Unleashed by Carolyn O'Doherty

Author:Carolyn O'Doherty [O'Doherty, Carolyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thinkingdom
Published: 2020-05-26T00:00:00+00:00

14

KJ WALKS INTO THE KITCHEN AS I’M PUTTING AWAY THE last of the groceries, Shannon following him so closely it’s as if she’s afraid he’s about to tip over.

“Is there still coffee?” KJ says, heading for the pot Shannon made earlier this morning.

“Help yourself.” I hand over a clean mug with exaggerated cheerfulness. “I even got us some creamer.”

KJ fills the mug, then pours a second one for Shannon.

“What do you say we get out of here for a while,” he says. “I haven’t breathed fresh air in a week.”

Shannon shakes her head. “It’s raining, and you need to rest.”

“The rain stopped,” KJ says, reaching for the half-and-half I left on the counter. “And I’m rested.”

I step back to give him room, which allows me the opportunity to study him upright for the first time. The sight makes Shannon’s worries about him tipping over more legitimate. KJ, a thin guy to begin with, now brings to mind a scarecrow come to life. His sweatpants hang from his bony hips. His T-shirt floats over a concave stomach. I busy myself wiping the dresser down with a damp rag to hide my dismay.

“Is there anywhere nice out there we can go to?” Shannon asks me.

I picture the neighborhood outside, the street of endless cars filled with quizzical drivers, the houses with their carefully shielded windows, behind which anyone could lurk. What’s the safer choice? An isolated area where we’d be easy to spot or a city street crowded with a million eyes? I clench the rag so hard that dirty water puddles in the spot I’d just cleaned.

“There’s a park nearby,” I offer. KJ’s grin only sort of eases my anxiety.

Just after nine-thirty—after they finish their coffee and Shannon cuts a length of twine off an old box to hold up KJ’s pants—we head for the door. I take Shannon’s wrist, then brush my fingers across KJ’s just long enough to connect us while I stop time. The trip down the fire escape takes much longer than usual. KJ’s presence makes me newly aware of the steepness of the steps, the short leap needed to reach the ground, the irritating scratches from the blackberries. KJ is breathing heavily by the time we reach the bottom, and Shannon and I exchange worried looks behind his back. One day of rest isn’t nearly enough to compensate for five of near unconsciousness.

I lead them to a spot between two parked cars where we can hide and wait for KJ to recover before melting time. The light brightens, the whirr of cars floats through moving air, and the scent of dirty pavement intensifies.

KJ inhales the weak fall sun.

“This is great,” he says. He sounds so pleased that for a minute I relax into an answering beat of happiness. We are here, out of the Center, KJ healthy against all odds. But then, a car backfires, and my stomach rolls into a too-familiar knot.

“Come on.” I stand up. Scattered clouds flit across the sky, giving the day an unsettled feel.

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