Moonlit Craters

(2.2) The First Time

Music: K. Flay, Sister

Posted: January 12th, 2020

The first thought Stella had about Luna was that they were definitely related. Stella couldn't count the amount of times that she ignored a new adult, a new parent, to walk into the house and go about her day. When she got older, it was done while giving them the bird.

Luna, just like Stella did at that age, flounced into the house without a single acknowledgment. With a sigh, Stella readjusted her purse, mindful of the trump card she had in there and headed back in.

Donna still sat at the old wood table, playing with her frizzy hair as she worked something out.

"Where'd Luna go?"

The nurse perked her head up and took a moment to focus on what Stella said. "She's back with Richard. She always talks to him about her day after school."

Oh.

Fuck.

She would be close to him.

She should have thought of that.

Stella stood in the kitchen, her eyes darted between Donna and her paperwork and the direction of Richard's room. Donna meant medical talk, something Stella could do in her sleep. Medicine, in any form, was akin to putting on a second skin. Or a fuzzy warm blanket.

Yet, Luna needed her. Even if she didn't want her. How many times had Stella needed people she pushed away? That was an answer she didn't dwell on; the number was too high to be comfortable. With a slight slump to her shoulders, Stella headed back towards Richard's room.

Rule one for being a big sister: Sisters came first. 

The door remained open, Luna sat at a chair beside the bed, her back turned to the door. She did something with her hands that Stella couldn't see.

Richard lied there, eyes closed. The way his eyes crinkled hinted that he smiled.

Straining her ears to hear over the sound of the medical equipment, she could just hear Luna talk to her grandfather about her day.

She talked about mundane things, like what movie they watched for their last day of school and how two girls, Emma and Olivia, showed up to the school wearing the same outfit. They played it off as if it was accidental, but Luna didn't believe them.

Stella added cynicism as something they had in common.

She talked about the playground and playing four-square. Then the end-of-year celebration, which involved a lot of yearbook signing and the teacher brought in cupcakes.

She'd had a normal childhood.

That was about to all get fucked to hell.

Dammit, it wasn't fair!

Why did she have to be the one put in this position?

Fuck them all. Bastards.

When Luna finished talking, she leaned back in the chair and continued working on whatever she was doing with her hands. Stella hadn't noticed it earlier, maybe Luna put it on when she came home, but now the radio played in the background. Not a fan of talk radio, Stella couldn't identify the program.

Richard opened his eyes, the smile faded. He turned his head, away from Luna, as a coughing fit seized him. The wet hacks shook the frail man as he coughed into his mask.

Stella dropped her purse and grabbed a nitrile glove from the shelf and tissues from a shelf. She wondered how many packs of these Donna had around the room as she flew across. She took off his mask, letting it fall. The remaining blood he hacked up landed in the wad of tissues she held in front of his mouth.