Falling Colors

Chapter Seven: Up and at em!

     Waking up the early morning sun leaking through my window, I wiped the back of my hand across my forehead.  Sweat coated it; disgusted I wiped it dry over my comforter and rolled over to look at my alarm clock.

      It was a little after eight a.m.  I could still sleep for an hour or two more before Leigh or my dad came strolling in to start their daily fight with me to get out of bed.  If I could, I would stay in bed for the rest of my days.  There was nothing for me to do outside of bed, except go for my therapist and doctor appointments. 

      I didn’t have a job; I didn’t go to school since I graduated in May from high school.  Going to college wasn’t in the cards right now, although my dad was hoping I’d be well enough by January to join the winter semester at the local community college.  I knew I wouldn’t be well enough by then to go; he did too, but he still hoped. 

      All my friends were off at college, even if they were still in Wilmer they wouldn’t want to hang out with me, and I wouldn’t want to hang out with them.  They had all stopped talking to me after word got out about my being in the hospital.  It wasn’t like I tried to pursue a friendship with them either,

      At first they had tried to act like nothing had changed, but everything had.  At least for me everything had.  Whenever they’d talk to me, I wouldn’t listen, I wouldn’t talk.  I hadn’t uttered a word since my dad told me what I’d be going through for what I had done.

     Years and years of therapy he had said; doctor’s appointments and iron pills.  As he had told me all this I didn’t say anything.  When he asked my opinion on what I thought, I didn’t say anything, I stared blankly ahead as if he hadn’t been talking to me. All I could feel in that hospital bed was defeat.  What I had once hoped would be an escape had in reality trapped me even more.

       Two hours later, Leigh was trying to coax me out of bed.  I had decided to just lie in bed and enjoy the warm feeling of my blankets and body heat.  During this time I had tried shoving out the nightmare I had the night before, but it kept coming back into my mind.  I kept thinking about being in the hospital, screaming at the people to restrain me. I kept reliving the worst nightmare I’d ever had; my reality.

       When Leigh came in to get me out of bed for the day, all the thoughts of my nightmare – or memory – were shoved out of my mind and annoyance and a throbbing headache filled it. 

       “Come on, Odette.  Time to get up!” Leigh said in a cheery voice.  She was always chipper in the morning. 

       I stay frozen in my lying position with my back to the doorframe.  A little bit of hope filled me that she would go away, but there was no such luck today.

     Walking into my bedroom, uninvited might I add, she pulled open my curtains, filling my room with sunlight.  Scrunching my nose up in distaste, I squeezed my close even more. 

      “Up and at ‘em!” she sang.  “We’re going to do some exciting things today.  Your dad is off at work until late tonight, so let’s have a girl’s day in.”

       Opening one eye cautiously, I glared at her.  Why the hell would I do anything with her?  I made it pretty clear a few days ago I didn’t want to do anything with her, so why would today be any different?

      “Nope, that look isn’t going to work on me today.”  She gave me a determined smile, then came over to me, and threw the blankets off from on top of me and pulled them off my bed.  “We’re going to start with a bit of laundry.  These sheets need washing.”

        Leaving my room with her arms filled with my sheets and comforter, Leigh whistled happily.  I curled up into a ball, trying to get as much warmth as I could with no covers.  It wasn’t very much.

       Moments later she was back, looking even happier than before.  “Come on!  Lots to do today!  Don’t you fall back to sleep now.”

      My eyes had closed again and I was holding a pillow over my ears blocking out what she was saying to me.  There was no way I was going to spend the whole day with Leigh doing chores and whatever she wanted.  I couldn’t stand eating dinner or driving in the car with her, no way was I going to spend a whole day of her meaningless one sided conversation.

      “Odette, come on.  Last warning.”

       Rolling over I opened my eyes and gave her a critical look.  What was she going to do?  Ground me?  Like that would do anything.  I did nothing with my days.  She couldn’t force me to do anything, what leverage did she have?  None.

      Staring me down, Leigh let out a sigh.  “Okay, looks like we’re going to see Dr. Patricks today instead.  Get dressed.”  She left my room without another word or glance back. 

       Shit, was the only thought that passed my mind.