ALICE Ch 239

Alice lets herself into Faye’s room, tiredly pulling her sodden sports bra off as she makes her way down the short hallway. She needs a shower, but she has to check on Faye first.

Glynda’s on the bed with her daughter, who is propped up with her right arm in traction and the other hand merely in a cast with some pins. It looks like Glynda’s feeding her ice cream. So, the nurse who takes care of most of Faye’s stuff is already gone for the night.

On the TV, there’s a lovely woman stuck in a sort of machine, and a guy is playing what looks like a piano. It looks deeply weird.

“Oh,” Faye says as Alice appears.

Glynda merely mutes the TV and looks on neutrally. Alice doesn’t feel even the slightest embarrassment; her flat, sweaty chest is not that interesting.

“Exercising a lot, aren’t you?” Glynda asks.

Alice takes a deep breath. “Yeah.”

Glynda wisely chooses not to push that.

“S’pose you’ll be getting to bed then,” she says after a moment.

“That’s the idea. I’ll clean up first.” Alice goes into the bathroom. When she comes out, clean and wrapped in a towel, Glynda’s gone.

Helpless in her little nest, Faye beams at Alice.

“You looked really good when you came in,” she says.

“I wasn’t trying to make your mom uncomfortable with my flat ass chest,” Alice replies, bending to get water from the mini-fridge.

“You look good now.”

“You must be on those good **** again,” Alice laughs, straightening up, suddenly self-conscious about her towel.

“Yes,” Faye says happily, nodding.

Alice snorts and joins her on the bed.

“How are you holding up?”

“Never better.”

“See, it’s weird because I feel like you mean that.”

“I mean it,” Faye assures her.

“So, your anxiety is so bad that even without the use of your hands, your first taste of happiness is opioids.”

Faye blinks a few times as her stoned mind considers that.

“Yes,” she says.

“I’m sorry, baby. Do they not have Xanax and therapists in Ireland?”

“Dunno,” Faye replies excitedly. “Snazzy.”

“Oh, yeah.” Alice plucks at her towel and laughs. “All for you, babe.”

“Yes.”

“Jesus.” Alice shakes her head. “Here’s what I’m not going to do. I’m not going to bum amazing pain meds off my crippled Irish girlfriend. I am not doing that. Fuck my life. Mio’s car is ready.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah, Mio is… she’s a lot.”

“Go easy. Her English is no good and nobody speaks Japanese except her manager. She’s lonely and there’s stress.”

“I know.”

“Alice.”

“Yes, baby?”

“You were in the toilet.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“The toilet. My toothbrush is there. Mum couldn’t get it because you were in there.”

“Oh,” Alice says, coming to her senses. Faye was just eating ice cream. Alice needs to brush Faye’s teeth before she can go to sleep. This is her life now.