An Elizabeth and Ewen Fic
10:00 p.m. "I'm done."
Elizabeth remembers saying those very words only a few short months ago. Instead of being done she fell back on old patterns and chased her happy family fantasy, chased it so hard that it ran away.
"At least no one can say I didn't give it my all; I tried everything to get Lucky to give us another chance," Elizabeth mumbles to herself as she looks at the Christmas tree, denuded of presents. "I even forgave Lucky asking Maxie to decorate my home for Christmas." That might have been even crazier than checking herself into Shadybrook under false pretenses.
It's tradition in her house to leave the Christmas tree up until Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas. Not this year.
Elizabeth takes out the ornament boxes and carefully removes Crimson's borrowed ornaments. Borrowed. Like her fantasy family which can never really be hers. Her fantasy belongs to someone else, a Lucky that used to be, one that can never be again.
As the boxes filled with red and white ornaments, Elizabeth begins to feel lighter, more free. Who says she has to keep the tree up until an arbitrary date, dictated by ancient tradition. She feels like taking it down tonight, so she does and it is exhilarating.
11:30 p.m. "I need help."
She returns to the kitchen after placing the last of the Christmas boxes in the garage. Opens a bottle of cheap Champagne, pours herself a generous glass and remembers how rude she was to the strange new psychiatrist, Ewen. One who keeps popping up in her life. He was just doing his job after all, going about it in a strange and probably unprofessional way – if she wanted to bring it up to the board of governors.
His methods may be strange, but affective, she has to give him that. He got through to her, she doesn't have to do it alone. Help is available. All she has to do is reach out and grab it. It's all she has to do and only she can do it.
She hears the New Year's Eve countdown coming from the TV in the living room as she takes down the 2011 calendar. She opens the new one, a gift from her boys, and opens it to January. She picks up a pen and writes two little words on January 2, "Call Ewen".
The countdown reached 2.
Midnight "Happy New Year's"
Elizabeth walks into the living room and toasts her latest painting. "Here's to action and a wonderful 2012. I wonder if Ewen can refer me to a different psychologist?"
12:01 a.m. "Why does he feel so familiar?"