Different Doesn't Mean Broken

Chapter 25 - Alex

"Alex, whole cabin meeting."

I couldn't quite make out who'd said it, but they sounded serious. Like 'don't mess around' kind of serious.

The whole cabin was making noise. I'd heard them all come in from the evening program. They'd woken me up.

I grumbled but got out of bed and joined everyone in the front room, wrapped in a blanket. I slumped on a chair in the corner.

The girls weren't laughing or joking around.  Everyone was somber. Like they knew this was something serious.

Once everyone was gathered, the counsellors all sat down as well. Uh oh. 

"Okay guys," Michelle said. "I'm sure you've noticed Mia isn't here."

From my spot in the corner I realized I didn't see Crutch Girl.

"Sadly, tonight, we learned that Mia's mom was involved in a serious car accident. She did not survive," Michelle said. I felt my blood run cold.

The rest of the cabin said how sad they were to hear and asked where Mia was and if she was okay.

"Of course she isn't okay!" I exclaimed. "What kind of stupid question is that?"

"Thank you, Alex, for that succinct and unhelpful comment," Michelle frowned at me. I stared her down.

"Mia, obviously, took the news very hard. She's currently in the infirmary resting," Michelle continued.  "We aren't sure yet what's happening or if she'll be staying at camp. But for now, we felt it only fair you all understood what was happening. And we ask that you all be supportive when she is feeling up to joining the group, again depending on whether she stays or not."

Michelle was looking right at me when she said we should all be supportive.  She emphasized 'all' as she looked at me. I rolled my eyes. I may not want to be here with these gimps and morons, but making fun of someone who just lost their parent? Fuck that. I'm not that much of a bitch.

What would happen to Mia? Would she stay? Or would she leave? Who would she go live with? Her dad, maybe? She never said anything about her dad that I'd heard.

I listened as girls started crying and talking. I wrapped my blanket tighter around myself, got up and went back towards my bed.

"Alex, are you okay?" Michelle said.

"Yeah," I said, not turning around.

"Are you sure? Do you need to talk or anything?"

"I'm fine," I said.

"You're just going to bed?  Michelle tells us shitty news and you're just going back to bed?" Caryn asked, not sounding friendly.

"What am I supposed to do?" I said. "Bring her mother back from the dead?"

"You could show a little compassion!" Caryn yelled.

"Hey! Just because I'm not blathering like you lot doesn't mean I don't care. But I can't do anything about anything right now. So I'm going to go to sleep."

"You know something, you're a real bitch!" Caryn yelled.

"Takes one to know one!" I shot back.

I climbed back into bed and did manage to fall asleep.

Someone was poking me and making noise. I just wanted them to leave me alone but I felt... odd. I couldn't explain it, though. And whoever was making nose wouldn't stop.

Then I stopped hearing or feeling anything.

When I woke up again, all I could hear was someone screaming and crying. It was annoying as fuck and I just wanted it to stop.

I sat up trying to get my bearings. I wasn't in the cabin and the screaming hadn't stopped yet. I looked around. Ugh. I'm in the infirmary. But I'm not the one screaming so...?

I look to my right and I see Mia sitting straight up, screaming and crying. Oh.

I got up and shuffled past her bed towards where I figured the nurse should be.

"Nurse!" I called out. "Hey! Nurse!"

Mia had stopped screaming but her eyes were open. Unfocused, but open. I looked over at her and my heart hurt for her. I mean, sure, my dad is still alive as far as I know but the asshole hasn't bothered to call, write, text, email, send carrier pigeons, smoke signals, cryptics, nothing in three years, so he may as well be dead. After he didn't bother even responding when Mom tried to tell him I was sick, the bastard couldn't be bothered to respond. But the reality is, if I absolutely needed him, I have his contact information. I could find him. If my mom... well, yeah. At least he exists. Mia's mom is gone, gone. And it's not fair. She needs her mom. More than I need my stupid father.

I sat on the end of her bed and rubbed her back while she cried silently.

"Michelle told the cabin about your mom. I'm sorry," I said, sympathetically.

Mia didn't say anything, and I hadn't really expected her to.

"Do you want me to go get the nurse?" I asked. "Or I can get you a snack. I'm sure there's something around here I could get for you."

She still didn't say anything, but she started shivering. I got up, grabbed the blanket off my bed and very gently pushed her a bit closer to the edge of her bed. She's so tiny, it wasn't hard.

I pulled her blanket up over her, lay down beside her and wrapped my arm and my blanket around both of us.

She stopped shivering. Eventually, her breathing evened out and she let out the tiniest snore. I smiled knowing she was asleep.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep myself.

"What the hell, Alex?" I heard and opened my eyes. The nurse was standing over me.

"What?" I asked, sitting up. The sun was streaming in the window but it was clearly still early. Maybe 6? Before everyone would show up for meds and breakfast.

"I came in to check on you and you weren't in your bed. What are you doing here?" The nurse, Erin, said.

"She woke up screaming and crying and none of you bothered to come in. So I tried to calm her down. I needed sleep, too, you know," I said.

The nurse sighed. But she smiled.

"She looks calm," she said. "More calm than when they brought her in last night."

"Yeah, well," I said, standing up and dumping my blanket on my empty bed. "No thanks to any of you."

"Let's test your blood sugar. You were really, really low. Worse than the last time. How do you feel?"

"Fine," I said simply. In reality, I felt horrible. Not because my sugar was still low or anything. For what Mia was going through.

"Well, let's check, because we need to, and if you're in range, you can head back to your cabin and join with the rest of the group."

"What about Cr-Mia?" I asked, looking at her sleeping.

"Mia will be alright here for now. There's a social worker coming to see her later and her new guardian I believe is coming up today or tomorrow. They'll decide whether Mia stays at camp or not."

I nodded. I didn't want to give away that I felt bad for the kid. But I hoped she'd stay. She wants that blue swim token so badly. She needed it. She needed a win after this and the whole past year with her new diagnoses and stuff.

Erin checked my sugar, declared it in range and sent me off, reminding me to come back for my insulin before breakfast.

I didn't say anything as I walked out the back door, making sure to let it close quietly so Mia could sleep.