Rum and Coke

“So, you’re telling me that she forced herself into a panic attack?” Kale asked the doctor, not believing what the doctor had just told him.

“In a sense, yes, that’s exactly what she did. You see, she hasn’t eaten in awhile, and yet has been through so much stress that her body just couldn’t handle it anymore. We see a lot of these cases in adolescent females that have been through some trauma. It’s nothing that a little rest won’t cure. For the next three weeks, I want you to make her environment as stress-free as possible.”

“Stress free? Obviously it’s been a long time since you were a senior in high school. Especially now that graduation is only a few weeks away! Tell me, have you ever gone through losing two important people in your life within a few weeks of each other during an already stressful time?!”

The doctor sighed. “Well, then, I guess your work is cut out for you. We’re going to release her tomorrow afternoon. Feel free to pick her up around noon.” He said in a snappy attitude.

Kale scoffed at the man’s retreating back. His expression softened when he looked at Ellie through the small window in the door. She was still asleep, looking so peaceful even if she was hooked up to an IV drip.

“What can I possibly do to make you realize that everyone really does love you? You’re not as alone as you think you are.” He said quietly through the door. He was all out of ideas. He hadn’t seen her friends in a long time. Hopefully, she didn’t burn too many bridges. “Adam, why the fuck did you have to fly back so soon?”

~*~

“What is the real reason you came here?” The blonde asked from across the table.

Adam put his face in his hands.

“Adam, it’s too late. Jay and Monty are already grown and out of the house.”

“I know that, Cybele. I just-”

“You just what? Realized that you’ve been chasing phantoms this entire time? Realized that you missed out on your sons’ lives because you were too busy with Danielle and Ellie?

“I provided for both of them, and you know it. They’ve both seen me countless times every year since the split, and I’ve been to every major event in their lives. Don’t turn this around and make me look like the bad father."

“Whatever, Adam, why are you here? Last I checked, you never wanted to speak to me.” Cybele said flatly. She was getting irritated with him. If he just got to the point and stopped dancing around, then she could get home and relax with her husband.

“I came to see if we could repair our relationship and become friends again. It’s not fair to the kids that we’re always at each other’s throats.”

“Bull.”

“It’s the truth!”

Cybele bit her tongue and leaned over the small café table. “No, it’s not. I’ve known you for too long. What’s the real reason? Huh, why did you call me up a few days ago? Where is your precious Danielle? Is she off fucking some other guy?” Danielle had always been a sore subject between Cybele and Adam. Cybele still blamed the other woman for breaking her and Adam’s perfect marriage.

“Shut up!” Adam roared.

Cybele cowered back in her chair. She hadn’t heard him this mad in a long time. "S-sorry."

“She- she’s gone.”

“She left?” Cybele asked, her face brightening.

“Not exactly.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean she’s dead! God, you’re so fucking dense sometimes!” Adam seethed as he stood up. “This was just a waste of my time. Bye.” He said before leaving the small café.

Cybele’s face contorted into sympathy. If she had known, then she wouldn’t have said anything.

~*~

The news of Ellie being hospitalized didn’t really surprise Mark. He had noticed that she’s been slowly fading away since her mother’s death. Every time he saw her, it was like her mind was a little bit more out of reality than the last time. He was terrified that she would disappear completely. To reassure himself that she was still tangible, he pushed through the door and stepped into her room. He walked quickly to her and sat down in the chair next to the bed. He grabbed her hand in his and began to gently rub it.

Ellie stirred a little in her drug induced sleep. She tossed her head side to side and muttered incoherent things. His heart beating faster, Mark got one the bed with her, wrapped his arms around her slim waist and positioned himself so that his head lay on her stomach. He was careful not to bump the needles and wires that were in her arms. She instantly settled down and fell into a relaxed and peaceful sleep.

Smiling at his accomplishment, Mark nuzzled his head further into her soft skin and placed a chaste kiss on her clothed stomach. He remembered when he first met her. His parents were both offered a job as principle dancers and ballet instructors in Danielle’s dance company. They were getting a tour of the studio and theatre house when Mark first saw her.

“And this is one of our smaller practice rooms,” Danielle said as she took the family of three around the studio.

“And the dancer and the man in there?” Christoff, Mark’s father asked in his thick Russian accent.

Danielle peered in and smiled. “That’s my daughter, Ellie. She’s working on a piece for the Spring Dance concert in a few weeks. The man is Kale Davis, co-founder of this dance company.”

“Oh, Kale! I got it!” an eleven year old Ellie squealed as the others looked on unnoticed. “So, you know at the bridge: dad a dun…da dada da dada da…”

“I got you.”

“So, I’ll jump like this,” she demonstrated a ballotté, “and land like this,” she said once her knees hit the ground. “I cross my arms. Grab. Up. down. Up. Hip lift. Extension. Partner slides his left foot forward I come down. Arabesque. End. See? It’s perfect?!” Kale did the moves as instructed.

Kale laughed at the young girl. “Great, now all you have to do is find a partner that isn’t afraid of getting sued for statutory rape. Why couldn’t this wait until you were older?”

“Because, I’m a genius and there’s a lot more to come.” Ellie snapped back at him with a smile.

“I can do it,” Mark said as he stepped forward. In his mind, he was wondering where this bravery was coming from. He was very shy by nature.

Ellie looked at him oddly and placed her hands on her hips. “You can? You’re what? ten?”

“I just turned twelve actually.”

“Mark is a very talented dancer.” Mark’s mother, Diana, spoke up from the doorway.

Ellie shrugged her shoulders. “Prove it.”

Mark walked further in. “Ok, do your move.”

Ellie did. Mark grabbed her hands and soon, she was perfectly balanced above him with his hands securely holding her hips. He stepped forward and gently brought her down so that she was on the ground. They finished up quickly to applause.

Danielle beamed at her daughter. “It looks like you found yourself a partner, Ellie. We’ll leave you two to your practice. Kale, Jared called for you a little while ago.”

Mark’s trip down memory lane was interrupted when Ryan and Bailey walked into the room. Ryan’s arm was wrapped securely around a stony-faced Bailey’s shoulders.

“Is she okay?” Ryan asked timidly as he walked further into the room, all the while looking around anxiously.

“Yea, they have her on so many drugs to keep her asleep right now. Are you okay, man?” Mark asked.

“This is the hospital,” Ryan whispered as he sat down next to Mark. He quickly brought Bailey down onto his lap and wrapped his arms securely around her waist. He hid his face in her back.

“Oh, I forgot. I’m sorry, man.”

Ryan buried his face further into Bailey’s back.

“Who was the last person that spoke to her?” Bailey said without any trace of emotion in her voice.

“According to the phone, it was someone in the theatre house.” Mark said as he scrolled through Ellie’s cell phone.

“The board of directors.” She spoke without looking at anyone.

“What?” Mark questioned the girl.

“It was the board of directors, I bet. They wanted to make the dance into an homage of Danielle’s life. I bet they wanted Ellie to dance in it.”

“Wait, how do you know this and not me? I’m the fucking ALD for that hall.” Mark growled as he stood up. He didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but he spent all of his free time in the theatre house.

“Calm down,” Bailey said in an eerily low tone as she flashed her eyes at him. Even though she was on a lower level than Mark was, she still held an authoritative tone that made Mark sink to the ground. “I know you’re upset that you don’t know everything, but get over it! There are more important things to take care of than your pride.” Bailey pointed at Ellie’s form. “That girl right there is what’s important. She may have quit the band, but she is still our friend. Do you not remember the pact we made in middle school? Blood to blood, we would help each other out, no matter what? That we would support any decision, no matter how irrational it was?”

Mark looked down, ashamed for what he had said.

“We need to help her through this. Whether it’s helping her talk to the board or getting her in shape. We need to be there for her, no matter what.” Bailey turned to look at Ryan. “No matter how much emotional pain we go through just by being in a place that we swore we would never ever go to again.”

Ryan nodded his head. “I-I’ll do it. I’ll face my fears. Mark?”

“I’m in, too.”

“Good. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”