-"YOU, MISTER, ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE...! AUGH, YOU HAD ME SO, SO WORRIED...! Are you sure you're doing ok!? What did the doctors say!? Have you gotten a concussion or something!? Is it even possible to get concussions like that...!? What the hell do I know, I'm not a doctor! Damnit I felt so useless! You are so, SO grounded, by the way! No phone privileges, for a MONTH! Although, on second thought that's not so bad, and you still need your phone for emergencies, I mean GEESH look at what happened...! And technically you did save someone's life... AUGH DAMNIT WHY ARE YOU SUCH AN ANGEL!? I CAN'T EVEN BE PROPERLY MAD AT YOU...!"
All of this Grace told Connor as she embraced him tightly around the neck and placed kisses all over his head's crown and forehead and cheeks, and Connor couldn't do anything about it, as he was still bedbound at the hospital. She had let go off all her inhibitions when it came to physical affection towards him, and that was proof of how worried she had been due to the incident. Present inside the hospital room were also Alexis, Mikey and the nurse who worked with Dr. Mellet. Alexis was giggling at the image of their foster mother pampering Connor, and Mikey had taken the liberty of filming the entire thing on his phone as he laughed. The nurse smiled tenderly.
-"Grace, I swear... it's fine! I mean, I'm fine...!"
-"YOU SHUT UP AND LET ME HUG YOU...! I DON'T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED...! You could have frozen to death...! You could've drowned...! What if there hadn't been someone passing by on their car at the time, what would have happened to the two of you...!?"
Grace finally let go off Connor, and backed away a bit. It was now that Connor realized she had been crying, and was currently on the verge of tears as well.
-"For a moment, we all thought that... that we had lost you... I thought that I... I had screwed it up with you..."
Connor got struck with a sense of guilt on his throat. He took Grace's hand in his and squeezed it with his little by little returning strength.
He was safe.
They were all safe.
-"I'm sorry for what I did."—he said—"I was selfish, and I shouldn't have left like that... I hope that... that you let me come back after this..."
-"What do you mean 'you hope'!? I'm not letting my sight off you! And I'm serious about the punishment...! I... I'll have to figure something out about how to punish you, but that's for a different time...! Right now... I'm just glad that... that..."
Grace had started whimpering a little, and the sound of it, Mikey and Alexis both leaned in closer to the bed, each of them taking one of her hands and holding Connor's with the other one. The four of them sat there, for the first time, gathered after what could have been a tragic night.
-"... I'm just glad that we are all together now."—Grace said, composing herself back up and then standing up from the bed—"Well, I have to go fill out a thousand forms. It appears you still need to spend a couple of nights here to do some checkups, but you'll be home before Christmas. Until then, we are staying here with you."
Connor was about to protest, but Grace took a finger to his lips to shut him up.
-"AH-AH-AH! No buts! We are staying here with you and that's that! I already asked Mr. Oakley at the newspaper to give me the next two weeks off for the Holidays, so there's no problem with it at all...! Now I'll be back in a bit; the doctor should be here any minute so behave...! Hell, why am I even telling you to behave, I know you won't listen to me... Anyway I'll be back ASTAT!"
Grace took a turn and left the room. The nurse walked over to Connor and took the thermometer he in his mouth (it was a pain not to move it). She gave it a look, nodding in approval.
-"Well your temperature is back to normal, at least."—she said—"I'll get Dr. Mellet in a minute."
The nurse left the room as well, and after the door closed, Alexis turned towards Connor in curiosity, the red beanie she never took off looking a deeper shade of crimson under the lights of the hospital room.
-"Dr. Mellet, he's... Troye and Tyde's dad, isn't he...?"
Connor nodded.
-"And the girl from the lake... she's their sister..."
-"Man, I didn't even know they had a sister...!"—Mikey commented in slight surprise, with both his arms crossed over his chest—"I mean, Yule's not that big, everyone's bound to know one another. Even if Tyde and I aren't, well, the closest of friends... I'm still surprised I hadn't heard of her."
-"Yeah, it's pretty weird..."—Alexis said, then turning towards Connor—"Con, did you really... did you really think she was...?"
Connor bit his lower lip harshly, almost to the point of causing it to bleed. The fresh image of the blonde girl jumping off the pier into the cold black water was still fresh in his mind. At that given time, he was absolutely certain that it couldn't be any other than his older long-lost sister, Nicola, despite how improbable that was. Now, it was pretty clear he had been in the wrong.
-"... Maybe I wanted it to be her."—he said—"I was... I was trying to leave... and maybe I wanted to convince myself that I had to save her so that I could stay..."
Alexis' gaze fell to the floor slightly, worrying Connor that he had upset her. However, she took a hold if his hand and squeezed it, showing affection, and helped relax him. Then, Connor remembered the note he had left Alexis back at the house when he was planning on running away.
-"Al..."—he said, in something similar to a careful whisper—"Listen, about the note I left behind..."
Connor stopped, suddenly thinking how Mikey was also there. However Mikey didn't seem confused, and Alexis spoked up.
-"It's okay; I showed the note to Mikey."—she explained—"Not Grace, though. I didn't... I didn't want to worry her too much..."
Connor nodded, and went on.
-"Listen, I'm very sorry. I made it seem like I was abandoning you and giving you the blame, and that wasn't my intention, I—"
-"Con, please. It's alright...! I... I'm just happy you are here...!"—she said with a grin, and a sparkle of crystal tears in her eyes—"The minute I found the note, I panicked! I didn't know what to do! It was Mikey here who helped me to pull it together, and contact the police and everything to find you..."
Connor then turned to Mikey. Once again, the younger boy had saved his butt.
-"Thank you, Mikey."—he said—"That was a very stupid thing I did. I feel like I don't do anything but cause you trouble."
At this moment, Mikey cleared his throat.
-"Hehe, any time, Con. Well, yeah, that was a very stupid thing you were doing..."—he said—"But if you hadn't, then you wouldn't have been there to save her in the first place."
Connor let Mikey's idea sink in. He hadn't seen it like that. If he hadn't been on his way out of Yule, he wouldn't have run into Troye's sister.
And if he hadn't thought she was Nicola, then perhaps...
The sound of the door opening slightly interrupted his trail of thought, and inside the room entered a couple of faces he wasn't expecting to see at all; none other than Troye Sivan and Tyde Levi, both looking extremely cautious and dubitative on whether to enter the room or not. The minute Connor's eyes met Troye's, he could feel how his cheeks were going paler and he grasped on to the bed sheets out of sheer nervousness. Connor didn't notice this almost automatic reaction; Mikey, on the other hand, had seen his change of demeanor from the corner of his eye.
The two Mellet kids stayed close to the door. Troye looking directly at Connor, and Tyde staying put behind his big brother, like a scared puppy. Troye had his usual gre t-shirt, jeans and jacket attire. He even had his white headphones, but from the look of his face and seeing how messy his hair was, Connor could tell he hadn't had any sleep. He looked like he had been worried crazy for hours.
-"... H-Hi..."—Troye greeted shyly.
Tyde waved nervously from behind his brother. Connor waved back. Alexis stood up and walked towards the pair and, much to everyone's surprised, gave Tyde a tight hug, to which he clearly didn't know how to react.
-"How is your sister...? Is she ok...? God, I hope nothing bad has happened...!"
Troye, Connor and Mikey exchanged looks of surprise, but none could beat Tyde's by a long shot.
-"Sh-She's stable... the doctor—I mean, dad said that... that she'll be alright."—Tyde said nervously, as Alexis finally let go off the hug.
-"I'm so glad to hear that...! God, you must have gotten so scared...! Are you ok...?"
-"Y-Yeah..."
Despite how endearing the scene was, Connor couldn't help to smirk a little at Tyde's obvious nervousness. When it came to being socially awkward, Connor always thought Alexis was the queen. However, it seemed she had met her match.
The two younger kids kept talking, and Connor noticed Troye was immobile, looking at him. Neither were speaking any words, and Connor heard the sound of his pounding heart inside his chest. At this point, Mikey spoke up.
-"Al! And, er... Tyde? Why don't... why don't we go outside and get some sodas or something? I'm about to fall asleep..."
Alexis turned around, first looking at Mikey and then at Connor, a bit worried. But she caught on to the idea quickly.
-"Sure!"—she said—"We'll be back in a bit, ok guys? Con, don't go anywhere!"
-"Hehe, like I could..."
The three kids left the room, Mikey being the last to exit, and sending a dubious look towards Connor right before closing the door. Finally, he was alone inside the room with Blue. Still, neither talked. The two of them watched each other from one end of the room the other, clearly none of them knowing where to start. So much had happened in too little time, and neither of them was certain that the events in their heads were in the correct order. Suddenly to Connor, Troye looked just as pale as him, and probably as if he had jumped into a freezing lake as well.
-"... How are you feeling?"—Troye finally asked.
-"... Better."—Connor answered, letting go his grip on the bed sheets and relaxing his shoulders a tad—"I can finally feel my legs and toes, but not so much my thighs... the doctor—er, your dad, said... that it may take a couple more hours."
Troye nodded slightly. Slowly, he gave a couple of tentative steps towards Connor's right bedside. His eyes looked like they wanted to say a great too many things. Connor didn't know if they'd ever be able to say them all, but then again, he probably was having the same problem.
-"... I... I wanted to thank you."—Troye said, looking at Connor—"For saving Sage."
-"... Is she awake yet?"
-"Yeah, she... she did wake up... said something about having a dream about a huge sunflower field, and a bus..."—Troye said, giving Connor the feeling that he had heard that somewhere before—"But right now she's resting. Mum is with her, and Steele is on his way right now. He took the first plane he could when he heard she had gotten lost."
Connor saw how Troye's fingers traced patterns on his bed sheets. Following a hunch, he decided to go for it and ask Troye about Sage.
-"Sage, your sister... she's the one you volunteer for at the clinic?"
Troye nodded.
-"When she was little, she went through awful, awful things... Ever since that happened, she had been seeing doctor after doctor and taking med after med... It left her a horrible scar, inside her head."—Troye explained, keeping the horrid details to himself—"I wanted to do my best and help her however I could. Volunteering at the clinic to keep an eye on her and help around the people who take care of her when she's there... That was the least I could do."
"She's lucky to have you..."
Troye scoffed, but Connor could see him blush a little.
-"I don't know..."—Troye admitted—"Sometimes I wish I could to more. That it could've been me, instead of her, who went through all of it... to spare her the pain..."
Connor had already realized before how humble and giving Troye was. He had seen it with their friends at school, with his little brother, at the clinic, and now with his little sister it became much more evident that he was very mature and caring for his age. It gave Connor a sense of security, a safety and gladness towards Troye's family, knowing they had him to count on.
-"... Listen, about what happened at the school, and the inn..."—Troye suddenly said, trailing off a bit.
Connor started shaking his head.
-"We don't have to... We don't have to talk about it."—he said, almost pleading.
Troye looked up at Connor, confused.
-"You... you're not mad?"
-"I'm... I just..."
Connor went back to gripping the bed sheets. All of what had happened and his current state had kept him from thinking about how he wanted to leave Yule because of Troye in the first place. But he wasn't about to tell him that.
He had many thoughts in his mind, way too many. He knew that Troye would want to talk about what happened, but he knew that he couldn't do it. At least not now, in the state he was in.
-"... I need some time."—Connor admitted, looking at Troye and nodding slightly—"I need some time to think."
-"... To think... about what?"
-"Everything."—Connor confessed—"Right now everything is so blurry and strange and... And I still... I still..."
"I still haven't asked myself if I feel the same way you do."
Connor wanted to say the words, but he couldn't. It was resulting physically struggling for him to even think about it without hyperventilating. However, for his good luck, Troye was reasonable enough.
-"It's ok."—he said—"I can wait. It... it can wait."
Connor looked up at his friend, almost too lost in his own thoughts.
-"... Thank you."
They were interrupted by the door opening, and in entering Troye's dad, Dr. Shaun Mellet, along with the nurse and with Grace entering with him.
-"Ah! I see you've come to see Connor, T."
-"Hey, dad..."—Troye greeted with a grin—"How's Sagey?"
-"She's still asleep, your mum is brushing her hair."—Dr. Mellet said, with a smile that seemed like a mixture of relief and sadness on his face—"Now I was just explaining Grace that Connor needs to rest, so that will be it for visiting hours today. Only she and his siblings can stay here right now."
At the mention of the word siblings, Grace turned to the doctor. Clearly, he hadn't been briefed on the entire "foster kid" agenda, working all the time in the hospital and all.
-"Eh, actually, Shaun—"
Grace was about to give the whole explanation, but she looked at Connor, who was shaking his head at her. He didn't want her to correct him. He was saying it was ok.
At this, Grace smiled.
-"You know what? Never mind."—she said, brushing off the thought—"Hehe, silly me! I'm a bit cuckoo today! I'll go... go get the kids!"
Troye turned towards Connor, meaning to say goodbye. But it appeared he didn't know how to. Connor spoke for him.
-"I'll be seeing you aroud?"—he said—"Sage and I are neighbors, after all."
-"Yeah... I guess you're right."
-"I hope I can see her soon. I'd like to meet her."
Troye smiled.
-"I bet she would like to as well."
Troye exited the room, and Dr. Mellet was the last one to close the door.
-"Rest up, champ."—he told Connor—"You deserve it."
---
Typical of hospital beds, or at least to what his memory remembered, Connor had a dreadfully uncomfortable sleep. The one perk was that he had a TV, and he stayed up until late watching cartoons with Alexis and Mikey. Alexis did fall asleep quite quickly, but Mikey and him had a good hour and half before tiredness beat them as well.
And he would need that rest, because the next morning they weren't short of visitors. Around noon, both Alexis and Mikey were outside at the waiting hall going for some snacks, and inside Connor's room was the merriest, yet weirdest gathering to date: there was Grace, Dr. Mellet and Troye's mum Laurelle joined by no other than Principal Hart, Lisbug and Brittany, who had gotten there after learning Connor had gotten into an "incident". As his social worker, it was mandatory that she foresaw all the procedures regarding his hospitalization, but Connor was for once glad that she was there for something that wasn't taking him away to another foster home. Both Principal Hart and Lisbug were there to check up on him, and it was weird for Connor to see how relieved they seemed when they saw that he was doing alright.
-"I have to say, kid"—Principal Hart started, sporting her trademark red top bun and office clothing—", you gave us all quite a fright. But what you did was very, very brave. I'm proud of you."
-"It might have been brave, but it was very risky."—Brittany said suddenly, speaking up and catching everyone's attention—"Normally, this would mean consequences, Connor. You tried to run away from your foster home, and then you jumped into a freezing lake! This makes all of us look worse than bad!"
-"I-I-I wasn't trying to run away...!"—Connor tried to say to his defense, realizing how unbelievable he had sounded—"I mean... I was... er..."
Grace took a step in, calling out to Brittany.
-"Brittany, I mean no disrespect, but... honestly, does it matter now?"—she asked, quite nervously—"Connor is safe and recovering, and I admit that it was very dangerous, but thankfully nothing bad happened..."
-"This was all under your supervision, Grace!"—Brittany said, sporting a sense of authority Connor hadn't heard on her before—"I mean, think about what could've happened if someone hadn't found him...!"
-"I'll tell you what could've happened! My daughter could have died!"
So far Troye's mum hadn't said much since her arrival, but right now she had decided to take the step in. She took a stand next to Grace reassuringly.
-"And I know that it's selfish for me to say so, but I'm thankful for Connor being there! He's a wonderful young man and if it hadn't been for him, then who knows how or what... would have happened..."
Connor felt a lump of guilt forming in his throat. However, he didn't let it phase him, and he refrained himself from speaking. Brittany let out a huge sigh. Her floral blouse was covered by a pink snow coat, which turned eyes wherever it went.
-"... Alright, due to the circumstances... I will do my best to avoid any unnecessary trouble."—Brittany said—"It will be a lot of paperwork, but I don't see why Connor should be worried for the time being. There's no reason for him to be moved from Yule."
-"I can help you out with that."—Lisbug said, turning towards Brittany—"I can give sustain that Connor has been improving in his behavior ever since he got here to Yule."
-"That would help, thank you!"—Brittany said, right before her cellphone started ringing, and she took it out to pick up the call—"Damn it, duty calls, literally! I'll be right back... Hello? Brittany Louise Taylor here... Yes of course it's me! Geez..."
Brittany exited the room to get better reception. Laurelle let out a sigh of relief, and Lisbug looked at Connor, sending him a wink. Connor smiled, and thanked her voicelessly.
Grace turned towards the two of them.
-"Thank you. Both of you. I..."—she shook her heard slightly—"I can't help but feeling that most of this is on me..."
Connor tried to get off the bed to comfort Grace and tell her that wasn't the case, but Dr. Mellet walked over to him and instructed him to stay in bed. He was so tall and empowering, but when he talked with his patients it was as if he were everyone's uncle. Connor couldn't help but obey him. Instead, it was Laurelle who comforted Grace.
-"Oh, Grace, don't say those things! You have to take care of three kids, and all on your own...!"
-"On your own!?"—Principal Hart asked suddenly, turning towards her friend—"What happened to Chester!? I thought you two were doing good!"
Grace shook her head slightly.
-"A different story for a different time..."
-"It's alright Grace, Connor here did a brave and good thing."—Dr. Mellet said—"We don't know how to thank him enough."
-"There really is no need..."—Connor said.
-"Oh, no don't say that mister! You just let us praise you, for heaven's sake!"—Laurelle said, teasing the teen slightly, then turning towards Grace again—"This is a fine young man, Grace. You should be proud."
Grace looked at Connor, smiling.
-"I am."
Connor could feel himself reddening a bit, but at the same time he smiled at Grace's words. He was glad she wasn't thinking about how he wanted to run away. This was just another proof that she was a way bigger person than what people gave her credit for.
Principal Hart however, seemed quite worried. There was something on her mind, and it was bugging her strongly.
-"I feel like the school, as an institution, should do something about this whole event."—she explained—"I know Sage is not officially our student, but it's our school material she uses for her homeschooling, it's our district's license Laurelle uses as her tutor and she's the sister of two of our kids!"
-"Oh, Mrs. Hart that's not necessary..."—Laurelle started saying.
-"I know it's not mandatory, but we're an institution that cares for the well-being of our kids. If anything, this is a wake-up call! Starting with Ms. Losey's incident, and then this... We haven't been paying enough attention to awareness for mental health... But what can we do...?"
Lisbug cleared her throat.
-"Eh... Mrs. Hart, if I may?"—she asked tentatively—"But isn't your sister available right now? I understand she's currently back in the country from the congress she attended in Switzerland..."
At Lisbug's suggestion, Principal Hart snapped her fingers and Grace gave out a tiny scream, followed by a clap and mid-air hop. A little freak-out all in one.
-"Hannah's back in the US!?"—Grace asked.
-"Excuse me, who?"—Laurelle asked.
Principal Hart turned towards the black-haired lady.
-"My younger sister, Hannah Hart. She's a social rights activist, licensed psychiatrist and she works with the Trevor Project! Suicide and Mental Health Awareness in the young community is her field of specialty. She's also a terrific chef, but that's beside the point... I can ask her to come over for some days and give a conference to the kids! It's brilliant!"
Principal Hart turned again towards Lisbug once again, saying something about how she had to call her sister right away, and then the two of them exited the room.
Dr. Mellet was the next to leave, and Grace and Laurelle stayed back with Connor for a while, before she went back to her daughter's room. Alexis and Mikey were back for lunchtime, and they had the laugh of their lives watching Connor struggle with the, let's face it, not-so-great hospital meal. He managed to pass it down, though, and it all seemed well. He was already feeling better, he had gotten back full sensitivity on his legs and he was already getting some tingles here and there.
After lunch, the second wave of visitors came, this time comprised by Connor's friends from school. Lilly was the first to come in, engulfing him in a tight hug, and holding in her hand a box of her mom's finest coffee, which she had brought as a gift because "damn, you deserve it, man." She was accompanied by Joe and Caspar, who were both quite teary and emotional, maybe a bit too much for Connor to get accustomed to. Will came as well, bringing Arden with him. The couple were simply relieved to see him breathing.
And then, entering last into the room, but definitely catching Connor's attention the most, was Oli. Just like how Troye had been the day before, he entered tentatively, almost seeming scared to be received inside the room. However, the second Connor saw him, he lighted up, and asked him over to his bedside, where first they shook hands.
-"It's good to see you, man."—Connor greeted, truthfully smiling at his friend for coming back to see him.
Oli leaned in and engulfed Connor in a hug. Almost everyone awed, but Connor knew Oli well enough to tell he couldn't give a shit about it. He was way too nice and naïve for that.
-"I'm sorry it took me so long."—Oli said, backing away—"It shouldn't need you to almost freeze to death and save someone's life for me to get over myself and make things right with you again."
-"Hey, it's ok. We're cool, Oli."—Connor reassured.
-"No, it's not... I... I wanted to talk to you."
Oli looked over at the rest of the people in the room. Joe and Mikey both seemed quite distracted bugging Caspar, who had an open bag with gummi bears with him they seemed to be preying after. Will watched them as he brooded and shook his head. Alexis was talking with Arden, who seemed to be complimenting her beanie. Lilly was paying attention to Oli and Connor, clearly happy to see the two of them at good odds again, talking and all. In fact, she was so happy that she was being completely oblivious to how creepy it was having her smiling widely and watching them talk. However, she seemed to notice, and realized it was better to leave the two alone for a bit, so she turned around and tried to help Mikey and Joe get some of those gummi bears (she was the expert at it after all).
After they were given some slight privacy, Oli grabbed a chair and took a seat to Connor's right. He exhaled air, tapping his fingers together and leaning in on his seat. Connor didn't know if he had ever seen The Brits' guitarist this nervous before. Finally, he spoke up.
-"I feel like I owe you an apology, for the way I acted the day Dustin appeared. And for the way I behaved afterwards..."—he said—"Also, I feel like I owe you an explanation for it."
-"Oli, you really don't have to..."
-"No. I want to. You're my friend, and I owe you that much."
Connor decided perhaps it would be better to just sit back and listen, so that's what he did. Oli went on.
-"So... you know my little brother, James?"
Connor nodded. He hadn't been to Oli's place yet, but he had heard him speak of his little brother several times. Apparently the two of them played together a lot, despite having nearly a ten-year age difference. Connor was quite surprised by it; he didn't think many parents would be willing to have another kid after so long.
-"So, not many people know this, but... he... he's adopted."
Connor's blood froze.
Oli's eyes were fixed on an empty point in front of him, and Connor observed him earnestly now, as he thought beforehand about the words he wanted to say, unlike his usual method.
-"We took him in when he was still a baby. His biological mom died at childbirth, and nobody knew anything about the father. And I had always wanted a baby brother, so, when I was seven, my parents brought him one night. I was so, so happy! And, hear this, if we hadn't gotten him, chances are he would have been part of the Foster Care System. This was all ten years ago, still, sometimes I think about how close we were to not have him in our lives... and I can't imagine my life without him. I love him too much... We haven't really told him he's adopted yet, but he had already started asking mom, dad and me questions about it. He's very little, still, but he's very smart. He can tell we don't look much alike..."
Connor suddenly started to put two and two together, and understand what Oli must have felt the day Dustin arrived out of the blue at Grace's house.
-"Damn, Oli, I... I had no idea..."
-"Haha, of course you didn't! How could you know? It's alright, Connor, really... I just... well..."
Oli made a brief pause. It was evident he was trying to get a very important point across, and opening up just like that didn't come as easy. Connor could understand that. Finally, he went back to speaking.
-"The thing is, I understand, Connor. I didn't lose my parents, or lost track of my siblings. But... I understand."—he said, and then he turned towards Connor—"We don't chose the family we come to in this world. But, what we do choose, is the people we want to keep close in our lives. I mean, look at this lot! Caspar is too busy trying to keep everyone from eating his gummi bears, and I couldn't think of anything that I would want to change about that. I like... I like to think of you guys as part of my family as well. That's my choice. And just like I chose to think that, you can also choose to call the people who are there for you, your family. Those that make you feel like... like you have a home, you know? Like my brother. Even if you aren't related to them..."
Oli's attention changed, looking in the direction of Alexis, who was still talking with Arden. Connor looked as well, and everything was already making sense and clicking together.
-"... To me, it's clear that family is a bond thicker than blood."—Oli said—"And I understand it's hard, and it's tough to see it that way, and that perhaps I may romanticize it all a bit, but... But just like you can choose whom to keep close, you can also choose to give that asshole brother of yours a second chance, Connor. Not because you have to. But because... it will give you peace."
Connor looked at Alexis, and then he looked at Mikey, who was still having a laugh bugging Caspar. And he thought back to Dustin, the day he had arrived at Grace's house. How old he had looked that day...
Maybe Oli was right after all, and Connor did have the choice.
-"... Thank you, Oli."—Connor said, looking at his friend—"I needed that."
Oli smiled at him, nodding his head.
-"You're welcome, buddy."
From the corner of her eye, Lilly watched with a grin, satisfied at seeing the two of them friends again.
---
The next day, Connor was to be given the green light to leave and go back to Grace's house, just in time for Christmas eve. It was snowing slightly, but still it didn't feel as cold as the blizzard of the other day, and now Connor was finally able to exit the horrible hospital clothes that made him feel like he was permanently wearing no pants, and change into his normal clothing. Mikey had to help him to put on his outfit, though, since Connor was still a little sore. However, the two of them already had no shame when it came to that, so it wasn't an issue. Connor was tying the laces of his snow boots sitting down on his hospital bed with Alexis and Mikey finishing to gather up their things inside the room, when Grace appeared through the door.
-"I have to go get the last forms and we're good to go! I'll also go get the parking lot ticket sealed so that we can take the car quickly now, we don't want to let the motor freeze or anything... I'll be right back!"
Just as fast as she had appeared, she left, and Mikey let out a sigh.
-"Well I gotta take a leak."—he announced—"I'll go to the bathroom."
-"Ew! Gross!"—Alexis teased while doing a face.
-"Oh, grow up, Al!"—Mikey teased back.
Alexis stuck out her tongue at him, and stuck out his back before entering the bathroom and closing the door behind him. Alexis was giggling from the exchange, and Connor had a pleased grin on his face.
-"Hehehe... what is it?"—Alexis asked, curious.
-"Oh, it's nothing, I just... I'm happy to see you this happy, Al."
Alexis blushed, and her gaze fell down to her hands. She was sitting down on the best next to him.
-"Mikey and Grace are very nice people."—she said.
-"They're amazing."—Connor agreed—"And they treat us like we've been with them for all our lives."
-"... You think it's true what Grace said, that she wants to keep supporting us?"
Alexis suddenly seemed nervous about the subject. But Connor was perfectly calm.
-"I'm positive."—he reaffirmed—"Say, Al... I wanted to tell you... I'm glad you told me the things you said the day I beat Trevor up."
Alexis covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.
-"Ugh, why would you bring that up!?"—she said, ashamed—"Those were horrible things I said! Why would you be glad!?"
-"Because, they got me to think."—Connor said, and Alexis removed her hands from her face—"And you were right. I... I haven't been fair to you. I didn't stick along with you because I felt bad for you, or because I felt guilty... I did, because... because I chose to. I chose to stick with you, and you chose to stick with me. We didn't do it because of anything else..."
A hint of a smile and raised eyebrow appeared on Alexis' face, confused.
-"Con, what are you saying...?"
-"I'm saying"—Connor said—", that all this time, we've been looking out for each other, and that should be more than enough... for me to realize, that... that..."
Connor reached out his little finger, and took Alexis' in his. As they held each other tight, Connor saw how a grin drew on her face.
-"... That you are my little sister, Al."—Connor finally said, shaking their fingers, with a tear down his cheek—"And nothing and no one will ever change that. Not the system, not blood. Because it's our choice. Just like we are choosing Mikey and Grace to be part of our little make-up family, now. You and I are that, despite everything. Family."
Alexis started shaking her head slightly, smiling and crying without making any noise.
-"... It took you an awful long time, Con."
The two of them hugged. Tighter than ever before. More together than what they had ever been in their lives. The door to the bathroom opened, and out came Mikey, watching the scene before him unfold rather awkwardly. Then, Connor reached out his arm in his direction, motioning him to come closer.
-"You're not saving yourself from this one, eh?"
Shyly, Mikey walked towards the pair and joined in the hug. Alexis kept laughing, and Connor wasn't sure of how his face was, but Mikey sported a giant clueless grin.
-"What exactly are we hugging for?"
-"Just take the hug and deal with it, brother."—Alexis said in a sing-song tone.
-"Yeah, brother, get over yourself and accept the hug already!"
The sudden burst of affection seemed to take Mikey by surprise, but he didn't go against it. After they had all let go, the door to the room opened and Grace came in with several bags on her hands none of the three could explain where she had gotten from.
-"Come on kids, there's a lot we need to take to the car!"
-"Just wait a second, mom, we're hugging things out!"—Mikey said.
And for the next two minutes, the three kids were laughing absent-mindedly, not realizing that the second Mikey had said that, Grace had stood frozen on the spot with her eyes wide like plates and her mouth open agape. After seeing her in that state, Mikey stood up and walked towards her worried.
-"W-What is it...?"—he asked.
-"... You... you just called me mom...!"—Grace said, letting several of the bags fall on the ground as she took a hand to her chest, as if flattered—"It's... it's the first time you've ever called me mom...!"
Now it was clear she was crying of emotion. Alexis and Connor looked at one another worried, and Mikey was starting to stutter.
-"I-I-I did!? I-I mean... Can I? If it's ok...?"
Before Mikey went on stammering, Grace wrapped him in a hug and started giving him kisses all over his face.
-"If it's ok!? Of course it's ok! Call me that all you want, oh my God! I love how that sounded! Mom! Mom! Mom! Oh my God I could hear it all day...!"
She finally let him go, and then called in the other two kids. It was getting late for them to leave after all.
-"Gosh, it's been such a turn of events these days, eh!?"—Grace asked with a huge, stupid grin that everyone seemed to have right now—"And it's Christmas Eve! We don't have any plans for tonight, but tomorrow we're having lunch at Mamrie and Flula's, so we better get some rest, right kids? Damn, look at us, we're all smiling like a bunch of morons...! I don't know why, but I LOVE IT...!"
Grace once again extended her two arms and rounded the four of them in a hug, much to everyone's complaint. After letting go, they were on their way outside the hospital. However, as they were walking down the white aisles that smelled all too familiar to Connor, a thought crossed his mind. He stopped by the chart that showed which patients were assigned to which rooms, and with little effort, found the name he was looking for in what seemed to be a room not too far away. Swallowing a gulp of saliva, he made up his mind.
-"Eh... Grace?"—he called out, catching the attention of his foster mother, who was just a few steps ahead of him—"Could we wait for a bit, maybe...? There's... somebody I'd like to see."
---
For some reason, the section of the hospital where Sage's room was had the lights a lot dimmer than the one in which he had been hospitalized. The corners were darker, and the walls were tiled with green instead of light blue. Several of the glass windows that separated the hallway from the inside of the rooms had their inner blinds shut, so it was useless to peek inside. After looking around for a bit, he came across the room number he was looking for, and fortunately, the blinds were open.
Inside, there was an undeniably beautiful girl with auburn yellow colored hair and unmistakable ocean blue piercing eyes, lying awake on her hospital bed. Next to her, sound asleep, was Laurelle, Troye's mum, sat in a chair next to her daughter's bed. There was also a nurse who seemed to be asking Sage some questions, but she didn't seem to be responded. She limited herself to nodding or shaking her head slightly.
If he were being honest, Connor would say she was breathtaking. Her soft pink lips reminded him of early spring flower petals, and the color of her hair was just too much like what he remembered Nicola's hair looked like. He recognized her slightly tanner skin than her brother's, from the time he saw her walking barefoot on the second floor of the Blue House.
The nurse finished asking her questions, and headed towards the door that exited the room. In that brief moment before she exited, Sage looked at Connor, and their eyes met.
He waved slightly at her.
She grinned, and waved back.
Then, the door had opened and the kind nurse that had been in there noticed Connor.
-"Good evening."—she greeted—"Are you a relative of the patient?"
-"Oh, no, I'm just a friend."—Connor explained.
Clearly the nurse wasn't briefed on the info, but Connor couldn't blame her, she was but one of the many nurses who worked on that hospital wing.
-"Well, in that case I'm terribly sorry, but visiting hours are over."—she explained tenderly—"Only direct family is allowed right now."
-"Oh, I understand."—Connor said—"I just wanted to check up on her, that's all."
The nurse seemed to open her mouth, probably to request him to leave, but the sound of running footsteps made the two of them turn around in the direction of the sound.
Connor head went dizzy from the impression.
Red, in all her fiery glory, without any makeup on her face, wearing travel jacket and snow-covered boots and with her hair all messed up, stood panting in front of him, looking like she had just ran miles of miles. She turned to her let, and saw Sage inside the room, who was currently distracted watching her mother sleep. At the sole sight of the girl, Red's face of exhaustion turned into one huge smile. She then turned her attention back to Connor.
-"I was... halfway across Illinois..."—she said, catching her breath—"I was inside a diner, when I saw the news... about how she had almost drowned... I came running..."
Connor was too shocked, too surprised to move. The nurse from behind him stepped forward, but before she could say anything, Alexa started begging.
-"Please, please you have to let me in to see her—"
She looked like she was on the verge of tears.
-"I'm sorry, miss, but as I was explaining to the gentleman, visiting hours are over—"
-"No, you don't understand; she's my best friend! She almost died!"
-"Miss, I understand, however it's not in my power to make any exceptions...!"
The two of them seemed to be about to go in the discussion, when a third voice was heard.
-"Let her in."
Troye had appeared from behind the nurse, and stood from a distance watching the display in front of him. The nurse probably recognized him as Sage's brother.
-"But, mister—"
-"Please, I insist. Sage has been asking for her. She needs to see her..."—Troye said quite calmly, not taking his eyes off Alexa—"Please, let her in."
The nurse just nodded, and opened the door for Alexa, who didn't wait for being told a second time and was already on her way inside, but stopped when Connor talked to her after he had exited his trance.
-"Alexa."
She stopped still, not facing him though. She was fixated on the door before her.
-"... I didn't do it."—was all that Connor said.
She didn't say anything. Instead, she opened the doorknob and entered the room, closing it right behind her.
The nurse left Connor and Troye alone to observe how Alexa fell on her knees before Sage's bed, and cried her heart out to her friend. They were amazed how Troye's mum could remain asleep, but the look of happiness on Sage's face was enough to make them feel better. Troye watched the scene immersed.
-"... You know, I had never heard of Sage having a friend until today. And she and I tell each other everything."—Troye said—"I was... upset I didn't know. But I was more upset at the thought that perhaps she wouldn't show..."
Connor observed in silence. Sage was caressing Alexa's hair as the latter seemed to be apologizing to the girl with the yellow hair.
Red's little birdie, huh?
Such a small, small world.
-"... I had never seen her talk to someone like that before, other than me."—Troye observed—"She looks so happy... I... I'm glad..."
As Troye talked, Connor could feel the guilt consume him. Finally, he spoke up the feeling that didn't let him stand still.
-"... I thought she was my sister."
Troye looked at Connor, confused. Then, he noticed how Connor was crying as he watched Sage and Alexa.
-"When I was leaving Yule, walking at the edge of the lake, and when I looked at the pier... When I saw Sage, I thought she was my sister. I thought she was Nicola."—he confessed, trying to avoid a breakdown—"That's why I jumped to save her. Not because of anything else."
Troye turned around so that his body was facing Connor's, but Connor was too ashamed to look at him in the face.
-"... I don't deserve your thanks."—Connor said—"I was being selfish. Like I always am."
Then, Troye did something Connor didn't foresee.
He grabbed Connor's right hand in his left, held it, and squeezed it tightly. And after, just stood there in silence.
-"... That's not true."—Troye finally said.
Not another word was spoken on the subject, and Connor was still tearing up.
But never again did he think that jumping into the lake for Sage had been out of selfishness.
---
That night was Christmas eve, and Grace had prepared a meal of club sandwiches she had bought on a gas station heated on the microwave for all four of them at the house. This time she had also managed not to burn any of the bread's sides, which had been her specialty. As she sat down after serving everyone their plate, she removed her kitchen gloves and got ready to say a few words.
-"So, I think there's a lot to be thankful for this evening. Starting with it being Christmas eve, and having all of us here, together, safe and healthy. I think it's evident we can't ever give that for granted, and that's a lesson I'm glad that didn't end up badly. I just want to say... that I'm happy for this little family we have here. However as messed up and odd we may be, at least we're our own kind of messed up and odd."
-"I couldn't have said it any better."—Mikey said, raising his glass of sprite.
-"Now, let's eat, for we are starving!"—Grace announced.
They started their meal, when suddenly the doorbell rang. Weirded out, Grace stood from her seat, wondering who it could be on such a day in such a weather. The three kids stood up as well and followed her to the lobby, as she opened the door, and revealed a pretty much freezing Chester See on her porch wearing a large black coat and a matching snow hat.
-"C-Chester!?"—Grace asked, shocked at his presence—"W-What are you doing here!?"
-"Well, I came to give you an early Christmas present!"—Chester said with a wide grin—"I know it's tomorrow, but it was so excited that I couldn't wait..."
Grace started shaking her head disapprovingly. Connor, Mikey and Alexis all watched from the corner of the corridor.
-"Chester, listen, I already told you, I am too busy with the kids and everything, and it's not fair to you..."
-"Shhhh...! Please, can you just... let me give you the present? Please?"
Connor hadn't seen Mr. See that excited ever before. He had to admit he was glad to see him trying to win Grace back. He knew how much good he was to her.
Finally, Grace gave in, nodding her head.
-"Okay, what is it...?"
-"Phew!"—Chester sighed—"I was afraid you would say no! Or else I wouldn't know what to do with her..."
Connor and Mikey raised an eyebrow. What did he mean, her?
Chester took two fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly towards his left. Suddenly a barking noise, followed by Grace's loud gasp led way to a huge white and brown dog into Grace's house, first launching itself over Grace, who crouched and allowed the animal to lick her face and give her kisses. Then, it caught onto Mikey, jumping around him as well, as he laughed and played back with her. Alexis and Connor watched it with wide eyes, she with a grin and he quite startled. Then the dog saw Connor, and jumped higher than what Connor had ever seen a dog jump before, sending Connor to the ground and immediately licking his face. So much for first impressions.
-"Goose! But—But how!?"—Grace asked, turning towards Chester—"Chester—just—how!?"
Goose was the dog Grace used to own before her divorce, which as Connor recalled, was taken away by her ex-husband. It took a pretty big toll on Grace and Mikey, who were very attached to her. She still kept the dog house in the front and backyard and all the pictures that had her on it on her walls, even if they still had her ex-husband as well.
Chester let out a sigh, his breath vaporizing in the air.
-"I went back to New York for a few days to run some errands, and one day I ran into Hank on the street."—he said—"Well, not really ran into on the street. I kind of looked for his apartment. We had a long chat, and, long story short... Goose comes back to live with you."
-"Chester, what? How? I... I can't believe it...!"—Grace kept saying, still too shocked and exited from seeing her beloved dog playing with Connor, and now also with Alexis.
Chester smiled towards her.
-"Grace, I know that you think that you and I won't work out... but I don't think so that way. I already let you go off once, and I shouldn't have. So now I want to fight for you. Complications and all. I want all of them. I gladly take them."
Grace watched as Chester talked to her under the snow. Alexis sighed and Mikey smiled, and even Connor had to admit the whole sappy thing was adorable to see. Goose was still sitting on him, happily wigging her tail.
-"... So, will you take me too?"—Chester asked.
Grace fist turned her head around and looked at the kids. All three of them in unison nodded their heads, and encouraged her to say yes. She turned around towards Chester once again, smiling like an idiot in love.
-"... Would you like to come in for club sandwich Christmas eve dinner?"
---
A/N
I know it's late, and I'm VERY sorry for the delay. SUPER LONG WEEK, you have NO CLUE.
Aaaaaaand I'm sorry but I have to go because it's SOOOO LAAAATE I'M SOR GROUNDED
I SWEAR NEXT A/N IS MORE ELABORATE DON'T KILL MEH
See ya soon, you crazy lot!
--Coffee