Chapter 14: Nostalgia

HELENA.

It felt unreal.

Apart from the tiny moment in the car when I smiled, I felt like I was in a dream.

The nurse took me, Aaron and Luna to a room towards the end of the unit. My pulse was so loud I was certain anyone next to me could hear it clearly. She stopped in front of a door and pushed it open.

The smell of disinfectant filled the air, followed by the signature scent that's in every hospital. I am yet to figure out what it is. The ward had four beds, each on the opposite sides of the room. All the patients were unconscious, but alive. It gave me the chills.

My eyes strayed to a form lying on a bed at the end of the room closest to the windows.

Veronica.

Without warning, I ran towards her. I skimmed my eyes over her body and I could clearly hear my heart shatter all over again. There were bandages everywhere. Her head was wrapped in gauze, and she had an oxygen mask to her nose. Her arms had cuts and bruises, and her palm was attached to a needle where drugs were flowing into her body. I shuddered.

I held her free hand softly. "Please be okay." I whispered. Luna walked over and patted my shoulder, gently. "She'll be fine." I smiled softly at her and nodded.

Veronica had been with me throughout everything. She was the first friend I made, and the only one who stuck with me all these years. Would I lose her too?

A tear fell freely on my cheek, and I hurriedly wiped it away. The nurse who brought us earlier had gone, and a doctor walked in.

"Are you the one I spoke to on the phone?" She said, scanning me with her eyes. She glanced at Aaron and Luna, her brows furrowing for a fraction of a second, before she returned her gaze back to me.

She packed her hair in a neat bun, and wore a gray shirt with black trousers. Her white lab coat hung freely on her shoulders. Her eyes were calm, calculative, and gave me a strange sense of assurance.

"Yes, I'm Helena." I replied, straightening up. She nodded, and walked closer to Veronica, checking the monitor which stood beside her. She placed a stethoscope on her chest, listening closely. She checked the bandages and some sutures on her forearm. She nodded positively, turned to me and said,

"Come with me please." I glanced at Aaron and Luna, who returned my gaze with a 'go on' expression. Aaron whispered, "We'll be right outside."

I followed the doctor to her office, still apprehensive. There was something oddly familiar about her, but I would worry about that later. I was more curious as to what she had to say about Veronica.

"My name is Doctor Flora." She began. I nodded in response.

"Helena, has Veronica had any other accidents prior to this one?" She continued, and her question sent my head spinning.

"N-no, except one time when she was 11, I didn't know her then, but when she told me, she said she was riding her bike and crashed into her dad's car. She had a minor concussion, but that was it." I said in one full breath, afraid that if I paused I would break down.

Doctor Flora exhaled, scribbled something into her pad and said, "Veronica will be fine, but she might need a bit of help while she's recuperating."

"What do you mean? What kind of help…"

"She has lost a lot of blood, and the accident affected her sensory neurons. She'll recover fully in around 6 months, but until then she needs to be watched closely, so that she doesn't damage the neurons further. I can't guarantee she'll recover properly again if they're tampered with."

She paused, looked up from her pad and added, "Just look after her. There were traces of alcohol in her system too."

"Veronica would never drink and drive…." I muttered. This whole thing was fishy. Too fishy.  Unless she had a good reason, something was definitely off.

Doctor Flora didn't reply to my comment, but she gave me a look as if to say, 'I know what I saw.'

"Thank you doctor, when can she be discharged?" I said and stood up.

"Depends on when she wakes up. You can return in two days. She'll probably be conscious by then." I nodded, and left her office.

Veronica will be fine.

Those were the only words playing in my head as I walked back to her ward. She looked peaceful as she slept. I stroked her palm and kissed her forehead, before making my way towards the exit.

Aaron and Luna were leaning on the side of the truck, obviously squabbling. I walked towards them, a little relieved.

"You couldn't catch half the amount I caught this morning." Luna said, glaring at Aaron.

"You had a lucky spell, that's all. I could do better in the dark."

"I'd like to see you try." She said with a mischievous smirk.

"Get ready to eat my fur."

"You-"

"Guys.." I interrupted their argument. They looked like they were about to go head on with each other, and we were out in the open. Definitely not what I needed.

Aaron's face softened and he moved towards me. "What did she say?" Luna leaned forward, eager to know too.

"Veronica will be fine. I can be rest assured. But she'll need some help when she's recovering. The doctor said we should come back in two days. She might be awake then."

"I don't like that doctor." Luna remarked, creasing her eyebrows.

I felt the same. There was something strange about her. Maybe it was how she looked at me, or how there was a strange tone in her voice as she spoke.

"You don't like anyone." Aaron retorted. Luna snorted and replied, "I don't like you."

Gosh, these two.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"That's fine Helena, you can return to work next weekend. But be rest assured that you'll work overtime to make up. The customers are gonna miss you." My manager said over the phone. I'd said I was going to call in sick before driving to Hulvey, but I was too overwhelmed with emotion to act on my words.

"Okay sir." I said, a little sad.

So much for wanting to celebrate my promotion.

I wondered where we would stay until then. I didn't pack much clothes, and neither did Aaron nor Luna. I still had my old house….

The one Caleb knew.

I was so distraught with the thought of something happening to Veronica I had completely forgotten where I was.

Hulvey.

It always dragged me back to it, no matter how hard I tried to escape.

The place held so many memories, both good and bad….

AARON.

As sudden as it was, I seemed to enjoy our little trip to Hulvey. Helena was much more relaxed now, and my earlier tension had dissipated. She drove us to a small bungalow, the compound overgrown with weeds. She looked a little apprehensive. She got down, went to a flower pot close to the front door, and produced a key.

She paused, probably contemplating if she should open the house. In one swift movement, she opened it, and motioned for us to come in. This place wasn't as big as her farm house, but it looked homely.

Furniture was sparse. Helena flicked a switch, a few bulbs sparked and came to life. She pulled open the curtains, and a faint glow illuminated the room.

"Nice place." Luna remarked, dusting off a table.

Helena seemed like she was in a trance, running her hands over the couch and walls, trying to soak in their texture.

"Yeah.." She replied. "Make yourselves at home. I guess we'll be here till next week."

"Next week?" Me and Luna chorused.

Helena shot us a glance. "Yeah, I want Veronica to come home with us. So we're starting here until she's well enough to be discharged."

"Oh come on…" Luna muttered, but it wasn't loud enough for Helena to hear.

"There's a guest room towards the left, my room is on the right. Aaron, you'll sleep on the couch." Helena continued, walking towards the kitchen.

Couch again, right.

"I'll prepare dinner." I glanced outside. The drive to Hulvey, plus the visit to Veronica took way longer than I thought. When did the sun set?

"I'll go get groceries."

"I'll come with you."

And like that, I was left alone. I decided to explore a little. There were no woods surrounding the house, just other buildings. This place was more city-like than Henley. I guess beating Luna at hunting would have to wait.

I went to the kitchen, cleaning the island and the stove. I set to cleaning the rest of the living room. If this was gonna be my bed for the next 7 days, I better make it worth it.

Luna and Helena returned after a while, carrying bags of groceries and chatting happily about something. My heart let go of some of the tension it held earlier, as I saw Helena smiling. I hadn't lost anyone before, nor had anyone I'd known been so close to losing their life, so I could only imagine what she was going through.

"Look, Aaron finally put his long arms to good use." Luna said, her eyes scanning the room.

"You're just crazy." I shook my head, collecting the bags from both of them.

"Wow, this place hasn't been this clean….ever. One bar of chocolate for you." Helena said, patting me on the arm. She took out a chocolate bar from one of her pockets and handed it over, as if it were a trophy.

"That's not fair yuuno…" Luna protested. I flashed the bar in her face, gloating.

"Luna, you're a grown woman."

"And Aaron is a baby?"

I couldn't help but laugh.

"I did work. All you do is taunt me." I said, narrowing my eyes at her.

"You two were definitely siblings in your past life." Helena laughed lightly, walking past both of us.

This was gonna be a long week.