Quiet

Chapter Sixty-Three: Stars

"Wait what?" She looked at me as I looked down at the table.

"Logan," Rian said in a warning tone.

"It's hard when you can't taste a lot of stuff." I managed to cough out while grabbing my water.

"So it's like a preference thing as to how stuff smells?" Zack asked and I shrugged.

"Sort of. It's a texture thing." I didn't know how to explain it any other way.

"When was your tongue burnt?" Ryleigh said and looked at me.

"I don't want to really talk about it," I said having the flashbacks to that household.

"Logan please I deserve to know. Does Brendon know?"

I shook my head and sighed.

"Okay before I was with Tommy I was with this weird in-between family. The mom hated me and she hated me more when her husband gave me attention. One day when I was sick she gave me chicken noodle soup and I went to blow on it and she shoved it down my throat. The spoon was so hot it blistered my tongue and yeah. When I was sent to Tommy's they had me saw by a doctor and they determined there I probably lost a good 80% of my tastebuds." I had to stop and clear my throat multiple times as everyone stared at me.

"Did you have any families you did like?" Jack asked and I thought and nodded.

"I like Tommy's even though it was the most ideal. I liked my second to the last family," I said and looked at my fingers.

"I like this family," I muttered softly as Alex wrapped me in a hug that Ryleigh then entrapped me in this like human body sandwich.

"We like you in our family too," Ryleigh said and I coughed as Rian looked at his watch.

"You are due for a treatment in about an hour you going to be okay until then?" Rian said and looked at me.

I nodded and I looked at Alex grabbing his hands.

"Huh?" He looked at me confused.

I made both his hands point upwards at the sky. I then moved his arms up and down and side to side. Alex scrunched his eyebrows together as Ryleigh looked at me.

"Stars?" She asked a little confused.

"Stars." I smiled and Alex's face lit up.

"Yeah, I promised we'd go look at the stars. Why don't we do it from the hotel? We can all go out and watch the stars then." Alex suggested as I nodded getting up.

I bounced up and down excitedly. I hadn't got to stare at the stars and admire them in so long. I almost forgot what it was like to watch the stars. It was such a clear night to do it too. Zack took the keys out of his pocket as Ryleigh claimed shotgun beating Jack to it. I climbed directly to the back as Rian looked at me.

"Why are you sitting back there?"

"I'm the smallest," I said softly and Rian rolled his eyes telling Alex to get all the way in the back.

I chuckled as Alex struggled to get his long legs in the back as I sat in the middle between Rian and Jack. Once we got back to the hotel I dashed from the car to the hotel room. I looked at my key that had a room number. I darted up the stairs as Zack followed me with Rian close behind him.

"Jesus Logan," Rian said out of breath running up the stairs.

I quickly got in the room setting up the stuff the crew had moved into a room for Ryleigh and I. I sat on the sofa untangling the chord to the breathing machine as Zack knocked on the door. He by far had the loudest knock. Rian just used the spare key and got himself in. I poured the medication solution into the cup twisting the mask on and then placed it on my head. I tightened the straps before turning it on and sat there breathing in deeply. I started coughing as Rian came over and began to pat me on the back.

"I took it early so I know I messed up the schedule but it was hard to hit the right keys. So instead of being about an hour its more like thirty minutes." I said to Rian as the involuntary shaking began.

"Thanks for telling me. Also, thank you for taking it." He kissed my forehead as Zack stood in the doorway.

Everyone else came in the room. Alex and Jack had stopped at their room to change into pj's. Ryleigh came into our room and looked at me before realizing what had happened. Zack left shortly after to change into his pj's. Rian left when Alex and Jack came in to sit until I was done. Beckett wandered into the hallway as I heard his voice travel.

"Everything good? I thought I heard the breathing machine kick on and feet running down the hallway?" He asked half asleep.

"Yeah, Logan just needed to take one. How is Kolbi?" Jack asked.

Ryleigh came out of the bathroom in her pj's and I began to close my eyes letting my body try and stop fighting the shaking. It was tiring when you try and fight it. Ryleigh went out in the hallway for a moment with Alex and Jack. I sat there and finished taking my breathing treatment before I went to change. After I changed I went out to my friends and my traveling family for the moment. I wrapped my arms around Jack who picked me up and Alex led the way out beside the pool. We sat outside for a while. Alex and I rambled quietly to each other about stars trying to point them out to each other.