Run

chapter 4

"Sorry I should've listened better", I say with my head down. "Your fine kid just really pay attention to your surroundings more often I wouldnt want you getting hurt", she says with her voice softened quiet a bit. "Alright kid I'm going to the store up the road to get some hair dye and some groceries, all I got's Cheerios after breakfast this morning what color you going for to dye you hair", she asks not knowing if I really want to dye my hair. "Um red is fine", I say thinking on my toes. "Alright I'll be back lock the door and the windows and stand guard and don't forget about the windows, I'll be back in about thirty minutes if I take longer here's my number and I want you to call me", She says handing me a sheet on paper with her number on it. After she walks out the door I lock it and go around to all the windows and make sure all the windows are locked. I sit down on the couch and watch the window with my gun sitting on my lap. I sit there for about ten minutes and I hear my little sister walk into the room. "Hey scarley whatcha doin", she asks sitting next to me on the couch. "I'm waiting for Jenna to get back how about you", I say laughing at how cute she's being. "I was sitting in there with Mommy and she went to sleep so I came in here so I didn't bother her", she says cutely still playing with her Barbie's Jenna gave her. "I'm gonna go check on her real quick stay here where I can see you and watch the doors and windows", I say sternly. She nods and I walk into mom's room. I take the mirror in the corner and face it in front of me in the door at an angle so I can see Leah from the bed. I walk over to the bed and sit on the edge and feel mom's forehead to see if she's still warm. I walk into the bathroom and angle the standing mirror to the door. I wet a wash cloth with cold water and walk back into the bedroom. "Hey Mom I've got to change your gauze and disinfected the wound", I say shaking my mother a little bit. She stirs and lifts her wound arm for me to remove the dirty gauze. "I feel like hell", she says rubbing her forehead with the other hand. "I know Mom but you'll just have to sweat out the infection, that's all I know to do", I say picking up the rubbing alcohol and dabbing it on a cotton ball. I check the mirror and see Leah still staring intently from the door to the window. I start to dab the large gash on her arm and she yells out. I look to the mirror and see Leah look this way. "It's ok Leah keep watching the door", I yell to the living room. She turns back to the door and does as she's told. "Damnit that hurts ", she says wincing. "I know Mom but I'm almost done", I say wiping the last bit of the wound and glancing back up at the mirror. I take some surgical tape that Jenna left on the bed side table along with the rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, and gauzes and secure the gauze. I walk over to the medical bag and grab two more Tylenol and give them to my mom with a bottle of water. "Here take this and drink the whole bottle, I don't want you to get dehydrated, and also put this on your head it'll help with the fever", I say handing her the wash cloth and glancing up at the mirror, to see Leah still there. Mom obeys and takes the medicine downing the whole bottle and placing the wash cloth on head. "Ok I gotta go keep watch until Jenna gets back yell if you need me", I say to my already asleep mother. I walk into the living room to see Leah still sitting there. "Hey monkey", I say sitting next to her and looking out the hall window. "Hey scarley is mommy ok", she asks look up at me. "Yeah baby she's gonna be fine", I say still staring at the door. Leah hugs me and as soon as she does the door opens suddenly and I pull my gun automatically. Soon appears Jenna with a arm full of groceries and a grin on her face. "Shit you scared me " I say lowering my gun and putting the safety on. "Good your on guard, how's your mom feeling", she asks concernedly. "She's fine I changed her gauze and gave her some more Tylenol", I say tiredly. "Did you use the mirror like I told you to", she asks noticing my mirror set up in mom's room. "Yeah I set the mirror up so I could watch Leah watching the door", I say now helping her put the groceries away even though I don't know where they go. "Alright chica we're about to dye this mop and cut it about shoulder length so you're almost indistinguishable", she says telling me to sit down in the chair in front of her by pointing at it. I sit down genuinely nervous and really wishing I didn't have to do this. "Have you done this before", I ask with nerves evident in my voice. "Yeah I ran a beauty shop after the military but after three years I decided by retirement could sustain me and I wanted to travel to London, Ireland, and really anywhere and go back packing. After about two years of back packing off and on across Europe I decided I would come back and just be Grandma for a while", she says letting me into a side of her I hadn't met. The adventurous and full of life version of the tactical and strategic women I had come to know as Jenna. "Alright kid let's start bleaching it", she says with a clap of her hands.