Fragile #Wattys2015

Chapter 3

I waited, and waited, and waited. No one came and talked to me. No one told me if Evelyn was okay. It was as if I was invisible. Time seemed to move around me, but I was at a stop. Hours had passed.

I looked at my watch, 3:07. I had to pick Benji up from school in about 20 minutes. I walked up to the front desk and began speaking to the receptionist.

"My name is Indigo Peterson. I've been waiting for hours and no one has told me anything about my sister. I need to go pick up my brother from school, I'll be back in less than an hour. Please have some information for me."

The receptionist nodded in a bored way and turned around, signaling me to leave. Sighing, I hurried to my car, shaking with nerves. How could I tell Benji what happened? Should I be completely honest? Could he handle knowing the truth? I could barely handle the truth...

Eventually, I pulled into the parking lot at Forest Grove Middle School. I waved at Benji and he ran over to me.

"Hey Indigo." He grinned. "I want you to meet someone."

"Right now? We need to leave, Benji."

"Aw c'mon, it'll just take a minute." He whined.

I gave in. "Okay, but hurry!"

Benji ran off, his hair flopping around and his long legs moving awkwardly. Benji was 5'7", which is tall for his age. I half-grinned. Benji was such a funny kid, I could hardly believe he was going to be in high school next year.

He ran back, this time he had a girl with him. A girl. Shit, please don't let this be his girlfriend. I can't deal with this right now.

"Indigo," Benji smiled proudly "This is my girlfriend, Lacey."

Lacey blushed as Benji interlocked his fingers with hers. She tucked a strand of curly black hair behind her ear. Lacey really was very pretty. Her hazel eyes seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. Lacey almost looked like an angel.

"I'm Indigo." I gave her a slightly irritated smile. "Um, Lacey, you seem really nice and everything but Benji and I really need to go. I'd love to talk to you later, okay? Great."

Benji kissed her cheek goodbye and we hurried to the hospital.

"Isn't she just great?" He said to no one in particular.

"Yeah she's lovely. Um, how long has this been going on?"

"Almost four months." He smiled.

"Oh...wow. Well, congrats." I coughed awkwardly. "Benji we need to talk about something serious."

"We are not having the sex talk. Nope, no way." He crossed his arms and glared defensively.

I laughed half heartedly. "Nothing like that, take it easy. Evelyn is at the hospital. I don't know exactly what's happening but it's kind of serious." I took a deep breath. "She's anorexic and she fainted at the hospital. Also, she's been muttering to herself."

"Holy shi-"

"Don't swear."

He sighed. "How haven't we noticed?"

"I dunno..."

Have I really been that bad of a sister? Have I been neglecting Evelyn? Shit, have I been neglecting Benji too? Fuck, maybe I should let CPS split us up. Maybe Benji and Evelyn would be with someone who can actually pay attention to them.

I noticed I was crying just as we arrived at the hospital. I quickly wiped away the tears, hoping Benji hadn't seen. We hurried back into the emergency room. I walked up to the front desk and motioned for Benji to sit somewhere, he looked nervous.

"I'm back. What do you know about Evelyn Peterson?"

"Miss Peterson, the doctor would like to speak with you." She forced a smile.

"You can't tell me anything?" I frowned.

"Follow me to the back room, the doctor is waiting. You may bring your brother." She said, completely ignoring my question.

"Fuck you." I muttered.

The receptionist, looking rather taken aback, led Benji and I to a separate room. It was dimly lit and there was a friendly looking man sitting in one of the three chairs. The room had outdated patterns and a sweet smell. The receptionist closed the door behind her and I heard her swift footsteps as she walked away.

"I'm Dr. Atkins." The man spoke. "Sit, please. Would you like anything to drink?"

I studied him for a moment. He had short, black hair and appeared to be in his early fifties. He was average height, with a thick mustache, and had dark skin. He looked nice, a bit boring maybe, but nice.

"Some water would be nice." I decided.

Dr. Atkins handed Benji and I some water bottles from the mini fridge behind him.

"As you know, your sister is sick. She has severe anorexia. We have her hooked up to an IV and a feeding tube to put nutrients back in her body. She has a broken arm and wrist and a cracked ankle. She didn't fall very hard, but her bones are weak from lack of food. Any questions?"

"When can we see her?" Benji inquired.

"Now, if you'd like. She's probably asleep, though."

We got up and the doctor took us to her room. Benji gripped my hand as we walked through the hallways. It smelled like medicine and tears. A screaming baby clutched onto her mother and an old lady was wheeled by us on a gurney. Aside from that, it was silent.

The doctor opened the door for us, but didn't go in. It was terrible seeing Evelyn. She had a bunch of tubes hooked up to her and she looked sickly. I felt Benji's grip tighten.

I slowly walked towards her bed. The room looked sad and empty, I made a mental note to bring flowers next time I came.

Up close she looked even worse. It seemed like I could see all the veins in her face and all the bones in her arms. The thin white sheet seemed to conform to her bony body, making her seem even thinner. Evelyn's normally thick and shiny hair stuck to her face in thin, blonde-ish strands. I was afraid to even breathe, it looked like if you touched her she would crumble into a million pieces. I heard a sniffling noise behind me, it was Benji.

"Aw, come here." I pulled him into a tight hug. Benji is a lot taller than me, so the hug was kind of uncomfortable. Nevertheless, it was nice to comfort him and in a way it comforted me.

Just as we were about to end our hug, a plump lady walked in. "Ooh, sorry. Am I interrupting something?"

"No." Benji sniffled and let go of me.

"Fantastic!" She flashed a toothy smile and sat down near the window. "My name is Cassandra Capperton, but you can just call me Cass. I'm your family therapist."

"Our what?" I raised my eyebrows.

She leaned her head back and laughed, as if I had just said something absolutely hilarious. "Your family therapist. CPS sent me."

Shit.