Under Our Care

Chapter 14

Aliyah's pov

I could hear them from down the hall. Our house wasn't that big, voices travelled faster than the wind here. It was mostly Chris speaking, with a few more voices. I heard a door close with a loud bang and it all went silent. I breathed in the silence and the familiarity of the room. I snuggled more into the sheets, clutching them tightly like the memories these held.

I laid there in the quiet until I could hear their voices. The more I let my thoughts wander, the more I could hear them. The little hushes, giggles, songs and life. In the little corners, they resided here in his harmonica, in her typewriter, in their closet, in my heart.

The comforter provided little comfort as I shivered underneath it, I didn't know if it was due to the cold or the aching in my heart. I shifted trying to get comfortable, to get out of the dark abyss I was slipping into, but I knew that the only thing that could provide comfort was her warm hugs, ones that engulfed you, took your pain away, the ones only a mother had the power to give and the only one who could pull me out of that dark tunnel was Dad with the same strong hands that helped me take my first steps.

I wanted Dad to tell me it would be alright, I wanted Mom to tell me she would take the pain away but I knew I could get none. I didn't realize when a lone tear slipped. I struggled to gather my thoughts, it was too much at once. It was just a day before that my life's biggest problem was failing in Chemistry and suddenly I was told I might have a life-threatening disease. It was too bad to be real.

A part of me didn't believe the doctor's word, maybe there was a mixup, maybe it was somebody else's report. I felt worse thinking I was hoping it was someone else who got the disease, I was so cruel to think that. I could not see myself undergoing surgery, it was too scary. I hardly had any serious medical history except being born before time, how could I have such a grave disease. It seemed next to impossible.

All my thoughts travelled around how it was the most improbable and impossible thing to happen, cancer was not in my life path, it surely could never be my destiny. I had my whole life planned, maybe not my career but I knew this wasn't how it was meant to be.

I didn't realize how long I laid there, staring at the cracked wall paint, cobwebs lining the corners and the dust-filled closet of my parent's room. This room was hardly ever visited, it was too hard for us to clean it out. Our parent's things were intact, not a thing was out of place. When the house was remodelled a little bit, we had a mutual decision to not touch this room. It still had the old fading yellow paint, Mom's favourite floral curtains, the same creaking bed, Dad's unplayed accordion which he was so determined to learn and Mom's dust-covered typewriter. This room looked so different from the entire house but it still felt home, it still had that homey smell that took me back to childhood, it reminded me of easy days, it helped me get lost in the easier times, forget about today's tribulations.

I heard a knock on the door, I rubbed my crusty eyes and sat up on the bed with the comforter still draped over my legs. Before I could say come in, the door opened and I saw Ezekiel looking around until his eyes caught me. He came and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You have good hiding skills, I was trying to find you for so long. This time I even checked the terrace." He said, letting out a soft chuckle.

We sat in silence for a moment, he looked at me as if waiting for me to say something or do something but when I didn't he sighed before continuing.

"This room hasn't changed much, I am glad we kept it this way, it reminds me of simpler and happier times." He said looking around as if he was trying to revisit the memories associated with this room.

"Yeah, me too," I muttered softly looking anywhere but him, I wasn't even sure if he heard it until I felt his hand on mine. He squeezed it in reassurance.