Callie's Sister

Chapter 18

Moment of truth. Thing I'd been avoiding. No more stalling. I had to go inside.

I stood outside my house. Cam and I had a great afternoon watching two mindless movies back to back. First there was some action-adventure sequel, which wasn't as bad as I feared. Then Cam suffered through a cheesy saga of love and friendship in Victorian England.

And now here we were. He stood by my side. My hand shook as I placed it on the doorknob.

"C'mon," he said and he flung the door open, nearly dragging me in.

We entered the darkened front hallway. I put my iPod on the side table, passed the grandfather clock and kept walking. There was a light on in the kitchen so we headed in that direction. My mother came out and jumped when she saw us.

"Oh. Maddie. You startled me." Wow. That was five more words than she'd said to me since August. My mother was her perfectly coiffed best. Sweater set and slacks, with just the right sized heel and every hair in place.

"Hi," I said. I didn't know what else to say. I was out of practice on direct conversation with her.

"Hey, Cam," Mom said. "Your mother just left."

"Maybe I should go," he said. I grabbed his arm. Stay with me, Cam. Get me through this.

"Is she here?" I asked.

My mother smiled her hostess smile. "Sure is," she said. "She's in her new room. C'mon back. I'm sure she'd love to see you."

She'd love to see me? I didn't think so. But I followed my mother down the hallway and into our former living room, now a room made to look just like Callie's bedroom. Except it had a hospital bed instead of her canopied bed.

Sane families don't think they can handle this kind of thing themselves.