No Kiss Goodbye by Janelle Harris Read Free Book Online Page A

You’ll make yourself ill,’ Nicole advises. ‘I’ll gather everything while you start the car.’
    ‘Nonsense!’ my mother exclaims quite loudly. ‘The only thing you need to take home is yourself. None of this other stuff matters right now. Nicole is right. You need to calm down or you’ll be the one who ends up in the hospital, and that certainly will be no good to Laura.’
    I come to a stop, standing in the middle of the floor, letting my hands fall limp by my side. The routine that Laura has always been such a stickler for has descended into chaos. I ache for familiarity. I know our lives have changed permanently, but if I could just find a hint of who we used to be, perhaps stability and calmness would follow.
    ‘Yeah you’re right, Mom. I’m just going to go…’ I say.
    ‘Good,’ Patricia confirms with a clap of her hands. ‘Now, go on. And drive carefully, for God’s sake.’
    ***
     
     
     

Chapter Seven
     
    Mark pulls back the curtains in our bedroom and the soft, morning sun stings my eyes.
    ‘What time is it?’ I ask, wincing as I run my fingers through my knotted hair.
    ‘Time you were up, you lazy sod,’ Mark jokes. ‘You really need a shower. You stink!’
    ‘Thanks. I love you, too.’
    I try to sit up, but the sudden movement of my head tortures me and pain darts around my temples. Mark hands me a glass of ice water from the bedside locker. The ice hasn’t started to melt, so I know he got it fresh from the kitchen just moments ago. He must have anticipated my pounding skull.
    ‘God, I’m so hungover,’ I admit. ‘I must have been completely out of it last night; I can’t remember a thing.’
    ‘You really don’t remember?’ Mark says.
    ‘Nope, not a thing, sorry. Was it a good night? I’m sure it’ll all come back to me later.’
    ‘I doubt it,’ Mark mumbles as he crouches down at the end of the bed. He doesn’t stand back up. I try to lift my head high enough to glance over the edge of the bed to see what he’s up to, but every movement sends a stinging shock down my spine.
    ‘You weren’t drinking last night,’ Mark says.
    ‘Really? I have a hangover from hell that begs to differ.’ I massage my temples with my fingertips.
    ‘That would be the sedation medication wearing off. You’ve been asleep for almost twenty-four hours.’
    ‘Sedation?’ I sit upright, making my head feel like it might explode. Why would I need sedation? And for a whole day. I don’t remember seeing sedation meds on the prescription I got leaving the hospital, but then again, I hadn’t paid close attention. Mark looks after all that.
    I squint as I look down at Mark, and then the ground. Why is he picking up little shards of shattered glass off our bedroom floor? Mark hangs his head as soon as I catch his eye. He can’t even look at me. And for a brief, horrible moment, my husband feels like a stranger to me. I slip my fingers inside the neck of my t-shirt and pull it away from my skin, but it doesn’t relieve the tightening in my throat.
    ‘Laura, come on, think. Do you remember chatting in the kitchen? You were tired and angry. You insisted everyone leave.’ Mark pauses while he stands up. He looks at me – finally. ‘You insisted I leave.’
    ‘Leave? What? Go where? This is your home. Why would I want to kick you out?’
    Mark doesn’t reply; he watches me, scrutinising me. I don’t like it.
    Whatever this sedation stuff is, it’s killing me. I shut my eyes as my brain feels like it’s liquefying and draining out of my ear. I lean over the edge of the bed feeling like I might throw up. Hazy images of me guarding the door holding my favourite crystal photo frame in my hand suddenly pop into my head. I remember screaming loudly. That’s probably why my ears are ringing now. Anger and pain surged through my body into my hand. My knuckles whitened as my grasp on the frame grew stronger. I stared and stared at the beautiful picture and then I suddenly threw the frame as