Theo
“ Y ou doing okay?” I leaned against the doorframe, unsure of how far into Scout’s room to go. She was curled on her bed, arms around her stomach, face scrunched up in pain.
“I think I’m dying,” she groaned. “Better call the funeral home and tell them they’ll have a new body this week.”
I snorted a laugh, only to be met with the glare of the century. My smile immediately fell.
“Well, I’m not going to do that,” I said. “You’re not dying. You’re sick.”
“No.” She pressed her face into the pillow. “I am dying .”
“You’ve been keeping water down, at least.” I stepped into her room fully. I’d only been in here a few times.
She’d curated it into such a cozy little space, and it made me happy knowing she felt comfortable enough to do it, like this place was permanent.
A strip of LED lights lined the walls near the ceiling, currently a shade of teal that bathed everything in that color.
She had bean bags laying on the floor, a small coffee table where she liked to do her homework and write.
Pillows and blankets overflowed from her bed, and her stuffed animals were lined perfectly on the window seat overlooking the ocean.
The walls by her bed were covered in papers with writing scrawled on them, but some had little doodles that reminded me of things I used to draw when I was her age. A framed photo of her and her mother sat by her bed, and another of Larry was beside it.
It was comfortable. Easy.
Homey, and cozy, and so Scout.
She sat up, dropping her feet to the floor. “I have a headache, and I feel nauseous, but I’m hungry. I feel like I’m going crazy.”
“I can make you something,” I offered, but she shook her head.
“There’s nothing in this stupid place I feel like eating.” She rolled her eyes to the ceiling.
“Alright.” I sank onto the bed beside her. “I can go out and grab something instead?” She eyed me skeptically.
“You’d do that?”
“Of course. Name it.”
A sly grin spread across her face. “I want one of those chocolate tarts from Sugar Shack.”
“Scout, you were just puking a couple hours ago. You can’t have that.”
“Fine,” she huffed, getting to her feet. “Then I’ll just starve!”
I blinked at her. I couldn’t tell if she was kidding or not.
“You’re not going to starve.” I pinched between my eyes. “How about…”
“Chinese?”
“Something easier on your stomach, kid. Jesus.”
“See?” She groaned, dropping her head back dramatically. “Starving!”
I huffed out a laugh, my gaze catching on the comforter for a moment. A small dark spot was there, stark against the white. I leaned closer, but it was hard to tell the color in the teal light.
“What’s this?” I asked, pointing at it. Scout squinted, then her eyes widened. Her hands went to her stomach, then behind her.
“Get out.”
“What?”
“Get. Out!” She shoved my arm. “Out! Get out! Oh, my god. Oh, my god !”
“What’s going on?” I asked, stumbling to my feet. She wouldn’t look at me as she continued pushing me toward the door. “Scout?—”
“Oh, my god,” she said again. I dug my heels into the floor, but she was surprisingly strong.
“What is—” I looked back at the splotch, then it dawned on me. “ Oh.. .”
“Oh, my god!” she screamed. “Get out!”
I stepped into the hall and let her slam the door in my face.
If that was what I thought it was…
“We need to clean the blanket,” I called, wincing as my voice came out choked. “Do you know how to—you know what? I’ll look it up.”
I hovered by the door. It was probably better that I left her alone, but my feet didn’t seem to work. Instead, I tapped my knuckles against the door, wincing when she demon-screeched, “ What ?”
“Do you want me to draw you a bath? What will make you feel better?”
I think she screamed into a pillow.
I wasn’t there when Trinity got her first period, so I really had no idea if this was a normal reaction or not. But knowing my daughter, it was likely a bit dramatic.
“Maybe some ice cream?” I asked.
Silence.
“Oh, I know, a steak. I’ll make you a steak right now. You know, low iron and?—”
The door swung open. Her eyes were red and watery.
“Go away,” she said again, a bit weaker.
“Do you have…what you need?” I asked hesitantly.
“I don’t know what I need.” She dropped her head back and wailed. “This is a nightmare!”
“I’ll call Mom.” My hands lifted placatingly. “I’ll call and ask what to do, okay? You, uh, you stay in your room. Or—no. No. You should take a shower?—”
“Oh, my god, do I smell?” She covered her face with her hands.
“No!” I cried, shaking my head, panicked. “No. I can’t even smell you—you have, like, freakishly no scent at all.”
Not entirely true.
She usually came home from school smelling a bit sweaty, but she was a kid. They just kinda smelled.
Luckily, she was past the always sticky age.
“Go take a hot shower. Like, scalding. I’ve heard heat is good for—” I gestured vaguely toward her abdomen. “And when you get out, I’ll have everything you need.”
“I’m going to take a bath,” she grumbled. “I don’t feel like standing. I want to be horizontal.”
“Even better,” I agreed, nodding. I clapped my hands together as if we were a football team breaking for a play. “Alright. We can do this. No big deal.”
“To you. You're not the one bleeding out of?—”
“Yep!” I shouted, hurrying to the stairs. “Yep. That’s enough of that.”
“I’m the one?—”
“Yeah, in pain,” I said, stepping down. “I know. We don’t have to discuss the intricacies of it, though.”
“If you had to deal with this, I’m sure you’d let everyone know.” She folded her arms across her chest. “If you had to deal with it, I bet there would already be a cure!”
“It’s incurable, Scout. It’s just what your body does.”
“Your body gets colds too, but they’ve figured out how to stop that from happening!”
She got me there.
“You’re totally right,” I said. “Yeah. A hundred percent right, in fact.” I threw my thumb over my shoulder. “I’m gonna call Mom, alright? You, uh—” I waved at her with my hands, open palmed. “You need anything? Tea, maybe?”
“I want a milkshake, actually. And some curly fries.”
“Milkshake and curly fries.” I took a deep breath. “For sure.”
I descended down the steps, pulling my phone from my pocket on the way. I called Mom immediately, pacing the foyer as it rang and rang. She didn’t answer, so I called Trinity.
Who also didn’t fucking answer.
I laced my fingers together on the top of my head as I continued pacing. “Willow,” I breathed. She always answered. Always.
And just like I knew she would, she picked up on the third ring.
“Willow. Thank god,” I said.
“Theo?” There was loud music in the background. “Are you okay?”
“Where are you?” I shouted.
“Karaoke night!”
That was why Trin wasn’t answering.
Fuck.
My phone buzzed, and I brought it away from my ear.
MOM:
At gardening club. You okay?
I groaned. I’d answer her later.
“Are you coming tonight?” Willow shouted over the noise.
“No. I—” She laughed, cutting me off, then a deep voice filled the line.
“We’re busy,” Ronan grumbled. “What do you want?”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Who’s there with you?” I asked.
“What?”
“Who the fuck is with you?” I shouted.
“Willow, Gracie, Trin.”
“Not Brynne?”
“No, she had to grade papers or something.”
“Fuck, alright. Talk to you later.”
“Wait—”
Before he could say anything else, I ended the call and immediately went to Brynne’s contact. If she was busy, I didn’t want to bother her. I could look it up, but something told me the internet would only let me down.
Fuck it.
“Hello?” she answered hesitantly. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” I breathed, resting my hand on my hip. “Scout?—”
“Oh god, is she worse? Does she have a fever? Is she still puking?”
“No. Worse.”
There was a long pause, then I sighed again.
“She got her first period,” I muttered.
“Oh. Is that all?”
“Is that all?” I repeated, nearly shouting. “Brynne, I’m pretty sure she’s currently sobbing in the bathtub right now. And I have to wash her blanket, but I don’t know how to get blood out of it. She asked for curly fries and a milkshake, but I’m pretty sure nowhere in town sells that. And?—”
“Breathe,” she said, laughing softly. “Does she have pads? Tampons? Anything?”
“No.” I took a deep breath. “Why would she? I never thought to buy that stuff.”
She laughed again. “God, you have so much to learn. Don’t worry. I’ll be there soon, alright? Just try to stay calm.”
“I’ll try.” Another deep breath. I stopped pacing for a moment. “You’re really coming over?”
“Of course,” she said softly. “Do you need anything, Dad? Whiskey? Maybe your own pint of ice cream?”
“You’re all I need.”
Silence filled the line, then she sighed. “See you soon, Theo.”
“Thanks, Red.”
Half an hour later, Brynne showed up with a tote bag slung over her shoulder. She breezed in as if this were her house, and made her way to the kitchen, where she began to unpack.
“I got everything we’ll need to make milkshakes,” she said, setting it out on the counter. “I got a bag of curly fries, some chicken nuggets, and broccoli because I know Mister Healthy will have a heart attack without something green on his plate.”
I lifted the frozen bag, and flicked my eyes to her. “This is broccoli covered in cheese sauce.”
“Oh, and mac and cheese. A girl needs carbs when she’s bleeding.”
“The internet says protein, calcium, fiber, and lots of water.”
Brynne paused, a box of cookies halfway out of the bag. Slowly, she set it on the counter and began pointing at everything. “The ice cream has calcium. Chicken nuggets have protein. Fries have fiber. And I’m sure she’ll have water at some point.”
“At some point,” I repeated dryly. “Right. Okay.”
“Put the fries and nuggets in the oven. I’ll go check on Scout and help her with…stuff.” I nodded as she grabbed a box of pads from the tote bag. “Don’t touch the mac and cheese, though. I don’t fully trust you to not put some dairy-free spin on it.”
“I like oat milk!” I threw my hands up. “Since when was that a crime?”