Aleks is startled awake from a sound sleep, through tired eyes she vaguely makes out the silhouette of a man in front of her . She blinks a few times and sees that it is an old crippled man, he's pointing toward her feet with a scowl on his face. Aleks quickly sits up causing her head to spin, the man plops down next to her. She yawns deeply and takes a huge whiff of the sickly stale air, which quickly reminds her of where she is. The sights and sounds were all too familiar, it gave her the chills. As she scans her surroundings she finds that every seat in the room was being occupied, many people were forced to stand and wait. There seemed to be tension in the air, people were fighting over places to sit, babies were crying and kid's whining. Aleks knew she had to get out of there for awhile, maybe get something to eat.
As she made her way down the bustling hallway she realizes the surgery should be over by now. She glances at her watch, it was 9 am, she had slept for 2 hours. She knew recovery would take at least another hour, so with her stomach rumbling she takes the familiar route directly to the cafeteria. As much as Aleks hated hospitals, they had become oddly comforting to her. At least she could rest assured her Mother was being cared for.……………but she prayed this would be their last trip to the OR.
The food was bland, Aleks had to force down the breakfast burrito of slimy egg, fatty bacon and fake cheese. She knew she had to get something in her stomach though, at least so the coffee wouldn't make her sick. The last few days she had lived on caffeine, sleeping only 4 or 5 hours a night while her mom was in the hospital. Before she headed back to the waiting area she ordered another latte to-go.
Two hours crept by slowly, Aleks looked up at the clock for the 100th time and couldn't take it any longer. She threw the People magazine carelessly back on the table and stood up. As she made her way up to the reception desk once again she felt irritated and determined.
"When can I see my mom?" she asks with a harsh tone.
"Honey, we are very busy as you can see………." the receptionist begins.
"I have been here for 5 hours, she's been out of surgery for 3. I need to see her now!" her voice is full of anger.
With a sigh the lady complies, "what's her name? I'll check on her status." she tells her who she is and the familiar name resonates with the stubborn lady. It's always the same, once they find out that her mom happens to be a prominent politician, they suddenly are much more accommodating.
"Oh, well a doctor will be right out to help you miss" she smiles. Yeah, right. Aleks knows the routine and settles back down to catch the news that just came on.
An hour later a doctor finally emerges, his face looking tired, but hard to read. Aleks braced for bad news, please say it worked , she thought. She could have never prepared for the news she was about to hear. The doctor began to explain the circumstances, but before he finished, she knew what had happened. She froze, her mind racing. It's not possible, she thought, they had the wrong person. Her mother could not have died in surgery, she was a survivor. All Aleks could do is stare blankly at the doctor, she was too numb to cry, she really wanted to scream. Life as she knew it was over, her mom was dead.
Senator Karmen Nichol dies Friday, December 17th during surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. Nichol had been living with stomach cancer for the last ten years of her life. Loved ones hoped the surgery would be her last, and the cancer would be gone. While it did turn out to be her last surgery, it ended unexpectedly tragic……….
Aleks threw down the copy of New York Times and fought back tears. She was resentful and couldn't finish the article. She had spent the last couple days depressed, hiding out in her room in the hotel suite. She stayed there with her grandfather and aunts who had flown out for the funeral. During the ceremony she broke down completely, unwilling to let go of her mother, who was her best friend. Now she was at the airport and all she could think about was how pathetic it was that people would talk about her mom's death as merely a political loss. The media barely mentioned that she left behind a daughter, who is now an orphan. Aleks just wanted to disappear, she had lost the only real family she ever had. Now she was forced to fly across the country to live with her aunts' family, strangers to her.
Aleks had met her aunt Kirsten, uncle Sandy and their son, her cousin Seth, once before. She was six years old when her mom took her to California for Christmas so she could meet her relatives. Her grandpa Nichol had come to New York every other year in the past, but the visits were always awkward. Kirsten and Karmen had grown apart living different lives on opposite sides of the country. Karmen raised her only child by herself in the city, Aleks' dad had died before she was born.
Aleks sat nervously in the back seat of the car, looking out the window at her new home. Sandy had picked them up at the airport, smiling genuinely to greet her but with sympathy in his eyes.
"Well…….welcome home, Aleks!" Sandy cheerfully breaks the silence. She opens the door and steps out cautiously, taking it all in. The house was familiar from her visit, she remembered how much bigger it was then her New York apartment. She was struck by the pleasantly cool southern California evening, such a contrast from the bone-chilling cold she was used to in the winter. It suddenly hits her that she won't be back there for a long time, she was in the O.C. now….. for good.
As she steps inside she sees that the house was all decorated, ready for Christmas to arrive. The tree and the lights, it all just made her sad instead of cheerful, she was in no mood for celebrating. Yet the mood in the house was warm and welcoming, that made her feel a little better.
"Please sweetie, make yourself at home" Kirsten says gently, "take a seat and I'll make you a cup of cocoa, or do you prefer tea? you don't drink coffee do you?" she went on.
Aleks gives a little smile, "Cocoa's fine……….I'm sick of coffee". She doesn't mention that she's been downing 5 lattes a day for the last week.
"Well, I think the boy's should be here soon…………" Kirsten was interrupted as Seth comes bouncing in singing Christmas carols. He presents the take-out bags he was carrying and places them on the counter with a bow to his mother. "Seth, don't be rude….say hi to your cousin Aleks" she points to the table where the girl sat.
He looks over, "Aleks! Long time no see, come here and give your favorite cousin a hug". Aleks stood up, confused but grateful for Seth's goofy confidence.
"Seth, where's Ryan?" Kirsten asks, realizing that someone was missing.
"Let's see, well he said he was going to "get ready" for dinner, which I am hoping means he'll put on some deodorant, for all our sake." Seth continues, "because we all know Ryan is not one to put on a suit for a family dinner". He goes on "he might even change his shirt if he's feeling extra generous…."
Kirsten interrupts, "ok Seth, that's enough. Aleks' going to think you're a nut-case" she glances over at her anxious looking niece.
"It's best she knows the truth right from the start" Ryan adds as he strides into the kitchen wearing a fresh button-down shirt and jeans.
"Ryan! This is my niece Aleks" Kirsten says as she leads him over to introduce them. "We just got in from New York, as you know, she'll be staying with us now".
"Yeah, great……….it nice to meet you Aleks" Ryan cordially shakes her hand, and then takes a seat at the counter.
"Aleks, you know about Ryan don't you?" Kirsten had forgotten to mention him since she was so used to him being part of the family. "He came to live with us last year, his room is the pool house ………..still" she turns to Ryan with well-meaning glare.
Aleks heard about Ryan from her mom, who mentioned that the Cohen's had taken in a kid from a broken home in Chino. Now, she was convinced that she was also being rescued from a 'broken home', or really no home at all. She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she almost forgot she was asked a question. "Yeah, I know about him" she quickly added, hoping she didn't sound rude.
Just then Sandy comes in with a huge grin. "I'm starving, what you say, shall we eat?" Everyone eagerly agrees and they all settle at the table.
"I'm sure Ryan would be happy to help you adjust, maybe show you around Newport." She turns to Ryan, "you should introduce Aleks to the kids at harbor, I bet Marissa and Summer would love to meet her". Ryan nods and smiles.
Aleks' mind was wandering, "what's harbor?', she asks innocently. She wanted to be polite by keeping up with the conversation , but her thoughts was really elsewhere.
"Oh, of course, that's the high school you'll be attending this spring along with the boys, it's a great school, I think you'll like it." Kirsten tries to sound enthusiastic.
The last thing Aleks wanted to do is go back to school, but she knew she had no choice. "Right, great" she says unenthusiastically. She felt sad and tired. All she wanted to do is go to bed and hope that tomorrow would be a better day. She sat quietly, picking at her food and observing her new family as they joked and laughed happily. As much as she felt resentful that they could be happy when she felt so bad, it gave her a little hope that everything would be ok.