In The Dark

33 - July 19th

 "I don't want to leave her," Joan sighed tearfully as she folded the last of her clothes into her suitcase and zipped it shut. She and Dennis had a flight back home that evening, unable to take anymore time off work without losing their jobs. Lucy had encouraged them to go, insisting that Melanie would benefit best if her scenario was as similar to the way it was before the accident as they could manage.

"The girls will keep us up to date," Dennis assured her. "And we can try to work out a way to come back to check on her."

"I'd hoped she would at least be speaking or eating before we had to leave," Joan sniffed, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "She hasn't made much of an improvement and she still seems so terrified of everything."

"It's slow, but she is making some progress," said Dennis, wrapping his arms around her. "She's only going to get better from here on out." Joan nodded, squeezing Dennis tightly before returning to her packing.

The two of them carried their bags into the hall, passing them off to Camilla to take down to their car while they said their goodbyes to Melanie and her friends. They entered the suite to find Melanie, Emma, and Victoria sitting together on the couch watching the Simpsons. Melanie immediately looked back at the door upon hearing them enter. She observed them for a moment before relaxing back into the couch and returning her focus on the TV.

"Come say goodbye to your parents, Melanie," said Victoria as she stood up and pulled Melanie to her feet, guiding her around the couch and over to the door where Joan and Dennis were standing. Joan immediately enveloped her daughter into her arms, fighting back tears as she squeezed her tightly. Melanie timidly returned the embrace, causing her mom to break down into fits of sobs. Melanie looked at Dennis worriedly, but he smiled tearfully, letting her know nothing was wrong.

Joan pulled back, looking Melanie in the eye and attempting to compose herself. "I'm sorry, darling," she sniffed. "I'm just being silly." She stepped back and let Dennis hug Melanie, watching tearfully as he said goodbye and kissed her cheek. "I want you to promise me you're going to listen to your friends while we're gone," Joan instructed. "We'll call every day to see how you're doing and we'll come back as soon as we can."

Melanie nodded and watched curiously as Joan and Dennis said their goodbyes to everyone in the room and waved at Melanie as they disappeared into the hallway. Victoria draped her arm over Melanie's shoulders and sighed, knowing Melanie had no idea what was going on. There was no emotion on Melanie's face as she continued to stare at the door. She looked at Victoria expectantly, waiting to be told what to do.

"Our car should be arriving soon to take us to the airport," Victoria explained. "Did anyone tell you what we're going to have to do once we get there?" Melanie nodded and pointed to the door, letting Victoria know her mum had already told her what to expect. Victoria smiled and squeezed Melanie's shoulder reassuringly, guiding her back over to the couch until their car arrived to take them to the airport.

With all the musicians back together again, various media outlets were hounding Simon and Sam for an interview. They couldn't continue with the tour without Melanie, so interviews, photoshoots, and public appearances were their only options. With New York being a huge hub of television and media studios, they had arranged for it to be their first stop.

The musicians were collected by car and driven to the airport. They were taken to a small, discrete door away from the front doors of the airport to avoid paparazzi and fans that were waiting to get photos and autographs. They were led through a quiet hallway to a room where a private security check could be done. Melanie followed along willingly, seeming not to care where they were going.