Jess found herself staring at the wall more and more often. She just couldn't shake off what she had done. She thought about her and Birdie's conversation at the restaurant all of the time. Before long, she couldn't stand the thinking anymore, so she began to numb herself. The memory of her niece remained untouched in her heart, rotting with guilt as each day went by.
When she had found James outside of the ABC store, the memory surfaced again, hurting more than ever. But seeing James had helped her somehow. She was able to tell all of her feelings to someone that felt even guiltier than she did.
Still staring at the wall, Jess heard her phone ring. She picked it up slowly. "Hello?"
"Hey, sis. Do you wanna, you know. . . go out for dinner or something?"
Jess raised her eyebrows. It had been a long time since she had done anything with her brother.
"Sure," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "Where to?"
"I was thinking Applebee's," said Robert.
"Okay," said Jess, smiling a little bit. "See you there in 10."
Jess lived a much calmer life than she had anticipated. She started painting, running trails, and learning piano. At a piano class she found James, over in a corner by himself. It was the first time she'd seen him since the ABC store. She walked over to him, and they began to talk. It was a painful process, but they eventually got to a point where they could talk about Birdie. James was always excited to see Jess because she liked to tell him about Birdie when she was a kid. They became good friends.