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My mom pulls out of the hospital parking lot, making her way back to the highway. Back to Castle Pointe.
It’s been two weeks since I’ve been in Castle Pointe. Since there is no working hospital in town, my mom had to drive me twenty minutes north up to Superior Memorial. It’s located in a small town called Grand Superior, and I could basically see every shop from the window of my hospital room.
Though I feel much better than I did a week ago, it still feels nearly impossible to do pretty much anything. My left leg is in a cast for another four weeks, at least, and my right arm is in a cast too, all the way from my fingers to over my elbow.
“I bet it’s going to be good to go home. I washed your sheets and made sure your room was clean.”
I sigh. “You didn’t have to do that.”
She reaches over, her fingers squeezing my cast. I don’t feel a thing. “Just wanted to make you more comfortable.”
I lean back against the seat, my head turning as I watch the tall pines fly by the car, the sky slowly turning darker the closer we get to Castle Pointe. We don’t say much, as my mom has come by every day for the last week, usually with my grandma, and they just sit by me.
The girls came daily too, and Malik came one other time with Vera, but not the guys. I guess they can only handle so much sentimental shit with their new cousin.
Felix never came.
I haven’t seen him, and he hasn’t been spoken about since that day. I haven’t wanted to ask, because I’m nervous about what answer I’ll hear.
It isn’t until we pass the broken-down brick sign of Castle Pointe that I turn toward her. “Has anyone been by the house?”
My mom is silent for a while, and I almost wonder if I accidentally asked the question in my head when she turns to me. “I haven’t seen Felix all week, Hazel. I’m sorry.”
I nod, turning back toward the window as we drive down the main road. The evening sky has darkened fully by the time we pull up to my house, and I feel relieved to see my small rambler looking the same as it did before. Absent of plants, since we don’t have enough sunlight to grow any here, but the inside of our house is filled with many herbs and spices, covering all the windows and ledges with greenery.
I can already smell home. I can already taste it.
My grandma opens the door, her blue jeans and floral shirt fluttering in the light breeze as she smiles at us. Hobbling down the steps, with her white hair pulled to the base of her neck in a small ponytail, she walks up to me, her arms extended.
“Glad to have you home, Hazel,” she murmurs, though she doesn’t touch me as to not cause me any pain.
“Let’s help you out of the car and into bed,” my mom says as she walks around the car.
The casts make it nearly impossible to do anything on my own. The hospital gave me a pair of crutches which are in the back seat of the car, though I don’t think I’ll even be able to use them with this giant cast on my arm.
“I can try to use the crutches,” I suggest.
My grandma waves me off, leaning in the car, hooking her arm around my back. My mom grabs my good arm, draping it over her neck. With the help of both of them, and a lot of fucking patience, they’re able to get me out of the car. I use their bodies as a crutch, not putting any pressure on my bad leg as we head up the two steps into my house. We walk down the small hallway and through my open doorway. My bed is made, my dark purple comforter pulled down, ready for me to slip beneath.
I want to shake my head at the gesture, but it’s nice, so I bite my lip and let them do what they want.
They set me down on the edge of my mattress, and my mom leans over, lifting my leg onto the bed. I roll onto my back, letting out a sigh as my head sinks into my extra soft pillow.
“We’ll let you rest right now and help you get a shower in tomorrow,” my mom says, her fingers brushing my cheek.
I nod, feeling more exhausted than I anticipated from just a car ride. My grandma pulls my comforter over me, and though my room and this house smell like herbs and exactly as home should, I feel like my skin permanently stinks of disinfectant and the sickliness of a hospital.
My eyes start drifting closed, and I listen to the floor creak as my mom and grandma step toward my doorway.
“We’re proud of you, Hazel. I knew you would find your way back to the light,” my grandma whispers before the door closes behind them.
My eyes crack open, and I glance around the darkness. I’m not sure what woke me, though my body aches like hell.
Maybe it’s time for some painkillers.
I’m about to shout for my mom, when I hear a sound from outside, and my mouth clamps shut. I lift my head, my shoulders pinned to my pillow, as I cock my head toward the window. I so badly wish I could stand up and go look outside, but all I can see is the corner of the sky, a glimpse of the trees swaying in the wind.
Another crack, and my blood cools. “Who’s there?” I ask loudly.
