Mama, the dog, laid among her puppies. My hand rested on her shoulder. Tears were burning hot in my eyes. Belle had been gone for two weeks and I hadn't left my bed since. I kept thinking about our parents. I hated watching Belle take care of me after they died. Now I was again being taken care of while I laid in my bed.
I heard the door open but I didn't move. My gaze didn't stray from Mama's dark eyes. I heard footsteps but the room was still devoid of light.
"You need to eat," Said Jess as the sound of glass against wood came to me.
Like a slug I sat up and rested my back against the headboard. I pulled the plate on my lap. It was noodles but it felt like it weighed eighty pounds on my lap. When I took a bite I tasted nothing.
Jess sat down next to me. She pushed my hair behind my ear. She watched me eat until I was finished.
"Did the dogs eat?"
"Yeah."
"What are you thinking?"
"She's the only family I have left."
"She's strong."
"I know."
