Can You Hear the Stars Calling?

Through Different Eyes

She spoke gently. "Okay," Grabbing my hand, she held it tightly. "Let's all figure this out."

She pulled me up so I sat next to her in the couch and waited a moment. One arm went around my shoulders and gently rubbed my left shoulder.

We all waited, not knowing how to start the conversation. Eventually, I spoke first. "I think right now I need to figure out what happened last night. There are so many dark spots-" My head leaned into my palms and I rubbed my temples. "-I thought I saw the piece. No. I was sure I saw him. He came to take me away. It was so dark and my light wasn't working. Like the night in the hospital room." I looked up at Sam.

There was an uncomfortable look on her face that I couldn't quite distinguish. She sighed and looked at Milo. "Milo was the one who took care of you last night. He has a much better idea of what happened."

His eyes drifted over me. There was pain in his eyes. "Milo?" I asked. He shook his head, looking down. "Milo, what happened?" I demanded, clenching my fists. Still, he said nothing. "Just tell me!" I screamed, standing and banging my fists on the coffee table. The glasses on the table shook.

I was surprised at myself for the sudden outburst, but I held his gaze. Unwavering. I needed answers. And he was going to give them to me.

He didn't flinch as my fists shook the table. Speaking so quietly that I barely heard him, he whispered. "It just wasn't you...What I saw yesterday..." His voice trailed off.

"What do you mean?" I asked releasing my fists and I lowering myself back into the sofa.

"What do I mean? What do I mean?" His voice rose and his head whipped up. The pain from earlier remained in his eyes, but now it was rooted in something else. "I mean what I saw wasn't anything a person should ever do! It was like something else took hold of you...It just wasn't human. "

Fear. That was what was in his eyes.

"In all of my years, I've never seen anything like last night. You were convulsing and shaking and and gasping..." He was at a loss for words.

Convulsing? "But," I started. "but what about the piece? He was here! I saw him, Milo! It was so dark, it has to be him. It had to be..."

Milo's stare burned past my eyes. It was so intense that it made me gasp as I second guessed myself.

Did I really see him? Think back to last night. Think back to what happened. What did I really see?

I knew what his stare was telling me.

"He-he was never here?" I squeaked.

Milo shook his head sadly. "Lynn, last night there was a storm. It knocked out the power and I went to the basement to see if I could fix it. It was no use. When I came back upstairs, I saw you on the ground by my door crawling away, with this look in your eyes." I thought he was done since that was all I could remember, but he kept going.

"I thought he was here. I thought he'd gotten you. But then you stopped crawling and I realized it was me you were running from," His voice was somehow agitated and scared at the same time. "I yelled your name, but you were so lost that yelling didn't do anything. When I decided to move you to the table, you kicked and screamed, yelling 'Don't take me' over and over and over..." He put his hands to his temples as if trying to block out that noise.

I yelled? I kicked and screamed? Milo drew his hands back and pulled up his sleeve to his shoulder. I gasped as he revealed a deepening bruise blossoming on his upper bicep. "I-did I...do that?" I whispered breathlessly.

Nodding, he pulled his sleeve down. "It was a...rough time getting you to the table. I thought if I could just show you that it was me..." His eyes saddened. "But you were just gone. Nothing I said got through to you. When I did get you to the table, I ran for my phone to call Sam. And when I got back, I barely had enough time to catch you as you fell off the table. When I got you back up, you were passed out."

I did remember that now. Falling. I touched my head where I would have landed if Milo hadn't caught me. "Is that everything?"

He nodded looking at Sam. "That's about everything. Sam got back within a couple minutes of me calling. She helped me get you to your room and change you into new clothes. The ones from last night were covered in vomit."

Everything paused for a minute as I worked everything through my head and Milo caught his breath.

He never came. The piece wasn't here and I was safe. But last night...I was so scared that I thought I was going to die. I hit Milo. When he was only trying to help me.

Sam's shaky voice cut through the silence. "I'm so sorry, Lynette," She pulled me close to her and hugged me tightly. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there. That you had to be that scared all alone. Guardians...guardians should be with their children. There to protect them, always. I'm just...so sorry." She continued to hug me tightly as tears fell from her eyes.

I hugged her back. "It's okay, Sam. I'm alright. You don't have any reason to be sorry." She really didn't. But I did. I gently released myself from her grasp and looked at Milo. He was watching us with an unfashionable expression.

I slowly stood and walked to his side. "Milo I-I don't know what to say. Thank you and I'm sorry at the same time," Even though it was covered by his sleeve, I couldn't help but stare at the spot his bruise was. Tears pricked my eyes.

I thought of my wrists. The fading brushes that tattooed my skin. "I'm sorry. About hitting you. I..." I didn't know how to end that sentence. There was no excuse.

Milo stood, too. Towering above me. I thought he was going to yell or scream or tell me how disappointed he was or anything. But suddenly, he pulled me tightly into his arms.

I was speechless. He was warm. So warm. He smelled like all of my favorite childhood scents mixed together into a great big breath of joy. Did I deserve this? To be so comforted when I hurt him?

"Oh, sweetheart," he spoke gently. "I'm not mad at you. I was just so scared for you."

The tears flowed over. I held him back. I didn't care if I deserved this or not. I could figure that out later. I just knew that I needed this. This approval. This warm love.

I felt one of Milo's hands release me and extend to Sam. She grabbed his hand and he pulled her in. All of us together.

I sniffled and held tightly. I never wanted this feeling to end. Tears stained Milo's shirt.

When would I ever stop crying?