Re: Gatsby: Clementine/Jude
"Long as the food doesn't come from a can, I'll take all you got," she said, truthful. She wasn't real good at keeping things down now, but months of corn would do that. It wasn't food she was craving, though. She thought on it, and something nice sounded better than hospital food. But she just wanted safety. She hadn't ever felt that before now, but it was real pervasive at present. Graham had asked if she wanted a castle, and she didn't even care, that's how turned around her head was.
She didn't like thinking about her daddy thinking they were dead. She didn't know if her momma would let it kill her, losing her last child, or if she'd use it as an excuse to wear a whole lot of slimming black. So she was quiet when he said they couldn't call and explain. No point, and she was tired as could be and didn't want to think about nothing that was bad.
Maybe her brain was slow, or maybe it was just more than she could process, but his answer about what he could do didn't leave her feeling any clearer. She'd spent months focusing on breathing day to day, and maybe she just needed time. "You're not dangerous," she said, just checking. She didn't want dangerous. She had enough of dangerous to last her a whole damn lifetime.
She reached back and squeezed his hand when he said Alex and Chloe wouldn't be invited in, but she didn't understand the implications. She just thought he was being reassuring, and she was real grateful of it.
"I think I'll sleep once we get there," she said, making her excuses right off, because she was sure she wouldn't be up for entertaining for days. She wanted to sleep, and she thought folks looking on her face and body might make her scream. Even her hands were bruised up, not to mention the skin beneath the hospital gown. "Spend some time getting some beauty rest," she added, still pretending for the whole world nothing was real bad, and that nothing had ever been.