Page 4 of The Pacifist
“Yes. The things he says, Mila...” She shook her head. “It’s like his sanity was in the limbs that got amputated after the crash. He makes no sense.”
“I know.”
Laura bit her lower lip with her eyebrows drawn close. “I hate to burden you, but would you try and talk to him, again?”
“I’ll try.”
Leaning down over my bed, my mom cupped my face and pressed her lips to my forehead. “Thank you.”
As she left my room, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stretched my arms with a loud yawn.
Thirty minutes later, I had showered and walked my dogs. Knocking on the door to my parents’ suite, I called out, “Can I come in?”
I took the groan from inside as a “yes”, and pushed the door open. Before my dad crashed in a drone, it would have been impossible to find him in bed in the afternoon. He had always been active and loved physical work.
“How are you doing?” I asked and crawled up to sit next to him.
“I’m bored out of my mind.”
“No wonder. You’ve been cooped up in here for almost four months, not to mention the month you spent in the hospital.”
“I don’t remember much of that time.”
“Probably because you were in a coma for the first week.”
Magni turned his head away and it hit me that he never asked how I was doing anymore.
“Mom said that you two had another argument.”
He nodded and scratched what was left of his amputated left arm. “It’s not your job to smooth things out between us.”
“That’s okay.” I took his right hand. “I’m happy to be the voice of reason that reminds you how much Mom loves you.”
Magni scoffed. “Why the hell would she?" He nodded to his missing legs. “I’ve told her, she should get a divorce.”
“Dad, that’s just your pain medication talking. You don’t mean that.”
Magni jerked his head back. “I’m not going to force her to be with a ghost of a man.”
“But you don’t really want Mom to give up on you, do you?”
He looked away again and it made me squeeze his hand tighter to connect with him. “Dad, I know this isn’t what you wanted, but why not get robotic limbs and start walking again?”
“Why is everyone so eager to make me a bloody cyborg?” He pulled his hand away.
“Because we see how unhappy you are. You need to get out and live your life again.”
His tone turned sharp. “No robotic legs are going to replace what I had.”
“I know, but it’s better than…” I trailed off but Magni finished my sentence.
“Not having any legs at all.”
“Yes.”
He huffed out loud. “I’ve already agreed to think about it.”
“But you’ve been thinking about it for over four months.”
