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“Hey, where'd you go, mijo?” my mom says, glancing at me with round eyes and an ice bucket in her hand as I enter my room.
“For a walk.”
“What's that in your hand?” She points to the necklace, inching toward me.
I shove my hand in my pocket, shaking my head. “Nothing. Something Uncle Rudy gave me.”
She frowns and sets the ice down. “I don't like them coming here. It's dangerous. That man can't be trusted.”
“It's fine, Ma. Dad wanted updates on how I was doing and so did Abuelita.”
“They could have watched the news then. Your face is everywhere. I wish they would have kept it all quiet. Gave us some damn privacy. I just got you back and I'm not ready to lose you again.”
“You won't.” I reach for her hand, linking our fingers together. “I promise.”
She nods, her eyes watering. “I want to believe you, more than anything. I just can't help but feel no matter what I do, I'll never be able to keep you safe. It's all my fault.”
I pull her into my arms, stroking her hair. “No, Ma. It's not. You couldn't have known the future, and all Dad ever did was feed you lies.”
She buries her face into my shoulder, sobbing. “I knew he was into something illegal. There were signs but I kept ignoring them.”
It's what love does to you. It consumes you so bad, you don't care to pay attention to anything else. It's the biggest weakness anyone could ever have and is exactly why my father sent us far away before I was born. Then he moved us back when he thought it was safe and no one would suspect anything. Maybe things would have kept going good for a while longer if it wasn't for Everett. Perhaps not.
All I know is I will guard my heart for as long as I can and won't ever let anyone have it again. Especiallyhim.
The door opens and we break free from each other, my mom wiping her eyes.
“Guess who gets to go home tomorrow?” a woman says from the doorway.
Fear strikes in my mom's eyes and she looks from me to the nurse. “It's too soon. He isn't fully healed yet.”
The nurse presses her lips together, her expression soft. “We've done everything we can for him here and the rest of his healing can be done at home. Besides, I think he'll do much better in his own bed.”
“I won't miss the food here, that's for sure,” I say.
My mom shoots me a glare and the nurse laughs. “I don't blame you. Now let's get that IV out. You keep unhooking it from the machine, anyway.”
“What? Why would he do that?” my mom asks, her voice filled with disappointment.
“Your son has been a little escape artist while he's been here. He's had a hard time staying put in one room for too long, but who could blame him?”
“Where were you going?” My mom pins me in place with her hard stare.
Shrugging, I sit down on the bed, sticking my arm out. “Here and there.”
“Aye. You are supposed to be resting. How can you fully heal when you're constantly wandering about?”
“I think the walks and moving around have actually been good for him. The only thing the doctor is worried about is how little sleep he's been getting.” She takes out the needle, pressing down a Band-Aid in its place. “Let me know if you need anything else, dear. Discharge should be tomorrow morning and then you can eat whatever you want.”
“Breakfast tacos,” I say.
She laughs, pushing her computer to the door. “That's a great first choice.”
“With a side of menudo and Spanish rice.”
“You better stop before you make me too hungry to finish my job,” she says, smiling as she exits the room.
My mom thanks her while shutting the door. Pressing her back to it, her gaze is on me again, fear heavy in her expression. “We can't go home. You were safe here. They couldn't touch you.”
