Chapter Text
Natalie woke up before the sunrise. She carefully slid out of Travis’s embrace and took Javi’s arm off her shoulder, where it had been resting all night. Natalie just wanted to look at everything one more time. Before she was moved back to the bottom of the group, just like she was when she came out here. Her mind thought back to what Jackie had said to her the night before they left for Nationals, over a year ago. I love that you don’t care what people think or something like that. For a moment, Natalie laughed. Of course, she cared what people thought. But not in the same way Jackie had thought. Natalie didn’t care what people thought about her clothes or her haircut; she cared that people thought she was worth something. Worthy of survival. Worthy of words. Worthy of love. It was easy to see that out here.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Travis, who rested his head on her shoulder from behind. “You’re up early,” he said.
Natalie leaned into the embrace. “Thinking.”
Travis knew exactly what she was thinking about, so he just tugged her back to bed, cradling her between Javi and himself once again. She needed to act normal.
The plan was simple. In the middle of the night, Natalie would go with the knife and ask one final time if Coach Ben really meant it. If he did, Natalie would go through with it. Travis would stand watch. And Javi… Javi would be nowhere near. What they wanted to do was put Javi somewhere far away. But Javi wanted to be close to them, and Travis couldn’t say no to that. So Javi would stay in bed. And Natalie would take the punishment they sought for her.
Natalie tried to act normal, even a little more animated than she had been recently. Travis spent most of the day doing chores, like chopping wood and fetching water. They would notice if Natalie’s boyfriend was extra clingy. But not if Javi was. So Javi stuck by Natalie’s side as she bit her lip so hard it bled, and her nails were completely bitten off. He leaned into Natalie’s shoulder at lunch. It was a simple gesture that meant a lot to her.
Natalie wasn’t in charge of Coach Ben’s meals anymore. She hadn’t been for a bit, so she had no idea what he had been like recently. Would he think she was crazy? Would he turn her into the others? Would that be worse than actually having to go through with this?
At sunset, Natalie was planning on chickening out of the whole plan. Right after dusk, however, they heard a large scream of agony from Coach Ben, and the sounds of him thumping his body against the ground. That’s when she knew she had to do it. She and Travis tucked Javi in with kisses on his temples and assurances that it would be okay, and sat and waited.
“If anyone tries anything on you…” Travis whispered.
Natalie nudged his shoulder. “No one is going to. Not for real. Plus, they’re all scared of you. The only tall person on the team is Lottie, and I’m pretty sure she thinks there are like eight of you.”
Travis knew that Natalie was deflecting her fear with humor. But he let her. Let her mumble about how she doesn’t like how the bleach is growing out in her hair and how she’s worried Javi won’t have enough clothes if he keeps growing. It was time, though. And Natalie knew it. She grabbed the knife from the sheath and stared at it.
“I’ve got you, Natalie,” Travis promised.
Natalie’s hands shook. Am I really doing this? She looked up at Travis and sighed. “I won’t let anything happen to him. I promise.”
Travis knew she was talking about Javi. Even if they all had a newfound hatred of Natalie, it surely wouldn’t include the young boy who cooked for all of them, right? Natalie swore she would keep the knife close by when they slept. She had meant what she said. And people really were scared of Travis. He was protective. If someone tried to hurt Javi, they would surely regret it.
Natalie put her jacket on, took a deep breath, and headed over to the pen. No one else was up but her and Travis. It was pretty much pitch black out there. It looked like it had before dawn. Only it didn’t feel much like a shelter anymore. It felt like a trap.
Coach Ben was awake when she went in. His eyes lit up at the knife. Natalie’s stomach dropped like she was on a rollercoaster. Or a crashing plane.
“Is this really what you want?” She asked quietly.
“More than anything,” he replied, sure as ever.
Tears poured down Natalie’s face. “Okay.”
She knelt by Coach Ben and began to raise the knife. But it was clear that Coach hadn’t done the last of his teaching yet. He had some things left to say.
“I’ll bet you everything I have,” he began, “that Travis is waiting outside, swearing to protect you.”
“Well, it doesn’t seem like you have much to bet, Coach,” Natalie said in an attempt at humor.
Coach Ben laughed at that. It reached his eyes. In that moment, Natalie had hoped that he would back out of this deal. That he would shake her hand and say Good game, Scatorccio. I really am the bridge home, and pack your bags, because we’re leaving now. And my boyfriend and I will live right across from you, Travis, and Javi, and we’ll all have Sunday dinner together, and we’ll forget any of this nonsense out here ever happened. How does that sound?
But he didn’t. He just wanted to teach Natalie one more thing.
“Humor me, Nat. Just this once,” Coach Ben begged.
Natalie nodded. “Travis is out there, yeah.”
“And Javi is asleep, knowing that you guys will take care of each other and no harm will come to him. But when he asked about bad things happening to you, you promised nothing.”
Natalie nodded again.
Coach Ben grabbed her hand. “Thank fucking God you guys have each other. Take care of each other, promise me. As my dying wish. You and those two brothers? Please? I need to die knowing that something good is coming out of all this.”
Tears streamed down Natalie’s face. “I promise.”
“Good.”
The next steps were wordless. Natalie raised the knife, and Coach Ben led it to his heart. Natalie held it there until he huffed out his last words. “Thank you. Take care of each other.” As soon as his breathing stopped, she took the knife out of him. His blood was all over her hands.
It was daylight now, and Natalie had no clue when that happened. Maybe it took people longer to die than she thought. It had always seemed so quick to her. Travis was still waiting for her when she walked out, covered in tears and blood.
Gasps. Angry shouts from Misty. Accusations of treachery.
Natalie was kicked and beaten. Travis wanted to step in, but it was important that she seemed brave right then. No matter how the team thought of her in that moment, not a single person thought it was weak. Natalie seemed like she always had: A martyr who had killed someone who was already living on borrowed time.
And it went exactly as she thought it would. Lottie declared Shauna the new leader. Some more kicking of Natalie, both literally and with words. A few dirty glances at Travis, who flexed his biceps that were bigger than most of the girls’ legs. Javi, thank God, was nowhere to be seen. Still in bed. Definitely not asleep, but certainly out of the focus of the group.
Natalie was made to prepare the feast. She tried to imagine it was a game of Operation or something in biology class. Like it wasn’t actually Coach Ben in front of her. When it was done, she was truly covered in his blood. Her shirt was ruined for sure, and her face and hair had smudges of it. Natalie was certain she would never be able to get the smell out.
And then it was time to cook. Natalie remembered who the usual cook for the group was. It was Mari, yeah. But also…
“Someone go get Javi,” Shauna demanded. “He needs to see what the girl his brother brought home is capable of.”
That did it for Travis. “That’s fucked,” he shouted.
Shauna turned to look at him. “Scared he’s not gonna like what’s for dinner? Whose fault is that?”
Mari got in between them. “Shauna, I can do it. Don’t make Javi. He’s just a little kid. A baby.”
Shauna twitched at the last word and handed the firestarting stuff to Mari.
Mari knew it was cruel to say that last part, but she didn’t care. She actually agreed with what Natalie did. And certainly no one actually thought that 13-year-old Javi should be cooking a person, right? Mari had to believe that, or she didn’t know what to believe.
While Coach Ben was being cooked, Natalie escaped to the stream to wash off. She smelled of iron and whatever was in people’s kidneys. It was there, a little ways away from everyone, that she allowed herself to break down. She scrubbed at the blood, but it was no use. It felt like it had melted into her skin.
“God fucking damnit,” she cursed. By this point, her shirt was soaked through. Her bangs were dripping in her eyes, and she couldn’t see. Her breathing got heavy. She wanted to cry, but couldn’t.
“Nat?” A voice behind her murmured.
Natalie turned around. It was Javi. He held a clean shirt of Travis’s in one hand and a rag in the other.
“Sorry about all this,” she whispered.
Javi shook his head and sat down next to her. He carefully dipped the rag in the stream and started to clean the blood off her cheeks. He had this very focused look in his eyes, like he was scared that he was going to mess it up.
“Javi-” Natalie began. She was going to tell him to stop. That it wasn’t worth it. That she was going to have blood on her hands, whether or not they could all see it. That she wasn’t good enough for anyone to love, not anymore.
But then Javi looked at her with those big brown eyes. The same eyes that Travis had. So goddamn sincere. And Javi just looked so young and scared. And Natalie remembered what Coach Ben’s final words had been. Take care of each other. Natalie thought that maybe taking care of them also meant letting them take care of her.
So Natalie finished her statement with, “- I appreciate it. Thank you.”
And Javi looked content with her response. The two of them were silent as Javi helped her clean up. He even cleaned off her bangs, and suddenly Natalie couldn’t smell blood anymore. When Natalie spilled a few tears, Javi wiped them off too, but didn’t say anything. When Javi was done cleaning the blood off, he handed Natalie Travis’s shirt and turned around so she could change. With Travis’s clean shirt on, she tugged Javi back to camp. If Javi could face them, so could she.
They ran into Travis on the way back. “Where were you guys?” He asked, worry lacing his tone.
“I was helping Nat clean up,” Javi replied.
Travis looked down at the soiled shirt in Natalie’s hands and her now bloodless face. “That’s good of you, Javs.”
Travis moved on to Natalie. “Proud of you, y’know.”
Natalie scoffed. “They kicked me like a stray puppy.”
Travis shook his head. “And you took it like a leader.”
Natalie didn’t need to ask what he meant by that. Many of the girls knew what needed to be done. They just didn’t want the flak and let Natalie take the heat. But Natalie’s actions didn’t take away their sins. Not even close.
They sent Javi to bed with some berries and a little bit of deer jerky. Javi wanted to resist, but he knew better than to argue with them. Plus, he was pretty sure what was going to happen. He could smell it.
“We couldn’t start without the killer herself,” Shauna said.
Melissa took a step toward them. “You guys go get off on this? That's what took you so long?”
They didn’t answer. This was just bait. Everyone knew it.
“How many condoms could you possibly have left?” Shauna muttered.
Mari turned to Van and whispered, “What would Shauna know about doing it with a condom?”
Shauna glared at Mari, and that ended that exchange. They were about to get started when Lottie spoke up. “Where’s the prince?”
“What?” Taissa said. “Prince?”
Van tried to reason with her, too. “He’s not a prince anymore, Lot.”
Lottie shook her head. “He’s connected with it.”
The words swirled around Travis. Would Javi be more protected like this? Truthfully, the answer was probably. Mari had already shown favor to the sweet kid. Shauna, who had proved to be cruel recently, had only done it to hurt Natalie. When push came to shove, she probably wouldn’t hurt Javi. Not if Lottie forbade it. So Travis went to get Javi from their shelter.
Javi’s eyes went wide. But he listened to what they told him to do. He put on the stupid headwear and stood up. Javi choked down a scream when he saw Coach Ben’s head. Not that he thought that they were going to give him a proper burial, but it still seemed a little brutal. If they did that to the assistant coach, what would they do to Dad if he were still here?
Then it was a blur. The screaming. The strange circling. The man. The woman. Travis jumped in front of Javi.
“Go inside. Now,” Travis told Javi, ushering Javi toward the shelter.
“But-”
“Now, Javi.”
From inside the shelter, Javi could hear Natalie yelling. The scrambling. More weird noises. Natalie and Travis looked frantic when they stopped in just a few minutes later.
“We have to go do something. I don’t want to leave you alone…” Travis said.
“I’m fine,” Javi insisted. “Really. Go.”
Natalie, still wearing Travis’s shirt from earlier, put a hand on Javi’s cheek. “Don’t leave, promise? No matter what you hear. Stay here until we get back.”
Javi shook his head vigorously. “Okay.”
Travis wrapped him in a quick, tight hug, and then he and Natalie ran off.
Javi didn’t like to be alone in the dark. But he trusted them to come back. He pulled a blanket around his shoulders and remembered that, despite the chaos, they lost one of their own today. Javi got on his knees, clasped his hands together, and recited the Eternal Rest prayer. And then, right when he finished, he heard someone screaming bloody murder.
It hit the three of them like a truck the day before Thanksgiving. Fevers, vomiting, chills, all of the classic symptoms. Javi was the first to admit it. He came home from school the day before Thanksgiving and was quiet the whole evening. He didn’t want to run to the corner store with Travis to pick up some snacks, and he didn’t take up Natalie’s offer to taste the sauce before dinner. Javi lay down on the floor and grabbed his stomach.
“Nat,” he whispered. “I really don’t feel good. Like at all”
Natalie got up from bed to check his temperature with the back of her hand. “You do feel pretty hot, kid. Why don’t you take a cold shower, and I’ll get your bed ready.”
Javi nodded and went to start the shower. Natalie made the bed for him, and Travis got home with snacks from the corner store.
“Javi’s not feeling too good,” Natalie told him. “Mind making another run?”
Travis put the paper bag of snacks down but kept the keys in his hand. He wrote a list. Cold medicine (generic brand), a six-pack of Sprite, Kleenex, and Tylenol. He kissed Natalie on the cheek, pulled his coat on, and headed back out. It was cold enough now that they all wore their second-hand winter jackets all the time. Javi noticed that the other boys at school resisted wearing a coat; he could never imagine being cold on purpose ever again.
Javi came out of the shower wearing sweatpants and a shirt of Travis’s that wasn’t so big on him anymore. His hair was damp, and his eyes were heavy.
“Your brother went out for some medicine, he’ll be back soon,” Natalie assured.
Javi just nodded and curled up in his bed. Natalie sat down next to him
“C’mere, Javs,” Natalie said, holding her arms open. Javi immediately fell into them.
“Hate feeling sick,” Javi mumbled against her shoulder.
Javi didn’t have to say why he hated it. The last time he had been sick (like sit in bed and rest type of sick) was right after they got rescued. Travis and Natalie had sat beside and prayed while Javi was so weak. There was nothing else they could do. Even though Javi just likely had a bad flu, it still reminded him of that Am I gonna make it? feeling.
Natalie carded a hand through his hair. “I know. We’re here, we’ll be here.”
Javi looked so much younger than fourteen as he burrowed further into her shoulder and fell asleep. Natalie nodded off too. She woke up to the sound of Travis coaxing Javi to take cold medicine.
“Javi, I know it tastes like shit. But it’s gonna make you feel better,” Travis said.
Javi shook his head, still leaning up against Natalie. “Did you at least get Gatorade to wash it down? The red one?” Javi asked.
Natalie stirred. She felt like she could’ve slept for ages. It hadn’t been a particularly long day at work. Why was she so tired?
Travis switched to Spanish like he did when he was really trying to get the point across with Javi. “Sí, ya lo compré, hermanito.” I already bought it, little brother.
Javi smelled it and wrinkled his nose. But he drank it anyway. Then took a drink of red Gatorade that left a ring around his mouth. He then turned the TV on and watched a random channel, and tried to focus on that rather than the pounding in his head and the aching in his stomach.
Travis sighed in relief and went to the kitchen to set up a “sick bay” of sorts. Natalie got up to help him and had to stand still for a minute. Her head felt woozy, and she was seeing spots.
“Fuck,” she muttered under her breath.
“Baby, you okay?” Travis asked, rushing over to her as her knees buckled and she nearly fell.
“‘M just dizzy. Stood up too fast, I guess,” she muttered.
Natalie held her head in her hands, and Travis helped her sit down on the mattress.
“Natalie, you’re face is all hot.”
She started to shiver. “I feel cold. Like fucking freezing, actually.”
Travis pulled off the sweatshirt he was wearing and handed it to her. “Really? I feel like it’s like a sauna in here.”
Natalie’s teeth chattered in response. Travis wiped the sweat off the nape of his neck.
“I hate being cold more than anything,” Natalie murmured. “Like, holy fuck this sucks.”
Travis went to sit down next to her, but his eyes suddenly got wide. Just then, Travis rushed to the bathroom, and Natalie heard the sounds of him throwing up and then dry heaving. Natalie tried to go up and help him, but she immediately felt dizzy and sat back down. The sounds alarmed Javi, who banged on the bathroom door.
“Trav, are you okay?” Javi shouted.
A pause. “Fine. Don’t worry about me. Get some rest.” Moments later, Travis turned the shower on.
Instead of returning to the pullout couch, Javi pulled off all the cushions and placed them next to the mattress. He put the blankets and pillows on the cushions and then plopped down.
“I think all of us got sick,” Javi whispered, more to himself than to Natalie.
“We’ll help each other. It’ll only be a few days, promise,” Natalie replied, her voice shaky with shivers.
Travis came out in his sweatpants and no shirt. His hair, damp from the shower, fell in his face.
“‘S so hot in here,” Travis said, lying down next to Natalie.
She felt his forehead. “Trav, looks like you’re joining the sick club.”
He groaned against the mattress. “How’re you, sweetheart?” Travis always got super affectionate when he didn’t feel well.
“I feel like shit,” she responded, finally admitting it to herself.
Travis got more blankets out from the closet and added them to Javi’s makeshift floor bed. Javi curled up with his favorite throw blanket on the floor next to them. Travis lay down next to Natalie and pulled her close.
“You said that it was too hot in here,” she muttered. “You don’t need to have me pressed against you.”
“Not too hot to hold you,” Travis said. “You’re shivering.”
She leaned into Travis’s touch.
Javi cuddled closer to his pillow. “Gonna sleep.”
Travis was sweating, and Natalie was still shivering. They both fell asleep, and the three of them slept close to each other.
It was past midnight when Travis woke up. He was covered in sweat, but at least Natalie looked a bit warmer. Her face was pale, so pale that it scared him a little. Not even her lips had color in them.
Javi was using the mattress as a pillow, and his long limbs were curled around the blankets on the floor. Travis was careful not to step on either of them as he made his way to the kitchen. He got out some stale crackers and ate them over the kitchen sink so he wouldn’t get crumbs everywhere. He heard footsteps and could immediately tell they were Natalie’s.
“You okay?” She asked.
Travis nodded. “Hungry.”
Natalie took a few crackers from him and rested a hand on his bare chest. “Can’t remember the last time I was sick. Out there, we didn’t have flu season.”
Travis had to laugh at that. It was true. Everything else that could possibly kill you was out there, but at least they avoided seasonal illness.
They both look over at Javi, knocked out after taking the nighttime cold medicine.
“Y’know, you guys both get that puppy dog look in your eyes when you're sick,” Natalie said.
“Mom always said we had the same eyes.”
Natalie looked at a picture of the brothers they had on the fridge. Big brown eyes that could say more than words sometimes. “You guys really do.”
Travis grabbed her hand and pulled her back toward their mattress. “Let’s go back to bed. We’re gonna feel like shit when Javi wakes us up in the morning.”
And that’s exactly what happened very early the next morning. Javi groaned and shook Travis’s shoulders.
“Javi, get more sleep,” Travis muttered, pulling a sleeping Natalie closer to him.
Javi shook his shoulders again. “Don’t feel good.”
That made Travis get out of bed, kiss Natalie’s cheek, and take Javi to the kitchen. They eventually settled on toast and applesauce, nice and easy. Javi’s hair was messy from sleep, and he was wearing Travis’s pajama pants. “What was it like when we were sick when we were little?” Javi whispered, head still throbbing. “Can’t remember.”
The question threw Travis off. Travis knew that Javi was really asking what their mom had done when they were sick. Javi had been so young when their mom died. Travis told Javi a story about the time that he stayed home from school to take care of Javi. Javi had been 5 at the time, and money had been tight. Their dad, never the nurturing type, went off to work without checking on his sons. But their mom’s face had dropped as soon as she saw Javi, immediately knowing the young boy was ill. She wanted to call in sick, but Travis insisted that he could stay home from school. Travis had nursed Javi back to health, so proud to care for the little brother who looked up to him so much. Travis knew talking too much about their mom while Javi was still so feverish would make him upset.
Tears filled Javi’s eyes, but he blinked them away. He opted for a joke instead, even though his heart ached. “So all I’m hearing is that I have been making you take care of me for almost ten years now?”
Travis wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Can’t complain. You’re my favorite patient.”
Natalie groaned loudly on the other side of the room. Travis smiled. “Well, you and her.”
Natalie’s shivers were back in full force. Travis forced her to eat the toast and applesauce breakfast, and she wore a blanket as a cape. The dark circles under Natalie’s eyes were prevalent. She made coffee for her and Travis and sank against the counter. The three of them migrated back over to their pile on the floor, the initial burst of morning energy gone after standing and eating for a few minutes. Didn’t even really talk. Just the occasional whimper from Javi or sigh from Natalie or Travis. Their fevers had all risen again, especially Javi’s. All they could do was keep him hydrated and try to make him comfortable.
They turned on the Macy’s Day Parade, which was a pretty good distraction. They caught up on some of the pop culture that they missed while being stranded for 19 months. Javi insisted that he would go to the parade one day, and Travis promised to take him.
Travis handed him another bottle of red Gatorade and some fever-reduction pills. He then made Javi take more cold medicine. Javi didn’t resist this time. They were all on the same medicine regimen now.
Natalie puked up breakfast. Javi puked up lunch. Travis’s head hurt so bad that they closed the window and turned all the lights off for the entire afternoon. At any point in time, someone’s head was on someone’s shoulder, and someone was sleeping. Travis was constantly making sure that Natalie was warm enough, and the two of them took turns putting cold cloths on Javi’s head. The day was very hazy.
“At least we already had these days off,” Natalie whispered as Travis rested his pounding head on her chest.
They didn’t have the energy to cook for Thanksgiving dinner, so they ate saltine crackers and chicken broth. Even though Travis and Natalie felt horrible, they took turns running a hand through Javi’s sweaty curls the rest of the evening. Travis hadn’t worn a shirt since he threw up the day before, and Natalie was wearing two shirts. Her face was still so pale that it scared Travis. Travis made her a cup of herbal tea to try to bring some color back to her face.
Late that night, Javi started to cry. Softly at first, and then the wet sobs racked his body. Travis immediately held the boy close, despite the heat radiating off his brother’s body. Natalie rubbed steady circles on Javi’s back.
“It’s okay, Javi. I promise. You’re okay,” Natalie cooed.
Javi pressed his head into Travis’s neck and murmured something intelligible. It took a moment before Javi could calm his breathing enough to say it again. “I finally remember what Mom used to do when we were sick,” he sobbed.
Travis’s lips were in a tight line, clearly trying not to cry. “What did she do, Javs?”
Javi looked at Travis and then at Natalie. His eyes were red and his cheeks pink from the fever that was surely amplifying these feelings of grief. “She sat next to me all night. Awake. She had the rosary that Abuela gave her and prayed…”
A few tears slipped out of both Travis’s and Natalie’s eyes, but Javi continued. “She pretended that medicine would give me superpowers. Then, when she was sick… I wasn’t there for her. Dad wasn’t there for her. It was just you, Trav. No one else took care of her.”
Javi started to hyperventilate. His thoughts were all jumbled together. Travis just rocked the boy back and forth while Natalie wiped the tears off his face and held his hand. “You were just a baby, Javs. Oh, Mom loved you so much. She always told me watching you was like watching her heart outside of her body, with how sweet you were. I was always the quiet one. Hard to figure out. But you . You, Javi, were always the sweet one. It’s okay. Let it out,” Travis went on.
Javi was burning up, and it was clear that his fever was getting worse. This delirium was from the sickness and years of pent-up grief and guilt that his growing body would never be big enough to hold.
But Travis and Natalie didn’t waver in their care. They just let his breathing slow, heated up some canned soup, and, despite their exhaustion and illness that they were fighting, stayed awake as he curled up on the mattress. They both pressed a kiss to his warm forehead and let him sleep.
Javi woke up a few hours later, feeling slightly better. He was dripping in sweat, making it clear that the fever had broken. Natalie pressed another kiss to his forehead, half to check his temperature and half to reassure him that it would be okay. He went to take a shower, wordlessly. His hair was damp when he got out. He wore a different pair of Travis’s pajama pants and a t-shirt that probably used to belong to Natalie, which meant it also probably used to belong to Travis.
“Sorry about earlier,” Javi said, settling back on his makeshift bed on the floor. “Didn’t mean to be a baby.”
“Nothing to be sorry for. Never,” Natalie assured.
Travis nudged his shoulder. “It’s what we’re here for.”
The day after Thanksgiving, it snowed for the first time of the season. Natalie woke up around noon to a white blanket outside and freaked out. Her ears started ringing, and the fever made her head feel foggy.
“Nat?” Javi murmured. “It snowed?”
She nodded and stared at the window. “Yeah. I guess it did.”
Javi wrapped his arms around Natalie. “Weird. I guess I didn’t know it was supposed to snow.”
“Me neither.”
Just then, Travis woke up and groaned in pain. Natalie closed the curtains on the window and knelt by him. She kissed the corner of his mouth.
“Morning, Travis,” Natalie whispered.
He groaned again and pulled her close against his chest. “Sleep more.”
The three of them slept most of the day. Natalie and Javi didn’t tell Travis that it snowed. They both knew how Travis hated the snow the most out of any of them. It reminded Travis of the hopelessness and the death and the hollow, starving look in his baby brother’s eyes and Natalie’s daring rescue. Natalie and Javi curled around Travis, and they spent most of the day there. They were feeling better.
The next day, they started to move around a little more. They all got out of their pajamas. They put the extra blankets in the hamper to be washed. Javi slept on the pullout couch again that night, his teenage want for independence kicking back in. He was still a little embarrassed about his outburst, but Travis and Natalie hadn’t made a big deal about it, so neither did he. He thought it was nice that they never made him feel like a baby for stuff like that.
Then, later that evening, Travis and Natalie made a real dinner and flirted in the kitchen. Travis picked her up and spun her around while she laughed. Her cheeks were tinted pink
“I guess you guys are feeling better,” Javi teased.
And then it was gone, just as Natalie promised Javi days before. No more fevers or vomiting. They deep-cleaned the apartment and washed all the sheets and blankets, since Natalie declared that “it smells like sick people in here.” Travis made Javi finish all of his homework before they went to grab snacks at the corner store. Maybe their time off had been totally shit and not exactly relaxing. But Natalie had kept her promise, and they all took care of each other.