Fallen For The Dead (#Wattys2015)

~Clarinet~ [Chapter 10]

~Clarinet~ [Chapter 10]

I woke up too sore to stretch and too groggy to yawn. I felt exhausted. Like all the tension I'd been feeling last week had come back to beat the daylights outta me. Suddenly all the events of that terrible day came back to me and I gasped loudly, sitting up so quickly I slipped right off the bed. I landed on my bedroom floor tangled in the sheets. But for some odd reason the color of the sheets were green. I didn't have green sheets, hell I don't think anyone has green sheets. 

The disorientation I felt as I looked up around the room that wasn't mine made me dizzy. It wasn't completely unfamiliar but it wasn't my room either. And in my state I couldn't figure out where I was. Not to mention the panic that was starting to claw up my throat. I grabbed my hair in frustration, trying to shake myself awake so I could think clearly. Just as my fingers surrounded the thick strands of my hair in the upper right corner near my forehead, I felt a crippling pain in my hand making me swear loudly. I let go quickly but found no relief. 

It seemed like I couldn't turn off the pain as fast as I'd turned it on because it felt like I had spilled a cup of boiling oil on my palm. I cursed and flapped my hand up and down, trying to get some relief from the chilly air in the room. But of course the stupid thing was bandaged and the wind brought no relief. 

“Ugh!” I groaned in frustration. I heard soft laughter from the door and scrambled to get up. That failed as my left foot got trapped and I fell, face crashing against the floor. I was confused as to why the tinkling laughter got louder and I heard I light thump on the floor by me. I awkwardly stretched my neck around enough to see who it was roaring with childish laughter at my pain. I winced when I accidentally leaned on the burning hand to get a view of the giggling child. Then I remembered, Rich’s sister, Clair. But the last time I'd heard she was with her dad, who lived across the country. 

Seeing her brought back the pain of Louisa's absence. She loved it when we got to see Clair. Clair believed too. That's probably why it was so easy for Rich. 

“Hey there, Clarinet” I teased her quietly trying to ignore both the physical and emotional pain. I slowly but surly unwrapped myself from the sheets and got up to hug her. Her grin was as magnificent as only a child’s could be and I gave up on trying to pick her up when the searing pain shot threw my hand. “Where's Rich?”

“He went out,” she shrugged as if it was normal for me to wake up in his room and find him not even home. I sighed not sure what was going on but happy for her company. 

“Was he with anyone? Do you know when he's coming back?” I tried to keep the tightness in my voice to a minimum. There was no need to scare her. 

“Umm..” She thought out loud, scrunching up her face in concentration. I suppressed a smile when she started drumming her fingers on her chin with her left arm across her chest. “There was a lady with him, and she looked like you!” She was suddenly very excited as she grabbed my arm and shook it. “I think it was your mommy!” I winced as her shaking bothered my bandaged hand and just as fast as the excitement had appeared, it disappeared. 

She looked at me with wide worried eyes brimming with her innocent childish remorse and I forced a smile, I could ignore the pain. If I could do it for Louisa, then I could do it for Clair. I'd practically ignored the cut as it gushed blood, so I didn't understand why it being bandaged made me anymore aware of it. It must have been the shock and adrenalin when I'd first gotten hurt that kept the pain at bay. 

“I'm ok, don't worry Clarinet.” She smiled brightly and I sighed. “Now let's go find my mommy and your brother!” I reached for her hand with my uninjured one and waited for her to ask me what happened to my hand but she surprised me when she asked about Louisa. 

“Why isn't Louisa here?” she squeezed my good hand with the both of hers, stopping me in my tracks. She tilted her head to the side as she looked up at me sadly. “Did you break up?” I flushed brightly as she waited patiently as I gaped at her like a fish out of water. 

“I.. umm… She's not… We never… Hmm.” I was at a loss as what to tell her. “She's just lost,” I said, not knowing how to explain her condition. “Rich and I  are trying to find her. We didn't have a fight or anything like that.” She grinned and I was confused.

“So you are together!” She clapped happily. I shook my head but she didn't see as she skipped away singing about how Rich owed her a whole $10 bill. I ran my uninjured hand through my hair in frustration making sure not to irritate the bandaged one, and sighed following her down the stairs. This was gonna be a long day.