Caitlin's Trip, chapter 8
I wake up with Jimmy's foot jabbed in my back. I turn around and look at the backseat where Jimmy is sleeping uneasily twitching in every direction, and beads of sweat trickling down his face. He groans and shivers.
"Jimmy." I say moving a lock of hair out of his face. "Jimmy, are you okay?" He twitches again and opens his eyes. He holds on to his chest gasping for air. "Jimmy, are you okay?" he breathes in more deeply.
"I need it." He gasps.
"I know, but this will pass and you won't be dependant anymore." I say stroking his hair.
"I don't care, just get me some."
"This will pass, and you'll be okay." I say calmly. He lies back down on his back and falls asleep. I fall asleep too, waking up every so often to make sure he's okay.
Sitting in the driver's seat, on the way to the border, I look over at the person sitting next to me.
"Jimmy, you should eat something."
"Not hungry." He says crossing his arms.
"I don't care, you look like shit." I say reaching into my bag and handing him a muffin bar.
"Fine." He mutters as he takes a bite of the muffin. He starts shivering again and fiddling with the heater.
"You should try to sleep." I say nervously.
"I know." He says as he crouches over. I slow down the car at the upcoming stop sign and Jimmy stumbles out of the car and crouches over a ditch. I get out of the car to see him puking his guts out. "Am I going to die?!"
"No, this will pass," I say helping him back into the car. We drive along for a couple of miles until we come to a Motel 6. I pull into the parking lot.
"What are we doing here?" Jimmy asks looking around.
"You need rest." I say as I get out of the car and go over to the front counter. I get a motel room and head back to the car where Jimmy is sitting on the hood clutching his stomach.
"Let's go" I say pulling his arm over my shoulder and helping him up. We make our way to the motel room and I lead him to the bed. He falls asleep almost instantly.
I walk across the street to the convenience store. I buy juice, Gravol, and canned ravioli. I pay for the items and head back into the motel room. I wake up Jimmy and hand him the Gravol.
"Take this, it will make you stop throwing up." I say as I pour a couple of glasses of juice.
"Thanks." He says popping the tablet in his mouth and taking a sip of juice. "I really fucked things up, didn't I?"
"No." I say lying next to him.
"Liar." He says as he rests his head on the pillow.
"Okay, you did fuck things up, but I rather be here in a fucked up situation, then back home living in a fucked up life." I say firmly.
"Why do you stick with me?" Jimmy asks with a raspy voice.
"Why are you asking questions you already know the answers for?"
"You love me?" he says making sure his answer was right.
"Do you love me?" I respond. We don't say anything for a while.
"Got any food?" Jimmy asks a couple of hours later.
"Yeah, canned pasta." I say nodding towards the table. "I think there's microwave up front." I get up and take a couple of cans and walk to the front counter. I pour the contents of the cans on paper plates and put them in the microwave. I carry the plates back to the motel room and place them on the table.
"Do you need help getting up?" I ask Jimmy.
"No, I can manage." He says lifting himself off the bed and moves slowly towards the table. "Where are we anyway?"
"We're back in Chicago." I say pulling out the chairs.
"What? Why?" he asks nervously.
"The hospital was in Milwaukee so we have to pass through here to get to Toronto."
"Alright" he says cautiously.
"I forgot forks." I say walking out of the motel room to the front desk. Walking back to the room I feel someone grab my shoulder.
"Miles?" I say in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
"A friend of mine saw you living at that club."
"Yeah" I say backing away.
"He said you weren't pregnant and you were with another guy." Miles says moving closer.
"Just leave me alone Miles!" I say loudly.
"No, you stole my pot, and I want you back." he says grabbing my face and kissing me roughly. I kick him in the crotch and run back to the room.
"Bitch!" he yells after me.
"What happened?" Jimmy demands.
"Miles," I say out of breath.
"Your ex?" I can only nod. "What does he want?"
"I don't know." I say falling to the floor. Jimmy walks over to where I sit on the floor and sits next to me.
"It's okay." He says as he locks the door and wraps his arms around me. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't bother you ever again."
"You're not going to do anything are you?" I say worriedly.
"He's fucking stalking you!" Jimmy yells.
"I'm not protecting him, I'm protecting you." I say holding his hand, "You're not in the best condition."
"You're right." He says thinking to himself.
"Let's just eat." I say getting up and heading over to the table.
"Jimmy." I say moving a lock of hair out of his face. "Jimmy, are you okay?" He twitches again and opens his eyes. He holds on to his chest gasping for air. "Jimmy, are you okay?" he breathes in more deeply.
"I need it." He gasps.
"I know, but this will pass and you won't be dependant anymore." I say stroking his hair.
"I don't care, just get me some."
"This will pass, and you'll be okay." I say calmly. He lies back down on his back and falls asleep. I fall asleep too, waking up every so often to make sure he's okay.
Sitting in the driver's seat, on the way to the border, I look over at the person sitting next to me.
"Jimmy, you should eat something."
"Not hungry." He says crossing his arms.
"I don't care, you look like shit." I say reaching into my bag and handing him a muffin bar.
"Fine." He mutters as he takes a bite of the muffin. He starts shivering again and fiddling with the heater.
"You should try to sleep." I say nervously.
"I know." He says as he crouches over. I slow down the car at the upcoming stop sign and Jimmy stumbles out of the car and crouches over a ditch. I get out of the car to see him puking his guts out. "Am I going to die?!"
"No, this will pass," I say helping him back into the car. We drive along for a couple of miles until we come to a Motel 6. I pull into the parking lot.
"What are we doing here?" Jimmy asks looking around.
"You need rest." I say as I get out of the car and go over to the front counter. I get a motel room and head back to the car where Jimmy is sitting on the hood clutching his stomach.
"Let's go" I say pulling his arm over my shoulder and helping him up. We make our way to the motel room and I lead him to the bed. He falls asleep almost instantly.
I walk across the street to the convenience store. I buy juice, Gravol, and canned ravioli. I pay for the items and head back into the motel room. I wake up Jimmy and hand him the Gravol.
"Take this, it will make you stop throwing up." I say as I pour a couple of glasses of juice.
"Thanks." He says popping the tablet in his mouth and taking a sip of juice. "I really fucked things up, didn't I?"
"No." I say lying next to him.
"Liar." He says as he rests his head on the pillow.
"Okay, you did fuck things up, but I rather be here in a fucked up situation, then back home living in a fucked up life." I say firmly.
"Why do you stick with me?" Jimmy asks with a raspy voice.
"Why are you asking questions you already know the answers for?"
"You love me?" he says making sure his answer was right.
"Do you love me?" I respond. We don't say anything for a while.
"Got any food?" Jimmy asks a couple of hours later.
"Yeah, canned pasta." I say nodding towards the table. "I think there's microwave up front." I get up and take a couple of cans and walk to the front counter. I pour the contents of the cans on paper plates and put them in the microwave. I carry the plates back to the motel room and place them on the table.
"Do you need help getting up?" I ask Jimmy.
"No, I can manage." He says lifting himself off the bed and moves slowly towards the table. "Where are we anyway?"
"We're back in Chicago." I say pulling out the chairs.
"What? Why?" he asks nervously.
"The hospital was in Milwaukee so we have to pass through here to get to Toronto."
"Alright" he says cautiously.
"I forgot forks." I say walking out of the motel room to the front desk. Walking back to the room I feel someone grab my shoulder.
"Miles?" I say in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
"A friend of mine saw you living at that club."
"Yeah" I say backing away.
"He said you weren't pregnant and you were with another guy." Miles says moving closer.
"Just leave me alone Miles!" I say loudly.
"No, you stole my pot, and I want you back." he says grabbing my face and kissing me roughly. I kick him in the crotch and run back to the room.
"Bitch!" he yells after me.
"What happened?" Jimmy demands.
"Miles," I say out of breath.
"Your ex?" I can only nod. "What does he want?"
"I don't know." I say falling to the floor. Jimmy walks over to where I sit on the floor and sits next to me.
"It's okay." He says as he locks the door and wraps his arms around me. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't bother you ever again."
"You're not going to do anything are you?" I say worriedly.
"He's fucking stalking you!" Jimmy yells.
"I'm not protecting him, I'm protecting you." I say holding his hand, "You're not in the best condition."
"You're right." He says thinking to himself.
"Let's just eat." I say getting up and heading over to the table.
