After it was clear Shiloh wasn’t going to eat anymore, we settled into our spots in the living room. Shiloh was on the sofa,and Jae and I were on the floor on a mattress topper we kept around for guests.
I was admittedly engrossed in the show more than I had expected seeing as I had already watched it before and when the first episode ended, we both turned to discuss our thoughts with Shiloh.
I stopped, my mouth open to ask her a question, but the light from the TV illuminated her sleeping face. She was curled up on her side hugging herself. Jae waved his hand in front of her face to test if she was really asleep and he chuckled softly and turned to me.
“Out cold.”
I stood up and secured the quilt around Shiloh’s body.
“Well,” Jae sighed, laying back down. “You wanna game or head to sleep?”
“Nah, my dad will be home from work soon and just wake us up anyway.”
He nodded and I grabbed our controllers for the Xbox, glancing back at Shiloh one more time.
Sixteen
October 16, Saturday
Enoch
We played for another hour before my dad got home, poking his head in and whispering goodnight when he saw that Shiloh was sleeping. We were about to finish the game when a hand gripped my shoulder. I swore and jumped in surprise as Shiloh scrambled over my body and out of the room.
Moments later the distinct sound of retching and splatter of liquid against the tile made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“Shit,” I muttered again as I rushed out of the room.
Shiloh was puking in the middle of the hallway, and I quickly grabbed her hair out of her face. My mom, with whatever super power she possessed, ran down the stairs in record timewith a large plastic bowl in hand to catch her next wave of retching.
I involuntarily shuddered and willed myself not to get sympathy nauseous. When I was a kid, I’d always throw up if I saw someone else, although this would certainly test if I grew out of that.
Shiloh spat one last time into the bowl and let out a shaky breath, standing upright, her whole body starting to tremble like it did when she had first arrived.
“What’s wrong, honey?” My mom asked as she scanned Shiloh trying to detect the problem. My mom reached up to feel her forehead and pursed her lips in thought as she pulled her hand away.
“Um, I just, um, woke up and tried to get to the bathroom. I’m sorry, I’ll clean it up,” Shiloh stuttered out between her chattering teeth.
“No, honey, don’t worry,” my mom said with a soft touch on Shiloh’s arm. “Let me just clean out this bowl and we’ll get ya settled back on the couch. Ya wanna rinse your mouth out?”
Shiloh didn’t move, so I placed my hand on her back. “Come on.”
I ushered her into the bathroom, and she unsteadily rinsed her mouth in the sink, her long hair falling forward again.
I opened the top drawer under the sink and pulled out a scrunchie. I scooped her hair up and secured it behind her as she splashed some water on her face.
“Thanks,” she chattered.
“Let’s go back to the couch, yeah?” I suggested.
She nodded and I wrapped my arm around her waist to support her trembling body. The vomit on the floor was gone when we walked out, and I let out a breath of relief that I didn’t get sick myself. I actually felt fine.
My mom was already in the living room, adjusting the setup so Shiloh had her barf bowl within reaching distance and Jae and I weren’t in the way anymore.
“Do you feel like ya might be sick again?” My mom held out her hand to help Shiloh sit down on the couch, fluffing the pillow in the process.
“No, I don’t th-think so.”
Her body was shaking so hard that she could barely sit up properly. My mom took a seat next to her and offered her a can of 7-Up to which she declined.
