Katlyn Rooter’s cellphone kept ringing. It had been turned to silent long ago. She hadn’t moved much in the last few weeks. Her skin had lost its color. Weight was dropping off. Everyday Katee, her sister, comes by to check on her. She never says what it is out loud but Katlyn knows. She’s on suicide watch, seeing if Katlyn has made it one more day. Seeing if she’s gotten any better.

It’s been 93 days since Katlyn’s daughter, Layla, died in a car accident. The school bus she was riding on was T-boned by a pick-up truck. The driver of the pick-up died instantly. Every other child on the bus survived. Layla was sitting on the window side, directly in front of where the truck hit. The boy sitting next to her suffered life threatening injuries from being thrown across the bus. Layla’s body shielded him from a clean hit.

Katlyn didn’t answer calls from her parents anymore. She was on leave from work and didn’t really care about money anymore. Katee was her only human contact. Downstairs Katee let herself in. Her face cringed as the sour smell of the house hit her. Katlyn hadn’t been cleaning herself again. Katee walked upstairs and found Katlyn in bed, her eyes open and trained on the ceiling.

“Let’s go stub. It smells like ass in here,” Katee said.

Katlyn was unresponsive. Katee walked over and looked her in the eyes.

“Bath. Go.”

Katlyn turned her head towards Katee.

“You really smell awful. No lie.”

Katlyn reached out and Katee took her hand. She helped her out of bed and to the bathroom. Katlyn was weak and could barely support herself. She sat down in the bath as Katee stripped her and turned on the water. Katee cleaned her in silence. She had become her sister’s keeper. Her withering sister.

“Are you going to be okay for a second? I have to make a call. I’ll be in the bedroom. It will only be a second.”

Katee left the steamed up bathroom. Katlyn looked down at her boney body. She didn’t know whose limbs she was looking at anymore. She turned and saw something on the mirror. A dirty print. Something written on the mirror that had been revealed by the steam. She got out of the tub and walked, dripping and naked, over to the mirror.

“We will always be together”

Katlyn always told Layla she would never leave her. Her dad left, but she never would. Layla always told her they would always be together. This message was from a time before. A happier time. It was enough to get Katlyn to put fresh clothes on. When Katlyn walked out of the bathroom it was enough for Katee to drop her phone. Katlyn had some life in her. Which was good. I had been trying all day to figure out how to get her going. Putting that message on the mirror did the trick. Mr. Calamity gave me a couple claps and then left. I still had a long way to go. Katlyn had an even longer way to go.