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It had nearly been a full week of this: of Ghostie orbiting quietly around AJ as she slept like the dead, occasionally waking and groaning through Ghostie’s insistence that she at least drink some water, if you’re not hungry.
It had nearly been a week, and AJ still hadn’t told her what happened. She still hadn’t told Flick — and that, Ghostie decided, could not slide.
“Hey,” Ghostie said, gently prodding AJ’s shoulder with her hand, “I’ll be right back, okay?”
AJ let out a muffled sound of acknowledgement from beneath the nestlike pile of blankets Ghostie had laid atop her.
Ghostie swallowed, hard, momentarily overcome by emotion, but she straightened her shoulders resolutely, taking a deep breath as she quietly opened and shut her door and stepped out into the hall.
She winced, slightly, her eyes unprepared for the brightness of the hallway after days spent in her dimly-lit room. Ghostie glanced once more behind her shoulder, thinking of the girl inside, before determinedly quickening her pace — not enough to seem frantic, and draw attention, but enough to reach her destination before she could change her mind and turn back.
AJ’s room was uncharacteristically unlocked and characteristically a little in disarray as Ghostie entered, smiling despite herself at the greeting chitters of her favorite crow.
“Hi, Flick,” she said, hand outstretched for the bird to land on, “I’ve missed you, too, sweet girl.”
Ghostie ran her finger across Flick’s head, soothingly.
Flick cheeped and chittered with nonstop questions, clearly worried about where her owner had gone. Ghostie sighed.
“AJ’s okay,” she assured Flick, trying to sound certain of it.
Flick let out a disbelieving sound, and Ghostie laughed.
“Alright, alright,” Ghostie relented, “maybe ‘okay’ was a bit of an overstatement… but- she’s safe. She’s been staying with me.”
Ghostie huffed out a laugh at the resulting chirps. “No, no, we’re not back together,” she replied, keeping her tone light despite the way the truth of that sentence burned, “she’s just staying with me for a little while. It’s… It’s a comfort thing, I think. We were friends before we were ever together. She just, um… she needed somewhere to crash for a bit.”
Flick chirped, questioningly, and Ghostie knew what she was asking but she also knew she didn’t have all of the answers. With a small sigh, Ghostie lowered herself to the floor, careful not to jostle Flick as she did so.
“I… I’m not sure what happened,” Ghostie admitted, looking away as tears filled her vision. “She hasn’t told me anything yet. I’m… I’ve been trying not to push too much. I’ve been giving her time. She’ll… she’ll tell us when she’s ready.”
It sounded weak, even to her ears, but Ghostie knew from Flick’s understanding chitter that she knew what Ghostie had yet to say.
“Yeah,” Ghostie murmured, petting Flick comfortingly as she nudged her head into Ghostie’s palm, “she’s shut down, again. I’m just glad she hasn’t completely shut me out.”
At Flick’s saddened little chirp, Ghostie froze. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean — ” she sighed, rubbing a hand across her face, “I’m sorry, Flick. I’m sure she thought she was doing the right thing by sending you away. I don’t think she likes you seeing her this way.”
Flick, though still sad, seemed to understand. Ghostie procured a bag of seeds from her pocket, setting them out for the crow to pick at.
“I’m sorry I took so long to visit you,” Ghostie said softly, stroking her feathers as Flick munched on the seeds, “I didn’t want to leave her.”
Flick nudged against her palm in silent forgiveness, and Ghostie felt a weight slide off her shoulders.
“I’ll be back soon, okay? And if she doesn’t want to come back just yet, I’ll bring you to her,” Ghostie said as she stood, preparing to leave the room. “Don’t worry, Flick. I’m taking good care of our girl. We’ll figure this out, okay? I promise.”
AJ was still in the same position when Ghostie slipped back into the room, face smushed against a pillow on her now designated side of the bed.
Ghostie looked up at the ceiling, her eyes stinging with fresh tears, and sent a silent plea to the gods she knew had surely stopped listening ages ago, if they’d ever listened at all.
Quietly, she settled back in beside AJ, reaching out to smooth back a lock of hair that had stuck to her forehead. AJ stirred, letting out a small sound as she burrowed closer into her nest, as if trying to dig down to the Earth.
Ghostie shuffled closer, her arms like armor as they gently — protectively — caged AJ’s frame. AJ sighed in her sleep, pleased, and Ghostie let herself relax, joining her in what she hoped would be a dreamless sleep.