Skinny • Book 1 In The Reality Series

Katy

Humans in my opinion are a lot like bugs. We live, then we die and sometimes we're squished prematurely.

Sometimes I find myself feeling invisible like a bug.

Sitting in the hospital waiting room, beside Austin who is forgoing his break to sit with me I feel like a spider on the wall, watching and listening.

Calum's family are an emotional wreck at first, then they're completely still, eerily so.

The extended family leave at eight, their bosses unwilling to permit the time off they've tearfully requested.

Anna goes home. Mr. Hood makes her.

It's just him and Calum's Mom then. Neither one talking, her crying, him staring fully ahead at the wall in front of him.

His tie is discarded on the seat beside him, the first three buttons of his shirt undone, the bottom untucked, his hair pointing every which way from all the times he'd run his fingertips through it.

At nine Austin leaves, having to get home with the kids before Dorothy leaves for work.

At eleven Calum's Mom is asleep in her chair, her resting on her former husband's lap.

They're not in love. You can tell, but they love each other. After years of caring for one another their close proximity seems second nature.

At noon, she's still sleeping, now on his tie so he gets up. He returns sometime later with what appears to be coffee.

He sets one on a napkin on the floor in front of her, he holds the second, and the third he holds out towards me.

Startled, I rise to my feet and mumbling an apology take the warm cup.

Sitting down, several chairs closer to me then he was before, he pulls packets of sugar, creamers and sweeteners from his pocket and sets them on the seat between us.

Nervously, I take one.

"How are you Katy?" He questions, staring straight ahead. 

Surprised, I try to think of words to describe the flu like feeling of dread and despair which has my insides twisted in its fist before giving up and shrugging.

He nods.

We sit in silence again for several moments.

Mr. Hood?" I question tentatively.

He glances at me and I see Calum in his face.

"It's not your fault." I say quietly.

For several seconds I think maybe he'll fly over the seat separating us and hit me, then he looks like he's going to sneeze before he stands up and moving in front of me, hugs me.

The gesture was too sincere to be awkward.

"Thank you." He chokes out, his voice wavering, "You mean the world to him. You make him happy. You've taken better care of him in a few months then I have in the past few years."

"That's not true." I assure him, "Calum looks up to you a lot. I don't think he'd ever admit it but he lives to make you proud."

Sniffing, he pulls away from and sits down next to me.

"He'll be okay." I say, trying to assure myself as much as I am him."

"How did this happen?" He whispers.

I don't think he's talking to me anymore, but I answer.

"Calum is a strong person, that makes fighting a mental war with himself a hard one to win."

He says nothing.

"He can't just get over it." I continue, "If you really want him to get better you have to help him through it."

Turning his head, he looks down at me, "Thank you Katy."

"Don't thank me." I answer, "I'd do anything for Calum, I love him."

"Me too." He mutters, talking to himself more then me once again, "Me too."