Game Over: Life's Over

Momma's Boy

Maybe it was because we were at Eric and Theo's or maybe it was because I nearly died but Mom was following the rules more than she ever had before. She was going out of her way to keep me safe and it was annoying me. The one person who made me feel more like my normal self was doing everything but that and it was hard for me to not have an attitude about it.

She made a bottle of formula for me and insisted that I drink it. I wasn't allowed to put it down until it was all gone. It made me dread breastfeeding that much more. If she was this pushy with a bottle, how much worse was it going to be when the nipple was attached to her?

Theo was busy getting housework done while I ate breakfast. He hadn't done anything while I was in the hospital, even when he came home to get clothes or sleep in his own bed, so there was a lot to catch up on. I felt guilty that neither Mom nor I were helping him. He should've been resting and spending time with me.

He did a lot for me and I didn't always feel like I thanked him enough for it.

After I finished breakfast, I walked out of the kitchen to see him cleaning the coffee table and wiping down the TV remote. A bottle of cleaning spray sat beside him on the floor.

"Hey, Jake."

"Why are you cleaning so much? It can't be that dirty around here."

He set the clean remote on the coffee table. "You'd be surprised. We've been gone for a while so there's dust on a lot of things."

I scrunched my nose up at the thought of everything being covered in a layer of dust. No wonder he was being so anal about cleaning the house.

He laughed. "It's not so bad. I've gotten a good bit done since I woke up this morning. There's just a lot more to do."

"You should take a break. You're always so busy."

"I like being busy. Especially when Eric isn't here. It makes the day go by faster."

"Am I not good enough to keep you company?"

He nodded behind me toward Mom. "You ditch me for your mom any chance you can."

"That's not fair. She's my mom."

"And Eric's my husband. He's my favorite person just like your mom is yours."

I sighed. I couldn't argue with him there. I did have a habit of wanting my mom over both him and Eric whenever I was upset. It was a hard habit to shake when I'd known Mom eighteen years longer than them.

"Why don't you guys get out of the house for a while? You've been cooped up for a while. It might be nice to do something."

"Like what?"

He picked up the spray bottle that sat on the coffee table and rose to his full height. "You could go shopping. You need more clothes that will fit you since most of your clothes don't anymore."

I frowned. I didn't want to think about how I'd shrunk and none of my clothes fit me anymore. It was depressing to know that clothes that I'd worn for several years were now too big and I'd have to find clothes in kid sizes.

"That's a good idea," Mom said from behind me.

Theo looked over my head at Mom. "Do you mind if I give you a list of a few things we need? We're still using things the hospital gave us but that's bound to run out."

"Of course."

"Let me run upstairs and get you my card."

"You don't have to do that. I can get everything." Mom definitely made enough to cover all the clothes and accessories I needed. She wasn't the type to go overboard with her spending so she probably had a lot set aside for emergencies or other large expenses.