Shrinking

Chapter Thirteen

Peyton’s POV

“Jamie, open your presents!” Mom told him excitedly, beaming down at her now-five-year-old son. She was wearing a blue and pink polka dot apron, her hair pinned back into a tight bun. She had just finished decorating Jamie’s cake with a soccer theme, and had a bit of icing left on her cheek. I ignored it.

Jamie stared down at the presents, wrapped in shiny blue on top of the glass table in the family room. His brown hair had just started to turn blonde; it was curls of honey. His smile lit up the room, with his dimples and front tooth missing.

“This one first. We go small to big,” he informed us all, reaching for the littlest present on the display in front of him. He opened it fast and excitedly, tearing the paper off like it was fire. He saw the pack of Legos, grinned, and reached for the next. I smiled at him, admiring the five-year-old innocence.

After going through all of his birthday gifts, Jamie turned around and looked at us all, his new toys in a pile behind him. “Thanks, Mommy, Daddy, and Pey.” The moment was small, but it was precious. “Now cake please!” He screamed, jumping off of the chair and bounding into the messy kitchen.

“He is something else,” Dad told Mom, chuckling at the energy Jamie possessed. I listened to him sing his own birthday song in the kitchen, quietly at first and then at the top of his lungs.

“Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR JAMIE, HAPPY-”

“Peyton! Peyton, sweetheart, wake up!”

I bolted upright, my head spinning with the sudden light. Tears pricked at my eyes, threatening their way forward. I was in the hospital chair next to Jamie’s bed, splayed uncomfortably across the green leather. Mom was standing in front of me, concern imbedded in her eyes. She looked exhausted.

“What?” I mumbled to her, my voice cracking. I rubbed my eyes tiredly and attempted to make my tears unnoticeable. My dream still floated in my mind.

“It’s 10 o’clock in the morning. Your dad and I thought it’d be a good idea to take you home, let you wash up. We still have to call the school.”

“I don’t want to go home,” I croaked. I couldn’t leave Jamie.

“Pey, baby, you’re a mess. I think it’d be best if you went to go take a nice, hot bath. Maybe eat some casserole. I have some left in the fridge. Okay?”

There was a seriousness in her voice, a tone I didn’t understand, but I nodded anyway. The less stress I could put on my mom right now, the better. Heaving myself forward, I forced myself not to look at Jamie as I exited the room. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

Mom drove me home and dropped me off at the house. She wanted to get right back to Jamie, in case the doctor’s needed any information. I hadn’t been in this house for almost 2 months and I would be entering completely alone.

It looked exactly how it did when I left it. Shiny, hardwood floors with family pictures and décor splattered throughout the walls. The kitchen was filthy, dishes still floating in the sink and cups left on the marble island. I ignored it all, and headed straight up to my room. Well, my old room.

My bed was made and the floor was cleaned and vacuumed, so I could tell mom had been in here in my absence. I sighed heavily, a chill raking my body. The blue curtains were pushed back so the Florida sunshine beamed through the window, masking the dreary feel with a happy one. I tried my best to keep my thoughts away from Jamie, thinking about all other things. I laid down on my window seat and closed my eyes, but after deciding I wasn’t tired, went and stood in front of my large full-length mirror.