Believe In Me

“You lied,” she stated calmly into the receiver.

“Not entirely. The way you reacted this morning, I assumed my assumption was true.”

She laughed from the hot breath on her neck, “Well, your assumption isn’t true, yet.”

“Yet,” Kay questioned while giving her kitchen counter a final scrub.

Curls brushed against the back of her ear as his arms encircled her; another giggle was suppressed. “Yes, yet,” she rested her hand on his forearm, her finger tracing what was left of the scar from the tree incident, “If he grows a pair and asks me I wouldn’t be saying yet.”

Nick pulled back and glared at her playfully while she smiled and leaned against the counter top. “Dailee Alece!” Aunt Kay exclaimed so loud Nick could hear her.

“Yeah, Dailee Alece!” he mimicked. Rolling her eyes, Dailee turned toward the phone jack on the wall. He came up behind her and gave her a hug before kissing her cheek. “I have to go, Kay…”

“Tell him I said hi!”

“Bye Kayva,” she exclaimed before pressing end and turning around in his embrace. She went up on her tiptoes and rested her chin on his shoulder. After moving his hands down to clutch her waist he easily lifted her up onto the counter top and fixed his eyes on hers. She shot him a crooked smile as he inched himself closer to her knees. “I love your smile.”

“Do You?”

“For as long as I can remember, that’s all I could see when you walked in a room.”

She smiled wider as he gently rested his hands on her knees. He started to lean in slowly; she could hardly notice he was moving. “You, Nicholas, are going to get yourself in trouble one day if you keep up these comments.” His now smirking lips were millimeters away from hers. His eyes shut at the same time as Dailee’s did. “Hello, trouble,” he whispered right before someone sneezed. Completely ruining the moment, Cale sauntered in the room just as the two embarrassed teens turned their attention to him. “Didn’t talk long to Auntie Kay, did ya?”

“She didn’t have much to say…"
“I think I should head home now…” Dailee and Nick spoke at the same time.

Dailee turned towards him, “Are you sure?”

Nick smiled, “Yeah, I have homework to do anyway.”
After smiling sadly at him, he gave her right knee a squeeze. “I’ll see you later, Dailee. Bye Cale.”
“Bye,” Dailee said longingly.

Turning to Cale, she noticed he looked kind of pale. “Are you feeling ok?”

“Just a little under the weather. I’ll be better tomorrow.”

That morning was the first in a long time Dailee woke up with a smile on her face. After jumping out of bed she ran to Cale’s room to see if he was up yet. Upon entering, she noticed his room was unusually messy and he was curled up under the heavy comforter he probably dug out of his closet last night. All she could see was his blonde hair sticking every which way as it peeked out of the side of the blanket. “Cale?” He should be up now, it was almost 7. He was almost always up by this time. When she didn’t hear him move she carefully maneuvered her way around his clothes on the floor and sat on the corner of the bed closest to his head. She gently put a hand on his head, but jerked it back at the temperature it had risen to. She peeled the covers off his sweating body and got on her knees to look at his face. His eyes were open lifelessly with dark circles underneath, like he had been awake all night. He was pale as a ghost and taking shallow breaths. “It’s cold,” he stated with a breath between the words.

“I’m calling Kayva. Stay here.”
___________________________________________________

“No, he has a really high fever and it looks like he’s having trouble breathing.”

“Oh, no. I’ll be there soon sweetie. Unlock the front door and I’ll just come up,” Kayva hurried around the kitchen looking for her keys. She bayed goodbye to Dailee and left the house without a second thought.

Dailee was seated on Cale’s bed again stroking his hair gently. “Please, stop. It gives me chills,” he whispered, almost inaudible.

“I’m sorry. Try not to talk, focus on breathing.”

Fifteen minutes later, Kayva burst through the door and ran up the stairs to Cale’s room.

“Cale? Cale. Oh, my you look a mess. Uh, where did I put the thermometer,” she was feeling her pockets and looking in her purse frantically as she spoke. She finally found it an stuck it in his ear, waiting until it beeped to pull it out and look at it. “Oh, my…”

“What is it?” Dailee was frantic now. She needed to know what was wrong with her brother.

“I think it’s best for everyone if he stays at my house until he gets better. I can’t risk having you catch what he has. Are you going to be ok here by yourself?” Kayva knew about how her sister-in-law was slightly off her rocker after Dale passed, but she didn’t know about everything that went on behind closed doors. Cale and Dailee decided it was best if she didn’t know, even if she was really the only one who would be willing to help them out of the Hell where they were currently residing.

Dailee was scared alright. Even though she wasn’t sure if she could live under the same roof as her, she knew her fear of losing Cale was greater than the fear of any pain her mother could lash out. She needed to be strong for him like he was for her. It was time to start paying back all the misfortunes her situation had put him in. Though he swears up and down it doesn’t stop him from doing what he wants, because all he wants is for her to be safe and unharmed. She really needed to do this, for herself and for Cale. “Yes, I will be fine. Please, just help him.”

There was a knock heard coming from downstairs. Dailee and Kay looked from each other to the door, neither wanting to leave Cale. “I’ll get it…” Dailee got up and ran down the stairs and to the front door. She desperately needed someone to give her a hug and tell her everything will be fine. She stood back to fling the door open, short shorts and all, to reveal Nick fully dressed with backpack in hand. Behind him she noticed the only car in the driveway was Kayva's. “Can I come in?”

Nodding she pulled him inside and dragged him up the stairs. “Whoa, where are we going?”
She stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to face him. He could easily see the pain written across her face now. Without thinking he dropped his bag on the floor and pulled her into a tight hug. He could feel her slightly relax in his arms. He smiled a little at the very fact that he could have that kind of effect on her. Pulling back enough to see her face he asked, “What’s wrong, doll-face?”

She started to lead him down the hallway, her arm still fastened around his waist as his around her shoulder. “You know how Cale looked kind of sick yesterday? Well…”

They walked into Cale’s room and there he laid, eyes still fixed on nothing and Kayva sitting on his bed with his hand gripped in hers. “Oh, my God.”

“Kayva, Nick and I have to get to school soon. Do you mind if I get ready? I still need to shower,” Dailee wondered, now noticing she was still in her pajamas. Uncomfortably removing her arm from around his waist she looked over at her Aunt. Nick kept his arm around her shoulders though as he looked down at her. “Oh, of course, sweetie. Go ahead.”

After glancing up at Nick, she pulled from his hold and walked to the bathroom. After a few seconds of silence Kayva spoke, “I don’t want this to be awkward or anything, but when are you going to ask her?”

Trying to play dumb Nick asked, “Ask her what?”

“Don’t play stupid with me; I see the way you look at her. You did it just before she left.”

He chuckled, and then cleared his throat, “The look that says I’m hopelessly falling for her? Yeah, I have to cover that one up better.”

Smiling, Kay looked down at Cale whose eyes were closed now. “Do you think you could help me carry him to my car? He’s a bit larger than my stature can carry…”

“Yeah, sure,” Nick thought about how they could get him down the stairs. Finally coming up with something he told Kay and they both got him to the car safely. After he was in the back seat Kayva thanked Nick. “Are you sure you can get him into your house ok?”

“Yes, my husband is home and he can help me. We can just make another hammock out of sheets to carry him in since he hates to be touched right now,” she stated after closing the car door.

After promising to tell Dailee Kayva would call her after school, Nick walked back into the house. Remembering his backpack was in the hall he went back up to retrieve it. By this time he had noticed she was in her room with the door slightly ajar. He went closer toward her room to see if she was ready when he heard a curse escape between the door and the frame. She’s crying. He could hear it in her voice. “Dailee?” when he was about to reach for the door handle, it was suddenly flung open. There she stood. And the tears were streaming down her face steadily. All he had to do was gesture his arms out towards her petite frame and she was latched on his neck. The crying turned to silent sobs and her knees started to give way. Sensing this, Nick picked her up, much like the night she fell asleep in the basement, and carried her into her room. He sat down on her bed and let her stay leaned against him. While her tears stained his shirt he tried calming her by rocking side to side and running his fingers through her damp hair. They stayed like this until Nick’s arm started to fall asleep from his tight grip on her. Instead of letting her go, he laid back, taking her with him. She started to calm down shortly after she curled against his torso. “Is it Cale that you’re crying over?” She just nodded, preventing her voice from cracking unnecessarily.

“What’s got you so worked up? I’m sure he’ll be fine in a week or two, maybe less.”

“No,” she disagreed, “you don't understand. He has never been this sick before. Normally it’s just a cold and he gets over it in a day or two. And I just have this creepy feeling there is something seriously wrong with him.” He couldn’t disagree with that; he has never seen Cale sick since he’s known him. She continued, “And, I’m scared.”

“Of what,” he asked gently while allowing both of his arms to snake behind her back.

“Losing him. If I lose Cale, my Aunt Kay will be the only one left for me.”

“No,” it was Nick’s turn to disagree, “you’ll have me, too.”

She propped herself up on her elbow and kissed him on the cheek, then the gently on the lips. She leaned back into his side. “Thank you, Nick. That really means a lot to me.”

“Any time, Dailee. Any time at all,” he whispered, kissing her forehead tenderly.

"Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face
And I
...
And I will try to fix you"