Skin Deep

Chapter 10

Luke

            I spent my entire Saturday morning at the kitchen table with my mom and my sister, planning for Amanda’s release. She’s getting out of the hospital tomorrow. Because she is no longer in physical pain and her burn is no longer at risk of infection, she’s being released after one month and four days in the hospital.

            I had been adamant that she wasn’t ready to be released because she still had memory loss, and that seemed quite severe to me. But the doctor said that since I was am literally the only thing she doesn’t remember, Amanda is safe to be released. Selective memory loss is not a threat to her well-being. I know that she is not safe, though. She can’t go back to her mother, and she certainly can’t live on the street. She won’t let me go near her to help. How is she going to pay the hospital bill?

            Then, an idea hits me. She won’t even have to talk to me at all. I need this to happen, for Amanda’s sake and for my sanity.

            “Mom, we have to go!” I hadn’t intended to sound so excited.

            My mom stares at me, then nods her head slowly. “Okay. Where?”

            “I know where Amanda can live!” I exclaim. “Because there is no way I’m letting her go back to her abusive mother.” I immediately regret my last statement. I had told me mom everything except that Amanda’s mom hits her. I didn’t want my mom to get the look in her eye that she is getting right now.

            “Her mom is abusive? Oh, Luke-“

            “Mom, please. Amanda already told her mom that she would be moving out; she’s not going to hit her anymore.”

            “Luke, this is serious. A woman who hits her child cannot be allowed to roam the streets freely. I’m calling the police.”

            I stop her as she reaches for the phone. “No, mom! You can’t. She wouldn’t want that.”

            Mom sighs, somewhat defeated. “I will call as soon as she is released. And living safely- where, exactly?”

            “I know this lady with no kids…” I start, and before I know it I’ve told my mom everything about the night I found out about the accident and my friendship with Diane.

            My mom chuckles and shakes her head. “You’re an interesting kid, Luke. All right, let’s go to the Channel Six News station!”

            As we get ready to leave, my sister, who has been silent the whole time, chimes in with wise words that are profound beyond her seven years, “I don’t understand how Amanda can’t feel love. I love her.”

            I wrap my sister up in a tight hug. She doesn’t know how much those words mean to me, and how much I wish Amanda could feel the love of parents and brothers and sweet little sisters.

            “You make sure and tell her, okay?” I ask, squeezing my sister tighter.

            She giggles and says, “Okay, okay, now let me go!” Then she’s tickling me because that’s always the course of action her brain decides to take. And once again I’m sure that Amanda is wrong. Love exists in so many capacities. Amanda just needs the right person to show it to her.

            And I will.

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Amanda

            Tonight is my last night in the hospital, and I feel nothing but nerves. Where will I go tomorrow? I’d even tried to convince Dr. Hayes that my memory loss was very serious and that I should stay in hospital. He disagreed.

            As I sit wallowing in worry, a familiar figure appears at my door. And he brought friends. The boy will not take a hint.

            “Hi, Luke,” I try to smile at him for the sake of the others with him. I add, “Who did you bring with you?”

            “Amanda, I’d like you to meet my family,” he says, ushering them forward one by one. “This is my dad, my mom, my brother Johnny and my sister Hannah. And this is my good friend Dianne.”

            Dianne smiles. “Wow, Luke. She is just as beautiful as you described her.” I feel heat rushing to my face and I hope desperately for someone to change the subject. They don’t.

            Hannah is all smiles as she runs right up to me and says, “Wow. You are beautiful.”

            I just won’t stop blushing, and I’m mad at myself for it. I can’t blush for Luke. I can’t blush for anyone, but especially not Luke. I don’t even like him as a person right now.

            I was nervous when I saw the younger kids because I wasn’t sure how they would react to a severely burned face. I mean, I love kids, and babysitting has been my only source of income for quite some time, but even the sweetest of kids would probably running screaming from me now. But it would seem that kids don’t really care about outward appearances. Hannah hops right onto my bed and starts talking to me like we are old friends, about anything and everything.

            They spend the whole evening in my room, sharing stories and laughing. Lucy would wander in and join us for a while, winking at me every time she left the room. I hope no one noticed when I scowled at her after every wink.

            At the end of the night, with Hannah just about asleep and Johnny finally bored of his hand held video game system, Luke’s mom nods at him, and I know they have to go. But not before Luke makes me an offer.

            “So, Amanda, we were thinking…” He’s talking slowly. “Well, I was thinking, that we could pick you up when you’re released tomorrow. You could stay with Dianne. That way you don’t have to pay rent while trying to pay off hospital bills.” He drops my voice lower and says, “I can help with those, too, if you want…”

            I try to keep my face expressionless as I say, “I can’t expect anyone to sacrifice that much for me.” And Luke will not be helping me with my bills.

            Dianne jumps in, “Oh, no, sweetie. I want you to come. Please?”

            “But why would you do that?” I ask, legitimately shocked that someone cares about me.

            In response, Luke’s sister answers simply, “Because we love you.”

            I glare at Luke out of the corner of my eye because he totally planned for her to say that, and he throws his hands up in innocence. I weigh my options. I’m not angry with Dianne. I’ve never even met her, but she seems so nice, and she has no kids… On the other hand, it was Luke who introduced us.

            “Okay,” I say finally, seeing that Dianne’s house is much more welcoming than the streets. “Thank you,” I smile at Dianne. I guess I just got a new home.

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© 2013 by ColourMeKylee. All Rights Reserved.