My Soul to Take
Page 29
I shoved my chair aside and crawled onto my bed on my hands and knees, snatching my phone from the comforter on the way to my headboard. At the top of the bed, I leaned back and pulled my knees up to my chest. My eyes watered as I scrolled through my contacts for Nashs number. I was wiping tears from my face with my sleeves by the time he answered.
Hello? He sounded distracted, and in the background, I heard canned fight sounds, then several guys groaned in unison.
Hey, its me. I sniffed to keep my nose from running.
Kaylee? Couch springs creaked as he sat upI had his attention now. Whats wrong? He switched to an urgent whisper. Did it happen again?
No, umAre you still at Scotts?
Yeah. Hang on. Something brushed against the phone, and dimly I heard Nash say, Here, man, take over for me. Then footsteps clomped, and the background noise gradually softened until a door creaked closed, and the racket stopped altogether. Whats up?
I hesitated, rolling onto my stomach on my bed. He hadnt signed on for this kind of drama. But he hadnt run from the death predictions, and I had to talk to someone, and it was either Nash or Emmas mother. Okay, this is going to sound stupid, but I dont know what else to think. I heard my aunt and uncle arguing, then my aunt called my dad I swallowed back a sob and wiped more moisture from my face. NashI think Im dying.
There was silence over the line, then engine noise as a car drove past him. He must have been in Scotts front yard. Wait, I dont get it. Why do you think youre dying?
I folded my lumpy feather pillow in half and lay with one cheek on it, treasuring the coolness against my tear-flushed face. My uncle said he thought Id have more time, then my aunt told my dad that he needed to tell me the truth, so I wouldnt think I was crazy. I think its a brain tumor.
Kaylee, youre adding two and two and coming up with seven. You must have missed something. He paused and footsteps clomped on concrete, like he was on the sidewalk. What did they say, exactly?
I sat up and made myself inhale slowly, trying to calm down. The words werent coming out right. No wonder he had no idea what I was talking about. UmAunt Val said I was living on borrowed time, and that I shouldnt have to spend any of it thinking I was crazy. She told my dad it was time to tell me the truth. I stood and found myself pacing nervously back and forth across my fuzzy purple throw rug. That means Im dying, right? And she wants him to tell me?
Well, they obviously have something important to tell you, but I seriously doubt you have a braintumor. Shouldnt you have some symptoms, or something, if youre sick?
I dropped into my desk chair again and ran my finger over the mouse pad to wake up the monitor. I looked it up, and
You researched brain tumors? This afternoon? Nash hesitated, and the footsteps paused. Kaylee, is this because of Meredith?
No! I shoved off against the desk so hard my wheeled chair hit the side of the bed. Im not a hypochondriac! Im just trying to figure out why this is happening to me, and nothing else makes sense. Frustrated, I scrubbed one hand over my face and made myself take another deep breath. They dont think Im crazy, so its not psychological. And my relief at knowing that was big enough to swallow the Pacific Ocean. So it has to be physical.
And you think its brain cancer.
I dont know what else to think. Theres one kind of brain cancer that sometimes doesnt have any symptoms. Maybe I have that kind.
Wait He paused as a gust of wind whistled over the line. You think you have a tumor because you have no symptoms?
Okay, I still wasnt making any sense. I closed my eyes and let my head fall against the back of the chair. Or maybe the premonitions are my symptom. Some kind of hallucination.
Nash laughed. Youre not hallucinating, Kaylee. Not unless Emma and I have tumors too. We both saw you predict two deaths, and we saw one of them actually happen. You werent imagining that.
I sat up in my chair, and this time my long, soft exhalation was in relief. I was seriously hoping youd say that. It helpedalbeit a tiny little bitto know that if I was dying, at least I was going out with my mind intact.
Glad I could help. I could hear the smile in his voice, which drew one from me in response.
I swiveled in my chair and propped my feet up on my nightstand. Okay, so maybe Im having premonitions because of the tumor. Like, its activating some part of my brain most people cant access. Like John Travolta in that old movie.
Saturday Night Fever?
Not that old. My smile grew a little, in spite of what should have been a very somber conversation. I loved how easily Nash calmed me, even over the phone. His voice was hypnotic, like some kind of auditory tranquilizer. One I could easily get hooked on. The one where he can move stuff with his mind, and learn whole languages by reading one book. And it all turns out to be because he has brain cancer and hes dying.
I dont think Ive seen that one.
Hello? He sounded distracted, and in the background, I heard canned fight sounds, then several guys groaned in unison.
Hey, its me. I sniffed to keep my nose from running.
Kaylee? Couch springs creaked as he sat upI had his attention now. Whats wrong? He switched to an urgent whisper. Did it happen again?
No, umAre you still at Scotts?
Yeah. Hang on. Something brushed against the phone, and dimly I heard Nash say, Here, man, take over for me. Then footsteps clomped, and the background noise gradually softened until a door creaked closed, and the racket stopped altogether. Whats up?
I hesitated, rolling onto my stomach on my bed. He hadnt signed on for this kind of drama. But he hadnt run from the death predictions, and I had to talk to someone, and it was either Nash or Emmas mother. Okay, this is going to sound stupid, but I dont know what else to think. I heard my aunt and uncle arguing, then my aunt called my dad I swallowed back a sob and wiped more moisture from my face. NashI think Im dying.
There was silence over the line, then engine noise as a car drove past him. He must have been in Scotts front yard. Wait, I dont get it. Why do you think youre dying?
I folded my lumpy feather pillow in half and lay with one cheek on it, treasuring the coolness against my tear-flushed face. My uncle said he thought Id have more time, then my aunt told my dad that he needed to tell me the truth, so I wouldnt think I was crazy. I think its a brain tumor.
Kaylee, youre adding two and two and coming up with seven. You must have missed something. He paused and footsteps clomped on concrete, like he was on the sidewalk. What did they say, exactly?
I sat up and made myself inhale slowly, trying to calm down. The words werent coming out right. No wonder he had no idea what I was talking about. UmAunt Val said I was living on borrowed time, and that I shouldnt have to spend any of it thinking I was crazy. She told my dad it was time to tell me the truth. I stood and found myself pacing nervously back and forth across my fuzzy purple throw rug. That means Im dying, right? And she wants him to tell me?
Well, they obviously have something important to tell you, but I seriously doubt you have a braintumor. Shouldnt you have some symptoms, or something, if youre sick?
I dropped into my desk chair again and ran my finger over the mouse pad to wake up the monitor. I looked it up, and
You researched brain tumors? This afternoon? Nash hesitated, and the footsteps paused. Kaylee, is this because of Meredith?
No! I shoved off against the desk so hard my wheeled chair hit the side of the bed. Im not a hypochondriac! Im just trying to figure out why this is happening to me, and nothing else makes sense. Frustrated, I scrubbed one hand over my face and made myself take another deep breath. They dont think Im crazy, so its not psychological. And my relief at knowing that was big enough to swallow the Pacific Ocean. So it has to be physical.
And you think its brain cancer.
I dont know what else to think. Theres one kind of brain cancer that sometimes doesnt have any symptoms. Maybe I have that kind.
Wait He paused as a gust of wind whistled over the line. You think you have a tumor because you have no symptoms?
Okay, I still wasnt making any sense. I closed my eyes and let my head fall against the back of the chair. Or maybe the premonitions are my symptom. Some kind of hallucination.
Nash laughed. Youre not hallucinating, Kaylee. Not unless Emma and I have tumors too. We both saw you predict two deaths, and we saw one of them actually happen. You werent imagining that.
I sat up in my chair, and this time my long, soft exhalation was in relief. I was seriously hoping youd say that. It helpedalbeit a tiny little bitto know that if I was dying, at least I was going out with my mind intact.
Glad I could help. I could hear the smile in his voice, which drew one from me in response.
I swiveled in my chair and propped my feet up on my nightstand. Okay, so maybe Im having premonitions because of the tumor. Like, its activating some part of my brain most people cant access. Like John Travolta in that old movie.
Saturday Night Fever?
Not that old. My smile grew a little, in spite of what should have been a very somber conversation. I loved how easily Nash calmed me, even over the phone. His voice was hypnotic, like some kind of auditory tranquilizer. One I could easily get hooked on. The one where he can move stuff with his mind, and learn whole languages by reading one book. And it all turns out to be because he has brain cancer and hes dying.
I dont think Ive seen that one.
