Little Red

by Trista Jaszczak

  “Can I get something to drink?” She asks

  I nod.

  “Anything you want; whatever you want.”

  I hand her my jacket and lead her out into the empty waiting room where there’s an array of vending machines.

  They’re out of date but fully stocked.

  I get two bottles of water and a couple of bags of chips which seem to be the best food option I can find.

  I help her to the ugly, lavender couch and have a seat with her.

  She gratefully takes the water and gulps it down quickly.

  I can’t imagine how dehydrated she’s become.

  I open my own bottle and give it to her.

  She hurriedly downs half of it, letting out a breath when she finishes

  I can’t move my eyes away from her, and suddenly I find myself fighting away pesky tears that have somehow snuck up on me.

  I push a gob of her hair from her eyes and she looks up at me

  “I was so worried about you,” I spit out.

  “I was terrified that I would never see you again,” I continue.

  “After one night, one time, I just…” I stop suddenly; her bright blue eyes seem to smile at me through the pain, through the tears, through the agony of the past four weeks.

  I take her face in my hands and lean in slowly.

  She doesn’t protest, and I feel her lean in and our lips collide for a kiss that’s slow, soft, and unlike any other that I’ve felt.

  I pull away and lick my lips with satisfaction.

  “You’re different,” I say.

  “There’s something different about you.”

  She looks at me with terrified and wide eyes.

  “Am I…Is there something wrong with me?”

  I quickly shake my head.

  “No,” I breathe out.

  “It’s good.

  It’s just different.” I find myself smiling.

  “It’s peaceful and calm.” I touch her face.

  “It’s beautiful.

  Whatever it is, it’s made for you.”

  “Can you feel it because of the,” she stops, still unsure how to mention things, “the special senses?”

  I give her a nod.

  “I think so.”

  “I’m so sorry, Ethan,” she says finally.

  “For leaving and for getting James shot.

  Oh, God, James…he could…” I see the tears that are waiting to fall and quickly take her face in my hands again.

  I immediately press my lips to hers, drinking in that calmness that I felt before.

  I feel her body relax as I pull away reluctantly

  “You did not get James shot,” I say.

  “I did.

  He did it to keep me from going…” I stop suddenly, realizing that I feel her heart rate increase.

  “He did it to save me.”

  She nods slowly and finishes the second bottle of water.

  “You should drink some more,” I tell her.

  “Do you want something else?”

  She shakes her head.

  “The water is fine.”

  I only move to get her a few more bottles of water.

  She instantly drinks the first bottle and slowly starts to sip the other.

  “You should eat something, too,” I say, passing her a bag of chips.

  “I know it’s not much.

  I can take you to eat when we get word on James.”

  Her eyes suddenly become watery.

  My mouth opens, and I feel jumpy myself.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I just…I’m a wreck.

  I can’t go out for dinner like this.” She weeps

  I become slightly fidgety as I run my fingers through her hair.

  “You have to eat, Red.”

  She wipes at her face.

  “I am so sorry.

  I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  I shake my head.

  “It’s okay.

  It’s been a long month.”

  She sighs, opens the bag of chips quietly, and begins to eat.

  I feel my stance loosen, and I relax as she does.

  Long month is an understatement

  When the doctor comes into the room to greet us, I feel my heart leap into my throat.

  Red is firmly planted in her seat and resting comfortably against me

  “It’s okay,” the doctor says, “Let her rest.”

  “Is he?” I stop and prepare for the worst.

  “My brother, how is he?”

  “He will be just fine.

  We stopped the bleeding, removed the bullet, and patched him up a bit.”

  I let out a long sigh of relief

  “Expect to be here a few days, though,” he warns.

  “And he’ll have some recovery to do back home as well.”

  “Thank you so much,” I say.

  “When can we see him?”

  “Any time that you’d like,” he says.

  “He’s resting right now, but he’s in room two-fourteen.”

  I smile and thank him again as he heads on his way.

  I look over at Red who is still resting.

  She’s calm, relaxed, and that beautiful feeling is emitting from her.

  It’s peaceful and enough for me to slink into the seat, wrapping my arms around her and fall into a peaceful slumber myself

  * * * * * *

  I wake up to a swift kick in the boot.

  I jump, startled to see Eli staring down at me

  “How is he?”

  “Doctor said he’d be fine.” I make a little wiggle to attempt to move Red from my shoulder but allow her to sleep.

  “When did you get here?”

  “Colt and I just got here about five minutes ago,” he tells me.

  “Aaron, Ian, and Trent stopped for gas but should be right behind us.”

  His eyes lock firmly on Red.

  His head cocks to the side as he swallows and exchanges a glance with me

  “You okay?” I ask

  He nods.

  “Just…” He pauses.

  “Is she okay?”

  I nod.

  “A little banged up, kind of emotional, but okay for the most part.”

  He gives me a nod as Colt trails up.

  His eyes fall on Red.

  “Is she okay?” he asks, his eyes growing almost confused

  I nod, confused.

  “Just worried about James.

  She nearly lost her mind when it happened.

  I think she was the one who saved his life.”

  Colt’s head turns to the side.

  “Are you alright?”

  “Just worried; it’s been a long month and an even longer night.”

  His eyes find mine again, then Eli’s.

  Eli gives him a shake of his head, and Colt turns to me.

  “When can we see James?

  “Anytime we want,” I say, now hearing Red stir from sleep.

  Her eyes flutter open, but she suddenly jumps at the sight of Colt and Eli now staring at her.

  She sits up and away from me and immediately looks down

  “It’s alright,” Eli says.

  “We’re not mad at you.”

  She looks up with a confused expression washing over her

  “The special thing - they can feel you,” I tell her

  Aaron walks in, urging Trent and Ian to “hurry their asses.” He looks at Red, and then shifts his eyes to me.

  His mouth drops and he locks on to Eli and Colt.

  “Leave it to Ethan.”

  Sensing her discomfort, Eli quickly reminds her that Aaron has his head up his ass ninety percent of the time.

  This makes her laugh, which seems to ease a
ll of us.

  I stand, stretch a moment, and reach for Red’s hand

  She shakes her head.

  “I should let you guys go alone.”

  Before I can even open my mouth, Colt and Eli shake their heads.

  I smile and turn to her.

  “See, they’re not mad.

  Besides, you pretty much saved James.

  He’d want to see you.”

  I’m sure that Trent and Ian are only taking their time because of Aaron as they come staggering in a few minutes later laughing.

  Soon, their laughter stops and Trent’s eyes lock on Red.

  He exchanges glances with the others, who stand motionless

  “Alright, I get it,” I say.

  “She’s here.

  She’s alright; enough with the weirdness already, because you’re making her nervous as hell.”

  Trent looks at me and gives my shoulder a pat.

  “Let’s just go see James.”

  Room 214 is about as dull as the rest of the small hospital.

  Lemon colored walls filled with the typical brown hospital furnishings make it less than pleasant.

  James is lying in bed in the ugliest display of hospital gowns I’ve ever seen

  He laughs lightly.

  “Well, if this isn’t a sight for sore shoulders.”

  I look over and see Red’s lip quiver.

  I place a hand on the small of her back, and she looks up and wipes at her face.

  “I’m so sorry,” she says

  “Oh, honey,” James says.

  “Don’t cry; I’m just fine,” he says, smiling at her.

  “You held it together to save my life.”

  I see a few more tears dribble down her face, and I see my brothers all take a few steps back.

  Ian cocks his head to the side, looking more confused than I have ever seen him

  “If I wouldn’t have…” She gasps for a little air.

  “I’m so sorry…I don’t know…” She stops, burying her face in her hands

  “Oh come on,” James tells her.

  “You need to calm down.

  Come here.”

  She looks at him with sad eyes, and Trent urges her forward.

  She walks to his bed where the tears fall freely

  “Try to calm down; it’s a lot to take in,” he says.

  “Don’t overdo it.”

  She looks down, covering her face

  “Remember you were smart enough to hold pressure over it,” he reminds her.

  “And this is not your fault.

  You saved my life, Red.”

  I suddenly feel helpless as my big brother pleads with Red to calm down.

  My senses feel as though they could explode.

  I feel jittery, on edge, and completely uneasy

  She gives James a nod and wipes at her face again.

  James looks at Trent who passes him a nod.

  “I think we might need a test.”

  Before I can question the test, Ian steps forward.

  “Oh, my God…That’s it.” He takes a few steps toward Red and turns her to face him.

  “That’s it,” he mumbles as he kneels in front of her and pushes his forehead to her belly.

  “I feel her.”

  Red flinches slightly, and I feel her sadness shift to uneasiness

  Ian glances at all of us.

  “I feel her.”

  “Well,” Trent says, giving my back a slap.

  “There’s our proof.”

  I turn and give him a funny look.

  “Proof?”

  “Proof,” James starts, “that she needs a pregnancy test.”

  I move my eyes around the room.

  My brothers are all on edge.

  I’m on edge.

  Red is confused and an emotional wreck.

  I feel a slight panic emit from her.

  I step back and into Aaron.

  Aaron steadies me, and I hear his voice tell me it’s alright.

  The room begins to spin.

  Red gasps and slowly slumps to her knees as she faces Ian.

  I hear footsteps head for the door and glance around to see Aaron leaving

  “Ethan,” Ian’s voice shakes me.

  “I think she needs you.”

  I can barely move.

  I feel a large lump in my throat and fight to swallow.

  I feel a hand on my shoulder, and look to see Trent

  “It’s okay,” he reassures me.

  I look at Red, who suddenly seems more fragile than before.

  My mouth falls open and I take a deep breath.

  “You won’t hurt her.” Trent urges me forward

  Her nose is bright red to match the streaks in her eyes.

  I begin to feel her helplessness as I near her.

  She’s frightened, confused, and worried.

  Her emotions are going in a million different directions that I can’t grasp

  Ian gives her arm a light rub before Colt grabs Ian by the collar of his shirt.

  “Sorry, he doesn’t think before touching people.

  He’s just in awe right now,” he says to Red as he gives me the final push.

  I kneel in front of her, my body now starting to tremble

  Her bottom lip gives a quiver.

  “No…I’m just…I can’t be.”

  I look up at my brothers, panicked and confused.

  I’m afraid to touch her.

  That beautiful calmness is a child.

  My Red is pregnant

  “I don’t know how I…” I pause.

  “I just thought…” I look at my brothers.

  “You all knew.”

  Ian shakes his head.

  “I didn’t.

  I mean, I felt something different, but I didn’t know what it was until James said something.”

  “How could I have not known?” I ask, taking her face in my hands

  “Our senses might be a little stronger,” James tells me.

  “Each of us feels certain things in certain ways.”

  Red begins to relax, and I help her off the floor and guide her to one of the larger chairs.

  “I knew something was different.” I feel my stomach toss and my mouth open.

  “It was just one time. I...”

  I hear Ian cut into my words.

  “Even I know that’s all it takes.”

  I turn my head just in time to see Eli giving him a whack in the gut.

  I look back to Red who seems to have relaxed but is still in shock.

  She stares past me at the floor as I turn her face tenderly to mine.

  “Are you alright?”

  “I mean, I…” she pauses.

  “How are you sure? I…I know I’ve been under a lot of stress and kind of a mess.”

  James cuts her off in a gentle way.

  “Honey, we’re sure.

  We feel him.”

  “Her,” Ian corrects

  She looks at me with big tear filled eyes.

  “How sure are they?”

  “You can always take a test,” Eli starts.

  “One of us can get one right now.”

  “Take a test right now?” she asks

  “I think you probably should,” I say

  When the door opens, we all jump.

  Aaron enters the room, arms filled with boxes of various colors, a few spilling to the ground.

  “I mean, fucking seriously, how many different kinds do they need?” He picks up the dropped boxes.

  “I hope they’re okay.

  I dropped some; hopefully they didn’t break.”

  Eli shakes his head.

  “Why didn’t you just get a bag?”

  “I didn’t have time,�
�� Aaron says, dumping all the boxes at the foot of James’s bed

  We peek over the boxes and I hear James laugh.

  “In all my thirty-five years of life, I never thought I’d ever see the day when Aaron would buy pregnancy tests.”

  Red stares at the boxes, and I feel her jitters return.

  She takes a breath in and releases it slowly.

  I can tell she’s fighting tears

  “You should go take one,” I tell her

  She gives me a slow nod

  “Do you need any help?” Aaron asks

  I hear Eli slap his forehead, and James laughs

  “She has to pee on those!” Eli tells him

  Aaron’s cheeks slowly turn pink.

  “Never mind…I didn’t...” He stops his words immediately

  “Just give her a box,” James says.

  “I’m sure she’ll take it from there.”

  Aaron reaches for a handful of boxes and hands three to Red

  Eli laughs.

  “How are we going to survive during this?”

  “I said one box,” James tells him.

  “One box, Aaron.”

  Red quietly takes one off the top and finally smiles at Aaron.

  “Thank you.”

  He gives her a grin.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Do you want me to come with you?” I ask

  “I think I’d better do it alone,” she says.

  “If you don’t mind.”

  I shake my head and push some hair from her eyes.

  “It’s okay.” I help her up and she slowly heads toward the bathroom that’s attached to James’ room

  “There are some gloves over here, Red!” I hear Ian call after her

  Eli groans.

  “She’s not going to pee on her hands.

  She knows what she’s doing.”

  I hear the lock click in place on the door, I begin pacing slightly and to my surprise, Ian, Trent, and Aaron join me

  “How do we know when it’s done?” Ian asks.

  “Does it ding?”

  Aaron shrugs, and I hear James laugh

  “It’s not an oven.” Eli rubs his hand down his face.

  “Idiots…all of you.”

  It’s amazing how when you’re waiting on something three minutes can seem like forever.

  But, that’s how long it takes for Red to emerge with the white stick in her hand.

  Ian grasps for it, seeming too excited to contain himself

  “You do realize she just peed on that,” Aaron says in a calm voice.

  Ian drops the stick and it crashes to the floor

  I ignore their banter as I look at Red.

  Her expression has changed.