Along the Horizon.

Logan pulled away, eyes closed, still praying for a miracle. But nothing. Not even a flutter on the monitors. He felt his heart start to rip. A single tear forming in the corner of his eye. How stupid of him to think that a silly little kiss would wake his real life Sleeping Beauty?

Abruptly Logan stood, forcing the tear back into the tear duct. “I told you kid. Come on visiting hours are over,” though Logan didn’t mean to, his words dripped with bitterness.

“It’s okay, Logan. We can try tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that and the day-“

“Brady, she isn’t going to wake up from a stupid kiss. Now let’s go find your mom so you can stop bothering me.”

Karen was in the waiting room. She didn’t like to go back with Brady because he asked too many questions that she didn’t have the answers for. When she saw Logan and Brady walk through the large double door, she knew something was the matter. Logan normally kept a cheery face for Brady, but not this time.

“What’s wrong?” Karen sounded frantic.

“Nothing, I’m not going to sleep over tonight. I have something to do,” Logan said revealing no emotions before exiting through the doors he just came from.

Karen looked down at her son who just looked at her mutely. He didn’t have to say anything though, it was all written on his face. All the pain, and sadness was there plain as day. “Don’t be sad Brady. Maggie will be okay.”

“I’m not sad about Maggie. I’m sad about Logan. I think that the doctors should put a spell on him so he can sleep better too.”

“Come on baby, let’s go home.”

*

It had been the first time Logan has gone to see his mother since the morning after the fight. She refused treatment so they shipped her off to a county jail so she could wait for her trial. It was probably the first time they would have a sober conversation since Logan was just a kid.

“Hey Ma,” Logan held a black telephone up to his ear.

A worn out woman stared back at him through the glass. People say that she was once the most beautiful girl in the world, but drugs has long since robbed her from that title. Now her yellowing skin sagged, and her sandy hair fell limp around her shoulders. Her grey eyes lost all shine. “Logan,” she breathed her voice still velvety soft.

“Yeah, it’s me. I’ve missed you,” the woman who looked like death didn’t reply. She only smiled. “I basically moved in with my girlfriend and her widowed mother and autistic brother. It’s funny that I’ve only known them a couple months but they have been more of a family than you’ve ever been in the eighteen years that you’ve raised me.”

Again the woman said nothing. Merely sighed sorrowfully, and stared back at her son. “I told Maggie that I loved her. Set up this whole looking at stars thing on the beach with her brother and just told her. A day later she gets kidnapped. Her and Rachel, remember her? Yeah well they get thrown into Maggie’s car driven to BFE, raped, tortured, and were on the brink of starvation all before the cops kicked down the doors and saved them.”

Logan looked at his mother. In many ways they were similar, but in more ways were they different. “Maggie got the worse of it. That sick son of a bitch really fucked her up. Thank god Rachel is only going to need intense psychotherapy, because I don’t know if Maggie will ever wake up. I keep seeing images of her. Every single time I close my eyes. Bloody, bruised, opened flesh, and on the brink of death. Then I think to myself, I’ve seen this before. When my junkie of a mother gets into fights with her low life brawler of a dick husband beats on her. Why mom, why do you do this to yourself?”

“You know why, we’re alike remember?” She finally spoke something more than a whisper.

“No, I was never and will be ever like you. I stopped hiding my feelings. I let people in. I let Maggie and Rachel in. I let Brady in, and their mom. I stopped wanting to feel numb a long time ago. Why can’t you do it too?”

“You had something to live for.”

“And you don’t? What about me mom? Your son. Your true flesh and blood,” Logan pounded on the glass asking his mother by surprise. The guard stepped in.

“Sir, it’s time to leave,” the guard said in a steady tone.

“I think you’re afraid you’ll lose her, like you lost me. It’s okay Logan. She is much stronger than I ever was. She’ll pull through it. Just keep loving her. Love her always and unconditionally,” Logan’s mom said before handing the phone back up. Disconnecting the line between mother and son.