“Yes. I hear they are the best in town when it comes to limb injuries. We took the liberty of booking your sessions for the next two months in advance. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of the cost! We insist!”
Her tone told me, in no uncertain terms, that this was non-negotiable. Honestly, that place looked expensive, so I was reluctant to accept. But the hospital had indeed warned me about the need for physical therapy, so I knew I would have to do it regardless. Why not accept this offer and have ‘the best’ work on me?.
“Thank you.” That made Nora and Mia smile.
“Yo, Dude. Where’s your toilet?” Jack suddenly injected himself.
“Through that door and to the left, Honey.” Nora informed him before I even had a chance, pointing at the direction of my bedroom, not realizing what she had just done.
Mia immediately got a very suspicious look, as her eyes jumped between Nora, me, and the doorway her mother had just pointed out.
“How do you know where his bathroom is?” There was no confusion in Mia’s voice. Instead, and I could be wrong here, it sounded more like an accusation. It did not phase Nora at all, as she calmly and instantly had her reply ready.
“Don’t you remember how he took me shopping the week before Christmas? We had to stop by here because he was waiting for a delivery.”
“Oh.” It seemed like Mia had bought that explanation. Crisis averted.
“So, you’re sure you’ll be fine for the time being?” Nora asked me like nothing remotely concerning had happened.
“Yes. Very sure. And if I discover that I was wrong, I’ll keep my promise.”
“Okay. We will hold you to that.” Nora smiled, before she turned to join her son who just walked out of the bathroom and towards the door. Mia, however, stayed behind for a moment.
“You sure you don’t want me to stay a little longer?” she inquired with a raised eyebrow.
“I don’t think I’m a good host right now. There’s not much I can do for the moment.” I replied innocently.
“You haven’t had a proper shower in a week, right? I could help with that.”
“YEAH, I’M JUST GONNA LEAVE NOW.” Jack shouted from the living room, covering his ears with his hands while his mother had trouble concealing her laughter.
Mia’s eyes widened as her face got a little red. She stood on her toes, gave me a peck on the cheek, and quickly joined her mother and brother on their way out. I smiled happily the whole time I watched them leave. Not because they left, but because I genuinely enjoyed their company. I was already planning to invite them over again, once I got a handle on my kitchen.
A few minutes after they left, my doorbell rang. Wondering if they forgot anything, I activated the monitor to see who was at the gate, and my smile died. On the sidewalk, looking incredibly insecure as she nervously fidgeted with a piece of paper, stood my mother. She was flanked by John and Danielle. It could be an effect of the camera, but she looked different. Like she lost weight, but not in a healthy way. I remembered the conversation I had with John the day before Mia’s party, where he mentioned that Claire had trouble sleeping and stopped eating.
“Yes?” I asked, after pressing the button for the intercom.
“Oh! Honey? It’s me. It’s your mo ... It’s Claire.” she stammered, and I saw Danielle place a hand on Claire’s shoulder for support. “Could I talk to you? Just ... just for a minute, I promise!”
She was basically pleading, looking desperate as she wrung her hands in anticipation. I was, for the second time that day, remembering my lonely New Years Eve, and found myself entertaining the idea of letting her in, even if it would mean that she would get to see me in such a weakened state. I could also get answers to my questions about how much they knew, and why nobody but Aaron made an appearance. But why did they have to come as a package!?
By the time I looked at the monitor again, I noticed how long I had been debating this with myself. I could see Claire’s shoulders had slumped and her head was hanging low. Now John was rubbing her back, like he was comforting her. Just as they turned to leave, I pressed the button to open the gate. They abruptly stopped, turned, and Claire quickly rushed towards the front door, which I also opened for her with the push of another button.
I took a deep breath to steady myself. As I looked through the peephole, I could see Claire do the same. I leaned my crutch against the wall so I could use my one good hand to turn the door knob, and pulled the door with me as I hopped backwards on my right leg. I could see Claire’s eyes fly wide open as I reached for my crutch to stabilize myself again.
“What happened to you!?” she shouted and rushed through the door to hold me by the waist, like I needed her support to stay upright.
As soon as the sound of her voice ebbed away, I could hear fast paced feet sprint towards my door.
“You don’t know?” I asked, my eyes narrowed and my brows frowning. I was sure she knew. Aaron definitely knew! So she had to know.
