Chapter Five
Family
I don’t know how long I had slept for. It felt like I’ve been sleeping for several weeks. When my eyes slowly began to take in the brightness of my bedroom, my mind was too cloudy to remember where I was. My neck was stiff from being in the same position the entire time I slept, and drool apparently had soaked into my pillow. I bet Jack was just laughing up a storm at that site. I knew my hair was a disaster considering I could see its wildness all around my face. My mouth was incredibly dry, making me parched and sound like a dying frog. The space next to me was bare and unmade. Had Jack gone to work already?
Desperate for a drink, I pulled myself into a sitting position and then lifted my leg, placing it gently over the bed. It throbbed, telling me that the painkillers had worn off long ago. I hopped onto my good foot towards the door so that my bad leg didn’t have to even touch the floor. It grew from tough to impossible the second I hit the stairs. I could just picture hopping onto the step and slipping, which would break a few bones or possibly kill me instantly. So I limped down the stairs instead, wincing each time my injured leg had to be used. After I managed to get down the steps I began to hop again. It was exhausting to hop all the way from my upstairs bedroom to the downstairs kitchen after spending who knows how many hours sleeping. I pushed open the kitchen door and practically fell in.
“What are you doing out of bed?” Jack stood by the stove with a horrified expression.
I balanced myself against the table. “What’re you doing here?” I retorted, my throat so dry that it came out in a choke.
“I live here.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You know what I mean. You better not have taken off work just because I’m crippled.”
He pulled a chair out for me and waited until I was sitting with my foot propped before he spoke. “I did take off because my wife isn’t supposed to get out of bed for a week. They understood, though I couldn’t care less what they thought.”
“Do you mind getting me a glass of juice?” I croaked.
He quickly poured me a glass of orange juice, presenting it with a straw. “Joe is going to be by in a few hours to check on you. Your mother will be here soon to help with anything around the house. Zach and Penny brought over a basket of muffins.” He rolled his eyes at the last part. “Oh, and I told Mary that the kids will be staying here for the next several days.”
My eyes were wide in surprise. “You’ve got everything in order. How responsible.”
His lips pulled to one side. “I can be responsible from time-to-time.”
“Well, I’m impressed. The only thing that would make this day perfect is a cup of coffee.”
“I’ll have to make some. I thought you’d be awake earlier, not past noon.”
I looked at the window, realizing that the sun was shining directly through it. “How long was I out for?”
“About sixteen or so hours. I had to hold a mirror under your nose to make sure you were still alive.” He started the coffee pot and pulled up a chair close to mine. “Your dosage will be decreased.”
I rested my chin on the table and peered up at him. “It’s kind of nice to be home.”
His expression change from humorous to serious. “You can have this nice feeling all the time, you know. You just have to quit your job…”
My expression faltered, taken aback by his sudden change of mood. “Where are the kids?” I asked in order to change the subject.
A sigh slipped from his lips. “Daniel is taking his nap and Cassie is playing ‘house’ by using a spatula to pretend she’s cooking for her dolls.”
“You gave her the spatula?”
“We never use it.”
My lips curled into a smile. “True.”
Jack and I, we don’t cook. We are probably the most pathetic cookers on this planet. I can barely make pasta; he can’t cook anything in the oven without it burning. Usually couples are opposites. Nope. We are equally lousy chefs. Thankfully Zach, Penny, Mary, Zoey, Henry, and Joe are actually pretty great at cooking. Apparently I had gotten my mom’s cooking skills. Poor Cassie and Daniel, who have to deal with our mediocre food. I’ve gotten many offers from everyone to teach me and Jack how to cook. I turned down Zach’s because it was too awkward to accept at the time (Jack and I being in our honeymoon faze). Jack turned down every offer with a roll of the eyes and a highly inappropriate comment.
“You said there were muffins?” I asked when he handed me my mug.
He grabbed a muffin from the basket and placed it in front of me. “The Keepers of the Law would like to see you when you’re ‘well’,” Jack suddenly blurted.
My fingers were picking at the blueberry muffin, and my mouth was full. “Hmm?”
“They contacted me this morning. Apparently they would like to speak with you about something.” His eyes reddened at the thought of speaking with them. Jack was definitely not the biggest fan of the Keepers.
“Oh…” What could they possibly want with me?
There was a sound of tapping in the other room. At first I thought it was the Keepers themselves, coming to take me away for who knows what reasons. But instead mom came in the kitchen, not even waiting for us to come to the door, and patted my head. “How are you feeling? Why’re you not in bed?” She pulled up a chair next to me with her eyes staring intensely into mine.
“I’m just fine. I was thirsty.”
Jack and mom made eye contact, and I swear they both rolled their eyes at my response. “Joe wanted me to give you this.” She reached into her black tote bag and pulled out one of those egg-shaped things that apparently holds medication and punched the crap out of you. “He said it’s supposed to be given every twenty-four hours.”
“He told me yesterday that he wasn’t even sure if it was for healing,” I said, staring at the device suspiciously.
“He’s been reading further on it, with help from one of the Keepers.”
There was the name Keepers again. Here I had never heard of them until the past few months, and suddenly they’re everywhere. Jack told me that, back before the tragedy, they were the ones everyone went to in order to ask permission for something. They were the wisest of them all, which was astonishing considering how brilliant the Twiads are. Maybe ‘wisest’ wasn’t all about smarts, but seeing what others cannot? “Thanks,” I muttered to mom, my thoughts a tangled mess when it came to them.
She looked back at Jack, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “How have you been, Jack?” she asked stiffly.
He tilted his head to the side, an amused smile playing on his lips. “I’m doing just fine, Mom.”
She shifted uncomfortably in her chair while picking at her nails. “Good, good.”
I wanted to bang my head against the table to break the tension. You see, mom isn’t a fan of Jack. She once told me that Jack was immature, reckless, rude, and that he won’t be able to properly take care of our family. All of this was said after Jack announced something highly inappropriate about the two of us in front of her, Joe, and Penny—thankfully Zach was in the kitchen during that humiliation. It was shortly after when Zach cooked us an amazing dinner and even cleaned up afterward. Mom had pulled me aside, furious, and told me about what she felt about Jack. It wasn’t just the comment he had made that night, it was also what she’s heard about him. She heard about him being harsh, violent, and doesn’t take anything seriously. Those were the words of Henry, the man that Jack once beat up in order to find my whereabouts. She made it clear how much she liked Zach and how responsible and sweet he was. I lit into her that night, creating tension between the two of us. What made matters worse was the fact that Jack found out, through the connection.
You know what causes Jack anger and pain: The man that lives right next door to us. Yet they’re friends. Maybe not the greatest of pals as they used to be…
Without warning, the kitchen door flung open, revealing a rosy-cheeked Cassie, her eyes glowing with violet. I grinned and opened my arms out to her. “Hello, sweet Cass!” I pulled her into my lap, wincing a bit when her foot brushed against my injured leg.
“Grandma, are you gonna play dolls with me?” Cassie asked in her usual mumbles.
Mom smiled down at her. You could tell in her pale green eyes—the eyes I once had when I was fully human—how much she adored Cassie. Every time she was around her, she would glow. “I would love to. Where are they?”
Cassie was grinning so widely it looked as if it would hurt. She hopped off my lap and grabbed mom by the hand, practically dragging her towards the kitchen door.
“I’ll see you later, Mom,” Jack called in a sugary-sweet tone.
She gave him a look before disappearing through the door with Cassie.
My lips pulled downward into a frown. “Can’t you be nice for just a few minutes?”
He feigned an innocent look. “I was nice. I didn’t say one bad thing.”
“You know what I mean…” I ran my fingers through my tangled hair, yanking against the knots painfully. “I just wish you two would get along.”
He stood up and poured me another cup of coffee to avoid saying anything. “She hates me. I can’t get along with someone who hates me.” He sat the steaming cup of coffee in front of me and took a seat.
“She doesn’t hate you,” I murmured, running my hand over the back of his.
“You need to get back to bed.”
I didn’t like the sudden topic change. I hated when he avoided things. “I’d rather just lie on the couch.”
He gave a nod and got up to carry me.
“I don’t need to be carried. I can hobble,” I whined. Most girls would be thrilled to have a husband that was willing to carry them around. Me? I find it embarrassing, especially if it’s because I’m injured.
He ignored me and slid one arm under my legs and the other behind my back. I threw my arms around his neck to keep me from falling sideways. The couch was just a few steps outside of the kitchen. He sat me down and grabbed the blanket on the chair across the room, draping it over me. “Would you like a fire going?” he asked, kneeling down beside the fireplace.
I looked at him suspiciously. “Are you trying to make things perfect so that I won’t go back to work?”
That surprised him. “Why would ask that?” It wasn’t a denial.
“You make me coffee, you carry me, you build me a fire. You keep mentioning how nice it is to stay home. Are you trying to make it perfect here so that I want to stay home instead of work?”
“Is it working?”
Jack is always working up some plan. “Not really. But I am enjoying being at home for a few days.”
He muttered something that I couldn’t make out. Judging by his expression, it wasn’t good. I snuggled under the blanket, watching his every move. He was stacking wood inside of the fireplace, just like people had done years and years ago on earth. It was fascinating to see him build a fire so expertly.
I rolled onto my side, propping my leg on the edge of the sofa. “How’d you know how to do all of that?” I asked as the fire can to life.
“I like learning survival techniques.”
“I didn’t know that.” I looked over to see a book sitting nearby. I couldn’t just lie here and do nothing. I reached for it and managed to grab it off of the coffee table. It was just a silly fairytale book, yet I was intrigued by it.
I was about a hundred pages into the book designed for children when someone knocked on the door. Jack, who was lying on the love seat across from me, leapt from the seat and went to the door. I couldn’t see who it was from the couch, so I focused on the book instead.
“She’s over there,” Jack said, his voice smooth, indicating that it wasn’t Zach, Henry, or Penny, the ones he isn’t too fond of having a visit from.
Joe came into sight, a black leather bag in his grasp. “How’re you feeling?” he asked as he took a seat on the coffee table.
I sat the book down next to me. “Better. I’m just a little sore.”
“Let me check to see how you’re healing.”
With some assistance from Jack, I pulled myself into a sitting position and pulled the blanket away from my leg. Joe began his examination while I just stared at the ceiling. Mom strolled into the room several minutes later with Daniel in her arms. She smiled warmly at Joe and placed a hand on his shoulder. It was such a sweet thing to see. The way Joe looked at my mom was the same way Jack looked at me. It was incredible. When mom looked at Joe, it was almost the exact same expression I had when I looked at Jack. I peered over the couch where Jack stood, his focus solely on Joe’s examination of my leg.
Sometimes I take for granted how much Jack really does care. His expression showed how worried he was about me. I stared at him, seeing every frown line, worry wrinkle, and iris color change. His worry was affecting me. It actually had me questioning something I’ve been set on: My job. It sounds ridiculous to be so driven to work where I do. This entire time I’ve been obsessed with doing my share of the work and getting Renton fixed. But I didn’t realize how much it actually was bothering Jack. He’s told me to stop, but Jack tells me to stop eating so fast or it’ll kill me. Seeing his concern and how he was getting me anything I needed really got to me. How was it Jack always seems to get to me some how?
“You’re healing at an incredible rate. The medication must be working well.” Joe’s voice startled me, but I quickly recovered and looked at him.
“Do you still say she should be in bed for a week or so?” Jack asked before I could say anything.
Joe pulled out that little white device and placed it on my leg. “I still think she should be resting in bed. But I believe that a week is the perfect amount.”
The pinch of the device was more intense than last time. I gripped the side of the sofa, gritting my teeth.
“I’m sorry!” Joe apologized, quickly removing it after it had finished. “I should have given you the painkillers first.”
“Just not as high of a dosage,” Jack interjected, sounding like a concerned parent.
Mom balanced Daniel on her hip, bouncing him just a little to keep him entertained. I made goofy faces from across the room at him, absolutely adoring the way he would giggle each time. His eyes shifted from gold to violet each time I changed expressions for him. It was wonderful.
“Open up,” Joe said, holding a white stick in his hand.
I did ask he said and then clamped down on the stick. Inhaling when told to, I could instantly feel the pain melt away. Unlike last time, I wasn’t filled with fog. I was aware of my surroundings, though still a bit sleepy like last time.
“Remember to drink plenty of fluids. The painkillers or the medication might make you thirsty, I think.” He furrowed his brow. “Sleeping is the best thing for you.”
“We should probably get back to the main building,” sighed mom as she reluctantly handed Daniel over to Jack. “I need to visit them more often.”
Daniel began grabbing at Jack’s chin, absolutely fascinated by it. Mom smiled, giving Daniel a final kiss on the cheek.
“I’ll come by and check on you tomorrow. I left Jack another healing medication device that you just have to use tomorrow.” Joe began to put everything into his bag as he spoke.
I gave them each an awkward hug from the couch before they left. I could feel the drowsiness begin to take over me. Jack laid back down on the love seat, with Daniel on his chest. If I had a camera, this would be the moment I’d want to keep forever. “I love you,” I blurted without even realizing it.
Jack looked over at me, a smirk rising on his lips. “Where did that come from?”
I could feel my face burn from embarrassment. We weren’t the ones that said “I love you” often. I don’t even know why it made me blush to just say it to him. But if you saw what I saw, the man you love lying on the couch with your baby, you’d say it too. “I don’t know. I just wanted to tell you.” I smiled widely, snuggling deeper into the blanket.
“I love you, too.” His eyes melted from a neutral green to a soft violet. He looked down at Daniel with a smile. “I think mommy’s painkillers have kicked in,” he told him before planting a kiss on his head.
I lifted my book back up and began to read about fairytales. This one was about Sleeping Beauty. Ironically, I fell asleep while reading it.