Chapter 39: Look Out For My Brother While I'm Gone

Was there ever a day where her head wasn't pounding? Payton didn't think so. It was simply a matter of how bad the pain was. Several months ago things had seemed to be getting better, but those days were long behind her, and now she was caught in a vicious cycle of pain and pain medication. It was wearing her out, but she didn't know what to do anymore.

Rubbing her temples trying to ease the pain, she knew that it was going to be a pain pill kind of day. She headed up to her room, closed her door, and started to sift through the many prescription bottles she had sitting out on a stack of boxes. She grabbed a couple of the pills she'd been looking for, popped them in her mouth, and then found her water on the table. She swallowed them down and then sat down in the quiet. There was a light knock at the door, and when she saw it was Josh, she opened it wide and motioned for him to come in. She watched as he took the room in and the emotions that crossed his face.