Isaiah stares up at the ceiling. Next to him, the digital clock projects bold red numbers across the walls. 12:57 AM. A subtle thirst makes its way up his throat. He sits up.
"Mmm." He moans, rubbing and holding his neck.
A stabbing pain traces its way up his spine, crescendoing into a dull migraine.
"Mmm." He moans again, feeling the pain worsen.
Tired of the pain, he gets out of bed, sneaks downstairs, and wakes Colby's mom.
"Auntie?" He whispers in pain as he shakes Elle with his hand. Elle slowly opens her eyes, seeing Isaiah above her.
"My neck's hurting," he says.
Moments later, she rises from the couch and takes Isaiah to the bathroom. She then turns on the bathroom light and grabs two pills of Children's Ibuprofen from the medicine cabinet. She gives the pills to Isaiah.
"Take these." She informs tiredly.
"Okay," he replies. He holds the pills tightly.
Seconds later, once the pair exited the bathroom, Elle walked toward the refrigerator to pour Isaiah a glass of apple juice to wash down the medicine. With his pills, she hands him a half-full glass of juice.
"Take a minute to wash those down then head back to bed," She instructs.
"Okay," Isaiah says.
"If it gets worse later on, tell me. I might have to take you home," Elle then tells him.
"Okay." he responds disappointedly.
Elle sees the tiny bit of disappointment on Isaiah's face.
"Hey, don't worry about it." Elle says.
She rubs his head.
"Remember, it's only if it gets worse, okay?" She informs him again.
"Okay." he replies with a slight smile.
Elle smiles back and strolls toward the couch. Isaiah ascends the staircase, his eyes trained on Elle. When he arrives back in Colby's room, he watches him sleep. He watches his chest rise and fall, and his fingers jerk along with some dream running through his head. Isaiah downs the pills with juice and sets the glass on the nightstand. He claws at his neck as another surge of pain fills him.