Differences

part nineteen - wake up

It was all a dream... from graduation to when she had finally gotten pregnant. And now she was just home, like any other day.

She was alone again. Just like any other day.

Slowly she grew to reflect back on her memories with Max from the recent winter break. Wanting to go back just to experience those days she had with him again.

But she couldn't, which upset her, but also forced her to look forward to actually graduating and being with him.

She had a doubt though, one that suggested all of this would be too good to be true. But of course she ignored it like a plague. If Max and her will still talking after so long, after every they had gone through. Then this had to be real, God wasn't going to play a cruel joke on her and on April Fool's tell her how all of it was just her imagination.

As usual though, her life continued, sometimes she would wake up and go to school on time. Other days she would suffer from horrible headaches that wouldn't allow her to wake up at all, it was terrible for her there. The friends she had weren't really there for her, they were only there for her during school hours and that was it. Outside of school, they paid her no attention and she was fine that way, sometimes. 

Hospital visits continued and became more frequent after the Winter break, because of her nerve damage and concussion from an accident in late October, she under went blood work and screenings. Tessa had be recommended and referred to so many counseling sessions that she was about ready to just give up.

At times, she believed she was fine, that she was alright. But then the following day she would suffer from head splitting migraines that would continue for hours, even days at a time.

Sometimes she'd tell Max what was going on, but seeing as he had his own problems and obstacles to go through, she didn't want to trouble him with the magnitude of her own pain. She tried being selfless, but she knew that if she didn't worry about herself, then she would only get worse.

So, unlike before, she started taking the medication recommended, tried cooperating during Physical Therapy. Slowly, hopefully, she'll get better one day. Her motivation was simple, Max. She wanted to be healthy for him and her own family. Tessa wasn't planning on being hospitalized for her own stupidity.

As always though, Max was there for her. He spoke to her, reasoned with her, not about her medication, but about other things. Like her sister's failing relationship, Max had told Tessa to not worry so much about them but to just focus on him and her. Tessa couldn't agree more, and felt dumb for even worrying too much. 

Max was the good influence in her life that basically told her to keep going and to not give up. She did her best to always be supportive of him, to try and be patient on the days where he isn't able to talk to her. But she missed him more than she missed her ability to eat Kiwis, when he was here, for those few days she spent with him. She was extremely happy, she didn't remember having any pain from her head or even neck pain from the damaged nerves. 

He calmed her like no other.