When did I become so numb?
When did I lose myself?
All the words that leave my tongue
Feel like they came from someone else
The next day…
Michael stuffed his hands into his pockets, pulling his coat tightly around him. With a heavy heart, Michael walked towards the graveyard. Since the day his mother had been buried all those years ago, he'd not been back here. A terrible feeling of sadness washed over him as his mother's tombstone came to his view. It had obviously been tended to recently, freshly cut flowers were placed on the metal grate. Taking note of the single lily that had been placed with a purple bow he knew it was from her. As they grew up, Sara had grown close to his mother and even called her mom. Christina would always joke that Sara is the daughter she never had and wished for after her two boys. But it was the truth, his mother loved Sara like her own.
Sara had spent a lot of time at his house, most spring and summers she would help his mother tend to her garden. One Sunday afternoon, a nine-year-old Sara decided that white lilies were her favourite, turns out there were so many in Christina's garden because it was too her favourite. Knowing Christina's favourite flowers were lilies, Sara would gift a bunch of white lilies with a purple bow for every birthday and Christina would do so too but with a peachy rose-coloured ribbon. It was their thing.
His blue eyes shone with tears that threatened to fall as he thought about the two women he loved the most in this world. He scanned over the headstone and laid down the lilies he brought himself on the small ledge. He cleared his throat, his lips somewhat turned upwards into a small uncertain smile. He knelt down, in an attempt to somehow feel close to her. "Hi mom, it's me. I know it's been a while, but I just wanted to come and see you and let you know how much I love you and miss you so much. I'm sorry that I haven't been here at all…" he paused, swallowing the pain that burned the back of his throat. "It feels awful without you here mom. I miss you so much. I wish you were still here."
His words lingered in the cold air as he wiped a tear that skipped over his lashes. Michael inhaled the cold air as sharp as he could to gain his composure. After all these years, the pain was still there. The pain of losing his mother was still there. He pushed himself to his feet and pressed his fingertips to his lips and placed them tenderly on the tombstone. "I miss you. Goodbye mom."
He turned around and slowly began to walk away towards his rented car.
What Michael didn't notice is the tall red-haired woman who had been walking down the opposite path on the other side of the cemetery who stopped and looked in his direction. She was a good few metres away from him and could not fully recognise the young man but there was something familiar about him.
Maybe she was seeing things, so she headed to where the young man had been a few minutes ago. The woman gasped as she stopped at her old friend's grave. Christina Rose Scofield. She also noticed another set of lilies laid down, "Michael." She whispered into the wind. But it was too late, he was gone…
Sara buried her face in the collar of her coat as she continued her journey to her parents' house. It was quarter past six on a Friday night and she bet she looked like hell. Damn Katie and Veronica, it was all their fault. It had been Katie's idea to go for a drink after work last night since Vee was officially back in town and of course that one drink turned to seven or 9 shots. It was definitely not a good idea to have the drinks that followed the one since she had to be up today for a six am conference at the hospital. Oh well. At least she had a bit of laugh with her long-time friends. She shivered at the sharp air around her as she finally made it to her childhood home and jogged up the stairs. She removed her bag from her shoulder and retrieved her keys. Placing the key in the lock, she was met by the aromatic smell of her mother's cooking. Yep, that's the stuff! It has been a long week and she was just looking forward to spending some quality time with the family.
She unbuttoned her coat and shrugged it off, placing it on the coat rack by the door. She dumped her bag on the floor along with her shoes and made her way into the living room where she saw her dad on his feet while watched the soccer match on the television.
"Hey dad." she greeted, giving him a hug. Frank turned around and hugged his daughter.
Frank kissed his daughter's forehead. "Hello darling. How was your day?"
Pulling away from him, "Better now."
He smiled at his daughter, "Your mother is in the kitchen."
"I can smell." She laughed and made her way into the kitchen. She inhaled and smiled at the aroma that lingered in her mother's spacious kitchen. "Hello mother." She greeted with a kiss on the cheek.
"Sara!" Grace exclaimed. "How are you?" she asked tightly.
Sara narrowed her eyes at her mother's tone, "I'm a little tired but all good." She paused. "What's up mom?"
Grace paused. She didn't know how to bring up Michael's return to her daughter. God knows what she went through after he left and never returned. Till today. Her daughter had been devasted, absolutely shattered and of course what followed… But her Sara is strong willed, she picked herself up and dusted it off. Her daughter had finished Magna Cumme laude and became the Doctor she had always dreamed of being.
"Mom!" Sara called out to her, interrupting her thoughts.
"Michael is back."
Sara was stunned. Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest, she was now seething. She'd been with Veronica last night and she could not have mentioned this? After all he was her future brother in law, of course she would have known he would be back in town. Of course, Sara should have known, he was not actually going to miss his brother's wedding was he.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the little girl who just walked in.
"Mommy!" the little girl shouted with excitement. The little girl ran to her and hugged her tightly. Sara picked up the little girl and hugged her tightly.
After a minute, the little girl pulled back from the hug in her mother's arms and kissed her on the cheek. "Hello Aurora." Sara's eyes shone with tears as she looked into her daughter's eyes that belonged to him.
