Letting Him In

Chapter-32

"Oh, I hope some day I'll make it out of here
Even if it takes all night or a hundred years
Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near
Wanna feel alive, outside I can't fight my fear
Isn't it lovely, all alone
Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
Tear me to pieces, skin to bone
Hello, welcome home"

-Billie Eilish and Khalid, Lovely
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Elijah

"Are you fucking serious right now?" Elijah said, almost yelling. He couldn't believe his parents were even considering this.

What's next? Tying me to the bed so I can't go anywhere? he thought bitterly.

His mother gave him a stern look, part infuriated and part understanding. Mostly infuriated, though.

"Watch it, Elijah," she warned, and he looked away, letting out a string of curse words in his mind that would surely get him grounded if he said them out loud. Not like he was going to be able to go out anymore anyway. Not with the way they seemed to be talking.

"I already had to call in and say I'm leaving my job at the arcade. I'm already leaving swimming. I've already given up on any hope of having a normal senior year," he said, his voice strained and just as furious as his mother's. "Now you're saying I can't even go to school anymore?"

"Elijah, after last night you should know this is important!" his mother countered, her irritation rising. "And you can still have a normal year; you'll still be attending classes, just online."

Elijah scoffed, rolling his eyes. He looked away. He couldn't look at his parents right now, not without saying things he didn't truly mean and would regret later.

This conversation was fruitless anyway. His parents would never understand. His father hadn't said a word since delivering the news that the doctors had forbidden Elijah from going to school. Elijah knew he would side with his mother– he almost always did.

"Just leave me alone," he muttered. "It's not like you're going to understand."

He felt exhausted, both physically and mentally. His life was basically an epic, horrible joke right now.

His mother came closer to the bed, her voice softening. "Elijah, I do unders-"

"No," he cut her off, shaking his head, his voice defeated now. He was too drained to sound angry. "You aren't even trying to understand. Just leave me alone for a bit, please."

He could feel her looking at him, and everyone else too, for that matter. His siblings were in the corner of the room, sitting by the window overlooking the hospital courtyard, neither saying a word.

He was sure the nurses and maybe even a few patients had heard them arguing, but he didn't care. He was done.

One year. That's all he had asked for. One year with no complications. Just his senior year. And he couldn't even have that.

"Elijah," his father said, his calm voice making Elijah feel worse. "Look on the bright side. They're discharging you. You only have to come back for the chemo sessions."

Elijah rolled his eyes again. He had to bite his lip to keep himself from screaming this time.

"Just stop, please. I'm going home to be put on lockdown. Yeah, that's some amazing bright side," he muttered, letting his head fall against the headboard with soft thump. "Life sucks right now, there's no bright side."

"Elijah!" his mother snapped.

"Mom, please!" He squeezed his eyes tighter to calm himself. "I want to be alone, and I can't leave this room until they get this thing out of me," he added, jerking up his arm to indicate the IV drip in his arm attached to the pole, currently pumping fluids into his body.