Roads by Sheryl
Taylor stood at the bottom of
the stairs, gazing wistfully towards the top.
Jess tugged at his hand, impatient with him.
"Come on Tay, it's just ten stairs, not Mt. Everest. Up and down, simple as
that."
He looked down at her, wondering if she had any idea. He shook his head, and
sighed.
"Jess, ten steps is a mountain. Trust me."
Again her hands hit her hips. "Well, you'd better try, if you can't get
upstairs, how are you gonna sleep?"
"On the couch. I always liked it better anyway." He looked up the stairs
again, then down into her eyes, and nodded. "Okay. But I make no promises."
Slowly he started negotiating the first step. As he climbed up, his head spun, and
he nearly toppled backwards. "Well, crap." He muttered aloud. He glanced up,
sighing almost pitifully and then began to again ascend the stairs in the only way he
could see fit to get him to the top with the guarantee that he wouldn't fall and kill
himself... on all fours, ignoring the persistent giggling coming from his sister.
He paused, at the top, sitting on the landing, wondering if climbing back upright
was such a good idea. The way his head was spinning, he could see himself going right back
to the bottom of the stairs, in a heap. Deciding that a compromise was the best solution,
he crawled a few feet away from the landing, and hauled himself to his feet. He looked at
Jess, who was sticking, limpet like, to his side.
"I'll make it now, Jess, okay? Thanks..."
She looked doubtful, but nodded, "If you really think so. Yell if you need
help." She wandered off to her own room, hoping that her brother wouldn't get weird
and start staring at dust again.
Taylor pulled himself along the wall, toward his room. Whatever he'd come up here for, was
now a distant memory. All he wanted was to throw himself into bed and sleep for a year. As
he dragged himself through the bedroom door, he heard the unmistakable sound of an IM
ding, coming from his computer. Zac was sitting, back towards the door, at the computer
desk.
"Whatcha doing Zac?" Taylor asked, from his position in the doorway.
Zac jumped, startled, then groaned as pain seared through him. His ribs ached
abominably. "Nothing, just online 'cause I can't sleep. I'm too sore. I can't breath.
I keep coughing. I feel like I'm gonna throw up."
"Gee Zac, anything else? You trying for a world record?" Taylor staggered
across the room to the computer, his elbows resting on the desk.
Zac, somewhat annoyed at the lack of sympathy for his misery, turned away from the monitor
and gave Taylor a look, somewhat crossed between a "What do you want" and a
"What the hell are you doing" glare.
"Think you could get off the desk? It's a little hard to type, with your
elbows on the keyboard."
Taylor shrugged. "Got to hold myself up with something."
Zac rolled his eyes.
"Whatever," he muttered, and turned his attention back to the keyboard.
Unfortunately for him, Taylor showed no signs of moving.
"Who you talking to? And
why are you using my screen name? You didn't read my mail did you?" Suddenly Taylor,
who had been in a semi decent mood before, felt himself growing irritated.
"No loser, I didn't read your stupid mail. I just used your name 'cause it was
the first one that came up, geez. Excuse me."
Zac's sarcasm hit a nerve. "Well, next time use your own damn screen name. That's
what it's there for." Taylor used the desk to haul himself the rest of the way up,
and walked, somewhat dazed by the rush of dizziness that swept over him, towards his bed.
"What's the big deal? Afraid one of your little online girlfriends will like me
better than you?" Zac smirked.
"I don't have any online girlfriends..." Taylor cut himself off. Zac
snotty tone was just too much for him. "Why am I even answering you? Just get off my
name, and get on your own." He turned to get his blanket off the bed, thought better
of it, and flopped down onto it instead.
Zac stared at him for a
minute. He was just too pissed off. He really didn't know why, but the urge to just whip
something at Taylor was almost too much for him.
It was Taylor's fault they were back home. It was Taylor's fault the band was
ended. For all he knew it was Taylor's fault he had the flu. And it was definitely
Taylor's fault that he couldn't move without something hurting. He'd had all he could take
of his brother's face, after the nightmare trip home.
He knew he was being unfair, but he really didn't care. He'd been so happy.
Stopping and going home wasn't something he'd ever wanted to do. He knew it wasn't really
Taylor's fault, but exhaustion, trauma and illness had all combined to sap his patience,
and turn his usually sunny disposition, sour and gloomy.
"Aren't you going back
downstairs?" he asked, in an exasperated tone.
Taylor cracked open an eye. "In a minute. Resting up for the journey back down. Got a
problem with it?"
Scowling, and restraining himself, from giving the smartass comment that had risen to his
lips, Zac turned back to the screen. He typed in a response to Tay's friend, who he'd
neglected to inform of his identity, and found himself pondering the name his brother was
using. He didn't like it.
Glancing back at Tay, he saw that his brother's eyes were closed. Good. He quickly
signed off, and onto their dad's name, glancing again at Tay, to see if he'd noticed the
log on tone. Nope. Still just lying there. He keyed into their screen-names, pulled up
Tay's, and, smirking for all he was worth, reached for the "delete" key. Just as
he was about to press it, he paused. Glancing at Tay, who now appeared to be sound asleep,
he thought back to the last time he'd messed with his stuff. Sure, he thought this was
funny, and a few months ago, would have done it with not even a second thought, but the
persistent ache in his side was a grim reminder, that this was not his Taylor. This was
not the Taylor he could play with. This Taylor was potentially dangerous. Sighing, he
exited the screen, and logged back on, this time to his own name. He surfed for a while,
his sights finally landing on a game with the unlikely name of "Slap a Spice
Girl." Within minutes, he was thoroughly engrossed, forgetting his flu, forgetting
his ribs, and ignoring the nagging cough that nothing seemed to get rid of.
Taylor was very nearly dozing, when he heard Zac's muffled laugh, followed by a burst of
coughing. Somehow he didn't like the sound of either. He opened his eyes, and peered in
Zac's direction, but he couldn't make out what the kid was doing. He was hacking his head
off, though, and it was annoying. He stared absently at him for a while, lacking the
energy to get up and see what was going on. A renewed burst of giggles from Zac got him
motivated.
"He's having way too much fun for a sick kid, and he's on my name..."
he thought. "He's humiliating me, I'm sure..." sighing, he dragged
himself out of bed, and headed for Zac. He'd just about reached him, when Zac suddenly
doubled over, coughing violently. Taylor grabbed him just as he was about to fall out of
the chair.
Zac had never even seen it coming. He was so engrossed in his little game, that he had
forgotten his flu, and forgotten that Tay was even in the room. His nagging cough had
barely penetrated his consciousness. When it suddenly went from a barely noticed irritant,
to a debilitating attack, he wasn't ready for it, and it nearly threw him onto the floor.
He couldn't stop coughing to take a breath, and his face began to go an alarming dusky
purple. He didn't notice that Taylor had caught him, he didn't realize anything beyond his
panicky struggle to breathe. His nails dug into Taylor's arm, bringing thin blood. Taylor
winced, but he didn't let go.
He was getting scared now. He didn't know if it was possible to cough yourself to
death, but he was afraid Zac might just be about to test it. He tightened his hold on him,
pulling him in close to his body. He didn't realize that instinct was making him do it,
pull him in to feel his breathing, he just knew he couldn't let him go. He was scared.
When Zac's color started to darken to gray, he knew they were in trouble.
He hollered the first name that came to his mind.
"IKE!!!"
Ike was arguing with his mother. She'd suggested to him what he considered the dumbest
thing he'd ever heard. He was losing the argument, and was considerably less than pleased
about it, when he heard Taylor's yell. Hearing the panic in it, he was on his feet and up
the stairs in an instant. Diana on his heels. He burst into the room to find a terrified
Taylor, arms wrapped tight around Zac, who appeared to be choking to death. He hadn't
taken a step when the coughing spell suddenly let up. Zac sagged in Taylor's arms, gasping
for breath, eyes streaming.
He was shaking all over, and Taylor was afraid if he let him go, he'd fall.
More than a little shaken, he shot Ike a 'help me' look, and Ike nodded, taking Zac away
from him, and leading him to Tay's bed. Taylor, feeling about as shook up as Zac, sank
down into the nearest chair. The thought that, no matter where they were, home, on the
road, they were still just falling apart, wouldn't leave his mind. He watched Zac
struggling to catch his breath, and couldn't help wondering when, or if, things would
finally be back to normal.
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