Discharged

 

Chapter 7: The Welcome Wagon

 

For the next couple of days, Dr. Anstone became more professional around me until the day came I would be let go. Dressed in one of the shirts that she would have me sleep in and a pair of those sweats, I was ready as I could ever possibly be.

I was wheeled in a chair. From the top, down the elevator, and all the way to the ground floor, I was being pushed into a grand and spectacular lobby. Large pane-glass windows lined the walls up to the third or fourth floor. Many plants rose up out of the garden right outside of the windows to tower their drooping tropical leaves. Sunshine flooded around every corner of my overview of this place. There were several receptionists at every connected counter that made up an octagon in the middle of the lobby. Bright and colorful lights framed nearly every electronic terminal or monitor. In a way, I was reminded of how extravagant and flashy the 'Back to the Future' had featured a possible future.

My chair came to a gradual stop. I looked over my shoulder at Dr. Anstone as she reached a hand out over my head. Shelly had awkwardly stood ready to hug me or shake the therapist's hand. I had to laugh a little at her indecisive posture. She went for the handshake first, then came down to give me a very long hug. Enjoying our embrace, I did return the hug, but I felt a little less enthusiastic about being squeezed against her bosom. This time, I wasn't exactly thrilled to be smothered against another female. ’Did I have Dr. Anstone to thank for that?’

Shelly was with me for a minute before she had to break away and speak with Dr. Anstone off to the side. I was curious what they were talking about, but my attention was broken by another, but very affectionate, hug. At first, I thought Shelly came back, but I had just watched her walk away with the therapist.

Then I realized this was Brittany. Unlike the Office Lady fashion that Shelly displayed, Brittany was more business attired. A suit rather than a dress. We hugged, again I had been smothered by the younger version of our mother, but endured. In fact, she seemed to pick up on my discomfort and gave me room to breathe. She was initially bending over to hug me, like Shelly had been, but then knelt down by my side to keep us leveled. After a moment, I looked at where Shelly and Dr. Anstone walked and compared their heights.

I frowned at how small I was compared to my tall family.

"Hey Space Cadet, what's wrong?" I looked back at Brittany.

"You're all taller than me." She broke out a weird laugh, one I thought sounded emotional, but quieted to grin at me before I experienced being ruffled on the top of my short haired head. I had more than an inch up there now, so more protection.

"It comes with the territory being my little sis." I rolled my eyes at my apparent big sister’s statement. "I've heard if you stretch every morning, you grow a little taller." That sounded like an old wives tale, but there might be some truth to it. I was going to do morning exercises anyways.

"You going to hog her to yourself or can I have a share?" I nearly jumped out of my seat when a pair of large hands dropped down onto my shoulders to give me a gentle squeeze.

"Awww, you spooked her." Brittany glanced up at the man towering behind me.

"Oh I did not." I slightly tilted my head to see over my shoulder. It was the man who carried me out of our house. Greg, my big brother. This was the first time I was introduced to his voice. It had a smooth and powerful bass to it, but one that could be soothing when listening to it. Kind of like the purr of a lion. I would not be surprised if he could roar like one too.

"I suppose she was hopping for joy?" I glanced back at Brittany. Greg retorted again to confirm that these two definitely were siblings.

"I must have missed her jumping out of her seat to hug you." My head began to lower. ’Was I safe between these two?’

Wait. There was Shelly, Brittany, and Greg. ’Where was Gregory? The father?’ I swallowed. ’Did I really want to ask?’ This was his youngest child who was leaving the hospital. Over a month and I was now getting out. ’Maybe he was just keeping the car running for a quick getaway?’

Before these two begin to duke it out, I wanted to know about our family's attendance. "Where's Gr-- Dad?" For a brief second, I felt Greg's hands tense up, not grip harder, on my shoulders.

Brittany answered me. "He's busy at work. He'll be home at night to welcome you back." She gave me a reassuring smile and one more big hug before getting up. I watched her give Greg a look, and said, "She's all yours now." Then she backed away to give the floor to the brother behind me.

I took a quick look over to where Shelly and Dr. Anstone still stood and conversed with each other. ’What were they talking about?’ It had to do with me, I knew that. ‘How come it had to be private? Was there something about me that Dr. Anstone didn't want me to know about?’

My thoughts were interrupted when Greg pulled me up into a hug. He didn't just bend over and embraced me, I was lifted out of my seat. It took me a second to find my footing, but then I took into account he held me off the ground and my search for earth was pointless. Greg held me up in one tight squeeze and then adjusted to more comfortably have me carried against his broad chest.

Giving each other a little space, I pulled my face away from his shoulder to look at him more closely. I could see the slight resemblance of our mother in his face. A handsome one, just like every other guy I've seen so far. Only, he was more attractive in some way. ’Maybe it was the huge amount of affection he had constricting around me?’ I smiled at him and rested my head back down on his shoulder. I would have hugged him, but my arms only made it part way around his shoulders and I didn't want to ring his neck. So, I settled with my hands kindly stroking his arms while I allowed him to have his piece of welcoming his little sister back.

I've taken note that each of them had the same crystal-blue eyes, but I thought Greg's were intense. They were sharper. Keen like a precious blade that could see through anything, while Shelly and Brittany had sparkled like brilliant gemstones.

Shelly and Dr. Anstone finally returned while I was still being bear hugged. I turned and watched their faces. Shelly smiled at me in amusement. Dr. Anstone had a smile as well, but her eyes had an expressive sadness to them. I could only give them a smile in return while pathetically kicking my feet helplessly around for a miniscule chance I’d find ground.

"We're all set to go." As Shelly spoke this, I glanced back at Dr. Anstone who gave me a quick little wave. I waved back at her, not really sure how I should be saying goodbye to someone like her. ’I guess, for appearance's sake, this was for the best?’

Instead of being wheeled out of the lobby, I was carried. In my world, the hospital would've enforced me to remain seated until outside their building. One of the many differences, I supposed. Morality and protocol might be more than a little lax here… or nonexistent.

Outside and at the car, I heard either Brittany or Shelly talk to Greg. I really couldn’t tell those carbon copies apart without looking, and that was only if they stood side by side for me to see the subtle changes between their ages. And even that was minor. I honestly would only be capable of telling the differences between mother and sister by declaration of name and what they wore. ’Twins, I say, TWINS!’

"Okay, put the precious down. I'm sure she can make it in the car on her own." That had to be Brittany speaking. Shelly referred to me in a direct manner, where as the sister had a list of names for me.

“Careful on that first step.” I felt the ground beneath my bare feet and righted myself before Greg let me go. I stared at his chest with wide open eyes and raised my face up to him. ’Giant!’

It took me a few seconds to figure out who was driving. If Shelly and Brittany were not both wearing black, I wouldn't have had to look down and see who was wearing a skirt or not to tell the mother-daughter duo apart. ’Skirt.’ It looked like Shelly was the driver this time. ’Pants.’ Brittany was going to be sitting in the back with Greg while I had the passenger.

"Wait, Greg you might fit better in the front. I'm a little -- well, little and can fit better in the back." He looked down at me for a second, then raised his brows as he glanced at the other two. I guessed he was searching for any protests on the other two women’s faces to my suggestion. When no one argued, he looked back down at me with a smile before ruffling the still little hairs on top of my head.

"Thanks. I'll owe you a seat next time." ’I wondered what that meant? Ballgame maybe?’ Oh, that was something I neglected to ask about. What kind of sports existed. I guessed I'd be finding that out soon enough when we get home. I’d recalled there being a computer in this girl’s room -- my room.

He opened the backdoor for me and I slipped in before the door shut. I ended up uselessly scratching at the seat-belt strap for a second until I looked at where I was grasping for it. I was used to the strap coming out and down by the shoulder and along the arm, not two separate straps. One end was to be pulled out from the slot above the shoulder, the other by my waist, and they connected into a dual port on my other side across me. Not sure if I could’ve excused my perception having an issue or the belt was just designed to be difficult. Buckled in and everyone else being secured in their seats, Shelly started up and rolled out.

While on the road, I watched the scenery being passed by in a wonder and amazement. It was like Las Vegas and Hollywood had a kid and this city was the child. Bright and sunny, with the flashy attractions and roaming pedestrians that could be mistaken for celebrities. Everyone I saw could have easily walked under the spotlight of a modelling career.

I'm not going to grow used to this, but again I felt something was off about how this world worked. Everyone had a fashionable suave sense and looked fantastic, but this bright and summery season should have caused a lot more people to be in lighter clothes. I felt like I was the only one who looked drab, but at least somewhat outfitted for this weather.

Shelly and Brittany wore black outfits. Greg had on a blue button-up shirt with black pants. They didn't have the AC on at all. What was strange was I didn't feel any heat in the car. I felt comfortable and content with the temperature. I shook my head in disbelief.

I wasn't going to ask any of them a rhetoric question about what they wore in this heat. There was nothing I could think of to question the oddity. In fact, I should be more concerned about flagging them down with any signs of my confusion. They shouldn't have to worry about me and I wasn't going to be giving them any reason to.

They weren't talking. I didn't mind it too much, but I had expected them to hold a conversation with each other or ask about me. ’Like, what was I doing in the hospital? Did I make any friends while in there? How was the food? Was I sleeping okay? Have I learned anything interesting from my therapy? How far along has my recovery come? Anything happen in there that they should know about?’

Maybe I should start the conversation. "Shel-- Mom? What did you and Dr. Anstone talk about?"

I caught her searching for me in the rearview mirror before returning her attention to the road. "She's worried about you not eating or sleeping enough." With me out of there, I was pretty sure I'd be getting a full night's sleep from now on. "There are --" She paused for a moment and continued. "She doesn't think your scars are going to heal the way we thought."

"What do you mean?" Instinctively, I brought my hand up to my face and began to run my fingers over the lines.

"After a month, your scars were supposed to show some sign of recession. A little bit." She shook her head. I took that as meaning my scars might take longer than expected to heal. Well, the Scottish Doc did say it could take near the end of the year.

"Maybe next year?" I saw the corner of her lips curl up into a grin.

"Yeah. You will be okay. It will take awhile. That's all." I smiled, looked at Brittany across from me offer a smile back. I didn't know if Greg was smiling too, but I imagined he was.

I asked a kinda personal question for me. "What did you think of Dr. Anstone? Her name is Kim too."

"I didn't know that. Was there any confusion between the two of you?" Shelly sounded a little more lively and that made me happy.

"Not really. She was calling me Kimberly and we didn't see very many talkative people." Mostly because we stayed in her office.

Brittany asked me a quick one. "You liked her?"

I gave her a nod, but I also said so for the two in front to know. "Yes. Very much."

"She must have listened to you very well." Shelly looked back at me in the rear view mirror when we came to an intersection stoplight.

"A lot more than that. She helped me exercise every day, gave me food that the hospital didn't sanitize with bleach, assisted me going where I needed to, drawn a bath every day, and kept me in a warm bed. She was there for me the whole time. Not once did she leave me alone." ’She really did those things for me, didn’t she?’ I leaned back in my seat and laid the side of my head against the window, thinking about her. I was still not sure how to say goodbye to someone like her.

Greg spoke up this time. "What kind of exercises?"

"Mostly walking in the hall. I plan to do more from now on. I'll have to look up what I need to do for me to be fit and in better shape." I saw Greg lift a thumbs-up over his shoulder.

"Give me some time this afternoon and I can help you with that." That didn't sound like a bad idea. He was definitely in incredible shape.

"Sure! Thanks!" My attention was grabbed by Brittany's waving at me.

She dropped her hand and spoke up. "I can help you out with that too. Greg might make you butch." I saw Brittany laugh and heard Shelly echo the laughter.

Greg responded quickly enough. "I'll be there for support. I'm not going to be her Drill Instructor. Even I need someone."

The two of them started again. Cheerfully, Brittany asked him an interesting question. "Who would that be?"

"Ms. Soarses." I lifted my head off the window to watch Brittany jerk forward and burst out laughing.

"The Gym Teacher!? You two a couple?" I turned in time to see Greg's middle finger flip her off over his shoulder before disappearing.

"There's nothing wrong with our relationship." Wait. ’Did that mean they were a couple?’ Now I was curious who this Ms. Soarses was.

Shelly questioned Greg about someone. "What about Alice? I thought you two were seeing each other?"

"She's seeing me." I looked over at Brittany when I heard that.

I leaned over and whispered to her. "Is he cheating?" She rolled her eyes and held a hand to gesture for me closer. I tried to scoot in a bit more, but the seat-belt didn't help.

"I've lost count." I dropped my jaw. ’How many was he juggling?’

Sitting back and upright, I decided to ask the question. "Greg? How many girlfriends do you have?" I could hear the snorts from Brittany as she barely contained the explosive laughter.

"I have a lot of girls interested in me and I treat them, but if you are asking me if there are any that I'm interested in. No. I'm not into girls." I blinked and felt my jaw drop even harder than before.

"You're gay?"

Brittany lost it and Greg twisted around in his seat to glare at both of us. "I meant women. Respectable ladies who can hold a mature conversation." I threw my hands up in surrender as he fell back into his seat.

"I was just asking." I had a little difficulty holding a straight face while Brittany was hiccuping with laughter.

Shelly spoke up in his defense. "I'm sure you will find a charming woman that will treat you one day." His shoulders shrugged up and he slipped down in his seat a little. That made me think for a moment.

"Greg? Do you have a woman?" He shot right up. It caused Shelly to look away from the road for a second to see why Greg shifted in his seat like that. Even Brittany quieted.

He finally spoke. "Maybe."

Brittany chipped in. "It's Ms. Soarses, isn't it?" Greg flipped her off again and she laughed it off.

This was what I wanted to hear and cheer me up on the way home. I leaned the side of my head back on the window and kinda drowned out my brother and sister laughing and bantering. I laughed a little at what I had caused in the car.

After awhile, we eventually turned and pulled into a driveway to a two story house. The first floor of the house didn't have any windows, which I thought was strange. Second floor had a series of them and an interesting set up going around a rounded corner of the home. I guessed those were the bedrooms. I remembered the hall that had three colored doors and the normal one leading into a living room.

The car came to a stop in front of a closed garage. I saw why there were no windows on the first floor. Technically, it wasn't the first floor. This home was built into the side of a slope where the back of the house went underground. ’I guess that would make the bottom a basement?’

It took me a moment to get out of the car. Unbuckling was easy, but I missed the handle and grabbed the armrest of the door by accident. Tried again and got it. As I was about to get out, I saw that Greg was watching me. For a moment, I think he may have been about to open the door for me, but the look on his face made me believe he was concerned how I failed at first to open the door. I smiled up at him and used my backside to shut the door behind me.

Through the side of the house, we walked into a kitchen or dining room. Probably a combination of the two. I recognized it. Looking around, I saw the counter, sink, dishwasher, a stove, and an oven. A familiar table was set up with fine utensils and plates, as if expecting company. All the color in here suggested a sunshine-shiny day with yellows and oranges.

There were two other doors to the side of the dual purpose dining room. I walked over and took a peek inside. One was a bathroom. A tub with a shower was off to the left. A sink and toilet to the right. All the way at the end of the bathroom was a large counter. ’Maybe that was for throwing clothes or towels on?’

After closing that door, I opened the other one to see it lead down some steps. ’I guess this was supposed to be the basement?’ It wasn't all that dark for a basement. From here, I could see the floor had carpet. ’Maybe they turned it into a playroom?’ That would be neat.

When I backed out of the doorway, I became confused. Looking around the entire kitchen, and I found no outlets. One quick peek back in the bathroom revealed the same. Now that I thought about it, I never saw a single powerline on the way home. ’How did that work?’

I knew where the living room was and that there was a large flat-screen in there. Immediately, I left the dining room and investigated that TV. One look at the flat-screen and I knew I wouldn't get my answer. It was installed into the wall. I would need Greg to pull it out for me to check what it plugged into.

There was still my room with electronics.

Soon, I had opened up that heart decorated door and popped my head in. The window that had shattered on the night of the storm was replaced. I might still want to be careful where I walked, in case of fine slivers hiding somewhere.

Kneeling down, I inspected the gaming console that was beneath the TV set. It was plugged into the TV, but there was no power cord. I clicked on the TV and it had turned on. I gave the console the same treatment and it came to life. ’Were these battery operated?’

Turning them back off, I sat more comfortably on the floor while looking around my room. The shelves had stuffed, glass, and other kinds of animals or objects. A collection of trinkets.

My eyes wandered to the bed and up to the wall. An impression was visible on the wall where I had been thrown. I supposed my family either overlooked the damage or didn't think it was that big of a deal.

At the moment, I felt thirsty and stood back up.

Greg and Brittany were handling something out in the dining room. ’I guess setting up a meal?’ Shelly had gone through another door in the living room I had not explored. Inside, I saw another bedroom. Judging by its size, I guessed that was the master bedroom.

Inside of the bedroom, Shelly was busy clicking away at her cell. There was frustration on her face. She stopped clicking and watched her phone for a few seconds. I watched her stare down at her device with a single instant of anger before she tossed the phone onto the bed. With her attention off of the phone, she noticed me watching her from the living room.

"Honey, come here." She beckoned me over with the wave of her hand. I didn't see any issue and walked in. Her hand kept waving for me to come closer and it wasn't until I was a foot away that I realized a hug was coming. This time, I made sure to turn my face away from the smothering chest. We held each other for a little while. "Welcome home."

"Thanks M-- Mom." I swallowed to clear up my throat. It felt a little ticklish. "Ga-- Going to ger-- Grab some wa-- water." She soothed me with a rub over my back before letting me go.

"Okay. We should have a meal ready in a few." With that in mind, I gave her a nod and made certain not to be in either of my sibling's way when I got there.

In the dining room, I looked at the yellow cabinets for a few seconds. "Which has a gul-- Glass?" Brittany came around, leaving Greg to take a tray out of an oven before he switched on the temperature. ’I guess we stored a tray in there when the oven wasn't in use?’ I'd kept that discovery in mind.

A glass was taken from the cabinet in the far right corner, above the counter next to the right of the sink. "Juice? Water? Soda?"

I swallowed again. "Water." ’Why did I feel this parched?’ The dryness was starting to cause me difficulty breathing.

A moment later and I had my glass of water offered to me. I took it and sipped from the glass. After feeling better, I said my, "Thanks," and wandered over to see what the two were making. "May I help?" It looked like they were getting ready to cook something like a stromboli. The way how the tray had a huge flat dough laid out with cheese and other ingredients being added, but no sauce, gave me the idea.

"Sure. There," Greg pointed at one of the drawers. "If you search in there, you'll find a veleeta." ’...A what?’

My eyes widened for a second in confused worry, but I smiled with confidence and nodded to keep Greg assured I knew exactly what he was talking about. Turning, I walked over to the drawer and opened it to see what was inside. There were utensils, but some of the other items looked strange. ’A veleeta? What was a veleeta? Should I know what this was? What did it do and why was it needed for a stromboli?’

"Find it?" Quickly, I nodded and grabbed the only thing I thought was a veleeta. It had a papery texture, balled up, but had a single slit on the side like a vent. I crossed my fingers in hope and offered it to Greg.

He took it and placed the thing on the edge of the dough. There was a tension in me I didn't know had built up. I relaxed now and watched what this veleeta was for. After a few minutes, Greg rolled the dough and its contents up. He pinched the edges until coming to the veleeta. A single squeeze on that oddity and the slit with the vent sparked. It sealed the dough, but as he was drawing the line across the edge, I watched the body of the stromboli rise up.

In a second, he made a couple of slashes with the veleeta over the body to release the build up of air.

"Hey, use a knife for that." Brittany took the veleeta away and began to carefully clean it with a cloth. Now I had an idea what it was used for. I guessed that meant the edges were going to be a little crusty after cooking in the oven.

After draining half of the water out of my glass, I felt tired. I was blinking more often while watching the two. I had offered to help more, but it was more errands to grab something rather than actually help cook.

I nodded off once and Greg caught me. "Kim? Why don't you rest for awhile. It will be a little bit before dinner's ready." ’Dinner? Did I have breakfast and lunch yet?’ Thinking back, I guessed I did with Dr. Anstone. Probably being this tired caused me to forget for the moment. ’Maybe I’m too overwhelmed?’

Turning around, I walked out and tried to head for my room. Instead, I crashed on the big couch in the living room. I just curled up and blacked out when I laid my cheek down on the cushion...