Shiloh Harris has had her share of worry over the years. Her husband is in a coma, never to awaken, and she takes care of him and their teenage twins, all while trying to keep a roof over their heads. When her best friend dies from a senseless act o...
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"Dani, have you seen your brother?"
Dani shook her head. "Nope, not since he dropped me off from school."
Shiloh shook her head and cursed under her breath. "Dammit! Okay, well, if he decides to show up here at some point this evening, have him take the garbage out, alright?" She set a baby monitor down on the table beside Dani's school books and bent over to kiss her daughter on the head. "The nurse will be here in about half an hour, but if I don't leave now, I'll be late for my shift."
Dani nodded and gave her mom a small smile. "It's okay, mom. I'll keep an eye on dad until his nurse gets here."
Shiloh sighed as she ran a hand through her daughter's long brunette curls. "I love you, you know. Don't tell your brother, but you're my favorite."
Dani snorted and nodded. "Yeah, sure mom. I love you too. Have a good night at work."
Shiloh nodded before pointing toward the kitchen. "There's lasagna for dinner and I made pancakes for breakfast. Don't let your brother switch the two. That's just gross."
Dani laughed and nodded. "I got it, mom. See you tomorrow afternoon."
Shiloh blew her a kiss and practically ran out of the front door to her car. She tried not to think about what kind of mischief her sixteen-year-old son was getting into as she pulled out of the driveway and pointed her old Chrysler toward Lodi. She bit her lip as she thought that a good mother wouldn't be running off to a third-shift job at a paper mill while her teenage son was running amok in Charming, but she had no choice.
The mill paid too well to turn her back on the money. That paycheck paid for the house payment, utilities, and gas for her car and Jacob's until he found himself a part-time job, not that she really thought he was looking. Her part-time job at the diner on the interstate paid for groceries and clothes for the kids. Her house-cleaning job paid for Steven's nurses since they had blown through their life savings a long time ago. She was just going to have to hope that her car would last a little longer on the re-built engine that Jacob and a couple of his friends had put into it the year before.
She shook her head as she thought that she really couldn't blame her son. Most boys his age were worrying about college or chasing girls, not trying to help their mothers with the family bills. She sighed as she took the onramp to the interstate. It was going to be a long night, but she would try to call home on her breaks and check on everyone. It was all that she could do.
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The next morning, Shiloh opened the front door to find the smiling face of her best friend. She grinned as she opened the door wider and Luann sashayed into her living room.
"Hey, gorgeous! Long-time no see."
Shiloh made a face as she looked down at herself in faded yoga pants and one of Steven's old flannel shirts, then at Luann who looked like she'd just come from the salon. "You actually caught me on a day that I have off. How ya been, girlfriend? How's Otto?"
Luann shrugged. "He's good... well, as good as he can be I guess. I'm staying busy with Cara Cara. I came to see if you could go to lunch with me and another friend."
Shiloh shook her head. "No, sorry. I have to be here to watch Steven and maybe actually spend some time with my kids. It's the nurse's day off."
Luann shook her head. "Sweetheart, you are working yourself right into the ground. It will be a damn shame if you get there before your husband."
Shiloh gave her a look. "That's a horrible thing to say."
Luann shrugged. "No, it's not. How is Steven? Are you getting anywhere with his parents?"
Shiloh shook her head. "Nope. I think now it's just a race to see who goes first. I mean, they're in their eighties."
Luann sat down and patted the couch cushion beside her. When Shiloh was seated, Luann wrapped an arm around her. "You poor thing. I don't know if I feel sorrier for you or Steven. You know I've never liked him, and Otto would love to put a bullet between his eyes, but it must be hell to be in your body but not at the same time, and his parents, wanting to keep him that way."
Shiloh shrugged. "They love him. He's their baby, ya know?" She sighed. "Steven isn't there anymore. He hasn't been for a very long time. Now, it's just his body, but they refuse to see that, and until they do, we're all stuck in limbo." She shook her head. "You know, sometimes I forget how he got that way in the first place and just want him to wake up and hold me. Then I remember and the rage comes back."
Luann nodded. "Well, you certainly have a right to the rage, baby." She sighed and stood up. "Okay, I'll try to come by one day next week. Maybe I'll be able to get you out of the house, at least get a manicure or something." She pointed a finger at her best friend. "You need to try to get up and see Otto soon too. He's been asking for you."
Shiloh promised to go see him as soon as she had a free afternoon, and with that, Luann was gone. She let her head fall back against the couch cushion and closed her eyes. She shook her head as she thought that Luann was right, just not tactful about it. She knew that she had a right to hate Steven, and she had for a long time, but now... it took too much energy and she simply didn't have any left over for negativity.
