"You don't think it's too early for her to come home, do you?" Beca stood in the waiting room outside the hospital lobby, gripping the duffel bag that had just been delivered down to them. They had arrived at 8 PM sharp to pick up Jaiden on her 21st day of treatment. Dr. Wilson had called her that afternoon with the suggestion that they send the 18 year old home and Beca was anxious about it to say the least.
"Not if her doctor doesn't think it is." Chloe replied. The older girl's hand found her way to the small of Beca's back and she moved it in small circles. The action was better than any words she could offer, and Beca unclenched her fists just a little. A tiny ding from the elevator sent a jolt of nervous energy through her body mere seconds later, and they tightened right back up on the bag's strap.
"Just relax," Chloe murmured into her lover's ears. Beca's eyes didn't waiver from the elevator doors as they slid open and her sister stepped into view, accompanied by a nurse. Though visitors had been allowed after the second week, Dr. Wilson had called Beca and requested that she not come in. Due to her emotional impact on her sister, the physician had thought it best to keep the girls separated until she could get Jaiden into what she considered to be a "stable state".
The 18 year old looked…tentative to say the least. Dressed in old jeans and the hoodie she had worn on her second night, Jaiden had her hands shoved in the front pocket and her sneakers scuffed against the floor.
"Here, give me that." Chloe reached down and took the bag from Beca before giving her a small push forward. The brunette finally broke out of her frozen stare and started towards the girl she hadn't seen in 3 weeks. Jaiden looked up as Beca approached and to the older girl's surprise, she threw her arms around her.
"I missed you." Jaiden's voice was soft, but it hardened the lump in Beca's throat when she heard the three words.
"I missed you more, kid." She responded thickly. The siblings stood like that for almost an entire minute before parting and turning towards the door, where Chloe was waiting. The redhead gave Jaiden her absolute warmest smile and wrapped her into a one armed hug as soon as they had reached her.
"Ready to get going?" Jaiden nodded immediately at the question and politely took her bag from Chloe as they walked towards the exit. Just before they got to the revolving door, Jaiden heard her name being called by a voice that she had grown quite accustomed to. Jaiden turned, along with her two companions, and spotted Emily rushing towards her, followed by their room nurse.
"She wanted to say goodbye." The middle aged woman explained, just a bit irritably. Chloe and Beca exchanged curious looks as Jaiden set her bag down and walked up to the girl.
"Who is that?" Beca whispered, more to herself than anybody, as the girl with the long, dark hair threw her arms around her sister tightly. She couldn't help but notice the bandages that wrapped her wrists when her hands came around to cling to the back of Jaiden's hoodie.
"I don't know. She never mentioned having any friends." Chloe murmured. She watched as Jaiden leaned back a bit and said something to the girl.
"No more stupid shit," Jaiden kept her voice low, but her eyes screamed seriousness at Emily. The younger girl nodded in understanding and finally released her when their nurse cleared her throat impatiently.
"Don't get sent back here." Emily forced a watery smile and stepped back from her former roommate.
"I won't. See you when you get out." Jaiden replied. With that, the 18 year old turned back around and rejoined her sister. She braced herself as they walked out the door into the parking lot, preparing for the questions she knew would be asked.
"Who was that?" Surprisingly, it was Chloe who started the interrogation.
"Oh," Jaiden feigned surprise. "My roommate, Emily. She's a really nice girl. A lot of issues though."
"So the gauze on her arms-"
"Yep." Jaiden interrupted her sister, knowing what she was about to ask.
"You two seem kind of close." Chloe pointed out. Jaiden looked at her, a bit annoyed, and shrugged.
"Well, I guess we're friends. We lived together. I let her listen to that MP3 player you sent and she liked your stuff a lot." Jaiden turned the conversation over to Beca and of course, the smaller Mitchell blushed a bit at that. They reached the car and Jaiden climbed into the backseat, more and more anxious to be back at the apartment.
"You two should keep in touch. I'm sure it'll be good to have someone who understands more of what you're going through." Chloe suggested. The redhead had opted to drive, while Beca plopped down into the passenger seat.
"Maybe." Jaiden shrugged.
"Also, we have a little surprise for you when we get back to the apartment." Chloe winked at Jaiden as she glanced into the rearview mirror and backed out of the parking space.
"It's not a Welcome Home party is it?"
"No, no, we wouldn't ambush you like that." Beca shot the idea down before Jaiden could get too nervous about it and the 18 year old calmed down noticeably.
"Thanks." She murmured.
20 minutes later, the car stopped in front of the apartment building and Jaiden climbed out into the late October chill. Duffel bag in hand, Jaiden waited for her sister and Chloe to get out of the vehicle and walked alongside them up to their floor. Being in such a familiar surrounding left her more at ease than she had been in weeks, which was partially thanks to the new prescription Dr. Wilson had set her up with.
"Go in your room." Chloe prompted excitedly. Her girlfriend thumped her on the arm lightly, a subtle sign that she was being too obvious, and then faked a normal-ish smile at Jaiden. The 18 year old squinted at them both skeptically before setting her bag down and walking cautiously down the hall. Chloe and Beca followed close behind and the redhead squeezed her girlfriend's hand with all the excitement of a toddler on their birthday.
Jaiden was a bit reluctant to open her bedroom door, but when she did, the complete change of color took her off guard. An odor of fresh paint hit her next, and she blinked in surprise a few times.
"Surprise! We painted your room!" Chloe announced obviously.
"I see that."
"Dr. Wilson said that a change of scenery might be helpful." Beca added quietly. From the tone in her voice, she was nervous for Jaiden's reaction.
"Thanks. I like it." She forced herself to say. In all honesty, she was completely indifferent to what color her walls were. She really just wanted a nap. But, the suspicious box in the middle of her bed was obviously going to prevent that. The suspicious box that was emitting a small series of thumping noises. "What's this?"
"Open it." Chloe was practically bouncing as Jaiden walked over to her bed and perched beside the box. The redhead beamed as her girlfriend's younger sister slowly opened the lid and jumped back as a tiny kitten hopped out.
"Oh my God." Jaiden's eyes were wide as she stared at the little ball of fluff that was padding around on her comforter.
"She said animals can be therapeutic too." Beca piped up. Finally breaking out of her initial shock, Jaiden scooped the kitten up and finally cracked a genuine smile as it mewed contently. "Well, we'll leave you alone to get settled. Pizza for dinner sound good?"
"Yeah, sounds great." Jaiden was entirely preoccupied by her new friend and barely noticed the other two girls leave the room. "Hi, little kitty. Hey," She cooed. The grey feline blinked up at her slowly and a faint rumbling sounded from its chest.
"Do you think she loved her?" Chloe asked as soon as they were down the hall. Beca, distracted by the pizza she was ordering on her Domino's app, glanced up and scoffed.
"Of course she did. She hardly noticed we left."
"I think she's really glad to be home. She just seems so relieved." Chloe smiled. She had been waiting for this moment since they had gotten the phone call and if she was being honest with herself, Beca's lack of enthusiasm was a bit disappointing. "What's up with you?"
"What do you mean?" Beca frowned.
"You've barely smiled since we picked her up. I just kind of figured you'd be, you know, excited." Chloe shrugged. Her girlfriend finally put her phone down and stared blankly at her.
"I'm scared, Chlo. And although her doctors apparently are comfortable enough with this, I'm not. I have no idea how she's doing. She's not really giving us any hints." Beca's hands gripped the counter in front of her and she gritted her teeth in an attempt to get a hold of her anxiety. Chloe, who was growing more and more accustomed to her signs, turned around and reached up into the cabinet where they used to keep their liquor.
"Take your pills and calm down. This should be a happy day for you. Let it." Chloe handed Beca her prescription bottle and waited patiently for the younger girl to reluctantly pop two of them in her mouth. The tablets were tiny, and Beca had gotten the hang of swallowing them dry. Chloe liked to remind her that she resembled a female Dr. House when she did that.
"Thanks babe." Beca pressed a light kiss to her girlfriend's cheek as she handed her back the pill bottle.
"Can I have my phone back?" Jaiden's presence caused Chloe and Beca to both jump in surprise. The 18 year old stood there in the doorway, still holding her new companion.
"Oh, yeah, sure." Beca ran her fingers back through her hair with one hand as she opened one of the drawers and pulled out the iPhone. It had been sitting in there since the day they had gotten home from admitting Jaiden and when the teenager turned it on, a flood of notifications scrolled down the screen. Among the missed calls and messages, Jaiden couldn't help but notice Stacie's name appearing a view times. A pang of sadness shot through her chest as she unlocked the device and reluctantly tapped on the unseen messages.
Jaiden? Can I see you?
Oh my God, I heard what happened. Are you okay?
I can't tell if you're ignoring me or if you don't have your phone, but please don't cut me out of your life
Jaiden, please talk to me
"Did one of you tell Stacie?" Jaiden asked, looking up from her phone.
"You were gone for three weeks, hon. We had to tell the Bella's something." Chloe explained gently.
"What did she text you?" Beca demanded. Her girlfriend shot her a warning look and Beca forced herself to tone it down.
"She just sounds worried. I know you kind of hate her but…we haven't talked since everything and I miss her." Jaiden admitted.
"I think some closure would do you both good. How about you just tell her you're out and doing okay?" Chloe suggested. She looked to Beca for approval and the small brunette nodded curtly.
"Alright then." Jaiden shifted her kitten to her other hand and quickly typed out an "I'm fine".
"Pizza should be here in 20 minutes. Does dinner in the living room sound good?" Chloe lightened the conversation easily and nodded towards the other room. Surprisingly, Jaiden looked relieved at the idea and followed her over to the couch. Beca walked close behind them and all three girls settled on the couch together.
"Can we watch Grey's? I mean, I wouldn't mind seeing some attractive doctors." Jaiden smirked. The kitten in her arms took the opportunity to hop onto the couch cushion.
"Ugh, yes. We've been waiting for you to get home to keep watching it." Beca clicked the Netflix app and eagerly scrolled through their list to find the TV series.
"So, what are you going to name her?" Chloe scratched behind the cat's ears and grinned as it purred contently. Jaiden's brow furrowed in deep thought as she stared at the small animal. A voice from the TV caught her attention and she smiled faintly.
"Bailey."
"Oh my God, cute." Chloe squealed. Jaiden's smile grew a bit wider and she looked over at her sister, who was watching them contently. For the first time in weeks, she was comfortable, warm, and nearly happy.
Well, here's the first chapter. Hope you guys are down for a sequel. I felt bad about letting you all down, so I'll do my best to continue.