Erin had tried not to notice the fact that her supper had been late the previous evening, because John hadn't mentioned anything about his tardiness when he had dropped off a, frankly, lazy meal of macaroni and cheese, though he had tried to spruce it up by including broccoli and chicken. Her sleep had also been uneasy, as if she was yearning for something that she couldn't have in that current moment. That had then resulted in a longer than normal shower in an effort to wake herself up, and since she was already taking extra time, she went to the next level and applied a full face of makeup before doing something new with her hair. It was long enough now to reach the middle of her shoulder blades, so she had begun to look up different ways to braid her hair or other ways to arrange her locks. A part of her wondered if anyone would recognize her like this, since she had a hard time recognizing herself in the mirror some days.

Finally feeling satisfied with what she had done, Erin stepped out of the bathroom and was surprised to see that her breakfast had already been left for her on the table, and a soft sigh slipped from her lungs when she saw that along with the food, John had left her a few presents. The one thing that caught her eye, first and foremost, was the purple mystique orchid that dominated the table. This had been on her plant wishlist for ages, and she had been hoping that David or one of her children would buy it for her birthday. Now it was hers, and she wasn't certain how she felt about the plant. It was truly gorgeous, more so than the pictures had shown online, but it was also coming from someone who didn't love her. Still, she wouldn't reject the spot of beauty from her life, and she caressed the leaves gently before bringing the planter over to her nightstand and setting it where she could look at it upon waking.

Returning to the table, she dug into the food that John had provided, smiling a little to see that he had made her favorite breakfast of eggs benedict, along with a side of streaky bacon and fresh squeezed orange juice. He was definitely trying to make her feel better, which should unsettle her, but it was something that she needed that morning. After finishing her meal, Erin brought the tray back over to the door before going back to the table to see what else John had left her. A pleased hum began to pour from her lips as she looked at the succulents that he had managed to procure for her. There was a rather large living rock, a truly gorgeous string of pearls, and a collection of different shaped and sized cacti. Again, Erin ran her fingers over them, loving the feel of the plants against her skin, even the prickly cacti, because they were alive and she was going to take care of them.

One by one, she carried the pots over to her dresser and set them in a pleasing order before looking around for a watering can. "I love the plants, John, but I need a watering can for them, along with orchid food and a good 10-10-10 fertilizer. They should be all right for now, but those will become a necessity in the near future. Already, this is starting to feel even more like home."

Before settling down with her current knitting project, Erin took another look at the pictures of her family that she had on her dresser, feeling more connected to them in that moment for some odd reason. Once she was satisfied that she had looked her fill, Erin went over to the bed and curled up on the mattress as she started to knit. The hours passed quickly as the shawl grew, since it was an easy pattern that just flew off her needles, and Erin didn't look up again until John brought her lunch. An easy smile curved her lips upwards when she saw that he had already brought her the necessary items to take care of her plants. "I assumed that this would make you happy, Erin. I like seeing you smile."

"I like smiling, John. I like not being serious all the time. And I love that orchid. I have wanted one like that for ages, but could never justify adding it to my collection. The only thing I'm lacking now are my bonsais, but I'm hoping that one of my children are taking care of them. Helen would know more about that, as my former assistant, but there is no way that you could check in with her, since she would know what you look like. So I'll just have to hope that someone is taking care of them."

"I can see about getting you some bonsai trees for your room."

"I would like that, John, thank you." He closed the hatch after those words, and Erin frowned a little as she got to her feet and brought the tray over to her table, eating the delicious sandwich that he had provided for her meal. Once that was finished, Erin picked up her supplies and brought them over to the dresser, setting them in one corner before taking a seat in front of her laptop and turning it on. Even though it had only been a week since she had last heard from Alex, and that it would likely be two more weeks before the woman wrote again, she still wanted to check, just in case she had broken down and wrote to her.

Just as she had suspected, there wasn't a message from Alex, but she was surprised to see that there was something from Bruce. Hey, Mama, I just wanted to check in and make certain that you're doing okay. I know that Alex mentioned that she was going to hold off on writing you as she got her heart and mind in order again, so I guess that it's up to us to keep this channel of communication open while she heals. I've been watching the weather Vermont, and I'm sorry that you're getting so much rain. We've had a few showers here and there, but nothing like what you're experiencing. We haven't gotten any closer, really, to your exact location, but Alex thinks that she'll have it narrowed down by the end of these three weeks. Your friend is really smart, and while Karen doesn't like to admit it, she really likes her, too. I think that she's just trying to protect herself, since you aren't home with us yet, and she doesn't want to lose anyone else that she loves. Tabby, well, she's just wrapped her Lexie around her little finger. But were you really surprised to read that? Tabitha can bring even the most unyielding person to her wants with her charm. And it is rather funny to see Alex bow to Tabitha's at times tyrannical demands. Alex is almost terrified of horses, but Tabitha managed to sweettalk her into riding with her at her latest lesson. Even Dave was giggling at how nervous she was on her horse, though Tabitha worked to have her looking good by the end of the afternoon. I don't think she'll be getting in the saddle every time she joins us at Tabitha's lessons or events, but it would be nice if we could all go on a trail ride when you're back with us. Anyway, I suppose that I should get going, since I have to study for finals, and get a research paper written. I wish that I could call you, because then we could talk while I worked. Hopefully, we can rescue you from John soon, and then we can just be together as a family. I'll talk to you soon. Bruce

Erin's eyes misted up as she read her son's note, sending out a quick reply before going over to the bed and settling in with her current book. She couldn't help but feel like there was a brighter spot of hope in the air for her escape, she just didn't know why she felt that way, but she wasn't going to discard that feeling just because it had no basis in material reality just yet.