Cherish

Exhale (Shoop Shoop) (7)

Dropping his annoying little brother routine, he replied, "Oh, that's too bad. Anything I can do to help?"

Vanessa didn't hide her surprise at the genuine question. Maybe there was hope for Todd yet. "No, but it means a lot that you asked. See you later." Walking inside, she softly closed the door.

Sitting at the foot of the bed, Georgie stared at the carpet. The bed bounced a little as Vanessa occupied the space next to her. "Babe, what happened?"

Georgie shook her head as though she couldn't believe what she was about to say. "They didn't react well. I thought they would be disappointed. I mean, they're passionate Republicans," she tried to joke but her heart wasn't in it. "But...they..." Shaking her head again, her vision started to blur. She wished that this was all a nightmare or at least that she had the ability to rewind back to the moment she decided to tell her parents that she was a lesbian. Then she could push play and change her mind about doing so.

"What happened?" Vanessa prompted, her voice as soft as she could make it. Slipping her hand into Georgie's, she was alarmed by how cold and clammy the other girl's palm felt. She whispered something, but Vanessa couldn't understand it.

Raising her head, the blonde gazed into eyes that were just as blurry as hers. "I said they don't want me. They put me out. They...they told me I was..." tears escaped from her eyes, "dead to them if I refused to get help. Like being a lesbian is some goddamned sickness!" Standing, Georgie stormed toward the only window in the room where Vanessa's desk was located. Leaning against the wall, she stared out of the window not really noticing the two children racing their bicycles down the darkening street. "They looked at me so coldly and with such disgust. I never knew my own parents could be so cruel. How could they be so cruel?"

Vanessa heard the wheezing that followed from across the room. Racing toward Georgie, she was able to catch her as she collapsed to the floor, her body shaking as tears freely flowed. Sitting behind her friend, Vanessa wrapped her arms around her middle. Her chest rapidly moving, Georgie continued to wheeze, each breath becoming harder to take.

"They hate...me..."

Vanessa tried to soothe her by gently rocking them. "No, Georgie they're your parents. They love you. This just has to sink in is all. Sweetheart, calm down. Where's your inhaler?"

"Don't...have...it." Her hands clenched. It was difficult to breathe and to speak because some unknown force was pushing on her chest. "In purse...at...home." Georgie's sobs increased when she realized that she actually didn't have a home anymore. Her 'loving' parents kicked her out of her home at sixteen. She desperately wanted to wake up. This had to be a nightmare.

Vanessa's hand began to lightly rub her aching chest and when she spoke there was fear in her voice.

"Georgie, please try to calm yourself. Everything is going to be all right. Just breathe. Relax and it'll get easier."

When Georgie's asthma attack only worsened, Vanessa screamed for her mother. Nora dropped and broke the dish she had been drying when she heard the frantic call. Not caring about the mess, she hurried up the stairs to her daughter's room where she found the door already open. Todd had arrived there first. He was standing just inside the door staring through glistening brown eyes at the two girls rocking together on the carpet. His immediate thought upon throwing open the door was that Georgie was feeling much worse than his sister had led him to believe. She looked like she was dying.

Though Nora had already figured it out, Vanessa explained to her that her friend was having a severe asthma attack. With assuring words, the mother grabbed the phone from the nightstand and dialed 911. While on the phone, she pulled her son into a one-armed hug. The operator informed Nora that the ambulance would be there in a few minutes. Wanting to get Todd out of the room before he completely fell apart, she asked him to go wait downstairs for the ambulance. One last glance at his sister and the girl who made him realize that not all girls had cooties, he ran out to complete his task.