Page 59 of Starving Butterfly
“She’s high risk, if you notice anything and I mean anything wrong call me. I don’t know how her body’s reacting to the stress.” He sighed and looked at the car door, “she’s safer with you two.”
“Cole?” I asked, and he shook his head, “haven’t seen him since it happened,” he confided.
I thought as much; he didn’t sound good when I answered the call, and didn’t stay on the phone long enough.
“The girl?” I held my breath, waiting for the words I suspected but hadn’t confirmed.
“Dead, Lucas is preforming an autopsy, I’ll call with the results.” He sighed.
I nodded, “anything else?”
“She’s not eating.”
“Okay.”
He turned back to the door of the medical office and walked away without a word. I turned back to the car, sliding into the driver’s seat and glancing in the rearview mirror. Scott was whispering in her ear as she leaned against him. His eyes met mine, and I looked away as I pulled out of the parking spot and drove away.
Scott carried her inside,sitting her on the edge of the sofa as he combed her hair out of her face. I watched as I pulled out a container of tea and set the electric kettle to boil.
She was looking down at her hands; they were shaking, and it wasn’t from the brief coldness. Scott sat in front of her, grabbing hold of them.
I watched while I fixed the tea, dropping an ice cube into it to cool it. Summer didn’t look up, just continued to stare blankly into space.
I passed the tea to Scott, who held it to her lips. She absentmindedly took a sip as tears slipped free.
“I should have known,” she whispered a moment later.
“Known?” Scott asked as I sat beside her, pulling her into a side hug and trying to warm her up.
“I was right there, she was so close and yet—” she choked, and I shushed her.
“Shhh, it’s okay. You didn’t know.” I cooed into her hair.
Scott looked at me, full of worry and concern. I didn’t know how to comfort her in her grief.
“What can we do to help?” He asked.
She looked into his eyes as he wiped tears from her cheek, a weak smile on his face. Whatever I could say was going to fall short, so I just held her.
“I don’t want to feel this pain anymore,” she whispered, “just take the pain away.”
“Okay, we can do that,” he promised, standing up.
51
I DON’T WANT TO FEEL THIS PAIN
January 5th
“Idon’t want to feel this pain anymore,” I whispered, “just take the pain away.”
I caught myself crying again; I didn’t even hear his response before I felt his hands slide from mine.
The couch dipped as Scott sat on the other side of me.
They both looked at me, but I couldn’t bring myself to look back; my mind kept flashing back to the bloody snow around her body. The lifeless look in her eyes. The fragile body was broken.
I didn’t understand it; I never got a chance to hold her in my arms. Tears welled in my eyes as Scott grabbed my hair, peppering kisses on my temple.
