Becoming More Than Strangers

Chapter 19: Not a Dream - A Nightmare

After getting dried, she began dressing herself and called out to Jess, "How did you sleep?" Mitchell responded, "Surprisingly well. How did you sleep?" Sadie's eyes went wide with a rush of anxiety. No, no, no. She said to herself. If Mitch is here... She ran to the kitchen as he placed a platter of vegan pancakes and strawberries before her. She bit her lip, hard, trying not to scream. Mitchell said, "You don't seem too happy to see me?" Sadie said, "I—uh...I just thought it was a dream." Mitchell sympathetically looked at her and pursed his lips before saying, "I'm sorry, Bug. Let's eat a bit." Sadie nodded and took her seat eating the delicious food set before her.

They sat there, plates clattering in silence. Every time Sadie swallowed a piece of food, she felt it get stuck in her throat, almost as if there was a rock stuck in it. When she had eaten all that she could, she began to play with it; cutting them into small pieces as she leaned on her right arm. Mitchell cleared his throat before saying, "Hey Bug. There's something I need to tell you." Sadie looked up abruptly. "What is it?" She stood up and said, "What is it, Mitchell?!" At that moment Millie walked through the door, visibly exhausted. Sadie started to hyperventilate. She panicked, "Why are you here, Millie? What's going on?! Shouldn't you be with Jess?" Sadie collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. She grabbed at her throat, trying to breathe but being unable to. Millie and Mitchell both rushed to her sides. Mitchell hastingly said, "Hey, hey. Breathe. Focus on your breaths." Sadie tried to stabilize her breaths but couldn't. Millie rubbed her back and said, "Hey, hey. Babe, come on. Breathe. Breathe." Sadie began to sob, choking on them. She sputtered between breaths, "Is...is...is she—she. Is she de–de–dead?" Millie shook her head empathetically, "No, no, no. She's in surgery right now." Sadie got up, feeling betrayed by her best friend and brother. She cried out, "What the fuck?! Someone needs to be there with her!" Mitchell slowly got up with his hands raised a bit in protection. He said, "That's what I was going to talk to you about..." Sadie yelled, rushing to her room and began packing her bag again. Mitchell and Millie rushed after her. Mitchell continued, "Sadie, what difference will it make if you're there or not?" She said, "I don't know! Maybe—maybe—" Millie cut her off, "Sadie. You needed sleep, you needed to be fed. We need YOU to be taken care of." Mitchell continued, "You'd be cooped up in a hospital room right now, sitting in your own anxiety for hours as they do surgery. Sadie, we knew you couldn't take care of yourself while Jess is like this. We had to do something." Sadie sat down on her bed in surrender. She allowed her tears to endlessly stream down her cheeks. She began to catch her breath as Millie and Mitchell sat next to her. She said, "I'm sorry, guys. I know you're doing what's best for me right now. I just—" She leaned into her hands and began to cry more. "It's just so hard. I'm so scared." Mitchell and Millie both leaned into her, each hugging her.

Millie said, "I know. We all are...but now that you're rejuvenated, you can head to the hospital soon. I think the surgery should be finished within the next few hours." Sadie responded, "So no one is there?" Millie said, "Robby traded off with me." Mitchell looked at her, confused. Millie answered his questioning look with, "Jess's manager." Mitchell made an "oh" with his mouth as he realized. Sadie nodded as she got up to pack the rest of her bag. Millie said before walking out, "Okay. I am exhausted. I'll head to bed but call if anything happens or if you need anything. I'll leave my ringer on." She hugged Sadie and Sadie returned the hug. Sadie whispered, "Thank you, Mills. So much." Millie gave another tight squeeze and headed to her room.

On their way to the hospital, Sadie surprised Mitchell with, "Can we stop by where it happened?" Mitchell eyed her from the driver's seat. "Are you sure, Sadie?" Sadie solemnly nodded. He bit his lip and sighed before shifting the car's gears. Before they knew it, they were at the fated crosswalk. Resting on the splintered telephone pole were various flowers and cards addressed to Jess, saying things like "Get Well Soon" and "You're My Hero!". Sadie's chin trembled as she laid her hand on the telephone pole. She leaned her forehead on it, saying to Jess, "Please, Jess. Please don't go." Mitchell's voice brought her back as he said, "Hey, let's go. Right now. People are coming." Sadie quickly jumped into the car and didn't look up.

By the time they made it back to the hospital, Robby was waiting for them outside. He quickly ushered them into what would be Jess's new hospital room. It was slightly bigger and allowed for more privacy than the waiting room. Sadie lamented the fact that it was currently empty. Something about seeing Jess regardless of the fact that she was still unconscious, made her feel like she had more control over things. Robby started, "First of all, I'm not sure you've heard Sadie. But the only scene Jess had left was a pretty trivial scene so they're scrapping it. It's my understanding that you only have one more scene so they'll only need you Thursday for filming. Sadie nodded even though she was hiding the fact that she was angry that they weren't holding off filming sooner. Budget-wise it made sense, but it still angered her. Robby continued, "I tried to get this wiped but it's already making its way throughout sites. He showed her an article from DailyMail saying, "Sadie Sink's Time At Hospital Sparks Rumors". It showed a picture of her leaving the hospital with Mitchell in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. She looked exhausted and one could tell she had been crying all night. The article discussed how she had spent significantly more time at the hospital making people question whether there was something more going on between her and Jess or questioning if Jess was even still alive. Sadie rolled her eyes and handed it back to Robby saying, "I couldn't give less of a fuck about the media right now. It's not my priority." Robby said, "I know. But you have to be careful, Sadie. You have eyes watching your every move right now. It's my job to keep Jess from the public as much as possible and by extension, you." Sadie cut back, "I know. But her life is hanging in the balance. One wrong move, and there will be no need to care about this little extension. Plus, Sammy's been giving me space and she's my real manager." Robby defended, "I know. Just be careful. Okay. I have another client I have to check up on but watch your back. If Jess wakes up, I hope she isn't waking up to a life without her current career." Robby headed out as he picked up his phone to talk to someone which made Sadie flip him off behind his back. She couldn't stand the man at this moment. She just needed to process.