Free Broken Series by Dawn Pendleton Page B

Rainey and I got him settled in bed, he laid back and almost immediately fell asleep. I stood there, staring at pale skin that had once been tan, at sunken eyes that had once been vibrant and full of life, and my heart broke.
    Rainey pulled me out of his room. “He needs rest,” she said.
    Tears started to fall onto my cheeks but I couldn’t control them. Rainey pulled me into a hug and squeezed me tight. I started to hyperventilate.
    “He’s so sick … I can’t do anything … I don’t … Think I can do this …” I stuttered between gasps for air.
    Rainey didn’t speak right away, choosing instead to just hold me until I calmed. She pulled me down on the couch in the living room and we sat there in a hug for a long time. When my anxiety finally started to relent, Rainey pulled away from me. I was still shivering but I managed not to burst into tears again.
    “Are you okay?” she asked.
    “I don’t know if I’m ever going to be okay, Rain. Dad’s dying,” I said weakly.
    My whole body felt weighed down, as if it would be difficult to even stand up straight.
    “Yes, he is. But he needs you to be strong, Mal. He’s not going to get through this alone.”
    She was quietly telling me to stop being a baby and it dawned on me that my friends in Boston would never have encouraged me to buck up. They would probably be crying beside me and I would end up comforting them.
    I looked up at Rainey. “Have I ever told you how much I value your friendship? I know we haven’t kept up very well all these years, but the fact that you’re here when I’m falling apart speaks volumes about you.”
    I hugged her again as I wondered if I would have been there for her if the situation was reversed. I guessed not. It had taken the imminent death of my own father to get me back into this town and I doubted I would have been swayed by the possible death of a friend’s parent. Some friend I was.
    “I’m so sorry I haven’t been the friend I should have been for the last three years.”
    She smiled at me. “Shut up. No matter how far away we are, we’ll always be best friends. You stuck by me even through my fat days, and I adore you.”
    I was so unworthy of her friendship. She was a genuine friend and I was a fraud. My heart clenched so hard, it felt like someone put a rubber band around it. More tears formed in my eyes.
    “Oh, cut that out. We need to be strong!”
    She flexed her arm muscles and I laughed before I could stop myself.
    “I wish you didn’t have to go back to LA,” I said. I would miss her.
    “I’ll be back soon enough. Probably only a couple of weeks. I need the time off, and as a screenwriter, I get to pick and choose my jobs. Plus, if I need to, I can telecommute,” she said.
    I was shocked. “You want to come back to this rinky-dink town on a more permanent basis?”
    “Well, yeah. You don’t remember me saying it last night? You aren’t allowed to drink for a while, girl. But yes, I am moving back. It’s home, ” she said.
    Home. I hadn’t referred to Casper as home in a long time. I’d been so sure I was meant for bigger and better things, I never once considered maintaining a life here. It was a small town but I wasn’t sure it was for me. What if I wasn’t happy here? Once Dad was gone, I wouldn’t have any ties to Casper. Except Luke. The thought came out of nowhere.
    But did I really have a tie to Luke anymore? I wasn’t sure. He’d been my first love, and probably my only true love, but I wasn’t certain if he still had a place in my life. I’d spent my entire high school life dedicated to him and our love. Since then, I’d done everything in my power to forget him. He was still in my heart, though, as much as I wished he wasn’t.
    He’d taken care of Dad when I hadn’t even known about his illness. He’d rescued me in my drunken state last night and then pushed me away this morning. I wasn’t thrilled with the way he brushed me off, but that didn’t mean I hated him.