Hushed (Book 2 of the Silent Series)

Taking Care

Mitch was so tired. It was a normal time of day, nearly noon, but his eyes seemed to droop shut. It was the point where you couldn't keep your eyes open, but they wouldn't allow you to sleep.

He hadn't gotten much sleep last night, this was surely the reason for this.

"Mitch! Come here!" Kirstie yells from the kitchen. He slowly gets himself up and walks towards the other room. "I made lunch. Eat up."

"No, t-thanks." Mitch denies, turning to go back to his room. Kirstie runs over and grabs his arm.

"It wasn't a question. You're eating. I didn't make you food for nothing." Mitch sighs in defeat, to tired to argue. He really wasn't in the mood for eating.

Kirstie starts on her meal, sometimes looking over to Mitch. Each time she'd look, he'd be staring at his plate.

"Eat, Mitch." He knew there was no way to get out of this, but he still couldn't bring himself to eat. He felt scared, slightly nervous too. He cautiously brings a bite to his mouth and let's his teeth chew it. He shivers when he swallows, immediately feeling it start to rise. He holds it down, though.

He takes a few more bites. The food tasted good, it was just the feeling afterwards. It made him nauseous and his mouth taste of bile.

Kirstie finished her plate, but wouldn't get up. She chose to watch Mitch and make sure he ate enough.

Mitch ate. Not all of it, but enough to where Kirstie would let him go.

"What time do you have work today?" She asks him before he disappears into his room.

"F-fi..ve." He stutters.

"Okay. Go relax some. Maybe eat some more before you leave?" He nods before slipping into his room to be greeted by a buzzing phone.

He picks it up and reads the caller ID

incoming call from: Scotty boy

"Hi." Mitch says when he answers, a smile on his face when Scott's voice filled the other line.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Scott asks.

"Eh." Mitch says. He felt very nauseous from eating, but was holding it down for now.

"Kirstie called me the other day. Mitch, you have to eat." He was not about to have this conversation again. He thought he was fine. He still thinks he is.

"I do."

"Kirstie knows you better than you know yourself." Mitch scoffs. "Do you know how horrible I felt when she said you were in the hospital. I felt bad when Alex was, but you? That'd kill me. I was so worried, honey."

"O-okay."

"Ms. Carmichael talked to me the other day. She said she'd be willing to do speech therapy over a Skype call for you. Doesn't that sound good?"

"N-not really."

"Why?"

"Cause."

"Mitch, you have to start taking care of yourself. People can't do it for you anymore, you're an adult now." Mitch still didn't feel like an adult, even if he did finally turn eighteen.

"I am."

"No more being late to work, okay? You need the money or you can't live there. I already set up an appointment with Ms. Carmichael. I talked to Kirstie too. She thinks it's a good idea and gave me your next off day." Mitch felt like a child. Like he still had his parents doing everything for him. He shouldn't feel like that. He was an adult and needed to do things himself, which he tried doing, but everyone said to stop.

"I'm n-not b...aby, Superman." He stutter. Scott sighs.

"I know, honey. I'm not doing everything for you, just getting you started. I got help too, from Avi! He helped me get started and now I'm okay."

"I d-don't need h..elp!"

"Everyone needs help sometimes, Mitch. It's nothing to be ashamed of." But Mitch was so convinced that he was fine. He didn't believe this. He didn't know why Kirstie went out of her way to tell Scott everything, only to result in him babying him.

"I'm fine."

"I'm going to be brutally honest right now. You're going to be pissed in a second, so get ready. You're not fine. You aren't eating enough and you sent yourself to the hospital. You've been late to work too many times, Kirstie said you might get fired, and you need Ms. Carmichael. Okay?" Mitch hung up on him. Scott wasn't all that shocked. Mitch needed someone to tell it to him point blank obvious, and sadly Scott was the one to have to do it.

He knew Mitch was more than upset with him, but it has to be said. Kirstie wouldn't say it to him how it is.

So Scott decided to send a text.

Scott: I didn't do that to make you upset. I did it because Im worried and care for you.

Boy I miss: I'm not a child anymore. If their is a problem, I'll take care of it. I'm perfectly fine right now. I don't know why everyone doesn't believe me.

Scott: Mitch, do you really not see the bad things?

Boy I miss: Of course I see them! I'm not stupid, but they're not that bad. I'm still going to work, I still talk sometimes, and I'm not starving myself.

Scott: If I didn't think that you weren't okay right now, I wouldn't be texting you this knowing you'd get upset.

Boy I miss: Why are you texting me? You knew I'd get pissed. You wanted me mad at you?

Scott: No! I wanted you to realize how worried you're making us, and how worried you'll eventually get about yourself if you keep this up.

Boy I miss: I'm. Not. Starving. Myself. I'm perfectly capable of feeding myself, im just not hungry!

Scott: Why aren't you hungry? You never eat anymore. Kirstie says she has to force you.

Boy I miss: I do eat. She just never sees it.

Scott: Then start letting her see it so she can stop worrying, then once she tells me you eat in front of her, I'll stop worrying.