End of the Line

by Ottilie Weber

“Boy, how stupid are you? The girl is sick and you put the little ones near her! We don’t know how sick she is!” Ed’s voice screeched. “They could get what she has!”

  This guy sure knew how to wake someone up . I stretched and went over to him. My muscles felt like they had just been sprayed with hairspray because of how stiff they were.

  “What is it now?”

  “You don’t know what is wrong with the girl, so you have your two little kids with her?!”

  “First of all, they’re not our kids! Second of all, I don’t think I could separate them!”

  “And you call yourself a man! Kids, there’s a working TV out here!”

  That got them off of the bed and running into the other room.

  “Ed, do you know why some of the electricity works?”

  I turned to see Lauren was awake. Her eyes were half opened, but she was up.

  “No, I’m just as surprised about it as you are.”

  He sauntered out of the room, so I went over to Lauren and sat at the end of the bed. The room fell silent without Sean and Paige.

  “Ed thinks we better keep Sean and Paige from you ‘til you’re better, so they don’t get sick,” I started, watching her carefully.

  “That might be wise...” Her voice was light as she was unable to look at me.

  “How are you feeling, Lauren?”

  “Not better, but before a storm passes, it has to get rough first.”

  “What?” I asked. Was there something about this house that made people crazy?

  “Before a storm goes away, it has to get dire first. It will go away soon basically.”

  I just nodded my head. Why couldn’t she have just said that in the first place?

  “Are you sure about this Ed guy?” I asked with a raised brow.

  I was really not sure about him, but it didn't seem like he was going to rat on me. I was curious as to what she thought of him despite the short time. I thought he was a nut and there was no question about it.

  “He seems…” Lauren paused, her eyes went to the ceiling searching for the word. “Colorful, nice, and is giving us a place to stay, so how can we argue?”

  She had a point, but I wanted to keep an eye on him anyway. How did I know I could trust him to not call Manson? I wasn’t going to worry Lauren with that fact though. He could be calling him as I sat there with Lauren, who was hopefully not on her death bed. She started to tremble again as she buried herself in the covers. I really felt bad for her.

  “Let me help.”

  Her sapphire eyes appeared confused and scared at the same time. I squished myself next to her on the twin bed under the covers, so I was lying on my side very close to her on the bed. I brought her shivering body secure to mine. Her skin felt like fire against mine and I couldn’t believe she was quivering from the chills. Her back was alongside my chest as I wrapped an arm around her.

  “Why are you doing this?” she asked through chattering teeth.

  “We need you to get better. If it means body heat, then so be it.”

  “Thank you.” Her weak voice sounded so sincere, just like how my foster parents used to speak.

  “Hey, don’t worry about it.”

  I felt stupid about not really noticing that she was getting sick as I back tracked through all of her signs. She was always tired. She hadn’t been really eating and I just took it as a girly thing, but she was getting sick. Even if I was never her friend, I should have noticed the signs as a human being.

  I felt her breathing take a smooth out as she fell asleep. I lay by her side as the day not wanting to leave her. I got comfortable next to her as I fell asleep by her side myself.