She watched her hand tremble slightly. It had started a day or two ago, but she’d pushed it from her mind at the time. Today, though, the trembling was more pronounced. Plus, there was a slight tingling sensation that accompanied it. The sound of keys in the door lock forced her to put aside the issue for the time being. Getting up, she headed to the other room just as the front door opened.
“Shalimar, I’m home!”
Shalimar entered the foyer, smiling as the friend she’d had since childhood closed the door behind her.
“Hi, Em. How did your session go?”
Emily frowned for a moment before responding. “It was okay…”
“But…?” she prodded.
“I don’t know if I like her. Not really. Do I really need to keep going to see her?”
Shalimar considered her friend’s question. Her hand trembled again, but before Emily noticed, she stuffed her hand into her pocket. “We talked about this before. You know you need help. So what you really need to ask yourself is, is doctor Salazar helping? Regardless of whether you like her, if she’s helping you get better, then yes, you need to keep going.” She watched as a pensive look formed on Emily’s face. She remained quiet while her friend considered the question. After several minutes, Emily finally met her gaze.
“Yeah, I guess she’s helping me,” she said in a soft voice. “But it’s just so hard.”
“I know hun, but nothing worthwhile ever seems easy, at least in the beginning.”
“If you’re sure?” Emily asked in a questioning tone.
“I’m sure Em. You need to get well. You’ve been sick for too long.”
“If you say so…” Before she could react, Emily sprinted across the room to envelop her in a hug. “I love you Shal. You’re my best friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Shalimar returned the hug, a tear trickling from the corner of her eye. “I’ll be here for you, for as long as you need me…” As Emily let her go, Shalimar quickly wiped the tear away before her friend could see it.
“I’ll always need you Shal. You’re all that keeps me going some days.”
She gave Emily a sad smile. “I know.” At that moment, Emily’s watch beeped. Both women glanced at it before looking at each other again. “Go on Em. It’s time for your medicine.”
Emily gave her one last look before heading toward the kitchen. “If you’re sure…”
“I am, hun. Now go on… You know you have to stick to the schedule for it to work correctly.”
“Okay, Shal… Talk to you later…”
“I’ll be here…” As her friend left the room, Shalimar pulled her hand out to look at it again. As she studied it, she heard the water run for a moment, followed by the pop of a medicine bottle opening. A few minutes later, she could hear Emily rattling around in the kitchen, preparing to make herself something to eat.
Smiling softly to herself, Shalimar wandered back to her room. She lost track of time while she listened to her friend first eat, then move to the living room, before finally clicking on the television and settling down for the evening. Glancing back down at her hand, she noticed it was becoming translucent. Another sad smile touched her lips Walking in a circle several times, she stretched to her full height of nearly six and a half feet before curling into a ball on the floor. Popping her claws out a few times, she noticed they were becoming see-through as well. Sighing, she stared at them a few more seconds before finally retracting them.
I’ll be here for as long as you need me, she thought again, slowly drifting off to sleep, but once you finish therapy and you’re well, will you really need your imaginary friend?