When Kat Came Back

Chapter 21

"Ash?" A voice penetrated the world of sleep Ashlynn currently inhabited. "Ash? You okay?"

Ashlynn mumbled and rolled over, hoping the voice would go away.

"Ash, Wakey Wakey," the voice said. Ashlynn pulled the blankets up over her head. Whoever was intruding on her sleep started poking her arm.

"Go 'way," she mumbled from under the covers.

"Nope. Mom said you wanted me to come shopping and it's nearly lunchtime anyway. So up you get and get dressed."

"Ugh. Patrick. It's too early. Go. Away."

Patrick grabbed the blankets and pulled them off Ashlynn.

"What happened to your hand?" He asked, noticing the bandages.

"Huh?" Ashlynn said, opening her eyes and squinting at her brother.

"Your hand.  What happened?"

Ashlynn lifted her bandaged hand and looked at it as though she weren't sure herself.

"Oh. I dropped a photo and broke the frame. I accidentally cut my hand when I put my hand down on the glass."

"Did you get stitches?"

"No. Patricia bandaged it," Ashlynn said.

Patrick smiled.

"Hey, Patrick?" Ashlynn asked, sitting up on the bed and looking up at her brother. "Did she. Did she kiss your 'boo-boos'?"

Patrick smiled and sat beside Ashlynn.

"She did. Yeah. Mom's magic," he smiled. "Which picture?"

"The only one with me in it."

"Oh. The one of me holding you?"

Ashlynn nodded.

"There are so many pictures of you all. That's the only one of me."

"Yeah. Mom took down every photo of you but that one. You'd been gone, oh, three years by then I think. Looking at your baby pictures put her into a really bad funk. But because she wanted everyone to know she has four kids, she kept that one. The rest are all packed up and still around somewhere. She didn't throw them all out or anything. She just couldn't handle being reminded every day that we'd lost you."

Ashlynn nodded and looked down at her lap.

"She has always loved you. Dad doesn't know this, but we used to talk about you with each other all the time. Me and Mom. Eventually, we stopped because it did not help our mental health. And considering we thought you were gone gone, it just hurt so much."

Ashlynn remained silent.

"Look, get dressed, I'll meet you downstairs, okay?"

Ashlynn nodded. Patrick gave Ashlynn a hug, kissed her head, got up off the bed and left the room. Ashlynn stared after him. What was it with this family and all the physical affection?

Ashlynn went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth, used the toilet and got ready for the day. Her box of tampons was on the counter. Panicked, she looked inside and saw the box of razor blades was gone. She opened the cabinet and searched around under the sink. The box was not there. Ashlynn tore apart the bathroom cabinet looking for her box. Nowhere could she find it. She wrapped her arms around her knees and sat against the wall, trying to calm herself down. Where were her blades? Had she moved them somewhere and forgotten? What would she have done with them?  Did Patrick take them? Megan? Patricia? 

Ashlynn frowned. They want her to learn to trust them and then they pull this?

Angry, Ashlynn got up and went into the bedroom. She threw on some clothes and then pulled her duffel bag out and threw everything into it. She couldn't stay here. She'd hitchhike back to LA and see if Lexi's parents would take her in.