Restoration

Chapter 02

It's early morning. My head is pounding from last night and my stomach is burning. Too much never hit me like this. All of a sudden it's as if hell has fallen on earth.
"I found a church," Natasha says bursting through the front door. She looks very excited and even that annoys me. "Just a few blocks from here."
"Not now," I groan and go to the cabinet to pull out the medicine bag. I open it and start looking for some painkillers. "Where is all the medication?"
"Ellie!" I look over at her that just stands there looking at me. "I'm going and would you like to come with me."
"Where did you find it?" I ask and lean on my arm on the cabinet.
"Well, I prayed, Eleanor, and then a church popped up on my social media that's located close to us," she replies. I swear, I can laugh at her right now. She's so naive.
"There are so many churches you can just go to any of them. They're all the same," I say to her. She inhales deeply shaking her head.
"You have such a small mind if you think all churches are the same, Eleanor," she laughs and points to me. "Watch this space sweetheart. God is about to move."
She leaves my house in such a rush. This woman must've lost her mind. First her son and now she.
"God, if You exist, please help her," I spoke to myself and look back at the medicine bag. "She's losing it."
Perhaps I can quickly run out to the chemist and get a few things. I didn't realize how quickly I went through everything in such a short time. Geez, imagine if tonight I came to this and there's nothing.
"I'm not coming home tonight," Steven says rushing into the kitchen. He's handsome, yes, but very annoying. We met just after I finished school so I haven't really given myself the chance to study or start anything. "Are you going into town today?"
"Well, I need pain killers," I reply. He nods his head and scans me from head to toe like I'm some leftover from last week. "You know how these headaches get to me."
He nods his head slowly and feels his pockets to make sure he's got everything. At this stage, I'm not even interested in him, to be honest. I don't care how late he works or where he goes. Before, it was a big issue for me. I had to know where he is and why he is late or something, but he use to be on time all the time. He didn't work as late as now or even stayed away for a long night.
"Craig is gay," I tell him. He raises his eyes at me and inhales deeply. "Natasha told me yesterday."
"I-I know Eleanor. He told me," he says and starts to look around. I give him an odd look. To be honest I'm very speechless now. A million questions and not one can come up.
"He told you?" I ask.
"Unlike Andrea and Sean, Craig doesn't have a father. Eleanor, you don't even know where Sean is or where Andrea is going and you allow that. When I stand up, I get told that I suck as a parent and you're the coolest because you don't care," he shakes his head slowly. Can you believe this man? Talking to me about parenting. "Craig listens to me, Eleanor. It's sad, but he's the only one that actually feels like family."
He grabs his car keys hanging at the door and walks out. My head hurts too much now to fight him. Putting another boy above his kids. Can you believe it?

I killed the night like any other night. Wine, pills, and music. It's Saturday so Andrea is probably out with friends and Sean is still with his girlfriend. Sometimes I think he's staying there now. Maybe I did suck on being a parent. I just reached a point, I guess. I never had anybody caring for me so why the hell should I?
I rub the sides of my head sitting up straight in my bed. The sun annoys me shining from my window. My head is spinning and my body aches all of a sudden. Worst than ever before. The phone rings, but all it does is echo in my ears. I grab it and put it to my ear.
"Hello?" I answer.
"Ellie, I did it!" Natasha shouts through the phone. "I gave my life to Jesus! This is the best thing that has ever happened to me! I'm taking you with me tonight."
"I'm not feeling well, Natasha," I mutter and look at the time. I can't tell whether I'm just sleepy or if my eyes are confused, but my vision is worst than playing with your grandma's glasses with good eyes. "Geez, I slept till eleven?"
I pull my phone away and look at the left top of the screen. Damn, fifteen missed calls and neither of them woke me up.
"I'll call you back, okay?" I hang up the phone and throw it on my bedside. My whole body is feeling weak.
"What's wrong with your phone?" Steven asks busting through the bedroom door. My eyes doesn't even meet his before everything came up my throat. I grab the bin beside my bed throwing up in it. Everything in my stomach feels like coming up. "Oh for heaven's sake, Eleanor."
I hear him approach me. I try to push myself up to my legs, but my body gives in on me. Like a lifeless blanket, I hit the ground. I feel like a paralyzed person that forgot how to move.
"What's wrong with me?" I start crying and try to sit up straight. Steven grab me around the body and help me up. He feels my forehead, pushes his other arm under my legs, and carries me out. My eyes start to feel heavy and my thoughts are slowly leaving me. I can feel my heart beating in my entire body.
"Eleanor, don't close your eyes," Steven says to me. He's panicking. Why? He doesn't care. He shouldn't even be here.