Page 53 of Light

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Tyler's condition has gotten worse.

I stayed all day at the hospital. The doctors came in to tell me the infection was resistant to the medication they'd given him and that they were going to try a different course. Nurses popped in and out to check his vitals. All the while, I sat in the corner and just watched him breathe.

Something so many take for granted.

It's all I ever wanted my son to be able to do.

Breathe.

By the time visiting hours are over, the staff is hustling me out again. Tyler isn't going to wake up any time soon. I might as well go home and rest up myself.

I feel like I'm walking in a fog.

Everything feels wrong. I've been here before with Tyler but it never gets any easier.

When I get to my house, I'm nearly sleep on my feet. All I want is to drop into the bed and go to sleep. I know it's not going to happen. The second my head touches the pillow my brain is going to wake up and tell me all the wrong I've done. It never fails.

Reaching into my bag, I pull out my keys and open the front door. All the lights are off.

Did I do that before I left?

I step inside and close the door behind me.

One step is all I need to realize that something is very wrong.

The air is too still, too quiet.

The hairs on the back of my neck prickle.

I do not even have time to reach for my phone before a hand clamps over my mouth from behind.

I thrash, my heart jackhammering against my ribs, but I am forced around, and I find myself staring straight into a pair of cold, familiar eyes.

Deke.

I freeze, a scream trapped in my throat.

It has been so long since I have seen him in person that part of me thought maybe he would stay hidden behind his threats and hired muscle.

I was wrong.

"You gonna be quiet?" he hisses, his breath hot and sour against my face.

I nod because I don't have a choice.

Slowly, he pulls his hand away, but he stays close, crowding me into the corner of the entryway.

"You got someone digging into my business," he accuses, his voice a low, angry growl. "One of my men got his face smashed in and sent crawling back to me like a goddamn rat with a broken leg."

I shake my head, too scared to even voice words. I don't know who he can be talking about.

He sneers, getting even closer, and I can feel the barely contained rage rolling off of him in waves.

"Message was real clear. Leave you alone," Deke says, his eyes narrowing. "You want to tell me who sent it?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," I whisper, my voice shaking.

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