Beyond the Eyes: YA Paranormal Romance

by Rebekkah Ford

“I’m really worried about her.” Nathan sounded weary outside Mom’s bedroom. “She’s been in and out for more than four days.” He paused, and I realized he must be talking on the phone since I only heard him. “Yes, I had a doctor examine her. He said she passed out because of the trauma she’s going through and not eating when she should be.”

  I touched my forehead, trying to recall a doctor checking on me. My mind shifted on a vague memory of a man lifting my eyelids and flashing a bright light in them, but I couldn’t remember anything else.

  Nathan coughed, and his voice became unsteady. “The only time she shows any life is when she gets up to use the bathroom, and I’m able to catch her long enough to feed her some soup, but even that is a challenge.” The floor creaked outside the door, and I thought about him trying to feed me.

  It seemed like a distant dream, him sitting me against the headboard and putting a spoon to my mouth. I think I even batted his hand away a few times, knocking the spoon across the room. I cringed at how horrible I must have been.

  Nathan spoke again, but this time his voice sounded tearful, ripping my insides. “I need your help because I don’t know what else to do, and I’m afraid I’m losing her.” He paused and when he spoke again, I heard some relief in his voice. “You did? It’ll be here tomorrow?” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “Thank you. I think that will help tremendously. But why didn’t you tell me this before?” He sighed heavily. “You know what. I don’t care. If this helps Paige then–”

  Silence.

  “That’s excellent news. I’ll see you then. Bye.”

  I lifted my hand off my forehead and stared at the band-aid beneath the dull light of the bedside lamp. And then everything came back to me in a rush. I sat up and hollered for Nathan. In a matter of seconds, he had me in his arms.

  “Shhhhh, I’m here. It’s all right,” he soothed.

  “I’m sorry for putting you through this,” I said.

  His eyes were rimmed in red. I placed my hand on his cheek, and he covered it with his hand. I hated I had caused him so much sadness.

  “You don’t need to be sorry or feel guilty.” He moved my hand to his lips and kissed it. “You’ve been through so much lately. I wish I can alleviate your suffering, and it torments me that I can’t.”

  I tilted my head to the side and stared into his eyes. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” The universe mustn’t totally hate me because I had Nathan.

  His expression was an emotional intensity of fierce love that made my stomach do a gigantic somersault. I could feel the whip marks on my soul starting to heal, scabbing over with hope, letting me know I’d pull through this.

  “Baby, you don’t need to thank me. I love you. You mean more to me than anything. There’s nothing I would not do for you.”

  I pulled him into my arms. “I love you too.”

  He held me, and we stayed that way for a while. The warmth of his arms around me felt good. I was beginning to experience a small part of the world again, and even though my heart ached for my mom and the vacant gaps still resided inside, I was coming to terms with it. It was clear to me if I were to lie down and die, eventually Nathan would too, and I wouldn’t let that happen. I must find the strength within me to understand and overcome this emotional baggage of my mortal life in order to move on into my immortal life. Like my father said, I had to be strong and not give up.

  “Paige,” Nathan said, breaking the silence. “I think you should eat.”

  As soon as he said that my stomach growled in agreement and for the first time in like forever, I giggled. Nathan pulled us on the bed and covered his face. When he didn’t move, I raised myself on my elbow and looked at him.

  “Are you okay?”

  He dropped his hands, revealing a cheerful smile.

  “You don’t know how good it feels for me to hear you laugh.”

  “I think I’m going to be fine,” I told him, wiping a tear off his face. “I just wish I knew what brought me out of it. One minute I was dead to the world and the next I heard you talking on the phone.”

  He sat up. “These are happy tears.” He showed me his wet fingers, and stepped out of bed. I followed him with the intention of taking a shower. “And to answer your question, the doctor told me there was a possibility you would snap out of it. He said sometimes when a person becomes traumatized, the mind shuts down and the person goes into a comatose state. It’s the mind’s way of protecting the body from harm until the person is able to cope with things.”

  My body swayed sideways, and Nathan steadied me. I took a couple more steps and swayed again. My legs felt all rubbery. What the hell?

  “Why can’t I walk straight?” I asked when he cupped his hands on my shoulders.

  “Because all you’ve had in almost a week are liquids.” He lifted me in his arms. “I need to feed you some real food.”

  “But I need a shower,” I argued. “I look like crap.”

  He smiled. “You look beautiful. You can take a shower after you get some food in your belly.”

  I held onto his neck and closed my eyes until I felt him carefully placing me in a chair. I squinted against the bright kitchen light, still amazed at how quick he was. My gaze fell on a sink full of dirty dishes and coffee mugs crowding the counter, a reminder of how long I’d been out of it.

  Nathan flashed me a guilty look. “I’m sorry about the mess. I’ll clean it up later.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Nathan, you don’t need to apologize. I mean, you had a lot on your shoulders dealing with the aftermath of everything, so don’t worry about the dishes.”

  He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a glass casserole pan. “Well, quite a few people had stopped by to see how you were doing.” He set it on the counter and got a couple bowls and forks. “How does crab pasta salad sound? It has huge chunks of fresh crab meat. I think Carrie’s mom made it.”

  “Sounds great,” I said. “I’ve tried it before, and it’s yummy.” I glanced at the microwave and was instantly brought back to the last time I sat here in this exact position. A sharp pain stabbed through my heart, causing it to twist and ache. I rested my forehead on the edge of the Formica table, staving off tears. The sound of a chair scooting next to me filled the room.

  “Paige?”

  “Being in the kitchen like this reminds me of that night,” I mumbled.

  He placed his arm around my shoulders and leaned his head next to mine. “I’m sorry, but there are going to be things that will trigger reminders of that night and of your mom.”

  I lifted my head. “I know, but it’s hard, and a part of me is still having a difficult time believing she’s gone. I feel like she’s away at work or bailed on me, and that’s why she’s not here. It makes it easier for me to deal with it.” I sighed. “Is it terrible of me to think that way?” I scanned his face for any hints of disapproval but saw empathy instead.

  “Not at all,” he said. “It’s a harmless way to cope, but I have to be up front with you about something.”

  I stared at him. His expression showed no reason to be alarmed.

  “There are still physical things we need to deal with, like her will and ashes,” he said.

  “She had a will?” That shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did.

  He nodded. “She also had a life insurance policy.”

  A sudden overwhelming, crushing feeling came over me.

  “But I don’t–”

  He placed his finger on my lips. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you through it.” He kissed me. “It’ll be okay.”

  I didn’t say anything because I was too busy trying not to cry.

  “Let me get you some food.” He pushed away from the table and rose.

  I stared at my hands in my lap. “I’m not hungry now.”

  “You’re going to eat, Paige. If you don’t, I’ll take you to the hospital where they’ll stick a needle in your arm and feed you intravenously.”

  I looked up to a stubbornness in h
is face that told me he wasn’t playing around. He picked up a bowl and fork and waved it in the air in question, his eyebrows raised.

  “Fine, but don’t give me too much.” I watched him scoop large amounts of pasta and crab meat into a bowl, and I pointed at it. “That’s yours, right?” He grinned and shook his head, piling more in. “Nathan, I can’t eat all of that!”

  He stuck the bowl and fork in front of me. “Yes, you can.”

  Grabbing the fork, I stabbed at the food. “Whatever.” But as soon as I took a bite, I became ravenous and shoveled it into my mouth.

  “See, I told you.” He sounded pleased. “But you should really chew your food instead of inhaling it,” he joked.

  “Shut up,” my distorted voice said. I heard him softly laugh, and the clinking sound of ice cubes being thrown into a glass. He lifted a tab on a can of pop and a hissing sound filled the room.

  “Dr Pepper.” He set the glass on the table and sat to eat with me.

  I took a deep drink. It tasted so good that I drank the whole thing in no time. I set the glass down and went back to my food.

  A few minutes later I pushed the empty bowl aside and scooted down in the chair, baffled I had eaten the whole thing. My hands went to my full belly, and I let out a long, satisfying sigh.

  “You’re right,” Nathan said, still eating. “This is yummy.”

  “Yeah, if I lived at Carrie’s house, I’d probably weigh like two hundred pounds.” I took my bowl and glass and placed it on the counter.

  “I doubt it. You eat like a bird, except for tonight.” He flashed me a humorous grin, and I threw a towel at him.

  “Can you call Carrie and Tree and invite them over while I take a shower?” It was only a little after six, and I really wanted them to see I was doing better. “I’d like to see them tonight.”

  Nathan set his dishes beside mine and leaned his hand on the edge of the counter. “Sure, but what about Brayden?” I could tell by the tone of his voice he had a strong dislike toward Brayden, but he kept his expression impartial. “He wants to see you.”

  “What about Brayden? Isn’t he back home?”

  His face darkened. “No. He won’t leave Tree’s house until he sees you’re okay. And if you’re wondering, he hasn’t been around because he’s still sore at me for confronting him at your mom’s funeral.”

  I slipped my hand in his, lacing our fingers. “I know he pissed you off, but he’s one of my best friends, and I’m going to have to invite him over.”

  He gazed into my face. I became breathless at how his eyes seemed to peer straight into my soul. My stomach flipped, once again confirming I was going to be okay.

  “He’s in love with you, Paige. I saw it in the way he looks at you. He’s one of your best friends, and I would never want to compromise that friendship, but your well-being comes first above anything else.” He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled sharply. His voice became tight, almost dangerous. “And if he threatens that, like he did before, I’m going to be in his face.”

  “I can handle Brayden,” I said. “So have them come over in an hour, and I’ll deal with him myself.” I left the room before he could reply.