Perspicuous (J.HALE)

11

I woke up to sunlight on my face.

It snuck through the gap in the windows and crept up on me from the base of the bed, warming a slice of my cheek. My head felt as if a ball of granite was rolling around inside my skull, clunking from one side to the other at the smallest movement.

The bedsheets were twisted around my legs and my hair had broken loose from the scrunchie. I wasn't sure how long I'd actually slept for—Meg had arrived at around one, she'd gotten a call at work from the Meridian police. Her eyes—chocolate coloured and wide as a doe's—were dimmed and glazed over, and it broke my heart.

I rolled over, letting out a groan at the ache in my head, and reached for my phone on the bedside table. A text from Jasper lit up on the screen.

Checking in. Let me know if you need anything. ~J

I wanted to smile, but even that took more energy than I had.

Thank you. Will call you later. ~I

Ethan was already awake. He squirmed under the blanket and batted his fists against the cushioned base of the cot as I stumbled over to him and leaned over the side to greet him with an attempt at a smile. He seemed unfazed by my arrival, gaping up at the mobile over the crib and gurgling softly. I turned on the baby monitor and left it on the windowsill, before heading across the hall to the bathroom.

Cool water on my face was both refreshing and jarring, making the sharp pain in my head all the more prominent, no longer dulled by drowsiness. I brushed my teeth in a mild daze, throat dry, and attempted to salvage my hair.

I lingered on the stairs a moment, wary. There were voices coming from the kitchen, and I'd recognise the bass tones anywhere.

"Should we wake her up?"

"No, Jared."

"But, what if she's hungry?"

"Then she'll wake up on her own-

The creak of the bottom stair under my foot gave me away.

Paul, Jared, Quil and Embry looked at me from the kitchen, each involved in various stages of making breakfast. Paul was poised over a pan of scrambled eggs whilst Jared held a buttery knife against some toast, Quil mid-slice of a strawberry and Embry holding a coffee filter aloft.

I swallowed; headache momentarily forgotten. "Hello."

"Morning," Paul said, voice steady.

I'd braced myself for bitterness. Dismissal. Anger, even. But I got smiles instead.

"You want coffee?" Embry asked.

"Water first," I croaked. "Please."

He scanned the kitchen cabinets for a moment before selecting the one where the glasses were kept. Quil gestured for me to take a seat at the table, and I complied. I placed the baby monitor down beside me and poured the water Embry handed me down my throat immediately, withholding a groan of relief.

"The little guy still asleep?" Jared asked.

"No," I said softly, "but he's entertaining himself."

A plate of toast appeared in front of me, a spoonful of eggs rapidly following alongside a bowl of chopped fruit, and I almost fainted in relief. I'd forgotten, for a moment, that my body needed—and rather liked—food. It seemed so low on the agenda in comparison to everything else.