28. Sick and Tired
Someone held something to my mouth and I tried to push them away. Couldn't they just let me sleep? I couldn't remember ever being this tired. My brain felt like mush and my eyes were so heavy, I couldn't even think about opening them. "Don't look like he wants it." An unfamiliar voice sounded like they were laughing, and I wished they'd keep it down.
"Shut up, would ya? If you ain't gonna help, you can beat it," someone else snarled, and a few minutes later there was grumbling and a door slammed. "Come on, kiddo. Two-Bit said it was your favorite."
I groaned, confused. Two-Bit? Was Two-Bit here? Glory I felt awful, but I missed Two-Bit so much…I tried to open my eyes and find him, but my eyelids were too heavy. I didn't want to miss Two-Bit...where was I? At the house? No...my brain did its best to catch up. I didn't live with my brothers anymore. I lived with...a foster family. Had he come to see me?
"Two-Bit?" I asked, turning my head. "Two-Bit!" I called for him, and a hand landed on my shoulder.
"He ain't here. It's James. I talked to him on the phone. Said you liked tomato soup. Try and eat some, okay?"
I frowned at that. "James?" Richard was the foster father. That's what the social worker had told me before I'd even gotten to the house. And Mark and Tyler were the other boys in the house...my foster brothers. But not my real brothers. So who was James?
"Yeah," the guy told me. I kept my eyes shut, curled up on what felt like a couch, which was weird because I didn't sleep on a couch at that house. I never even went into the living room if I could help it.
I shrank back into the couch a little, not able to figure what was going on. James. Did I know a James? There was only one reason I could think of that I'd be feeling this bad…Richard. Maybe James was a new foster kid. "Is Richard here?" I asked, making my voice quiet in case he was around. The hand on my shoulder moved away for a second.
"Who the hell is that, kid? You got too many friends for me to keep track of."
"What did I do?"
"What do you mean? You didn't do nothing."
"Is he here? I gotta get up."
"Nope." The hand on my shoulder returned, holding me down. "Now who's Richard?" There was a long pause. "Richard the one that put those cigarettes out on your arm? The one that belted you?"
"I wasn't smoking…" I couldn't even remember the last time I'd smoked!
The guy sighed. "Yeah, I know." A hand pushed my hair back, no longer restraining since I couldn't get up anyway.
"Soda?" I asked, my voice breaking. Was it him? Was my brother here with me? It didn't sound like him, but was what Sodapop did. He always sat with me like this when I was sick. "Soda?" I reached out for him, and a hand caught mine. "I don't feel good, Soda."
"I know, kiddo. Here, drink this, okay? You'll feel better." The voice was tired…but it wasn't Soda. It wasn't mean though. Just tired and sad.
"Where's Soda?"
"He's back in Tulsa, Ponyboy. You're in New York."
New York...I'd never been to New York before. But I was there now...was my family with me? Had it all been a dream? Richard and Mark and Tyler...and Rita. Lianne? Why would I dream something that awful?
"I want Soda," I told the guy with me. I wanted my brother. Either of them...but mostly Sodapop.
"I know. You'll have him back soon, okay. Promise. Now drink this. Then you can go back to sleep."
Sighing and doing what the guy asked, I drank the soup, closing my eyes as soon as he stopped bugging me. It seemed like only a few minutes later I was drinking more water and taking more pills, and then I was drinking something else. Soup. Tomato soup. Mom and Dad always gave me soup when I was sick. Was I sick?
I woke up a few times, feeling awful when someone sat me up and put something on my side or on my arms. Once or twice, I heard the radio on real soft in the background and wondered where I was, but I was too tired to get up and figure it out. Richard never played the radio. Sometimes the TV, but usually, unless Mark or Tyler were playing the radio in our room, Richard's house was silent until he got mad and started slamming doors and yelling. It always made my hair stand on end.
I dreamed about my brothers in between someone making me sit up and holding a spoon to my mouth over and over as I drank something. I guess it was soup they were making me drink. It all tasted the same. A cold cloth was draped over my forehead most of the time, and I alternated between shivering and shoving the covers off. I think Johnny was with me sometimes. He'd push my hair back like Soda did, and I started coughing at some point, going on until I couldn't catch my breath and Johnny or somebody would help me sit up, patting my back until it finally stopped.
In my dreams, it was Darry or Soda that helped me sit up, their arms around me as they told me I'd be alright. I didn't really get sick much but when I did, my family would take care of me. Mom would make soup and sit on the bed with me, and when I was little, she'd read me books in bed.
Once when I was older, probably ten or eleven, I got real sick, and Mom sat with me all night. I guess it must have been pretty bad, because Dad kept saying something about a doctor and they'd kept my brothers out of my room for a day or two. I'd coughed a lot then too, wheezing and gasping for breath in between fits. Mom made me soup and Dad had sat on the bed with me, running his hand through my hair and promising that I'd feel better soon. The next day, when I'd been barely awake, Darry had come in, sitting down and asking how I was feeling. The day after, he'd brought me a bag full of books from the library and a milkshake. Sodapop and him had stayed in my room that day, playing cards with me until I'd fallen asleep. That was what I wanted to remember.
The worst was when I dreamed they were with me, all three of us with Mom and Dad in the kitchen, me eating soup and Soda beside me, telling some kind of story about Steve in school. Darry sat on my other side, laughing at the story and keeping an eye on me. I couldn't figure out why he kept looking at me. I wasn't the one telling the story. Dad walked behind me, his hand on my shoulder, asking me something. I frowned, trying to look up at him, but I couldn't understand.
"Eat?" he asked, shaking my shoulder, and I glanced over at Darry. Wasn't I already eating? I looked down at the table but there was nothing there, and I looked back up and they were all gone.
"Dad?" I called, and the hand on my shoulder squeezed a little.
"It's Johnny, Pone."
"Johnny?" My breath came out in a harsh sigh, which made me start coughing again. He sat me up until I could breathe again, rubbing my back. Of course, it wasn't my dad. He was gone. They were both gone, and Darry and Soda were so far away and I missed them all so much! The dreams just made it worse…made me think for a second that we were all together again and that everything was okay. "What's going on?" I asked, leaning against him. I couldn't even sit up...my entire body felt boneless and weak.
"You're sick, man. You better eat some soup. Got some aspirin too."
I mumbled an 'okay' and tried to eat what he gave me, drinking the water and downing the Aspirin. I tried to ask what day it was but fell asleep before I could.
The next time I woke, someone was sitting me up and taking a bandage off my side. I dropped my head back against the sofa and tried to push the hand away when they held a burning rag to my side, but I couldn't manage it. "Johnny?" I asked.
"Nope. He's at work." I blinked a few times, finally managing to open my eyes. "There you are, kid. Was starting to wonder if you'd ever wake up."
"Why?"
"Cause you've been asleep for days."
"What about work?" I asked. Didn't I have a job now?
"You can go back when you feel better."
"Oh…" I managed to focus on him, blinking tiredly and then looking down at my side.
"What happened?"
"You don't know how you got a huge cut on your side?" He asked, a skeptical eyebrow raised.
I was too tired to come up with a lie. "Knife."
"Same one that cut your face?"
I sighed…I hated that scar. "No. That was a bottle." He hummed, putting the bandage back. "I was running from some guys…one got me with a knife. But I thought it was fine."
"You hit it when you fell, I guess…opened it up again. It was getting infected anyway."
"I put alcohol on it. My face too."
"Yeah, I know. But it's pretty deep…needs stitches, but there's nothing we can do about that now."
"Oh…sorry."
"What the hell are you sorry for, kid?"
"I don't know…getting sick." I guessed.
"Well, it ain't your fault, but I forgive you I guess."
I had to smile a little at his tone. He stepped back when the bandage was back on my side. "What day is it?" I wondered. "How long have I been asleep?"
"It's Thursday night, so about three days. Johnny just went to work."
"Oh…am I fired?"
"Nope. Your boss said not to come back until you were better. Doesn't want you falling off any more ladders." I vaguely remembered that. "Your big brother called Monday night. Apparently, you were supposed to call and they freaked out."
It came to me then, my eyes going wide. "Shit…I was supposed to call Soda back after work!"
"Yeah I know. He made Dallas call me so he could find out what happened. I talked to your brother for a while…some guy named Two-Bit too. They're all pretty worried. I promised to keep them updated, but I think even Darrel is getting bored with 'he's still asleep.'"
I grinned, but I hated that they were worried. It wasn't fair that they'd have to worry about me so much, knowing that I was sick and not able to help. "Can I call him? I mean…I can go to the payphone…"
He shook his head, scowling. "No way you're going outside right now. I doubt you could make it down the steps on your own. The big one's probably still on a roof, but you can call the soft drink if you want."
I snorted, not sure if Soda would laugh or give him a punch in the nose over that one. I decided not to tell him as James brought the phone over to the table closer to me so I could reach. I dialed the DX, thanking him as he headed to the kitchen, but he just waved over his shoulder and I heard the fridge open.
I wondered what time it was there…if Soda was still at the station. I was too tired to do the math. The phone only rang twice before it was picked up, though, so I didn't really have time to worry about it. "DX, this is Sodapop." I grinned…I'd hoped it would be him that would answer. I missed Steve too, but nothing like how bad I missed my brothers.
"Hey Soda…sorry it took so long to call back." I closed my eyes, imagining that I was there with him…that I'd just walked into the DX and he and Steve were getting ready to close up. Maybe Sandy would be there with Steve's girl, Evie. Her and Sandy were always real nice to me, and even though Steve didn't want me tagging along all the time, he wouldn't complain or nothing when I'd come to the DX, long as he had Evie there. And Sandy would smile and ask about school and Sodapop would give me a pack of smokes or a coke and then I'd head home, leaving them to whatever they were going to do all night.
"Ponyboy?" He sounded scared, almost like he was afraid it wasn't really me.
"Yeah. Hey, Sodapop." My voice sounded awful…like I was barely awake, which I guess I was.
He let out a long breath that was half laugh and half sob. "Glory Pony…we've been worried sick." Soda sighed, sniffing a little. "Are you okay? You don't sound great, kiddo."
"I'm sick…but I finally woke up."
He laughed a little, but more relieved than amused."Good. I'm glad. You've been sleeping too long." He paused. "Are you alright? James taking care of you?"
"Yeah, he's been great…I guess. Don't really remember much of it."
"Yeah?"
"I think I fell off a ladder at work. Opened a cut on my side. James said it was infected anyway."
"How'd you get that cut?" he asked softly.
I hesitated for a second, but I figured he might as well know. "When I was getting away…after they killed…I mean…" I sighed, running a hand over my face. I hated talking about this…hated looking at myself in the mirror. My thoughts were still muddled and I had to fight to remember it all. The night I'd gotten away. I just wanted to go back to sleep. "One of those men had a knife. They got a hold of me, and he tried to stab me with it before I got out of my jacket and got away."
"Yeah…they found your jacket. Scared us to death, Pony. I thought...glory, we all thought...well, you know." He gave a shaky sigh, and I figured he was running a hand through his hair.
I was quiet for a minute. They'd thought I was dead. I couldn't imagine how much that had hurt. "It's kinda deep…James said it should have had stitches, but I couldn't really stop at a hospital."
"No…guess you couldn't have."
"I couldn't come to you," I told him, blurting out the words. "I just…they would have found me and you'd be in trouble too…or I would have. I wanted to. More than anything I wanted to come to you and Darry."
"I know, honey," he assured me. "If you need to go to the doctor while you're up there, me or Darry can send money."
"No way. They'd want to know who I was and then they'd send me back…" I found myself gasping a little and had to fight a cough so I could keep talking. It tickled my sore throat though. "Soda, I can't go back…"
"You ain't gonna. Don't worry, Pony. Darry's got a cop looking into that guy. Ain't none of us gonna let you go back to that house. And if you did have to, which is not going to happen, one of us would be around. Always. We know where he lives now. I'd visit every day, honey, you know it. I'd never leave you alone there, now that I know where he lives. Okay?"
"Yeah?" I knew he wouldn't lie about it…still, it was good to hear it. Some nights at that place I'd lay awake, staring at the door, and think about my brothers. And sometimes, a terrible, dark fear would slip in…what if they knew? What if they knew where I was and didn't care? I mean…Dally knew where I was. What if he'd told? What if Darry was just glad to be free of me? "You would?"
"Of course I would, Pony! Darry too!" He told me gently. "Glory, kiddo, if I knew where you were, I'd be with you right now."
"You'd get fired," I reminded him with a small smile.
"Hell, Pony, I don't care about that," he whispered. "I don't guess there's any chance you'd tell me?"
"Sorry," I murmured. "Can't. James would kill me…Dal too, probably."
"Yeah…you're probably right."
"How are things there?" I asked, leaning back against the sofa. Just holding the phone was getting harder, and I gripped it as tight as I could so I wouldn't drop it.
"Um…they're…crap…" He said something I couldn't hear, then was back to me. "So you need an oil change? Yeah, we can do that for you."
"Well, no…I don't have a car, so…" I grinned, knowing his boss was probably in the room. "Even if I did, I'd get Steve to do it. He's way better than you."
"Right. Not a problem." I could hear him fighting laughter and tried not to laugh myself. Didn't want to give him away.
"I don't even know how to drive…well, Two-Bit showed me a little."
"Really?" he asked, sounding surprised. I knew he wouldn't get mad, and as soon as his boss left, he'd be back to normal. We'd done this plenty of times before.
"Yeah. Don't tell Darry though…he might get mad."
"He would not. And I'm way better at changing oil than Steve, you little brat." I laughed, wincing when it turned into a cough that took my breath away. I put the phone down for a second while I coughed, ignoring the voice on the line calling for me until I could breathe again. "Shoot, kiddo. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah." I was still gasping a little, but the cough was mostly gone for the moment. "Just a cold I guess." I sighed, enjoying being able to breathe again. "You were gonna tell me how things were there."
"Right…not too great, kiddo, to be honest."
"What? Why?"
"Some asshole threw a rock through our window on Sunday."
"What? Who?" I asked, trying to sit up and suppress the cough. James put a glass of water beside me before heading back to the kitchen and I drank some, waiting for Soda to tell me.
"Don't know for sure. Pretty sure it was one of those guys that Richard knows. Not sure who else would do it. Darry replaced the window."
"Are you guys okay?"
"Yeah. Me and Steve got cut up a little but we're all fine."
"Is that all?" I asked, knowing it wasn't. He didn't answer at first, but I knew he would. Soda didn't like to keep too much from me if he didn't have to.
"No…on Tuesday night, some guys broke into Two-Bit's house and got a hold of his sister."
I went still, almost dropping the phone. No. It was all I could think. Not Susan…not another girl. "She…did they…"
"They just scared her…roughed her up a little. She got away and came running over. Tim and Darry were the only ones here, and Dar took care of her. She's fine," he hurried to reassure me.
"It's my fault," I told him, my voice dull and flat.
"Oh, you told Richard about Susan?"
I flinched, shaking my head even though he couldn't see. "No!"
"Then you told him Two-Bit was your friend, and that he had a sister he left alone all the time?"
"Of course I didn't!"
"Then it wasn't your fault," he told me firmly, not mean, but serious like I rarely heard him. "That asshole came after us because he wants to hurt you. I ain't gonna let him. None of us are. We'll all keep an eye on Susie and Tim's guys are all on the lookout. Don't blame yourself for this, Pony. Not for any of it. Nothing about this is your fault. You hear?"
"Sure, Soda," I murmured, staring down at my lap, avoiding my arms, which, since I wasn't wearing a shirt, were bare, and I didn't want to see them. I didn't want to remember what he'd done to me.
"I ain't mad, kid, so you ain't gotta sound like that."
"I know…"
"We're taking care of things here, that's all. You don't need to worry about us. Just focus on getting better, okay?"
"Yeah, I will."
"Good."
I hesitated, then let myself ask. "Is Two-Bit mad?"
"At Richard? At those assholes that hurt his little sister? Hell, yeah. But not at you, Pony. Promise. We've got Susie staying here when her mom or Two-Bit are out. We ain't gonna let anything happen to her. Okay?"
"Yeah…" I murmured.
"Good. Remember that. No one's mad at you. We all just want you back, and we're doing everything we can to make sure you get back."
"I know…"
"You sound awful tired, kiddo. Why don't you get some sleep, okay? Eat something and rest. You need to get better, then we'll worry about the rest of it."
"Okay."
"If you're awake later and James doesn't mind the long distance, will you try to call?"
"I don't know if he'll let me…" I didn't want to push it by asking for too much.
"The hell are you talking about kid?" I froze, glancing up at James who was holding out a hand. "Here," he demanded
"Uh…James wants to talk to you," I told him.
"Sure. Love you, kiddo."
"I love you too." With that, I handed James the phone, my arm dropping almost limp at my side as I closed my eyes. I was so tired…
"This the soft drink?"
I grinned, hoping Soda didn't get offended. James chuckled so I guessed he didn't.
"Yeah. He ain't too bad…starting to get better." There was a long pause. "Yeah, I did." Another one. "Yeah, that's fine…only until he gets better, though. Then it's the payphone again." He didn't sound mad when he said it, so I wasn't too worried. Before I could listen to the rest of the conversation, I was asleep again.
James woke me up…I wasn't sure how long I was asleep this time, but it was still dark out when I woke. He had a bowl of soup that he pushed on me, handing me a spoon. "Guess you can feed yourself this time?"
"Huh?" I rubbed my eyes, staring at the mushroom soup, then nodded. "Yeah, sure."
"Good." He sat down across from me in his chair, all but watching me eat. I did my best to eat a few bites, but I wasn't that hungry, so I put the bowl on the table, my eyes drooping. "You feeling okay?"
"I guess…tired."
"Figures. You're still sick, but I think you'll live," he told me dryly, and I had to grin.
"Think so?"
"Probably." He held out a bottle of aspirin. "Better take some. Your fever's lower but you don't want it to come back."
"What time is it?" I asked, trying my best to stay awake as I swallowed the pills James gave me.
"Almost ten. You slept for about four hours…figured you'd want to talk to your big brothers again."
"I can go to the payphone…" I offered.
James rolled his eyes, pointing to the phone by the table. "Shut up and call your brothers.," he ordered, reaching out and ruffling my hair. I grinned, doing as he'd asked, almost holding my breath until the ringing stopped and the phone was picked up.
"Hello?"
Darry. It was Darry. When was the last time I'd talked to Darry? More than a week? Since the first time I'd called? I got to talk to both of my brothers! In one day! I wanted to cry, I was so relieved.
"James?" he asked, uncertain, and I smiled so big it hurt my face.
"Close," I told him, hoping I didn't start crying in front of James. Or maybe I'd already cried in front of him. "I am staying with him…would you rather talk to him?"
"Ponyboy?"
"Yeah. Hey, Darry."
He let out a long breath, and I knew he was grinning. "Are you okay?" he demanded, first thing.
"Yeah…I'm better. Sort of."
"Sort of?"
"Yeah. My fever's down, and I woke up."
"That's better, then," he told me, laughing, but he sounded more worried than amused. "Sodapop mentioned you'd called earlier…I was afraid you'd go back to sleep for another week."
"I hope not," I told him, turning my head away from the phone when I coughed. I knew he was worried though, even though I was trying not to let on how awful I felt. He always knew, though.
"How do you really feel, little buddy?"
"Tired," I admitted. "And I can't quit coughing…can barely hold a spoon." I wanted him to be there with me! I wanted my big brother to sit down beside me and put his arm around me and tell me it would be okay! Glory, just as soon as I'd gotten used to just having my brothers, they took them away too! I wasn't alone anymore…I had Johnny, and James was being pretty decent, and I was real grateful, but I still felt alone without my brothers.
"Sounds like you were pretty sick. It's good that James was there…I'm glad he took care of you."
"Yeah, he's been great." I grinned a little at James who rolled his eyes, standing and leaving me to my phone call as he headed to his bedroom.
"Just keep resting, okay? He said you'd been eating soup…can you keep it down alright?"
"Yeah, I'm not real hungry though." Not that that was any real change these days.
"Try to eat, Pone. You need to if you're going to get better."
"I'll try," I promised. And for him, I would.
"Good." There was something in the background, but Darry ignored it. "Soda told you about things here?"
"Yeah…is Susie really okay?"
"She's fine. We're having her stay here when their mom's not home and Two-Bit can't be there."
I could hear the disapproval plain in his voice…he'd never left me alone all night, even though I thought I was old enough. Still, it was kind of nice to think that he'd never leave me alone…to think that someone cared about me that much. Glory I wished I could take back every mean thing I'd ever said about him. I hadn't got it…I'd thought he hated me! How could I think that about Darry, who wouldn't leave me alone all night and who cared where I was and what I was doing and that I did well in school could possibly hate me? He'd never even laid a hand on me, even when he was upset and tired and frustrated and I was being a jerk…up until that last night, and he'd been so sorry I didn't even count it.
Richard had never been sorry.
"Good," I finally said, swallowing hard and pushing my hair back.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked then, his voice real gentle.
"I just wanna come home," I told him, closing my eyes so I wouldn't start bawling like some baby. My voice broke anyway, and I knew he could tell. I figured I was just tired, but still…I was too old to act like some little kid, crying 'cause he wanted his big brother to take care of him.
But I did…I wanted that so much. More than anything.
"We're gonna get you home soon," he promised, and I nodded, too tired to care that he couldn't see me.
"Yeah, I know. Sorry. And I'm sorry about the window."
"Not your fault. We've got the fuzz and Tim's gang both looking out."
"Bet our neighbors love that."
He snorted. "They'll have to live with it, at least until this is all over and that asshole's in jail."
"Do you really think he'll go to jail?" I asked, dropping my voice so James wouldn't hear. "I mean…how are they gonna prove anything? No one's gonna testify against him. Mark and Tyler want out and Rita…" I didn't want to think about Rita. Not on top of everything else. "Well, no one's gonna say anything against him."
"Don't worry about that, kiddo. We're gonna take care of it…and if the fuzz don't, then I will," he swore, and I nodded, even though he couldn't see. "Glory, I miss you so much." He sighed. "I'm gonna get you home as soon as I can, I promise."
"Has anything else happened?" I didn't want to think about Darry trying and failing to get me home. I didn't want to think about how many nights I'd laid awake in the boy's home, praying that Darry would show up one day to get me. Or praying that Sodapop would sneak in with Steve or Two-Bit...that they'd just come visit! Surely they could visit! If I could just see their faces...just have some kind of contact with someone who loved me. Thinking that had hurt more than anything, and those had been the nights where I'd fallen asleep with my face in my pillow, hot tears soaking the pillow until I finally fell asleep...or until the sun rose.
"Nope. We're keeping an eye out and everything's been quiet since they broke into Two-Bit's place a few days ago. The socs are quiet and those other guys haven't been around that any of us have seen. All you need to worry about is taking care of yourself, alright? How was work?"
"Before I fell off the ladder, it was fine. I think…can't remember much."
He chuckled a little when I did. "Good. I'm proud of you, Pone."
I went silent, freezing at the compliment. He'd never said anything like that to me…unless he was talking about a track meet. Sometimes if I won a race or something, he'd tell me he was proud of me. It was what I wanted when I brought my report cards home or cleaned the house or did good in a rumble. Glory, it was the best feeling in the world...and it hurt so much that he was so far away.
"You got a job at four…fifteen. You shouldn't have had to, but you did it, and I'm proud of you."
I clenched my jaw, not about to start crying. Not when I finally got to talk to my big brother after so long. "Thanks," I murmured, not able to say any more without crying.
"We're gonna find someone to testify against him…somehow. Or maybe the cop will catch him doing something…or he can put pressure on his friends. Something. We'll figure it out."
"I know you will." I meant it, too. I knew Darry would do anything he could to get me back. Because he loved me. Because he was my big brother and that's what big brothers did. It's what I kept telling myself every time I started to think about how long I'd been away…or started to get scared that he didn't actually want me back at all.
"You'd better get some more rest, Pony. You sound like you're about to fall asleep," he told me quietly.
"Yeah…" I murmured. Glory I was tired, and I felt awful. Not as bad as before, but I felt like I was about to drop the phone. "I, uh…I'm real tired."
"You're still sick and you need rest," he reminded me. "I miss you like crazy, you know?"
"I miss you too," I almost whispered.
"Get some more sleep, kiddo. Try to eat, and call me back as soon as you can, okay? Or just call the house…Two-Bit's dying to talk to you. Steve too, but don't tell him I told you that."
I hummed in agreement, hating how my eyes were drooping….hating that I couldn't focus enough to talk to my big brother after so long. "I'm sorry…"
"You ain't gotta be sorry. You're still sick. Go to sleep, okay?" he urged.
"Alright. Love you, Dar."
"I love you too, kiddo. So much. And I'll see you soon, I swear."
I put the phone back on the hook, my eyes drooping as I leaned against the couch.
"Kid?" I jumped when James put a hand on my shoulder. "You asleep?"
"No," I muttered, rubbing my hand over my face. "Just tired."
"Think you could manage a shower? Probably make you feel better? You can change clothes too."
"Yeah, alright."
I let him give me a hand up, managing to stumble into the bathroom where I showered as fast as I could. James came in for a second but left the room without saying anything. When I got out of the shower, I found my duffle bag on the floor, and I pulled out a shirt, glad to be able to cover up my back and arms again, then went back into the living room where I dropped back onto the sofa and fell asleep immediately, barely noticing the new sheets and blanket that James must have put out for me.
