Wheelchair Races

Chapter 13: Homecoming

So here we are, sitting in the airport about to say goodbye and head our separate ways to go home. It was a somewhat unsettling thought to think that we would be heading back home to join life again. The hospital had become a sort of a refuge from reality, it was as if we only had to deal with our own little moment in time and everything outside from our lives was paused. Now, that was no longer the case. We were going back to the rush of real life again.

Trevor would be travelling with Doc S seeing as he was still too young to fly unattended where as Be, Gavin and I were going on our separate flights alone. As depressing as that sounds.

"Alright everybody, this is where we all say good bye." Doc said while trying to hide his sadness behind his smile. This was a bitter sweet moment for us all. I missed home and had been wanting to return home for awhile already, but now that it was actually happening, I didn't want to say my goodbyes.

Be and I looked at each other with tears in our eyes. I couldn't help the sob mixed laugh that escaped my dry throat as we hugged each other close before our goodbye. "Thanks for being my sister Mands." She was right, we had become like sisters and knowing this warmed my heart. "I love you Be." (A/N. No, she isn't lesbian, and that is with no offence intended to any lesbians reading this.) "Love you to Mand. But come on, enough of this. We'll ruin our make up." She quickly pulled back and wiped her mascara streaks that were beginning to flow from her wet eyelashes.

"Bye Trev." The poor little guy was having the toughest time saying goodbye. His small hands clung to my shirt as if it were a life line. "Please don't go Manda. I don't wanna say goodbye. Goodbye means you have to leave." He sniffled and nuzzled into the crook of my neck while I knelt down to his level on the floor. "Hey, hey buddy. How about, we just don't say goodbye?" This seemed to grab his attention because slowly pulled back to look at me with hope filled eyes."How about instead, we say 'see you soon'?" He seemed to think about this for a bit before he squeaked out a small, "See you soon Manda."

I said my goodbyes to Doc and Gav, and it pains me to say that they were easier to say goodbye to then Be and Trev. Gavin was however trying to hide his tears behind an awkward cough and blamed it on his newly developed allergies. Our happy go lucky Gavin wasn't with us at this moment in time.

Not long after our goodbyes, I boarded my plane and was finally on my home after all these months. My mind wandered off to my moms home cooking, the way my dad and I would watch the Sunday night movie, school, the sound of my friends laughs. I couldn't wait to see their faces.

Five hours later and the plane began its decent. Here we go, this is it. I thought to myself, I'm coming home. I disembarked and found my luggage easily but now was the part I had been looking forward to; seeing someone from home. Mom had emailed me before the flight saying that she and dad wouldn't be there to pick me up because the girls had insisted on it themselves. Gosh I was beyond excited to see my best friends again. Have you ever had the type of friend that even if you spend large amounts of time apart, you're still closer than sisters and can talk into the morning hours? Well, I always thought that that's how it was with me and my friends, now was the time to really test it out.

As I walked down the long passage to where the girls should be waiting, I couldn't help but doubt myself. What if I've changed and we have nothing in common anymore? What if there's new girls in our group and I'm left out? I've been gone so long, have I missed too much? What if...

My what if thoughts were cute short when I saw the huge banner with "Amanda Please" and my crazy friends trying to flag me down. I couldn't hep but laugh as I lugged my luggage closer. I stopped a few feet away from them and shouted at the top of lungs, not caring what all the other people thought, "I'm back b*tches!"  

We all laughed and cried when they embraced me in a much needed group hug. "I missed you insane people." I think we hugged for easily 5 whole minutes. When I pulled back and saw the tears mixed with smiling faces, I knew in my heart I was home and these were my unbiological sisters that I missed so very much.

"We missed you too." Said Caitlin, she always was the self proclaimed speaker of the group when it came to things like this. I smiled at them all and then my eyes landed on Jen's small figure. My loud, boisterous best friend looked so weak and small crying openly. "Jen," All I had to do was open my arms and I was met with one of her famous bone crushing hugs she used to give me every morning. It was as if nothing had changed. "I was so scared you would look sick or be in one of those complimentary wheelchairs or need help with your bags," she cried into my shoulder. The girls had gathered closer and Jamie was rubbing her back. I looked at the others and their expressions confirmed that they all had similar fears to the ones Jen just expressed. I suppose the hospital really did help me recover. I had been very weak before I left and I was always in need of help from others. Now I could do simple things on my own. I was freed and was no longer as dependant as I used to be. I held Jen at arms length and looked at my friend and then each of my other sisters, "look, I carried my own bags. I can walk and not get tired. You guys won't be getting rid of me so fast. I'm home and I'm going to be okay."

And that was true, everything was going to be okay. I smiled to myself as I linked arms with Jess and Rachel while the others helped with my baggage, which they insisted on carrying, as we walked to my mom minivan. We all climbed in and played Fifth Harmony's Me and My Girls as loud as the stereo could go. It was good to be home.

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Aloha! I'm not Hawaiian but I felt like greeting in the manner. So Amanda has gone home but is this the end? What about Belinda, Gavin and Trevor? Well, although the story is almost over, this isn't yet the end. Hold in there guys.

Much love to you my bunnies

-Carol