Page 127 of Voices

Lily shows up a few minutes later with a thick blanket I recognize from Charlie’s house along with a tote bag filled with his art supplies.

I follow her into my room and lean against my desk, watching her as she sets them at the foot of my bed and then whispers something into Charlie’s ear.

He lets out a soft grunt when she suddenly pulls the blanket off him.

“Up, Jax. You need to move so you don’t get stuck in this position.” Her tone leaves no room for debate.

Charlie curls into a tight ball.

“No,” he mumbles hoarsely.

Lily lets out a short puff of air through her nose, putting her hands on her hips.

“I’m not afraid to get physical with you. I’ll drag your ass out of bed every day if I have to. Now come on, I have your art stuff and your favorite blanket from home but I’m not giving them to you until you’ve walked away from this bed.”

Charlie doesn’t move.

Looking back at me, Lily tilts her head for me to come closer. I walk up next to her and see Charlie shaking. I fight with myself not to grab the blanket and cover him back up. I don’t want him scared or cold but a part of me really wants him to listen to her.

Lily pulls on my shirt until I’m bent over, her lips close to my ear.

“We’re going to have to work together on this. I’ll move his legs and get his feet on the floor while you lift his upper half so he’s sitting.”

Nodding, I lean down and position my hands under his arms. When Lily pulls his legs straight, I roll him to his back. He lets out a low groan but doesn’t try to stop us. I glance over at Lily, and we nod at the same time, moving Charlie into a sitting position on the edge of my bed. His head lulls to the side, his left eye peeking open.

“Come on baby. Let’s get you to the bathroom.” I kiss the top of his head before pulling him to his feet.

He sways and tries to sit back down. But I pull him against my chest to keep him standing.

“I’ve got you. Lean against me and follow my steps,” I say into his messy hair.

With his forehead against my sternum and my arms holding him up, I slowly walk backward into my bathroom. Lily turns on the light and lifts the toilet lid before disappearing back into my room.

Stepping up to the toilet, I turn him around and pull his pants down just far enough for him to piss. He sways again so I wrap my arms around him from behind and hug him to me. His head falls forward and I can see his good eye looking down at himself.

“You’re good. Go ahead and let it out.” I kiss the side of his neck.

He stalls for a second but then relieves himself. When he’s finished, I pull his pants back up and turn him to face me. He looks at my chest then closes his eye and leans forward. I wrap my arms around him, hugging him to me. My heart breaks at the sound of his whimper.

“You’re okay, baby. I’ve got you. Always.”

His legs give out causing me to hold him tighter which makes him whimper again.

“Shh, I’m sorry.” I kiss the top of his head before bending down and picking him up. He wraps his legs around my waist but keeps his arms hanging at his sides as I go back to my room.

Lily looks up from her phone and shakes her head at me. “You know that defeats the purpose of getting him up and moving, right?”

I ignore her as I gently lay him down and cover him with my blanket, then his. He looks up at me for a second then closes his eye and pulls the blankets over his head.

I watch him for a second before turning around and pulling Lily out of my room with me. I let go of her arm as I walk to the kitchen, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. The frustration from everything that’s happened over the last two days is bubbling to the surface.

Lily raises her eyebrow at me and crosses her arms over her chest. “You can’t keep babying him. All that’s going to do is show him that you’ll do the work for him when he’s the one that needs to move on his own. How’s he supposed to get better if he’s always leaning on you?”

I scoff and take another sip of water.

How can she not see how much him hurting, hurts me? I can’t just stand there and watch him struggle. It’s not who I am. What’s so wrong with wanting to help? Plus, hedidwalk to the bathroom mostly on his own. I’d take that as a small victory over him not getting up at all.

“Are you not going to say anything,” she huffs.

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