Fatal Attractions

LVIII

Lucas was right about that morning after feeling.

I woke up waiting for her to come in with two sports bras in hand, asking me which was better for her class. I could have sworn I kept hearing her voice, only to discover it was a nurse checking Lucas' vitals.

She was everywhere. Every time I glanced at a TV, her face was there, as a victim or a cop or a reporter, I even saw her in a patch of grass. I was going insane.

I just can't believe she's actually gone.

"Done with that?"

I looked down at the barely eaten soup on my tray and sighed, nodding as I handed it over to Lucas.

"Thanks." He said, already slurping it down.

"You eat a lot for such a small kid." I said, eyeing his tiny frame.

"I know, okay? It's an awful coping method, but I'm coping. At least I haven't picked my fingers bloody."

I looked down at my raw cuticles that I had been working at the past few days. They were partially the result of Aubrey, and partially the fact that I haven't seen Logan in two days. I had tried to go see him again but either my nurses or his wouldn't let me. I hoped everything was okay on his end.

I heard a knock on the door and snapped my head up, only to see that it was Jason.

"Big Mac and fries?" He opened up a McDonalds bag in his hands and peered inside before handing it to Lucas, who got eating right away.

"And here is your happy meal." He smiled at me.

"I hope you got me the boy toy," I muttered, taking the chicken nuggets out. "The girl ones are stupid."

He kissed me on the forehead. "I never forget."

I was trying to convince myself that the nasty hospital food was the reason I had no appetite, but the greasy smell of fast food seemed to diminish it even more. My stomach fought against the message my brain was sending and I gave into the food reluctantly. My time in captivity with no food had warped my system to think that even though it was starving, it couldn't ingest any food.

"Don't tell the nurses, okay Lucas?" Jason asked, raising his eyebrows at him.

He nodded, licking special sauce off his fingers. "I won't make that mistake again." Last time, Jason was banned from seeing us for two days. Apparently, we were on a "strict diet" because of our "conditions", it was a bunch of bullshit if you ask me. Lucas had a broken arm for god's sake, not a severe Big Mac allergy.

I fished out the plastic toy from the bag and, to my dismay, it was Incredibles themed, and I was the lucky girl that got Frozone.

I quickly put the figurine back inside and choked down the rest of the food.

"You okay?" Jason asked, sitting on the edge of my bed. "I never got to ask you how Logan's visit went."

"I don't want to talk about it." I muttered, rolling onto my side awkwardly with the big boot on my leg.

"So I'm guessing not well."

I closed my eyes, a tear dripping down my cheek. "Aubrey is dead. I never told you."

He was quiet for a moment, before uttering out a quiet "I know."

I turned around, looking at him. "You know?"

"Of course I know. I volunteered to pick up the bodies. Madi," He squeezed my hand. "It will all be over soon. The pain, the grief, it's not going to last forever."