Forever & Always

10. Birthday & New York

Come on! I read the text flashing on the screen of my phone laying beside my AP Government book open on my desk to our assignment we were supposed to do quietly before lunch. I look up to the door to see Tess and Kat on the other side of the sliver of a window motioning for me to hurry up and I bite my lip to hold in a laugh. I close my notebook I was writing in and gather my things into my backpack quickly getting up to walk over to Mr. Yon's desk. I give him my note that says I'm excused to leave early and he signs it with hardly a word and I smile making my way out to the hall. I laugh with my two best friends as we make our way to the front office to sign ourselves out and rush out the doors to Tess's car in the senior parking lot.

"Excited, Lindz?" Kat asks as she climbs in the backseat where her blue duffel bag already is from when we picked her up this morning and I look back at her glad that she has forgiven me for saying things in a drunken stupor that I never dared to mean.

"Beyond excited." I say and drop my backpack in the floorboard between my feet getting out my phone to put it in my jacket pocket as Tess starts to drive toward my house.

"Just think by tonight, we will be in New York!" Tess exclaims and bounces in seat looking over at me with a grin. "And you'll be in Kyle's arms."

"Yes, I will." I say with my own grin and push my hand through my messy hair I barely had time to brush let alone straighten this morning. "All I have to do is check my mom's meds, oxygen tanks and grab my bags."

Tess nods and turns off the back road that leads into my neighborhood the houses looking far less as impressive as the gated community where the Andersons live. I sigh gathering my backpack in my arms as Tess turns on to my street and frown slightly when I don't see my aunt's SUV parked in the driveway like it usually is. I get out with my friends and dig my keys out of the side pocket of my backpack to let myself inside the house. I drop my bag to the floor by the door and frown deeper when I see the usual hole of blankets on the couch is empty of my mom's frail body. I step further into the house and hear a hacking cough coming from down the hall in the direction of Mom's room making me rush toward the sound.

"Mom!" I exclaim as I see her on the floor beside her bed with a box by her legs her chest heaving as she tries to get air in and I quickly grab the face mask connected to a nebulizer that her doctor prescribed to her when her lungs developed more air pockets that won't move on their own. I kneel down beside her to hold the mask to her face and watch her inhale deeply gripping my arm gently. "You shouldn't be up doing anything by yourself. Where is Aunt D?"

"She went to the store." She answers after pushing my arm away still breathing heavily but much less more labored and pats my hand. "She wanted to make something new tonight and need a few things as well as getting a prescription."

"She could have called me to get the stuff. You should not be on your own." I say and reach under her arm to help her sit up on the bed looking at her concerned. "I'm not leaving unless I know you're okay."

"I'm not a child, Lindsay. You are not the parent here and I'm fine to be alone for an hour or two." Mom says with an angry look in her eyes and I know she gets overwhelmingly frustrated that me and my aunt hardly leave her alone because she is only getting weaker. "I did say I'd stay on the couch but I had to pee and wanted to get your gift out for when you got here."

"Mom, I thought we agreed no gifts." I say watching as she slowly rises to her feet and quickly reach out to catch her before she falls back feeling tension in her back as I do this.

"Do you really think I wouldn't get my baby girl a present for her eighteenth birthday?" She asks and points to the box I saw before on the floor and I reach to pick it up knowing how she fell because it is pretty heavy for her weak arms.