New Beginnings

Adelyn sits outside Sandra's hospital room. Her arms crossed over her knees, the cast making a headrest. Lukas walks out and notices her sitting there in silence. He lets his back slide down the wall into a sitting position next to her.

"Hey, I'm sorry you had to do that..." He glances down at his hands folded over one another. "I just thought that she would believe it coming from you...." he sighs "I tried before with some other things, and Margret too. It didn't go over so well."

Adelyn sit there quietly listening with her head buried in her arms. Lukas continues "When you said you were not together, you know, before the accident....I thought that you two were dating or something. I guess that was a lie too."

She lifts her head "You ASSUMED that we were a thing, I didn't tell you that we were dating."

He begins to defend himself but thinks better of it and repeats "I'm sorry then, for assuming wrong." feeling conflicted, wanting to get angry with Adelyn but also knowing that Adelyn was the only person Sandra's been asking for since she regained her memories. "Hey... I know it doesn't mean much coming from me, but I think you make her happy."

A scoff and a faint sentence peeks out from Adelyn's armored fortress of solitude "I don't deserve to be the one who makes her happy." her arms tight around her face and her voice muffled by her blue jeans still smelling of coffee and cucumber melon hand lotion.

"You may not deserve it, but it's yours regardless of what anyone else says or does." his words burn into her brain.

"What should I do?" her face flushed and wet as she looks over at Lukas for answers.

"Why don't you ask her? She obviously knows more than I do in this situation." he nods towards the room.

Adelyn wipes her face and stands up, straightening her clothing. She takes a deep breath and knocks on the door. 'Knock, knock, knock' cautiously she listens for a reply.

"Come in" a somber tone in Sandra's voice. She's sitting up in her bed looking out the window deep in contemplation.

"I thought maybe we could start over" Adelyn offers weakly, stepping a few steps into the middle of the room. "Can we talk?"

"I don't know.... I don't know if I can go back to being friends with you after everything."

"After what I did? I understand if you want nothing to do with me, I would hate me too..."

"That's not it. I don't hate you, I could never hate you Del." Sandra turns to look at Adelyn "It's just that when I see you... I see us, all of the memories of being together. Laughing and playing, loving each other. I don't know if I could handle being around you still knowing that you don't love me too."

"Before you woke up, I was having these... dreams. Dreams that felt so vivid as if I were truly there experiencing everything. You were there in my dreams...what I'm trying to say is that I think I understand at least some of what your saying." Adelyn tugs at her fingers nervously as she opens up to Sandra.

"To me they are not dreams Del, they are real memories. We had rough patches like that time you ran down the road in my baggy clothes and I had to pick you up..."

"What did you just say?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking about one of our fights. You wouldn't understand."

"No, you said something about me wearing your clothes and you coming to pick me up. That happened in my dream, I remember that one vividly because it was the first one. I was so confused and had no idea where I was going, I fumbled over everything and you drove over and convinced me to get into your car and took me back home." she gives a slight chuckle at the end.

"So you do know me, at least somewhat." she breaths a sigh of relief feeling a little less crazy. "Thank god, I thought that I had really lost my mind there for a bit."

"If anyone's crazy it's definitely me." Adelyn's body allowed itself to relax a tad.

"So what do we do now?" Sandra's eyes full of hope as she looks toward Adelyn.

"Ha, I was going to ask the same thing" Adelyn takes a seat next to Sandra noticeably relieved.

"How about we start with a date?" Sandra places her hand on Adelyn's cast arm.

"Ok. I mean yeah that sounds nice" nervousness clear in her voice.

Sandra leans over toward Adelyn, Adelyn straightens up her posture a little fear and a little excitement trying to anticipate her next moves. Sandra turns slightly reaching out her hand to pick up a black marker that was lying on the table next the her bed. Adelyn looks over in surprise thinking she was about to kiss her. Sandra gives a knowing smile the joy written all over her face. She takes the marker and draws on Adelyn's cast, her dark hair flowing down in front of her eyes. She blows it away a few times before giving up and pushing it back behind her ears. Adelyn watches her intently noting the intensity as she concentrates on drawing. She notices the dark hair escaping from behind her ear and quickly reaches over to tuck it back without thinking. Sandra glances over wearing an almost embarrassed smile reserved only for Adelyn. Realizing what she just done Adelyn makes an awkward face and snatches her hand away.

"Ok, now you can look" Sandra casually tosses the marker onto the bed.

"What is it?" Adelyn peers at the dark lines.

"It's a house of course, I know my skills are not has good as they used to be but that much you should have been able to recognize." Sandra teases.

"I could tell it was a house" Adelyn giggles "But who's house is it?" she says while touching the lines of the drawing.

"It'll be ours someday" Sandra says in a slightly deeper sultry voice before remembering their agreement.

"It's beautiful Sandy, thank you." she smiles shyly feeling a little exposed.

Lukas still sitting outside the door noticed the silence and took this opportunity to intrude "Hey, not to be a bother, but Margret's expecting us at 11, today." he points at his watch tapping it lightly.

Sandra pulls herself away from looking at Adelyn "Oh, yeah that's a thing" looking back she asks "You wouldn't happen to be invited are you?"

"Unfortunately, No. I was not invited, but I know that you'll have lots of fun." Adelyn's eyes showed some sadness, not wanting to depart so soon.

"I better start packing your things, the um arm things are ours right?" Lukas looks around the arms grabbing armfuls of things, stuffing clothing into a backpack. He picks up the crutches with a questioning gaze.

"Yeah, I was told to practice on my own." Sandra chimes in, her voice much more cheerful than it has been for weeks.

"I'll help you" Adelyn stands up and starts gathering the papers from off the walls and drawers. She picks up one she hasn't seen before and pauses for a moment. Looking at it, she knew right away that it was one of Bobby's pieces. She looks over the figures all holding hands with great big smiles and wonderful colors. She finds a folder and packs them all inside leaving the newest one sitting on top.

"I have a teensy weensy request" Sandra says in the sweetest voice she can think of, trying to sound cute "Can someone help me to the bathroom?"

Lukas turns around just a second too late, Adelyn was already helping her out of the bed and slowly walking them to the bathroom.

"Your walking a lot better Sandy, I'm impressed" her thoughts slip out of her mouth effortlessly, reminding her of all the months she volunteered here. She felt a little hole in her chest not being able to volunteer like she used to. She thought about all the people she would interact with daily and how she'd made so many memories here. She wondered if she would ever see Bobby again, or Mrs. Bethel even that grumpy old man came to mind Mr. Chukawski.

"What are you thinking about?" Sandra interrupts Adelyn's train of thought after noticing the look on her face of staring off deep in thought.

"Oh, nothing really. I was just wondering how Bobby was doing. I haven't seen him for a while." Attempting to be light hearted about it she shrugs and offers a goofy smile.

"I saw him the other day actually. He was in good spirits, he was looking for you." she chuckles "Admittedly so was I. We searched the halls together for a bit before he had to go, his mother seems like a sweet lady." Sandra's smile bright as she remembers the interaction. She hoped this helped Adelyn feel at ease.

Lukas and Adelyn carried the last few things down to the car. Sandra watching them from her window wishing she could be of more use. Being doted on was not something she was particularly used to. She glanced around the empty hospital room one more time, the white walls seemed barren and sterile. The room felt completely different now that everything was taken out. She felt a twinge of sadness knowing this was the room that all her loved ones have spent day after day, caring for her, watching her sleep endlessly. She weakly stands up and wobbles into her wheelchair and wheels away holding onto her folder of artwork in her lap.