Recovery

Every day Sandra's strength returns if only a little. She's been going stir crazy being unable to move around on her own, little to no mental stimuli. "I need to get out of this place, I just can't stand it in this room any longer." she presses the call button, for the fifth time today, to retrieve the nurse.

"What is it now?" nurse grouch calls from the doorway.

"I read all these magazines and seen every show on TV twice. I want to go somewhere." Sandra expresses defiantly.

"Ugh if I get you a wheel chair will you leave me alone for the love of god, I've got way too much to do and can't have you calling me in here every thirty minutes." The older woman seemingly exasperated at Sandra's request mumbles under her breath "Just like a child as soon as they start to speak they don't shut up. "

"Yes! I promise. I should be able to at least do this much." full of determination she agrees to the terms, excitement rising in her chest. Nurse grouch wheels the chair into the room and reluctantly helps Sandra get firmly seated. The nurse takes a step back to analyze Sandra handling the chair. Sandra places her hands on either side grabbing the handles of each wheel. The metal handles circle around the wheel allowing her to grip them as they turn. She pulls hard on the wheels lurching forward one foot "Success! "

"Alright, happy now? I'm leaving, call me if you need anything and Sandra?.... Don't need anything." she walks briskly out the door.

The wheel chair is now right across from the cabinet with the paper that Bobby gave her sitting just inside. 'Finally' she thinks as she turns the wheelchair. it was proving to be more difficult than moving it forward, so she resides herself to stretching out one lanky arm. With a tug she uses all her weight, which wasn't much, and manages to open the drawer. "Success squared!" with a giddy demeanor she reached in and plucked the paper out from the drawer flipping it over slowly to savor her accomplishment. Looking over it she notices two figures hand in hand with a small child, she recognizes the child to be Bobby and surmises that the other figures must be his parents. "He's is very talented, well worth the wait" Sandra says out loud, exercising her vocal cords as much as possible. She places the drawing atop her bed for later viewing then sets her mind to moving out into the hallway. After much work and a few brief breaks she has officially rolled herself into the hallway.

"Ah now there's a change of scenery" the satisfaction in her voice prevalent. She studies the people walking past, all the nurses marching with purpose, a few other patients doddle across the floor dragging along their IV bags similar to the one attached to her. Speaking low to herself "I wonder if I can get information on this Adelyn person, I know nurse grouch knows something but she refuses to tell me anything. Hmm... should I go left or right?"

Loud coughing catches her attention from the room almost directly across from hers "Every damn day with this garbage! I just want some decent jello, the kind that doesn't taste like ass." the gravely tune continues to mumble profanities.

"I know that voice" Sandra rolls her way into the woman's room nearest hers, after a short rest, she greets the woman warmly "Hello, my names Sandra, I stay just across the hall." The sounds of her own name still seems weird to her, the only name that even slightly rings a bell is Del.

"Huh? What do you want?" the woman's irritation pours over Sandra like thick molasses.

"I couldn't help but hear you the other day" disregarding the woman's angry tones hidden in her gruff dry voice.

"You hate the food here as much as I do aye?" her tone seems to mellow out after finding someone who agrees with her.

"Oh yeah, the food is sub-par at best." she hadn't actually had the opportunity to eat any of the food without a feeding tube just yet but from the look of it sitting on the tray next to the wrinkled, older woman she was sure she'd agree. "You wouldn't happen to know someone with the name Del, or perhaps Adelyn, would do? "

"Yeah actually I do, she used to come around all the time. Sometimes slipped me some goodies too, she ain't a bad egg." suddenly "Oh how rude of me, my name is Creedence Bethel by the way. Nice to meet you, Saidie was it? "

"Sandra, but please call me whatever you'd like" Sandra's tone was cheerful albeit a bit weak.

"Did you say you're in the room across from mine? Well I guess it was bound to happen." she goes into a small coughing fit "Excuse me." hacking into her fist.

"What was bound to happen?" Sandra questions Creedence for more details.

"Well the poor girl must have past on if you're in there, it's a shame really. That Del was real sweet on her, always taking real good care of her. Hell I don't know if she even went home some nights." the aged woman brings her hand up to her mouth unconsciously two fingers at her lips as if holding a cigarette. "Oh ..nasty habit, reason why I'm still in this damn place. Can't kick the shit" she takes a long look at the yellow tint between her fingers.

"What are you in for? " Sandra's inquiries as innocent as a child's.

"This old body of mine has been fighting off cancer for over two years, damn thing keeps coming back. Not unlike my dirty habit, I could really go for a cigarette right now."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that" her solemn eyes look toward the ground.

"Why are you trapped in this hell hole? " Creedence changing the subject.

"Um well the doctors say I was in a coma for a while, hadn't said much else really."

"No shit! Your coma girl? I thought you died when Del stopped showing up." staring at her in astonishment.

"Why did she stop?" Sandra's face scrunches up and her eyebrows furrow.

"I heard something about breaking policy rules , don't know much else. That grouchy nurse probably snitched on her for giving me snacks." Creedence sighs.

"Oh alright, thanks anyway" Sandra wheels herself out into the hallway once more. Starting to feel drained from all her efforts, she eyed her room. Shaking her head she decided she might not get this opportunity to roam free again and gather information before she is transferred to physical therapy. She pushes onward in the direction of the sound of an old man's yelling.

"Hey, have you seen miss Del? I been looking all over for her but I can't find her." his worried eyes furrowing his brow as his bottom lip juts out with a pout." little bobby stops her advancements with a gentle tug on her gown.

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen her either. In fact I was looking for her as well." Sandra explains.

"Wanna look with me? " excitement lighting up his face.

A soft giggle escaped her lips "Sure."

"Okay, I looked in most of the rooms but the old guys, he yells a lot." he starts walking over to the old man's room, stops and looks back at Sandra "Are you coming?"

She puts all her strength into rolling forward but is just too worn out to make it more than a couple feet "uh ...I think I need a bit of a rest first" breathing heavily.

Bobby walks back over "I can push you, your not heavy." he grabs onto the handles behind her.

"I don't know, can you see over my head? " hesitant to allow this young boy maneuver her. Bobby sweeps her away without a second thought.

"Yeah, I got it." Bobby pushes slowly and every so often gets on his tip toes to look where he is going. A slow start turned into a brisk pace with a few angle adjustments along the way.

"Almost there!" a bit of strain in his small voice followed by a nurse calling out to him.

"Bobby! There you are, you can't keep running off like that." this was the first time Sandra heard the young, bubbly nurse sound so serious.

"Awe man" he whined "Sorry, I gotta go now. " he waved goodbye before the nurse took his hand leading him around the corner to his room. Sandra says farewell as he disappears. She then continues her adventure. The chair squeaks into the room catching the old man off-guard "Huh, get out of my room! I don't want any visitors."

"Sorry to bother you sir, I was just wondering if you know a woman by the name Adelyn? " attempting to be as polite as possible Sandra puts her best innocent look on.

"Who wants to know?" he belts out, annoyance lacing each note.

"Well, my name is Sandra. So .. do you know Del?" the nervousness in her voice becoming more apparent.

"Adele? Isn't she some kind of singer, why would I know anything about her?" grumbling out each word.

"Del" she says a little louder and clearer.

"Oh yeah the girl who was always late! Such insolence that one. Always off gallivanting with that boy, buddy or whatever."

"Are you talking about Bobby?" her eyebrows perk up.

"Bah, them and there little art projects littering them all over the place. Abandoning me in my time of need, that girl should really....." he continues to complain even after Sandra backs herself out of the room.

"You must have had quite the adventure making it all the way out here." the soft female voice followed by the clicking of heels walks up behind Sandra.

"Ha yeah, just out for my afternoon stroll. Would you mind?" she gestures to the back of the wheel chair.

"Yeah, of course" Suzanne's well manicured finger tips wrapped around the handles, her belly bulging between them. She gently pushes Sandra down the hallway. "How are you feeling today?"

"Really well actually, I made a new friend. He's about yay high" her hand raises to her eye level "and very charming" she chuckles softly.

"Oh, that's nice what's his name?" Susanne playing along happily.

"His name's Bobby, the little guy seems to find me everywhere I go. You should see the drawings he gave me, they are pretty good." Sandra smiles brightly.

Suzanne's sad smile evident that something is troubling her "You'll have to show me then."

"Sure, it's there on the bed, well some of the ones on the walls to." Sandra decides to ignore the sadness in the other woman's smile since she doesn't know how to help her. Sandra suspects it has something to do with the memory loss, just like her mothers sad smiles.

Suzanne picks up the paper on the bed instantly realizing who the two figures are. "Oh how cute, Bobby must think highly of you both." Susanne's troubled face did not match her words.

"What do you mean by that? " a quizzical expression wore on Sandra's face.

"Cause of the drawings? He has you two holding hands with him here." referencing the paper in her hands.

"Me and who? That's obviously a scene of him with his family." Sandra lets out a confused chuckle.

"Are you sure? This one looks so much like you and the other looks like....looks like Del" pointing her finger at one of the figures.

A deep male voice chimes in "Hey sweetie, I just got off work. How's little Jamie doing?" He places a hand on her large belly.

"Hey honey. He's doing just fine" she moves to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, a comfortable and caring interaction, noticeably a daily ritual for the two.

"Can I speak with you outside for a moment dear?" Lukas's voice low. They walk outside the door unknowingly leaving it ajar just enough for Sandra to catch parts of their conversation. "Adelyn is here in the hospital."

"What? Why? She was ...." Suzanne noticeably irritated.

Lukas interjects "She was injured on a bus today, I found her and brought her here, and have you looked at the news lately? " the deep voice begins.

"No, why?" Suzanne absently rubs her stomach, cradling her baby inside.

"You're mother apparently plastered Adelyn's name all around town." Lukas's tone full of concern.

"She lied to us, mom has every right to be angry." Suzanne becoming defensive, straightened her posture from it's previously relaxed position.

"I get that she's upset but Del doesn't deserve ...well this." indistinct chatter played softly from a speaker, most likely a video on his cellphone. Lukas glances back towards Sandra's room then with an audible "click " he closes the door fully.