To Keep Her Safe is All I Know

Chapter 23

"You got all your stuff together, kiddo?" Chris asks.

"Yeah, I got everything." Sadie says, wrapping her arms around Chris' torso.

Chris picks Sadie up and she wraps herself around him. 

"Come on, let's get you home. Fred will be happy to see you."

x

When Melanie was nine, she'd gotten the flu. She was in completely horrible shape and missed a week of school. Chris was more concerned about Melanie than anything else and was worried sick about her, and he missed her a lot when she wasn't at school. Against his parents wishes, Chris had gone over to Melanie's house one day after school to "take care of her". They watched her favorite movies, they talked and caught up with each other, as it seemed like it had been forever since they'd seen each other. Chris had felt so responsible for coming over to help take care of Melanie and was extremely proud of himself for accomplishing it, that was until Tori caught him and walked him home.

Two days later, he got the flu.

Chris and Melanie had been taking care of each other for as long as they could remember. Chris was always there for Melanie was she was sick or hungover. He helped her with morning sickness, he visited her in the hospital when she broke her leg; he almost couldn't separate himself from her when he knew that she wasn't well. Melanie had always been so nurturing to Chris and took care of him mentally. Each of them was always something that the other really needed...

Sadie sat on the living room couch, snuggled under a blanket with her stuffed elephant, Peanut, and her new doll from The Strange and Unusual next to her. Chris smiles.

"So, what are you gonna name this one?" He asks, referring to the doll.

"I think I'm gonna name her Cora 'cause she kinda looks like the dolly from Coraline."

"Your mother let you watch that movie?"

"Yeah, it's a kid's movie."

"That movie is terrifying." Chris says before looking at the time, "Oh. It's already 1:30. Did you eat yet?"

"No. You picked me up right before lunch."

"Are you hungry?"

"Not really..."

"You gotta eat something, kiddo. Why don't I make you a grilled cheese and some tomato soup? That's probably just what your belly needs. Your mom also said you need to take some cough syrup."

"Aww, man, but it tastes so gross!"

Chris gets the medicine off the nightstand, "Just throw it all back at once and you won't even taste it. I'll even let you do it yourself." He says, opening it and handing it to her.

Sadie scowls, "Fine." She says. She pours the cough syrup into the plastic cup, then throws it all down her throat, wincing just a little bit.

Chris' eyebrows shoot up, "Your mother is really gonna have to worry about you when you're a teenager; that was impressive."

"What was?"

"Nevermind. I'll take that, and I'll go make you some lunch now, okay?"

Chris remembered the first time he and Melanie ever went to a real party in high school. Melanie was extremely introverted and Chris figured she'd just be super shy and following him around the whole time, which pretty much was what happened. He left to use the bathroom at one point though, and when he came back, Melanie was taking shots with two other girls. Chris assumed that that was where Sadie got it from.