hand helped chase the fears away, the ones that had engulfed me since Raine had called. I’d made it in time for once. If I was there, Amelia was going to be fine. There wasn’t any doubt.
“What happened?” Raine asked.
Amelia frowned. “I don’t know. I remember going up to the bathroom. I must’ve gotten sick and hit my head or something. I’m not sure. I woke up here. Mom was hovering, all worried about me. The doctors are still running tests trying to figure out what happened.”
I had an idea of what happened, but it didn’t seem like the time or place to try to explain to Amelia again that she had an eating disorder and had about starved herself to death. I held her hand as tight as I could. “It doesn’t matter what happened. It only matters that you’re going to be okay.”
“You’ve got us,” Raine added. “Together we can get through anything.”
“Who are you and why are you in my daughter’s room?” Amelia’s mom’s voice came from the doorway.
“Oh, we haven’t met.” My dad stepped up to meet her. “I’m Roger Carson, Mel’s dad.”
“And why are you here?” She pushed past him. “Amelia needs rest, not company. I told Ms. Cavenaugh that she wasn’t to encourage any of the squad to come up until I told her it was okay, let alone let the word out at school that anything was wrong with Amelia. She said she understood. You shouldn’t be here. Any of you.”
I let go of Amelia’s hand and stepped toward her. “We just wanted to make sure she was okay. She isn’t returning our texts.”
Ms. Yarmer frowned. “How could she? She’s in a hospital. She doesn’t need her phone here. It might interfere with some important machine or something. I don’t want her killing people because of a stupid text from one of her stupid friends.”
It hadn’t taken much for me to pick up on the fact that Ms. Yarmer didn’t like me. I didn’t know if she suspected we were more than friends, or if it was something else. Maybe she thought I wasn’t good enough to be a friend to her daughter; anyway, at that point it didn’t matter. I was fairly sure she was the one killing Amelia, just as sure as Kevin had killed Jessica. The sad thing was, I couldn’t hit her.
Raine touched my shoulder. I hadn’t even seen her move from Amelia’s side. “Hey, maybe we should go.” She looked at Ms. Yarmer. “Can we come back in a couple of days and check on her?”
“A couple of days?” Ms. Yarmer huffed. “She’ll be back in school by then. You can see her there.”
I looked over at Amelia lying in the bed looking so much worse than she had when we had come in. I felt so sorry for her. It hadn’t even occurred to me that her mother would be such a bitch as to throw a fit in her hospital room. It wasn’t fair. “We’ll see you at school, Ames.” Then I mouthed, “Love you,” and walked out as Raine said goodbye and my dad apologized for us intruding.
As we walked away from the room, heading back to the elevator, I vacillated between wanting to punch Amelia’s mom and wanting to break down. I doubted she even realized she was the one killing Amelia. She was probably so wrapped up in her creepy dolls and shit that she didn’t see what she was doing. She was the one pushing Amelia to be unnaturally skinny.
“She’s a complete bitch,” Raine muttered as we got into the elevator.
My dad was too cool to react to her language, but I knew he didn’t like it.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Carson. I didn’t mean to call her names. I know that’s not polite,” apologized Raine.
He patted her on the shoulder as the elevator started down. “I totally understand and agree. You have to remember that your girlfriend’s mother is under a lot of stress right now.”
Raine looked from him to me. “You told him?”
Dad was cool. He shook his head. “She didn’t have to. I’ve got eyes, and I know Mel. I’m happy she found you too.”
I hugged him tight. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Now, you two need to do your best to be cool until Amelia gets out of the hospital. If you upset her mom, you’ll upset Amelia, and we don’t need things getting worse.” He ruffled my hair. I always hated it when he did that. “If either of you needs to talk, I’m here, okay?”
Raine hugged him too. “You’re the coolest, Mr. Carson.”
The elevator opened and we got out. I wasn’t able to express my feelings about how good Dad made me feel with his unconditional love and understanding. It was so much better than what Amelia was going through. But even with his warning about waiting for Amelia to get out of the hospital, Raine and I were going to have to find a way to see Amelia when her mother wasn’t around to be such a pain in the butt.