At some point, I'd fallen asleep in the white, quiet room. When I woke up, my head burned with the same familiar migraine that I seemed to be stuck with. At first, when my eyes fluttered opened, I forgot where I was and panic bloomed in my chest. Then I realized that I was tucked comfortably underneath the white sheets that added to the dullness of the small hospital room. My ears ring with silence.
"What have you gotten yourself into, Wit?" I muttered to myself, trying to rub the sleep from my eyes. I noticed a large purse sitting in the corner leaning against a chair. A combination of anger and pain brewed in the pit of my stomach. I fell back onto the pillow and groaned. Aunt Alexandra was back and it was not going to be pretty. I assumed it was the morning, (or possibly the afternoon) but there was no way for me to know for sure. As a habit, I began to rub my teeth together in thought.
My stomach fell as I heard the rhythmic tap of heeled shoes that sealed my fate.
"I was right. The boy is sick, Levi, and you've done nothing about it. How do you expect to pay for all this?" Aunt Alexandra's voice was venom. She hated me, I could feel it in her words. The two of them must've been walking down the hallway together on their way back from talking with the doctors. "You should've let me take him a long time ago." She was spiteful personified.
"Alexandra, please. Don't start this again. Whitaker wants to stay with me for many reasons- things you won't understand. He just wants to breathe and you've been trying to fit him into a box that he just doesn't fit in. Whitaker isn't sick, he's hurting. And all I'm trying to do is let him recover."
My eyes stung with tears. All of my life that I'd been with my uncle, he'd always been there for me. Even when I was stubborn and cold and probably rude. I muttered to myself about how much I loved him for that.
"He needs help. There is no way around that. He's ill! And anyone who can't see that shouldn't be taking care of him." They were right outside the door. Their voices were no longer echoing, but firm and clear. My heart sunk with a pain I couldn't come to grips with.
"We'll talk about this later. Whitaker's still sleeping." Anger brimmed in Uncle Levi's voice. As well as he could read me, I could read him. If my aunt kept this up, things could get ugly.
Quickly I closed my eyes and pretended to be sleeping again, mainly because Aunt Alexandra came over and stroked my face. "I love you so much my poor baby. You've been so neglected."
My eyes snapped over and pushed her hands off my face. I glared at her. "I'm not your baby and I have not been neglected." I couldn't explain why I was so upset, but I could feel the anger as heat in my blood. Levi leaned against the doorway, somewhat of a smirk playing on his face. As if he was saying I told you so.
"And you don't love me." There was no stopping me now. "All you have ever tried to do is get me diagnosed. People don't tell people they love them and call them sick behind their back." I glared at her as I could feel a tear roll down my face.
"Whitaker, honey, what are you saying? Of course I love you." Then she turned to Levi as if I couldn't hear her. "Look at what you have done." She spat, then turned back to me. "Whitaker, sweetie, it's been over 10 years since your parents passed away and I think it's time you-"
"Alexandra!" Levi exclaimed from the doorway, his frustration matching my own. I was shaking and I could hear my own heartbeat in my chest pound faster. My breathing got shallow. My hands were shaking as I tried to wipe away the tears. But they kept coming. My eyes flooded and my cheeks burned.
Aunt Alexandra put her hand on my knee. "No, honey, I meant that-"
"Get away from me! Please!" I pleaded, my emotions consisting of anger and intense sadness. "Leave me alone." I didn't have the strength to yell anymore as I furiously wiped tears off my face. Some time during the argument, Levi had moved over to the table beside my bed and handed me tissue from the box.
