THE GROUP The room was starting to feel stuffy and hot. I was tired of lying in this bed, cut off from the outside world. I didn't know what was happening with the murder of James, or Tina's funeral arrangements. No one spoke of it, like they were trying to make sure that I didn't know anything. I never asked. Most of them wouldn't say anything without Damon or Carly's permission. It was like a world of silence. I was tired of these white sheets sticking to me, tired of not being able to toss and turn when I wanted to. Tired of having to be careful of every movement I made, so I wouldn't pull my I.V out. Ugh. This was something I hated and I hoped I'd never find myself in this position ever again. There was nothing on TV to keep me occupied. Personally, I always thought cable sucked. I wasn't interested in watching it. The sun burned into the room, creating more heat. I didn't want to be here and neither did my friends. I could hear their voices outside of my room. They always talked
KAHLAN AND JUSTIN Nope! I can’t do it, I thought, as I looked around the hospital room, seeing the same four walls, the same nurses, the same bed sheets...Everything was the same and I was in the same position, lying flat on the bed. I need to get out of here. I am not waiting on Dr. Mellow to run more tests. I climbed out of the bed slowly. There was some pain, but on a scale from one to ten, I was a comfortable four. "What the hell are you doing?" Justin asked, walking into my hospital room, with a small bundle of pink flowers in his hand. By this time, I was dressed in loose jeans and an overly large T-shirt, folding up the hospital gown I was once wearing. I threw the gown on the corner of the bed, making my way over to Justin. He still stared at me with large lines forming on his forehead, waiting for an explanation. "Are those for me?" I asked, pointing at the gorgeous flowers he held, feeling like I could collapse at any moment. "Yeah," the fit young man answered, handin
KAHLAN AND CARLY Carly and her father, Robert, entered the home of Kahlan Redding, ready to create an evening that Kahlan would never forget. "Wow, this place is nice," Robert complimented, sounding memorized. He didn't take much notice in the young girls home the last time he was here. Carly ignored the comment and went straight to the kitchen. "I thought she was going to be here." "No. That wouldn't make it a surprise dad," she replied, with the slight roll of her eyes. "Damon said he'd have her here by seven, if he finds her, which doesn't give us much time." They heard a clatter from upstairs. "Or maybe she's already here." "I'll start dinner and you wrestle up the guest of honor," the pilot replied. Carly nodded and ran up the stairs. She opened the bedroom door to see me leaning on the dresser, daydreaming. "Kahlan." I blinked, as I was now aware that Carly was in my doorway. "Hey. What are you doing here?" "I have a surprise for you," she began with a smile, "So,
THE GROUP Brooke had gotten into a small conversation with her brother, apologizing again for stealing his files and telling Kahlan what she knew. She wanted to make amends and there was a long list of people. She spotted Sandino, standing in a rather dark corner with Justin. Justin Cross was distracted with his cancer stick, while Sandino looked at her, with a smile on his face. She couldn't help but to smile back, wondering what was making him happy. She made her way across the yard to the boys. Justin gave the couple a little look, before walking off, giving them a little privacy. "What are you smiling at?" Brooke asked, fixing the collar on her boyfriend's black jacket, as well as straightening his tie. "Thank you," was he responsed. She looked at him with confusion. "For what?" For being there, letting me talk to you about Kahlan and for making this night go smoothly." She smiled. "I'd do anything for you Sandino." That was true. Sandino was the guy for her. She loved h
KAHLAN It's amazing. I had so much on my mind I'm surprised that I got any sleep. But here I am, feeling alive, feeling refreshed. I slept all through the night and not one single nightmare. Either the drugs Damon had me on were working, or Dr. Mellow's pain reliever was fantastic. Either way, I felt good. I woke up alone this morning. It's been a while since I was alone in this house. Damon went home to his mother last night, afraid to have anyone suspecting something and Carly's father was home, she wouldn't be anywhere else. Last night, however, made me realize something. I had a family here. That's what I wanted, a family. I wanted someone to take care of, and someone to take care of me, but there were other things I needed to take care of besides my family. I needed to understand what really happened to Tina. I went over every possibility in my mind and there was no way she'd be taking antidepressants. Tina would have told me if something were wrong in her life, just like I would
THE GROUP Sandino was lost in his thoughts, thinking about Brooke. She hadn't spoken to him much since Kahlan's appreciation dinner. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it seemed to him that his girlfriend was avoiding him. "So Sandino," Chad sparked a conversation. "Where is Brooke?" Carly threw a quick glance over at Sandino, wondering if he knew. "She said she had an appointment, but she'll be here," the Spanish man answered. Chris didn't want to be the one to put a damper on the conversation, but curiosity got the better of him. "How is she now that James is gone?" That's when Dino realized she never spoke to him about what she was feeling now that James had passed. "Well, she hasn't really expressed how she's handling it." Maybe that was what the problem was. She was avoiding him because she was ashamed of missing James, for being sad that he was gone. KAHLAN I scrolled through the Ohio phone book. Karen Wingo, I know you're in here somewhere I thought to myself. It
SANDINO AND BROOKE Once Brooke arrived at school, Sandino was at her side. He interrogated her about her appointment, hoping that she was okay. Brooke had stated on a few occasions that she wasn't feeling well. Today, she seemed to be doing a little better. Sandino comforted her by wrapping his scrawny arms around her hips, the couple taking their steps in unison. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I missed you all this morning." Dino shared with her. She smiled. "I missed you too." "I wanted to run something by you," the young man started, "I wanted to stop by and check on Kahlan." Brooke looked over at him. "I won't go if you don't want me to. There was a lot going on at the dinner and I didn't get a chance to really talk to her." Brooke nodded. "I don't mind," she said softly. "Are you sure about that?" He questioned. The brunette turned around in her boyfriend's arms, wrapping her arms around his waist. He stared down at her. She wanted to say something. He waited for her to g
THE GROUP It was a new day. Brooke had told Sandino everything she knew about Kahlan. She hoped that she didn't make a mistake and she hoped she wouldn't bring trouble knocking at her front door again. "Dino," Brooke got her boyfriend's attention, as she sat on his lap once again. The table was always so crowded by the time she got there. The chairs in the lunch room would go so fast, so her seat for breakfast was Dino's lap. "You didn't tell Kahlan what I told you, did you?" He stared at her. "Was I not supposed to?" Brooke looked back at him, remembering that Carly had said Kahlan would return to school today. If Sandino confronted Kahlan, Kahlan would confront her. Brooke sighed, and as soon as she did, she heard one of the guys say that Kahlan was coming. She turned around slowly. "Brooke!" I shouted, before reaching her. She hopped off Sandino's lap, putting her hands up as if that would stop me. Sandino stood up right after, being quick to step in between the two of us. "Wh