Riley Brooks appears to be leading a charmed life on the outside. On the inside, she's spiraling as a result of a toxic relationship. Once the relationship comes to a tumultuous end, she loses very nearly everything, her sanity included. As an effor...
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"Juice! She needs juice!" Tommy shouted behind his shoulder as he dabbed at Hannah's forehead with a cool washcloth. She was sprawled out on the couch with her eyes closed, her arm hanging off the couch like a limp rubber hose.
I stood nearby, sometimes raising my hand or taking a step forward to help, but deciding I should give her space. After all, no one else was. From behind me, I sensed Landon was there, but I couldn't look at him. Not right now.
"Got it!" Madi sprung into action, rushing across the room and kneeling down beside a hefty diaper bag tucked under the Christmas tree. From a small zippered compartment, she pulled out a juice box with a picture of Elmo on the front. Tommy held his hand out, and Madi underhanded it into his waiting grasp.
Then he unwrapped the straw from the thin plastic, pierced the foil hole on top, and forced the tip of it between Hannah's colorless lips. "Drink, baby. You're okay, we just need to get that blood sugar up."
I felt a white sliver of pride at his nursing her, it just confirmed what I already knew. Sure, he could be an asshole, but I felt like it was more for his own protection than anything. Behind it all, he was a gummy bear. It reminded me of how he took care of mom, and it slowly darkened that feeling inside me, turning it a mournful black.
Hesitantly, Hannah slurped it down as the rest of my family waited in tense silence. Well, with the exception of Nonna Eve gumming on mashed potatoes, muttering little tsks between bites. After a few sips, Hannah sucked more vigorously, as if she suddenly realized how thirsty she was. Then she opened her eyes as she drew out the last bit of swishing fluid from the tiny straw and blood rose to her cheeks as she became aware of everyone gawking at her. "I'm sorry," she whimpered, her gaze dropping to the mountain of her stomach.
Tommy sighed with relief as he took the empty box from her and bent forward to kiss her. The kiss of life. "It's okay, sweetheart. I was an asshole, I should've paid more attention to you."
From beside me, my dad shifted uncomfortably, the presents still clutched in his hands, serving as a barrier.
"I love you so much," Hannah said, looking up at Tommy, her wide eyes mirroring her words.
"I love you," he replied thickly and he kissed her again.
Ella suddenly walked up and started clapping, prompting us all to join in. At the sight of us, she cackled and jumped with delight.
"Oh, honey, I feel terrible." Mom's voice shook as she stepped forward and ran her fingers through Hannah's hair.
"It's okay," Hannah smiled up at her. "But can we eat now?"
That night, mom felt terrible again for forgetting to set up a place for Landon to sleep and all the bedrooms were taken. She said I should sleep on the couch because he was the guest, but he said he didn't mind and that he'd slept on many couches. The hostess in her wouldn't accept that answer, but after a bit of polite back and forth, he finally convinced her that it was fine. As for me, I slept in my mother's teenage room in a frilly bed adorned with pink and red roses. Nonna hadn't changed it much since Mom moved out.
