Page 9 of Isolation

“Hey,” someone says softly and tries to nudge me back to the soft pillow right as I manage to lift my body. “Don’t try to move. You need to rest.”

“Wha… Milo?”

“Yeah, baby, I am right here.”

My heartbeat increases at the confirmation thatheis here in person. How? My heart is about to burst out of my ribcage. “What? H-how are you…Was...whaat’s… goin on?”

Something worse than Milo’s presence dawns on me. I can tell from my own slurred sentences that I am not okay. Something isn’t right. Why can’t I speak properly? How come I can barely move? Maybe I am drunk. I don’t feel drunk. Am I dreaming?

I have to know what’s going on. Milo is quiet, but I urge him. “Please, tell… me,” I sob.

“You fell. Dad thinks that you have a concussion. You just need a lot of rest for the next few days. Come back to bed.”

None of it makes any sense. Even if it is Milo, I am still relieved to see a familiar face.

“Do you want some water?” he asks.

I nod, but my eyes start to close again. “It hurts,” I whine when I try to move my head.

I see his figure moving. Milo grabs a bottle from the bedside table and slips something bitter in my mouth. He then holds the water bottle up to my lips. I can feel my dry, chapped lips slurping and chugging all of the water.

“Come here.” Milo puts the empty bottle on the bedside table and collects me in his arms. My head hits his warm chest.

I might not understand what’s going on, but I know that it will all be okay.

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Milo

My eyes fly open to find Tessa’s face hovering over mine. “Mom? What time is it?”

“It’s almost six p.m. You should come downstairs for dinner.”

Fuck. I fell asleep in a seated position against the headboard of the bed. My neck is stiff. Raven is lying sideways on a pillow, with her face tucked against my thigh.

“I’m not hungry,” I say in my still disoriented voice.

“Milo, you have to eat something. You haven’t left her side. You are worrying over nothing,” Tessa gently chides. “She is going to be okay. John and Reese both came to the same conclusion. It’s a mild concussion. She is a little confused and just needs to sleep it off.”

She is right, but I still can’t leave Raven’s side. Hearing her fall down those stairs conjured up my crippling panic. I haven’t experienced it in years.

My business partners joke that I have turned into a soulless piece of shit without humanity and empathy. The panic attacks stopped around the time this accusation took root.

I feigned concern at their observations, but I honestly couldn’t see it as an insult. I am still a functioning member of society. I fly under the radar despite my indifference to life.

I just live life on autopilot based on my learned habits. Work. Family. Responsibilities. Bills.

However, Raven is apparently still able to invoke other feelings, albeit they are only applicable to her. She is the only thing that kills the mundane because she is not a learned habit.

Which is why my paranoid mind keeps conjuring up the worst. Dad assured me she would be fine, but I need evidence of her mortality. I keep checking her pulse to ensure that.

“She will be okay,” Tessa assures. “But, you know, we haven’t addressed the other issue.”

“Mom, I can’t do this right now. Not when she is like this,” I motion towards Raven.

“You told everyone that you love Raven. You must understand why we are concerned.”

“Why are you concerned?” I ask her curiously. “We are both adults. Our dads are best friends. Our families love each other. Everyone should be happy if I want to be with Raven.”