at his arm. He has goose bumps. I wonder if he’s aware of the cold. Is he thinking, “Why do they have to keep it so freakin ’ cold in here?” Or maybe the goose bumps are just the body’s natural reaction to the cold; no cognitions behind it.
But maybe there was. Maybe he could hear everything going on around him. Isn’t that what people say when they come out of a coma? “Joey?” I say softly. “Joey…I’m so sorry this happened to you. And Manny is sorry, too, but he’s in a lot of trouble. Everyone thinks he hurt you like this on purpose. You and I know it was just a horrible accident. Please, get better as soon as you can. The police would listen to you. Manny would listen to you.” I wish there was some sort of sign he could give to let me know he can hear me, like a twitch, but nothing happens.
I take a deep breath. If he can hear me then he can feel the cold air in this room. I want to warm him by pulling the covers up to his neck but his limp, heavy arms are resting on top of the sheets. I reach my hand over to lift his arm up. I hesitate, glancing at Joey’s face, expecting him to protest. I shake my head of that silly notion and move my hand to grasp his tan forearm.
“What are you doing in here?”
I jump back. It’s Joey’s mother. Her hair is pulled back in a bun, sharpening her features and putting nothing between me and her blue-eyed glare.
“Uh, Miss Kinsley, I was, I’m just checking on Joey.”
“You think I don’t know who you are?” She walks closer to me as I back away from Joey. “You’re the splittin ’ image of him. You’re the sister of an attempted murderer.”
“No, Miss Kinsley. You don’t understand. Manny didn’t mean for it to be like this. They were such good friends.” I try to explain but the flames behind her eyes abide.
“Get out of here! If I find you in here again, the cops will be called and an arrest will be made. Do you understand that Miss Roberts?”
I need to know how Joey is doing. I need to be right here, in this hospital room, when he wakes up. I need to save my brother. “But I love Joey! Miss Kinsley, I love him.” She gives me a confused look but I continue. “We’ve been going out for a couple months now. He didn’t know how to, to tell you.”
She goes quickly to Joey’s side. “What do you mean he didn’t know how to tell me?” She cradled his hand in hers and tenderly gazed down at her son. Her features soften now as her thoughts shift to her sweet boy. “He can always talk to me. He tells me everything. My baby.” She kisses him on the forehead.
“I guess he thought you wouldn’t approve.”
“Oh, nonsense!” she objects, still looking down at her son. “I would have loved to hear it.” Miss Kinsley wipes a tear from her cheek. “Joey finally having a girlfriend.”
I look down at the tile floor, feeling guilty for lying and puzzled by what she’d said. How did she not know that he’d dated half the girls in town?
“He saved my life, you know. Did he ever tell you that? He was only fourteen years old. Always so strong.”
I’m speechless. Telling Dr. Rice I was Joey’s girlfriend was one thing. Telling the same lie to Miss Kinsley had given her a false sense of trust in me. I’m a manipulative criminal. I’m playing on her emotions, on her love for her son. And there’s no way out of it. It had already been said. My stomach does a flip. “Um, no, he never told me that. Listen, Miss Kinsley I really have to go now, my father”
“Before you go, Elaine, I need you to promise me something.”
“Anything,” I say without hesitation. I’ll fulfill her demands to compensate for the moment she learns I don’t really love her son. Miss Kinsley reaches into her bag and pulls out a leather-bound book. I almost think it’s my journal.
“I can’t be here all the time because I have to work and sometimes I just can’t
But maybe there was. Maybe he could hear everything going on around him. Isn’t that what people say when they come out of a coma? “Joey?” I say softly. “Joey…I’m so sorry this happened to you. And Manny is sorry, too, but he’s in a lot of trouble. Everyone thinks he hurt you like this on purpose. You and I know it was just a horrible accident. Please, get better as soon as you can. The police would listen to you. Manny would listen to you.” I wish there was some sort of sign he could give to let me know he can hear me, like a twitch, but nothing happens.
I take a deep breath. If he can hear me then he can feel the cold air in this room. I want to warm him by pulling the covers up to his neck but his limp, heavy arms are resting on top of the sheets. I reach my hand over to lift his arm up. I hesitate, glancing at Joey’s face, expecting him to protest. I shake my head of that silly notion and move my hand to grasp his tan forearm.
“What are you doing in here?”
I jump back. It’s Joey’s mother. Her hair is pulled back in a bun, sharpening her features and putting nothing between me and her blue-eyed glare.
“Uh, Miss Kinsley, I was, I’m just checking on Joey.”
“You think I don’t know who you are?” She walks closer to me as I back away from Joey. “You’re the splittin ’ image of him. You’re the sister of an attempted murderer.”
“No, Miss Kinsley. You don’t understand. Manny didn’t mean for it to be like this. They were such good friends.” I try to explain but the flames behind her eyes abide.
“Get out of here! If I find you in here again, the cops will be called and an arrest will be made. Do you understand that Miss Roberts?”
I need to know how Joey is doing. I need to be right here, in this hospital room, when he wakes up. I need to save my brother. “But I love Joey! Miss Kinsley, I love him.” She gives me a confused look but I continue. “We’ve been going out for a couple months now. He didn’t know how to, to tell you.”
She goes quickly to Joey’s side. “What do you mean he didn’t know how to tell me?” She cradled his hand in hers and tenderly gazed down at her son. Her features soften now as her thoughts shift to her sweet boy. “He can always talk to me. He tells me everything. My baby.” She kisses him on the forehead.
“I guess he thought you wouldn’t approve.”
“Oh, nonsense!” she objects, still looking down at her son. “I would have loved to hear it.” Miss Kinsley wipes a tear from her cheek. “Joey finally having a girlfriend.”
I look down at the tile floor, feeling guilty for lying and puzzled by what she’d said. How did she not know that he’d dated half the girls in town?
“He saved my life, you know. Did he ever tell you that? He was only fourteen years old. Always so strong.”
I’m speechless. Telling Dr. Rice I was Joey’s girlfriend was one thing. Telling the same lie to Miss Kinsley had given her a false sense of trust in me. I’m a manipulative criminal. I’m playing on her emotions, on her love for her son. And there’s no way out of it. It had already been said. My stomach does a flip. “Um, no, he never told me that. Listen, Miss Kinsley I really have to go now, my father”
“Before you go, Elaine, I need you to promise me something.”
“Anything,” I say without hesitation. I’ll fulfill her demands to compensate for the moment she learns I don’t really love her son. Miss Kinsley reaches into her bag and pulls out a leather-bound book. I almost think it’s my journal.
“I can’t be here all the time because I have to work and sometimes I just can’t
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