The Time Capsule by Lurlene McDaniel

Author:Lurlene McDaniel
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9780307434029
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2007-12-18T05:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

“I felt pretty stupid delivering the news to her, Adam. Wade said he hadn’t known either.” Alexis was with her brother the next morning. He’d been moved to a private room and was scheduled to begin his experimental treatments later that day. She’d gotten an excused absence from morning classes. The school faculty was being very sympathetic about Adam’s hospitalization; plus, she was an excellent student who could afford to miss some classes.

“It didn’t come up in conversation,” Adam said. He was out of bed, sitting in a chair, still attached to an IV hanging on a wheeled pole, making him mobile. “I figured Kelly might have heard something because kids from our old middle school knew, but I guess they didn’t say anything. Go figure.”

“But not to say anything to your girlfriend—”

“It’s a turnoff, Ally. I figured I had one chance with her, and dumping my medical history on her didn’t seem like a good way to start a relationship. I saw it as need-to-know-only information, and when we started dating, she didn’t need to know. Now give it a rest.”

She was upsetting him, so she tempered her critical tone. “You’ve been dating her since last summer. I just figured she knew, that’s all.”

“Well, she didn’t.” He toyed with the IV line running into his arm. “How was she after you told her?”

“She had that deer caught in headlights expression.”

“I need to call her.” But he didn’t make a move.

“You probably should. I’m going to school after lunch. I can give her a message.”

“Tell her I’ll call tonight. Do you think this will make a difference? I mean, do you think she’ll still like me?”

Sympathy filled her. He’d worked so hard to be normal, to live a life everyone else their age took for granted. She wanted to throw her arms around her brother and tell him everything was going to work out fine. Yet she couldn’t make false promises either. Why did he have to like Kelly instead of Tessa? Having Tessa as a girlfriend probably would have saved him heartache. “If Kelly doesn’t still like you, she’s plain crazy,” Alexis said, smiling quickly.

Adam returned her smile. He changed the subject. “How are Mom and Dad doing?”

“They look shell-shocked. Mom’s shut off her phones. Dad’s been coming home early from his office. It’s kind of like they’ve circled up the wagons, know what I mean?”

“I wish they’d go back to their everyday lives. It doesn’t help knowing I’ve turned them upside down.”

“I don’t miss the arguing,” Alexis said. “They’re upset, but not with each other. Mom wants to camp here at the hospital like she did before, though. They’ve had words about that.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want her to.”

“Neither does Dad. He called her a martyr, which made her mad. I heard him tell her this was your disease, not hers.”

“Then Dad gets it,” Adam said. “He understands.”

“I don’t,” Alexis confessed.

“It doesn’t do anybody any good for Mom to live here twenty-four-seven. It may make her feel righteous, but it doesn’t do anything for you and Dad.

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