Before I Forget

Frankenstein's Monster

Three days.

That's how long Cody allowed himself to rest before he forced himself out of the bed.

He was still covered in bruises that were turning blue and yellow, and he still looked like Frankenstein's monster, but at least he could open his eyes now and the blinding headache had eased.

Still, it hurt to pull up the tight, black jeans. He cursed silently when he had to button them up, and pulling the black, long-sleeved T-shirt over his head was pure agony as the battered muscles on his arms and back ached with every move he made.

To push the pain away, he let his mind wander to Sky.

Hell, she occupied his thoughts every moment of the day and these past days had made his feelings a thousand times more intense. She had spent so much time here with him, that now, without her, he felt empty, hollow, desolate. He had already gotten used to having her by his side, listening to her sweet voice when she talked about anything and everything, or when she read a book to him. He couldn't believe that she had spent hours just reading to him. No one had done that since—

Well, since before David and Leigh were born, when Mom hadn't yet given up on him.

Cody took a deep breath, trying to drive away that painful memory, and Sky's scent filled his nostrils, filled his heart. It was like breathing in love, he could never get enough of it. She had only left half an hour ago and her scent still lingered in the room - vanilla, roses - and he hoped it would never fade.

He knew he didn't deserve the kindness she was giving him, the care.

No one had taken care of him like this, not in a long time, and even if Sky said it wasn't a big deal, to him it was.

She had been here every day. And every time she left, she said that she would come back the next day, but he never believed her. Why would she? He knew he was nothing to her, barely even her friend. She had no obligation to visit him, to show him kindness, to help him. But every day she came back, proving Cody wrong time after time, filling his heart with hope that was the sweetest thing he had ever felt.

Determinedly, she had removed the filthy, blood-stained sheets and washed them, replacing them with a set of clean ones. She had helped him to take a shower and as he had sat on the floor, leaning on the tiled wall barely able to stay conscious, Sky had gently washed the sticky, dried lumps of blood and puke off his hair. She had brought some kind of ointment and messaged it carefully on his bruises, and after, she had helped him to change into a clean set of clothes. She had made sure he ate and drank and took his meds, and not once had she complained or said she had better things to do.

And how had he repaid her?

With lies.

Sky didn't know he loved her, and the longer he kept it a secret, the heavier it grew. But how could he be honest about it, remembering how it had ended the last time?

I love you too, Eli.

Those words still hurt more than the bruises and the cuts, and now, after the beating her ex had given him, they were even harder to take than before.

Love. It makes fools of us all.

And he was the biggest fool, getting in the middle of that unfinished drama between Sky and Hawk - a drama that had almost gotten him killed.

Cody pushed Sky off his mind the best he could and stepped in his sneakers, letting out a pained groan as he had to bend to tie the laces. There were things he had to do, things he had pushed on for too long already, things he had to focus on, and if he was thinking about Sky, he couldn't do them.