Searching For Sanctuary

14. That's the holiday spirit

I was groggy, exhausted, and barely coherent. Doc didn't seem to understand the "fuck off" mumbling and expression of fingers as I flicked him off and growled into my pillow. God, I was tired. I wanted nothing more than to sleep the day away.

There were no birds chirping happily outside my window, no sun smiling down at me, and certainly no steaming breakfast sitting at the foot of my bed. There was only a single Doc trying to tear the comforter from my body. I hugged it tight, clawing at it as Doc and I wrestled.

My slow motor skills and foggy mind hindered me when Doc finally yanked the comforter away. Great, now I was cold. He pushed my body to the side, rolling me over to face him. Refusing to meet his gaze and give him what he wanted, I kept my eyes shut.

"Aisling, we have to get going. Remember, we were going to get up early to get this over with?"

"No," I grumbled, voice thick with sleep, "I do not recollect anything of the sort."

"Well, I'll jog your memory. We - by 'we' I mean you - are getting up early so we can get to the mall and get all your stuff. We - by 'we' I literally mean we - do not want to make this an all day thing, so the sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave. You've just got to get up and shower. We'll grab something to eat on the way."

By now, my arm had snaked under my pillow, cuddling it close. I was beyond the realm of tired and vexed. So, with a jerk of my hand, the pillow went flying in the general direction of where Doc's voice came from. When I heard a subtle thump, I smiled lightly at my luck.

Doc sighed, "You better be out of that bed in the next five minutes or I'm going to drag you into the bathroom."

I knew this was an empty threat. Doc was just going to come back here in that time, sigh, run his hand through his hair, mutter, and then finally give me another empty threat before leaving to repeat this cycle.

After I heard the door click shut, I let a soft sigh escape my lips. I lay there for a minute or more so, dreading the day to come. Rolling out of bed, my feet touched the floor. I sat there, slumped over with my eyes still closed. I huffed one last time before standing, swaying slightly, and stepping to the bathroom.

I opened my eyes at the last second, saving myself from running into the bathroom door connected to my bathroom. I paused, rubbing at my eyelids with the back of my hand. I rubbed harshly, seeing stars and swirling colors behind my eyes. Blinking rapidly, I tried to adjust to the day. I really did try. I can't say that it worked too well though.

I opened the bathroom door and stepped inside, looking around through weary eyes. It was a small, quaint bathroom that really was meant for one person. That person was me. I closed the door behind me and began rummaging through the contents of the bathroom.

Just under the sink, a stack of clean towels were folded neatly and stacked one on top of each other. In the two drawers to the left of that cabinet were hair supplies, ranging from hair ties and clips to a flat iron and blow dryer. On the right side of the cabinet was a drawer specifically for hand towels while the drawer below it had makeup filled to the brim.

On the very top of the makeup stock pile was a small, messily written note.

Aisling,

This must be your first time in the bathroom since we've gotten here. It's probably the morning after our first night because I know you don't take long to mess with things. This is all your makeup that you're going to need for our first day out. Thankfully, you know how to use this stuff.

- Doc

I rolled my eyes. I lay the note back on top of the pile of makeup shaking my head at his selection. Boys. Men. They didn't know a thing. I closed the drawer and shuffled back in front of the main cabinet, reaching inside for a towel. I placed it on the sink and finally moved towards the shower.