Free Sojourner by Maria Rachel Hooley Page B

back to the land of the living.”  She offers a bright smile.  “How do you feel?”
    “Not so bad today.”  I blink repeatedly, trying to clear the haze.  “What happened?”  I reach for the sheet but find I have also been given covers, which must mean the fever finally broke.
    “You passed out at school.  Lev got help and an ambulance brought you here.  Nasty combination of getting run down and taking a winter swim.  I should get Jimmie.”  She stands and starts to walk away.  Her long blonde hair is drawn back into a ponytail, making her appear younger than her brother.
    “Wait.”  I’m in no hurry to see Jimmie.  He’s probably going to freak out.  Again.  “I don’t even remember driving to school.”
    “You’re lucky you made it then.”  She lightly pats my hand and then pulls away to grab a small bag, probably from the gift store downstairs.  Her thin, graceful fingers pull a small box from the plastic bag.
    “I got you something.  I know you probably won’t feel like reading, and you don’t know a lot of people around here so I got this for you to remind you have friends.”  She opens the small box and pulls out two angel figurines, a boy and a girl.  Each stand about three inches tall.  Both have blond hair and blue eyes.  Like Celia and Lev.  Grinning, she offers them to me.
    “They’re beautiful,” I gush, taking them into my trembling hands.  “Thank you so much!”
    “You’re welcome.”  She pats my knee.  “Now you just need to get better so you can go home.”  She looks around.  “I hate hospitals.”
    “Me, too.  Where’s Lev?”  I trace the facial features of the boy. 
    “He’s around.  Guilty conscience, I think from your fall off the bridge.  I’ll be right back.”  I want to ask more about her brother, but she disappears.
    My eyes are getting heavy, but I hear the door open again, admitting Shelly and Bree.  Both wear heavy coats, so I know the temperatures are still frigid.  At first they hover at the doorway, Bree’s hand still on the door as if she hasn’t really decided if she’s coming in or not.
    “Hey, guys,” I manage in a rough voice tinged with fatigue.  “Come in.”
    They look at each other and then timidly step toward me.  Shelly takes the chair and Bree stands next to her.  Shelly grips the armrest, and she perches on the edge of the seat.  Her hair falls around her face, and she shakes her head.
    “So, how are you?  You gave us quite a scare.”
    “Sorry.”  I brush the hair from my face.  “I’m fine.  Just a little worn down.  Nothing that a little rest can’t help.”  My eyes keep feeling heavier and heavier.
    “Is there anything we can do?” Bree asks.  She frowns and looks at her hands, double checking her polish.
    “No.  Just tell Gail to keep Griffin occupied.”  My words are slurred, and I feel myself drifting, but I can’t stop the momentum sweeping me into blackness.  I try to remember, but between the fatigue and the fever, everything is a blur.  I don’t really even remember going to school, but I must have gotten there.  I must have seen Lev.  And probably Griffin.
    Still tired, I dip my head to the pillow and close my eyes, aware that the old fears of the nightmares still lurk, waiting for me to surrender to the blackness but my body is so tired.  So tired.  I’ve been fighting these dreams off steadily for the last three months.  Before that they were irregular and not nearly this vivid.  The last week has been so excruciating that I barely sleep, which is probably most of what has brought me to this point.
     
    Snow falls around me, spotting my buckskin dress.  The wind is harsh, and I try not to think about the cold creeping around my clothes and stealing my breath.  Shivering, I walk faster, wondering how long it will take to gather enough wood to keep the fires going for a while.  As I walk, I dig the toe of my moccasin into the snow.  Unpacked snow flies up