Ties (Book 1)

14. A kiss

"Do you need something, baby?"

"Food! I'm starving, Mom."

"Okay, I will go ask a nurse to bring you something to eat."

"Thanks." I smiled gently.

Fifteen minutes later, I had tomato soup, bread rolls, chocolate pudding, and fruit on a tray in front of me. I was so hungry that I had not noticed my mom, Levi, and Mike staring at me as I devoured my food.

"Maybe you should slow down, May. You can get a stomach ache if you eat that fast."

I laughed and started chewing more carefully. My eyes met Levi's, but he looked bewildered instead of humored. "What's wrong, Levi?" I put down the piece of bread I was going to put in my mouth. He looked uncomfortable with my question like he did not want to answer. "C'mon just say it," I persisted.

"May," he questioned.

A small smiled formed on my lips. "My mom helped me with with that."

He turned his head to stare at my mom as if that could help him figure out how she had changed my mind about being called May.

I recommenced eating. Between bites I managed to speak, "so how long was I asleep?" I asked the question with no one specific to answer.

Mike was the first one to respond. "Two days."

That was more than I had expected. "What day is it?"

"It's Monday. You shouldn't have slept that long but you were exhausted; no food in your system, a broken wrist, and severe weather were your downfall. We were all so scared, May." Mom was looking tearful again.

In a rush I said,"well I'm awake now, it doesn't matter anymore." I did not want to see her crying; it was too... odd.

"No more sleeping, and you can't be by yourself ever again," like blazes Mike said. There was a harshness to his voice.

My best friend was upset and it was my fault. "Calm down, Mike. I'm fine."

"Yeah you're fine now, but not before you scared us half to death. Your mom was the one who found you laying on the dirt, motionless. We thought you were dead! Don't tell me to calm down."

"I'm sorry." I did not know what else to say. I knew what I had put them through, and there was nothing I could do to change that.

My mom was the one who broke the silence after Mike's outburst. "We're just glad you're alive and healthy, baby."

"I'm glad to be alive too and glad I have y'all.... Where's Dad by the way?"

She stopped a second too long before answering. I knew the answer before she said it aloud. "We had a business trip planned for today, but I couldn't leave you here alone. I told him to go by himself." Typical Nick.

"Oh," I responded dryly.

"He will be here by Wednesday," my mom defended.

Can't even stay with me when I'm dying.

"Knock, knock," a short plump nurse announced herself. "Hello, Mackenzie. My name is Deja, and if you need anything just let me know. You'll be released tomorrow at noon, that is if I was informed correctly. I just have to do a few check up things right now."

I did not want to go through the process again. "But the doctor already checked me; he said everything was fine."

Deja looked through a clipboard as she spoke. "I understand, but what your body went through was dangerous. The effects of hypothermia are gone, but we have to make sure that it did not affect your organs..." She went on speaking about other technical terms that I did not care about. I was not dead, so that had to be an improvement.