Chapter 35
ϕVeraϕ
It was really happening. I had been worrying all weekend about him, refusing to leave his bedside. It wasn’t until he started to gain more color and feel warmer that I was comfortable enough to leave him for a while. Today at school had been tough; my mind was no where near math and english. I looked back at Zak, only to find his eyes closed again, sleeping peacefully. I felt bad that we didn’t get him to the hospital, but if we did show up there, we would have had to try to come up with some false name and it would be pretty bad if someone found out who he really was and then discovered he had come back form the dead. Then pandemonium would spread and bad things all around would happen. Mom and Dad came into the room and I looked over at him. “He needs to build up his strength.” I said.
“Yes, he does. And I don’t ever want you two going back to that place ever again.” Mom said seriously and Dad nodded in agreement.
“You know, I have to leave again soon dear, and I can’t have anything happen to you, or Zak now.” Dad explained. I looked down, but nodded. I didn’t want him to talk about leaving, so I simply agreed.
“We don’t mean to upset you sweetie, but we are just concerned. We have no explanation about what happened, and we can’t say anything to anyone.” Mom said.
“I won’t let anyone take him away from us. So we now have this huge family secret hanging over us.” I said.
“Yes, we do. But we will figure it out. It’s still Zak, he’s just a little more, colorful, and…pliable.” Mom said slowly. I smiled a little and dad started laughing, which made me chuckle. At least they had a sense of humor.
“Speaking of Zak being more, pliable… Perhaps it would be best if he stayed out of your room from now on Vera.” My father raised his eyebrow. So much for that sense of humor. I felt myself start to blush.
“Dad, come on, it’s just Zak.” I muttered.
“Well, I was a young man once too-” My mother cut him off.
“For heavens sake dear, don’t embarrass her too much. Besides, Zak is a true gentleman, an old soul.” She said. I burst out laughing and covered my mouth. My dad turned around, probably trying to stifle his laughter as he marched out of the room and my mother chased after, stuttering that ‘It wasn’t meant to be a pun’. I heard a groan and I returned my focus to Zak, who was waking up.
“Hey sleepy head.” I said softly.
“What’s with the laughing?” He slurred his words, letting out a big yawn.
“Nothing really, just my parents being cute for once.” I smiled. He rubbed his eyes and flexed his hands. I assumed he was still getting used to sensations again.
“Oh, hello Zak. How are you feeling?” My mom poked her head into the room.
“I’m alright, thank you.” Zak responded kindly while putting on his glasses.
“Vera, your father and I are going to go pick up some groceries. We will be back in a jiffy.” She said.
“Ok, see you later.” I waved a bit and she disappeared around the corner. The front door shut and latched and I was alone with Zak for the first time in a while. “Are you hungry? Would you like me to get you anything?” I asked. He shook his head.
“Not at the moment.” He answered. His eyes were so bright, and his freckles were endearing. I felt myself fiddling my hands and picking at my now nonexistent nails. I had chewed them all off when I was so worried about Zak’s condition.
“Ok, well, um, j-just let me know if you want anything. I would be happy to get it for you.” I stumbled over my words. He just looked at me, not really looking, but more like observing me. Maybe he saw me differently now that he actually had eyes. Was he color blind before?! That would have been an odd thing, or maybe things were fuzzy… He reached out and brushed his hand against my arm, causing goosebumps to appear.
“Are you cold?” He asked.
“Oh, uh, a little…” I said, caught off guard.
“Can, Can I have a hug?” Zak asked. I blinked and paused for a moment, but then I felt a smile creep up on my face.
“Yeah, of course.” I answered and slid closer to him, and ended up laying beside him, his arms wrapped around my torso and my head on his chest, my arm resting just to the left.
He was warm.
It was amazing how such a simple thing could feel so special. I could hear his heart beating, and feel his chest rising and falling rhythmically with his breath. “I can’t believe that this is real.” I said.
“I agree. I still feel like I’m in a daze, or like I fell into a different universe.” Zak said.
“I keep expecting to wake up, and find out that this was all just a dream. I keep holding my breath, thinking any second that I’ll be met with bitter disappointment that none of this is real.” I said quietly.
“For years I’ve wished to feel something again. Anything. And when you moved in, I thought that was going to be as good as it would get. But now, I’m here again.” He said.
“You can do anything you want now, follow your dreams.” I told him. Zak shifted a little, and I could hear the frown in his voice.
“I can’t. I wanted to be in the Olympics.” He said. I propped myself up a bit so that I could look him in the eye.
“Yes, that is a dream that seems far fetched. But is it as far fetched as returning from the dead? And not being a mindless zombie?” I added and got a short chuckle out of him.
“I suppose not.” He answered.
“Besides, the Olympics are fantastic, a prestigious honor, but, I think you’re destined for something far greater than that.” I said. A look of surprised washed over his face for a moment before his cheeks turned a dusty pink color.
“You don’t mean that.” He said.
“But I do, you’ve already saved my life. You can bring so much good into this world.” I shook my head. His hold on me tightened a little and I laid my head back down, only to feel the weight of his head on mine.
“We’ll see.” He said. We were quiet for a few moments, until he spoke up again. “Never did I ever think I could touch you, much less be hugging you.” He said. I felt my heart flutter and my ears got hot. Damn it, why did he have to go and say that.
“Same here.” I muttered. He ran his fingers through my hair and let me go. I scrambled up off of him so he could sit up more.
“I think I’m going to try walking around a bit.” He said. I stood up and nodded.
“Ok, I’ll help you.” I said. He shook his head.
“No, I got this.” He said as he sat up and swung his legs out so they touched the ground. I heard him take a few deep breaths and then braced himself against the bed to stand up. He was tall, and I was a bit taken aback by it, but then again, I never could really tell how tall he was when he was floating about all the time. Zak took a step forward and lost his footing, and he grabbed onto my shoulders to keep from falling. I managed to keep both of us up, but his face was inches from mine. “S-Sorry.” He muttered.
“No, it’s alright. You need some time to practice.” I smiled softly at him. I bet he was a little embarrassed, but there was no shame in having to get used to walking after so long of bearing no weight on his legs. He stood back up and I steadied him, making sure he was alright before I let go. He took a few steps, and I hovered just to make sure he wouldn’t hit the floor. Or at the very least we would go down together. He moved slowly, but was successful. We made our way to the living room and he managed to get himself to the couch and sat down. “Not in the best shape if I’m winded just from doing that.” He said.
“Before you know it, you’ll be blowing past me when we race.” I laughed.
“Yeah…” He said quietly. I wondered what was going through his mind. What was he thinking about?
“Don’t push yourself too hard, ok?” I said to him. He looked at me and smiled sadly.
“I want to get back to normal quickly though.” He told me as he looked out the window. The cherry blossom tree was half in view and I looked out to it as well.
“It’s very beautiful. We can tackle it together in a few days if you’re feeling ready.” I glanced at I'm out of the corner of my eye. I was still getting used to seeing him in full color, and solid. I reached out and touched his arm. “Zak?” I asked.He seemed to snap out of it and blinked at me.
“Oh yeah, Um, I’m kind of hungry.” He said.
“What was your favorite thing to eat?” I asked.
“Maybe we should so something simple. Like toast.” He suggested. I nodded.
“Alright, but just for future reference, what is it?” I asked again. It was a shame to have seen him get by on saltines and broth over the past few days. Hopefully he would be able to eat good, solid food soon without feeling nauseous.
“…Spaghetti. With meatballs.” He answered after thinking for a moment.
“Yeah, that sounds really good. With a buttery piece of fresh, crunchy garlic bread on the side and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top.” I heard Zak groan after I finished my sentence.
“Don’t tempt me into asking you to make it when I probably won’t be able to keep it down.” He said.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it.” I chuckled and he pouted like a child who had just been scolded.
“You shouldn’t tease me like that…” He mumbled.
“Aw, and you shouldn’t try to manipulate me with puppy eyes.” I shot him a smirk and went into the kitchen to make him a simple meal of toast and butter, maybe with a little bit of jelly on the side too. We had a long way to go before Zak could pass as normal. I had a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach though. What if things change now? What if somehow, he won’t like me anymore and we won’t be friends in the long run? Soon he could go out and make friends, maybe even find a job, even a girlfriend maybe. That thought in particular made my whole body ache and my heart sting. I attempted to push these scary thoughts out of my mind for now and just focus on the short term. Make it through one day at a time, and do what I could for my very best friend.
