In The Dark

72 - November 17th

After a week in hospital, Melanie was finally released and allowed to go back to the hotel with her friends. Her doctors and specialists were content with her recovery, seeing no sign of swelling or fluid build up following her surgery and rounds of medication. She had healed incredibly well and had regained all of her muscle control after intense therapy and working obsessively on her own. The specialists had concluded that the fluid had built up enough to injure the parts of her brain that controlled her movements, but didn't do any permanent damage. She still had the occasional spell where her memory would lapse, but it only seemed to be when she was stressed and wouldn't last long.

Her friends had taken her out for pizza the night before to celebrate her recovery, then ended the night playing at the hotel's pool. They had all wanted to keep an eye on her over night, but she insisted she be allowed to be on her own to regain some normalcy after her hospital stay. They put her in a room adjoining her mum's room, but allowed her to keep the door closed. Without Melanie's knowledge, Joan had popped into her room to check on her a few times throughout the night, but Melanie had seemed to be fine.

Sun streamed into Melanie's room the next morning between the curtains, slowly moving along her bed until it was directly in her face. She scrunched her eyes closed and inhaled deeply as she rolled onto her back, pulling her face away from the light. She stretched her arms above her head, curved her back away from the mattress, and curled her toes, then relaxed into the warmth of the comforter. She slowly opened her eyes and let them adjust to the light in the room, then sat up and looked around. She frowned, not recognizing the room and she slowly slipped her legs over the side of the bed.

The digital clock next to her read 7:04am. She looked at it curiously and pushed the alarm button to see what time it was set for. The newly illuminated green numbers read 9:00am.

She pushed herself out of bed and looked around the room, still not recognizing the layout. Her confusion building, she walked toward the window and pulled the drapes open to look around. She was somewhat used to waking up in new locations, but was finding it strange that nothing was looking familiar to her. Spotting the hotel's stationary on a table nearby, she lifted one of the notebooks and looked at the address, ensuring her she was still in Oregon.

"Weird," she breathed, looking around the room once more.

She picked out a few items from her suitcase and changed into her workout gear and trainers, tossed her hair up into a messy ponytail, then put her keycard in her pocket and walked out to the hallway.

"Hey, you're up early," said Vern cheerfully as he made his rounds through the hall. "How you feeling?"

"Fine," Melanie replied quizzically. "How are you feeling?"

Vern looked at her curiously and chuckled.

"I'm fine," he responded with amusement. "Where are you off to?"

"Just gonna go to the gym for a bit," Melanie replied. "We're not leaving right away, are we?"

Vern's smile faltered and his expression became even more bewildered. He put his hand on Melanie's shoulder and turned her away from the lift to lead her toward the suite.

"Darling, I don't think you should be going to the gym just yet," he said softly. "Why don't you go have a bit of brekkie and relax for a bit? You don't have anywhere to be today."

"We have the day off?" Melanie asked incredulously. "I thought we were heading out this morning?"

"You've got a couple," Vern chuckled. "You just want to jump right back in, don't you?"

Melanie gave him a puzzled look and walked slowly toward the suite, opening the door with her key card and stepping inside. The suite looked familiar to her, making her feel somewhat less like she was going mad. She recognized the sitting area and the kitchen and the hallway that led to the two bedrooms and toilet. She opened the fridge and picked out a tray of cut fruit, then scooped some onto a plate for herself before returning the tray to the fridge. She set her plate on the table and pulled her shorts up. They hung a little loose on her hips and kept falling down. She tied the drawstring to keep them up, then took her plate out onto the balcony to eat outside.