Fool's Gold [Completed]

20: Weight of the World

The air grew crisp and cool as the month dragged on and changed into autumn. Summer was my favorite time of year, but I had to admit that the change in seasons brought out an excitement in me. The thought of drinking hot cocoa and apple cider wrapped up in blankets and the promise of half-priced candy the day after Halloween was enough to make anybody giddy, but especially me. It had become a tradition to do these things with my mom and the girls and it became something I looked forward to every fall.

This year was different though. I knew that the holidays would be much more complicated now that I had to split time between mom and Chester. That, plus Daphne's unsolved disappearance, and this persistent nauseating feeling I'd had since that night with Richie -- these weren't exactly the makings of a festive holiday season.

"How are you feeling?"

I was startled away from my book at the voice breaking into my subconscious state, looking up to see mom's head poking in through the cracked door with a faint smile. Ever since I came back home, she's been hesitant about the subjects she approached me with. I guess she didn't want to push my buttons and have me run away again.

It made sense. The trust I had in her was slowly rebuilding, but it wasn't anywhere close to what it used to be. I still stayed some nights with Chester and Shaina, but I split my time between here and there. I don't know if things would ever be the same with us, but I was going to give her a chance to fix things regardless.

"I'm okay," I responded softly, placing my bookmark between the pages and setting the novel aside. "How did you know I wasn't feeling well? I didn't want to worry you."

"It's hard not to when I hear you throwing up in the middle of the night," she offered, pushing the door open a bit more. She held a mug in her hands, the steam rising from the surface of the contents inside, and I smiled some in return.

"Is that for me?" I asked, motioning to the cup.

She nodded, stepping into the room and setting it onto my bedside table, coaster included.

"There's ginger in it. Thought it might help settle your stomach," she explained. She placed the back of her cool hand against my forehead, and I watched her as she tried to determine my temperature from the touch. "No fever... I'd say stomach bug or something you ate, but this isn't the first night it's been bothering you."

"Do all moms have supersonic hearing?" I asked with a small laugh. "It's been a few weeks, give or take."

"You should go see a doctor, monkey. It could be serious," she said with a frown.

"It hasn't been every day... Well, not multiple times every day. I feel fine after I get it out usually," I explained, trying to shrug it off.

I'd never liked going to the doctors. Having spent so much time in the hospital when mom was getting her treatments, I associated medical buildings with the negative feelings that came from that experience. It had taken serious convincing by Chester to even get me to go for my sleep issues a few weeks back and he even had to send Loretta to go with me so that I'd actually go to the appointment instead of skipping out.

"Still," she began, frowning. "I'll take off a bit more time at lunch tomorrow and we can stop at the clinic."

"Mom, it's fine. Really," I insisted. "I don't want you to miss work for me. I'll go. I promise."

She looked over my face before sighing, leaning in to press a kiss to my forehead. "Get some sleep, mija. I'll call to make sure you go."

"You really don't have to." But I smiled nonetheless at her worry, watching as she headed towards the door.