Until Today by Pam Fluttert

Author:Pam Fluttert
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Second Story Press
Published: 2013-08-28T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

My bones feel like mush and I wish I could sleep for a week.

“You look tired. Are you okay?” Mom asks, glancing at me when she stops at a red light.

“Yeah.” I close my eyes, hoping she’ll take the hint. If I tell her about my day, she’ll probably accuse Taylor of lying. Besides, I can’t. I’m bound by patient confidentiality.

The muscles in my arms are still cramped from leaning over the bed and holding Taylor’s hand while she poured her heart out to Aunt Sheila. My head pounds like a ticking time bomb.

I open my eyes and look out the window, thinking about the past few hours.

I can still see Taylor’s haunted eyes when she denied everything after I asked her to talk to Aunt Sheila.

“We don’t need help. We’re happy.”

My heart sank. She was going backwards. I struggled to control my panic and frustration. I squeezed Taylor’s hand, trying to gather my thoughts. “I know you’re happy. Wouldn’t you like to be even happier?”

Taylor was silent for a moment. “I don’t know.”

“Would your very own Peter Rabbit book make you happier?”

Taylor nodded, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.

“Okay. What about playing at the park? Would that make you happier?”

She nodded again.

I looked out the window, trying to figure out what else to say. Flaming red and orange leaves twirled down from the trees. Of course, what kid doesn’t like playing in the leaves this time of year.

I looked back at Taylor. “You know what made me happy? Once I helped my dad rake the leaves on our lawn into a big pile, and then I jumped in them.”

Taylor’s eyes widened. “Did he get mad?”

“No, he jumped in with me.” An image of Dad and me jumping in the leaves flashed through my head. It made me sad to realize we haven’t had fun like that for so long.

Taylor’s eyes grew even wider. “Really?” she whispered.

“Yeah, and then we raked them up and did it all over again. Would something like that make you happier?”

Taylor’s awed expression disappeared. Her eyes glazed, and her face took on a ghost-like pallor. “My dad would get really mad. You must have a nice dad.”

“Yeah, I suppose I do.” Dad and I have our problems, especially with communication, but he’s a good guy.

“Taylor, if we could get help for your daddy, he could learn how to control his anger. Then you could do everything we talked about, and more.”

Taylor nodded and wiped her tears.

“Are you ready for me to call Dr. Williams?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

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