Don't Forget
That’s my girl!
Connor didn’t want to answer the phone when he saw the caller ID so he tossed his phone across the room. He was finishing up his billionth round of the zombie level of Call of Duty. He hadn’t left his room since Mia came out of her coma a couple days before. He didn’t see the point. Tomorrow he’d be on the plane back to New York. He just needed to make it through sixteen more hours of being in such close proximity to this mess.
He’d done his job and delivered Messiah to her mother. Messiah… No he couldn’t think about her or her soft hair or her bright eyes or the way she cooed in her sleep the two nights Connor had her. Connor was a fool if he actually believed Messiah could be his. Connor was losing his mind thinking and trying not to think about it. Maybe if he kept killing zombies, maybe, just maybe the sound of Messiah’s shrieks would fade.
There was knock at his door. He turned down his TV and that’s when he heard it. A soft whisper version of Messiah’s cry. Connor stumbled over the stuff on his floor and opened the door to Mia with Messiah wrapped in a pink baby blanket. Messiah was crying but there were no tears.Her eyes were shut tight and her voice was hoarse. Messiah’s face was streaked with white from the salt of her tears and her snot trail. Connor took her from Mia and stuck his finger in Messiah’s hand.
“Shhhh hush now.” He hissed turning away from Mia as if she had never been there in the first place.
Messiah’s hoarse crying turned into a dull moan until she looked up at him, her eyes were bloodshot, then she was quiet all together again. He carried Messiah to his bathroom and started water in the sink. Messiah’s breath still shaky but she’d stopped the heartbreakingly hoarse cry she had been doing. She stared up at Connor with her lip poked out.
“Don’t give my that look. I had to leave.” He ran a warm face towel across Messiah’s face wiping away the dried snot and the salt, “You don’t belong with me you belong with”-
“How can you say she doesn’t belong with you?” Mia said from Connor’s bathroom door making him jump, “You’re the first person to be able to stop her crying. This is the most quiet I’ve ever seen her.”
Connor looked to Mia. Her eyes were bloodshot like Messiah’s. She was pale as if she was simply the walking version of the Sick Mia he’d visited once in the hospital. Connor looked down at Messiah again. She was slowly falling to sleep to his rocking her.
“What have you been doing to her?”
“Don’t you dare take that tone with me after you left.” Mia hissed. There were tears in her eyes but her expression was fierce, “Look at her! This is the first time I’ve seen her asleep...she hasn’t eaten…” Mia voice broke and she sunk to her knees sobbing.”I have milk but *hic* she won’t eat.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her fists, “All she does is cry*hic* and cry she won’t look me in the eyes. She hates me.” Her voice squeaked, “It’s your fault! She thinks I drove you away. How could you leave when you’re the only one knew what to do? I just didn’t know what to do.” Connor lowered his toilet seat and sat down. He watched Mia cry and looked down at Messiah who was asleep, snoring and cooing in his arms, “And you’ve been here the whole time? Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
“I didn’t want to talk to you…”Connor looked down at Messiah again and kissed her nose. She sniffled but didn’t sneeze because Connor had taken up shaving again, “I didn’t want to see her with Eric.”
“Nobody does, I swear she got shrill when Eric came near her. He didn’t even try to pick her up.” Mia snorted then covered her face to try to hide the snot bubble that popped on her face, “Oh God I hate crying.”
Connor smirked down at Messiah, she was still fast asleep in his arms. So this was what pride felt like, That’s my girl!
He gathered some tissue and stood to hand it to her. Mia got to her feet, “Ok we have to wake her up.” She tugged Connor’s forearm leading him to his bed and she sat leaning against his headboard, “She has to eat, it’s been two days already.” Mia took off her sweatshirt. She wasn’t wearing a shirt underneath so Connor could see the remnants of the damage she suffered. Her torso was still heavily bandaged and even the simple careful movement of taking off her sweatshirt seemed to pain her. She looked up at Connor, “What do we do?”
He’d done his job and delivered Messiah to her mother. Messiah… No he couldn’t think about her or her soft hair or her bright eyes or the way she cooed in her sleep the two nights Connor had her. Connor was a fool if he actually believed Messiah could be his. Connor was losing his mind thinking and trying not to think about it. Maybe if he kept killing zombies, maybe, just maybe the sound of Messiah’s shrieks would fade.
There was knock at his door. He turned down his TV and that’s when he heard it. A soft whisper version of Messiah’s cry. Connor stumbled over the stuff on his floor and opened the door to Mia with Messiah wrapped in a pink baby blanket. Messiah was crying but there were no tears.Her eyes were shut tight and her voice was hoarse. Messiah’s face was streaked with white from the salt of her tears and her snot trail. Connor took her from Mia and stuck his finger in Messiah’s hand.
“Shhhh hush now.” He hissed turning away from Mia as if she had never been there in the first place.
Messiah’s hoarse crying turned into a dull moan until she looked up at him, her eyes were bloodshot, then she was quiet all together again. He carried Messiah to his bathroom and started water in the sink. Messiah’s breath still shaky but she’d stopped the heartbreakingly hoarse cry she had been doing. She stared up at Connor with her lip poked out.
“Don’t give my that look. I had to leave.” He ran a warm face towel across Messiah’s face wiping away the dried snot and the salt, “You don’t belong with me you belong with”-
“How can you say she doesn’t belong with you?” Mia said from Connor’s bathroom door making him jump, “You’re the first person to be able to stop her crying. This is the most quiet I’ve ever seen her.”
Connor looked to Mia. Her eyes were bloodshot like Messiah’s. She was pale as if she was simply the walking version of the Sick Mia he’d visited once in the hospital. Connor looked down at Messiah again. She was slowly falling to sleep to his rocking her.
“What have you been doing to her?”
“Don’t you dare take that tone with me after you left.” Mia hissed. There were tears in her eyes but her expression was fierce, “Look at her! This is the first time I’ve seen her asleep...she hasn’t eaten…” Mia voice broke and she sunk to her knees sobbing.”I have milk but *hic* she won’t eat.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her fists, “All she does is cry*hic* and cry she won’t look me in the eyes. She hates me.” Her voice squeaked, “It’s your fault! She thinks I drove you away. How could you leave when you’re the only one knew what to do? I just didn’t know what to do.” Connor lowered his toilet seat and sat down. He watched Mia cry and looked down at Messiah who was asleep, snoring and cooing in his arms, “And you’ve been here the whole time? Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
“I didn’t want to talk to you…”Connor looked down at Messiah again and kissed her nose. She sniffled but didn’t sneeze because Connor had taken up shaving again, “I didn’t want to see her with Eric.”
“Nobody does, I swear she got shrill when Eric came near her. He didn’t even try to pick her up.” Mia snorted then covered her face to try to hide the snot bubble that popped on her face, “Oh God I hate crying.”
Connor smirked down at Messiah, she was still fast asleep in his arms. So this was what pride felt like, That’s my girl!
He gathered some tissue and stood to hand it to her. Mia got to her feet, “Ok we have to wake her up.” She tugged Connor’s forearm leading him to his bed and she sat leaning against his headboard, “She has to eat, it’s been two days already.” Mia took off her sweatshirt. She wasn’t wearing a shirt underneath so Connor could see the remnants of the damage she suffered. Her torso was still heavily bandaged and even the simple careful movement of taking off her sweatshirt seemed to pain her. She looked up at Connor, “What do we do?”