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DAISY LAZARUS
Daisy wokeup groggily to Mary sitting at her bedside.
Her body felt weird. It was strange that she was awake at all. The last thing she remembered; Elena was lying in the bed, not her.
After seeing how much pain Axel had been in about his sister’s terminal condition, Daisy knew two things. One, she couldn’t be the one left behind again. If Elena died, and Axel resented Daisy for it—which he gave no indication he would ever do—but the fear was there and Daisy’s fragile heart, only just pieced back together, would crumble into dust.
The second reason was Elena’s hug, back when they’d broken into the baseball batting cages. Elena had reminded Daisy what hugs were meant to be—a spontaneous thank you, a sharing of joy, a connection.
A small act of kindness to a stranger had the power to change the world.
“How is Elena?” Daisy croaked.
Mary, who’d been reading a book, looked up suddenly. Her facial expression lifted, and Daisy sensed a hit of joy. But then Mary’s eyes narrowed.
“That was a very stupid thing to do, mija. There have been consequences.”
Daisy plonked her head back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. “Well, I never expected to be here to deal with said consequences.”
Daisy blinked the burn from her eyes. She’d known her actions would piss off her family. She knew some of them might call her selfish. That’s why she’d written the note. She wanted them to know that it had been because of them, because she wanted to show that anyone—not just immediate family—deserved to have someone in their corner, sacrificing and giving them their all.
But it seemed she couldn’t do anything right. She’d tried to be a hero, but she didn’t feel like one. She felt like crap. Wrung out and dry. God, even her mouth was dry. She licked her parched lips. Mary brought a cup of water to her lips. Daisy drank deeply, the heat of Mary’s disapproval scorching her skin.
“Is Elena okay?” Daisy asked when finished.
“She’s more than okay,” Mary gritted out as she put the cup back on the bedside table. “She’s the picture of health.”
Elation soared in Daisy’s chest. “So, she’s healed?”
“For how long, we don’t know.” Mary’s voice softened. “You came so close, mija. Your skin had gone cold. Blood came out of your nose, mouth, and ears. Axel was…”
Axel.
Daisy screwed up her face as the hit of emotion tried to strangle her. “Is he okay?”
“Look beside you.”
Daisy glanced down to the opposite side of the bed. Axel was asleep on the floor. Daisy’s face crumpled again. He hadn’t left her.
“What is it going to take to teach you that you deserve to be here?” Mary asked quietly, pain in her eyes. “I don’t know what else to do. I don’t know how to show you that leaving you was a mistake. It wasn’t personal. It was a black and white decision I made with a shitty outcome.”
“As was this,” Daisy replied. “I knew Axel wouldn’t survive the loss of his last remaining family member. I knew I could help. That was it.” She scowled at Mary. “You asked me to lead with my heart. Why are you so angry at this?”
“Because I don’t want to lose you,” she choked out. “None of us do.”
Daisy wasn’t sure if she was ever here for them to lose. Sometimes she felt like she watched herself from a distance. Sometimes—she glanced down at Axel—sometimes she didn’t. She felt whole. But it was so new, she wasn’t sure how to accept it. She guessed she would get used to it over time, and maybe one day, that distance would disappear completely.
She hoped.
“Don’t do that again,” Mary said, standing up. Her eyes hardened. “As the eldest in this family, you have responsibilities. Don’t die being chief among them.”
With that, Mary left the room and Daisy was left with her self-destructive thoughts and Axel still snoozing on the floor. He must have been tired to sleep through the argument. And if he was here, instead of with Elena, he must have been worried about Daisy. More guilt sliced through her, and she screwed up her nose. No matter what she did, she hurt someone, but maybe that was just part of life.
Daisy must have dozed off because the next time she woke, Axel was sitting in Mary’s vacated chair, his head in his hands, eyelashes drooping.
“Hey,” she rasped. Dry throat again.
His lashes lifted and it was a hit to the solar plexus. What little breath Daisy had in her body vaporized as he ensnared her with those gorgeous eyes. It was more than the aesthetics of them, it was the way they stared at her with longing, need, and consuming love. Or maybe that was her own emotions.
