DISCLAIMER: Characters of Veronica Mars, the canon events of their storylines, and recognizable dialogue belong to Rob Thomas.

A/N:

Chapter 4 ended with the bus crash.

Chapter 5 was posted two weeks ago (13 January 2018).

If you haven't read them, click back to those chapters before continuing to read below.

This chapter contains bits of #2.2 "Driver Ed" and #2.3 "Cheatty Cheatty Bang Bang"

Chapter 6

Dad proceeded to tell me all the things I had missed – cases solved, news about his book, and his normal everyday existence. A short time later, Weevil came back in and told me about all the happenings at Neptune High and a little of the PCH drama.

Between the two of them, this is what I found out …

During the coma, there were a few cases that I probably would have taken, but I was otherwise occupied.

Jessie Doyle had approached Mac a few days after the accident. She knew we were friends and she asked Mac to talk to my dad to see if he could look into the accident to prove it wasn't suicide. The request was more than a little awkward since his daughter was on the bus that her dad had been driving, but Dad agreed to help her. Jessie was not initially thrilled with what he found – a mistress. But the fact that Ed Doyle was planning to leave his wife gave another possible interpretation to the email Lamb had quickly labeled a suicide note. With the additional evidence – including a statement from Carla Cotter, the other woman – Dad was able to persuade Lamb to look at the case from a different angle.

Wallace seemed to have developed a thing for a new girl at school, Jackie Cook, who needed help finding out who hit her (or rather, her dad's) car in the school parking lot. Wallace had apparently been paying close attention to how I went about investigating things. He solved the case and impressed the girl. Since I had yet to meet her, I had yet to form an opinion about her.

Before the accident, Weevil had just been getting back into the swing of his leadership duties. With the amount of time he'd been spending at the hospital with me, Felix said that there were murmurs again questioning his ability to lead, saying he needed to step up and do his job soon … or maybe they needed a new leader. Not surprisingly, Thumper was fanning the fervor any chance he got.

Mac had been making sure that Weevil did not fall behind in any of his classes. In fact, when she realized that he was going to spend every spare minute at the hospital, she brought the tutoring to him – either in my room, the waiting room, or the cafeteria.

Weevil had fallen into a routine. He went to school and he came to the hospital. He went home at least long enough to shower and change clothes. He hadn't worked at his uncle's shop since the accident. And he only saw Felix and the other guys at school. It was like his world came to a halt the day of the crash. While I had been in a coma, he had been practically sleepwalking through his life.

I was thankful to those who helped keep him going during that time – primarily Letty and a few family members, plus Mac, Felix, and my dad. They made sure he went to school, kept up with his assignments, ate a few times a day, and that he got some sleep. My dad mentioned that the nurses made a point of not waking Weevil if he fell asleep, even if it was after visiting hours. They would put a blanket over him, turn the lights down, and make sure that nobody bothered him.

Before the accident, I had joined FBLA and had taken Mac and Weevil with me to the first meeting, since they were in business together. They continued going to meetings while I was in the hospital. Apparently, their little venture was flourishing. The income from that helped offset his lack of hours working at his uncle's shop.

[

Although Dad had used many words to fill me in on the fifteen days I was out of commission, I could tell that Dad was holding something back. I finally had to push him to get him to tell me.

He had to postpone a book trip to Chicago. Disappointing on two counts: the obvious (the book was doing well and they wanted to keep the momentum going) and because he was planning on taking Alicia for a romantic getaway. Now that I'm awake, he could start to think about rescheduling that.

Also, Woody Goodman asked him to run for mayor, but he turned him down. I told him he was crazy and should reconsider, but he insisted that he liked his life the way it was and had no desire to dive back into the political end of the crime-solving pool.

He saved a bombshell for last: Mom had contacted Dad through Cliff to work out the terms of their divorce. She didn't want Cliff to tell Dad how to reach her yet. So, he communicated with her through Cliff to get the paperwork moving. He also passed on information about the accident and my condition. The reply she gave to Cliff was that she couldn't come at the moment, but to keep her informed. Even though he had let her know that I was awake, she still hadn't come to see me or gotten in touch with us directly. Cliff did say that she sounded happy about the news that her daughter would recover. I guess that's something.

[

In other news …

Logan decided that the deaths of several classmates and a teacher were a good excuse to throw a big bash. Within a week of the accident, he shelled out a bunch of cash to host his "Life's Short" party. Apparently, the PCHers crashed it while Weevil was at the hospital visiting me. Felix told him there was a drink named in my honor: "Mars' Misery." It was a variation on a "Corpse Reviver." Mighty thoughtful of my 09er buddies.

[

[

One day, Duncan came to see me. At first, I thought it was just an ordinary visit complete with flower arrangement, but after we talked for a while, he began to fidget. Knowing him as well as I do, I knew he was trying to work up the nerve to say something – something he needed to say and yet couldn't quite bring himself to put into words. When I finally coaxed it out of him, I understood why he'd had such a hard time getting the words out and also why he was coming to me.

He – like so many before him – had come to ask me for a favor.

Back in the spring after he broke up with Meg, she got a positive result on a pregnancy test, but didn't tell him until they got back together after school started this fall. But before she told him about that, she asked for his help – saying that one of the kids she babysat for was being abused. Once she told him about the pregnancy, she came clean about the abused child – or rather, children. Meg and her sisters.

Now, her biggest concern – and Duncan's – was what her parents would do when they found out she's pregnant. Not just what they would do to her, but also the baby. She didn't want to give it up, but she didn't have a clue how to combat whatever her parents would throw at her.

Duncan pleaded for my help. "Veronica, what are we gonna do? I'm not sure how my parents will react – you know, whether they would help financially. But I expect there's gonna be some huge legal fees in my future – to get Meg out of that house, to make sure they don't try to take the baby away from us. I knew they were controlling, but the things she's told me recently … How can people who look so normal be such monsters?"

"I don't know. I wish I did. There are far too many people like that in the world. More than a few of them are in Neptune."

"Can you help me?"

"From my hospital bed?"

"You must have some idea where I can start."

I had him come back the next day – after I'd had some time to think and also to talk to my dad. The end result was that Dad agreed to help. And he planned to enlist the help of Cliff on the legal end and Mac for some cyber-snooping. Once he had something solid, he'd go to Lamb with the evidence.

Although I wanted to be involved, obviously I couldn't do anything right now. I had to wonder if Meg knew that Duncan had come to me. And if she did, how did she feel about that?

I wouldn't know, because she hadn't been by to see me.

[

[

The day after Duncan came, I had another surprise visitor: Leo. He dropped in to say he was glad that I was going to be okay. He brought me a bouquet of helium balloons, one of which had a picture of a kid holding a balloon while sticking out his tongue. The words on it read: "I have a balloon and you don't." He didn't stay long; there wasn't much for us to say.

On his way out of my room, Leo bumped into Weevil. I could hear their voices just outside my door. Leo was being polite, but Weevil's tone of voice made it clear that he did not want Leo here.

When Weevil finally came in, he tried to pretend that he wasn't upset, but I could tell that he was. I reached out for him. Once he took my hand, I pulled him toward me and told him that Leo had only been there for a minute.

"What did he want?"

"Settle down. He just brought me balloons. That's all."

"Like when Duncan gave you that fortune cookie on your birthday?"

"Not exactly." I could tell he was waiting for me to explain. "Duncan was hoping for me to respond to his gesture, for me to want to be with him. Leo was just … being a friend. No expectations, no strings attached – well, okay, there are strings on the balloons. But even if he was hoping for something, my heart belongs to someone else."

Then, he kissed me.

And I never got tired of his kisses.

[

[

My BFF Wallace visited as often as he could. One time, he brought his brother with him. Darrell had seen the bus crash in the news. Even though Wallace and Alicia told him that I was okay, he wanted to see for himself. A skeptic after my own heart.

The nurses found some copies of Highlights Magazine in the waiting room and rounded up as much Jell-O as they could find. That kept him occupied while Wallace and I talked. When they were leaving, Darrell asked Wallace when he could come back again. Apparently, he thought hospitals were fun.

[

[

When Mac visited, she had some big family news of her own. She began by telling me that within a week or so of the crash, there had been funerals for everyone who had died in the bus crash. Including Madison. It took a minute for me to realize why that would have any significance to her.

While the Sinclairs were planning the funeral, they contacted the MacKenzies as a courtesy to ask if they wanted to be part of the process. They declined, but said they would certainly attend and would like an opportunity to talk with the Sinclairs at some point about their biological daughter and see photos of her all-too-brief life. Mac said that all of her parents had met once already and planned to have the siblings join the next time.

It was all a little strange to her that these two couples had not previously wanted to interact with each other or their real children, but now that one of them had died, they wanted everyone to join together in some weird Brady Bunch blended family. Mac said she thought it would be weird for her brother and Madison's sister, but she would like to get to know the Sinclairs and they seemed to want to know her too. The MacKenzies weren't threatened by it as much as some people would be. Maybe, they've bonded over the loss of a shared child and are willing to share the one who is still living.

[

[

A few days after I woke up, I began to have more symptoms related to my concussion. When I had long conversations, I got very tired – physically and mentally. Sometimes, my speech would become slurred and I would have trouble with my coordination. Sleep – even just resting quietly – helped. But I never got complete quiet. There was always some sound in the room or close by on my floor of the hospital. The best I could do was make sure the tv was turned off, door shut, blinds closed, and any visitors sworn to silence. Although my brain had decided it was time to be awake, I guess it just wasn't ready to be bombarded with stimuli.

By the end of my first week awake, I found that being read to did not cause sensory overwhelm, as long as the person wasn't reading me the news. So, Weevil continued reading The Princess Bride to me, even though he had already finished it for English class. I told him it would be good review for the test. I would close my eyes and listen – more to the sound of his voice than the words themselves. Best audiobook ever.

Sometimes, I would fall asleep without meaning to. The next time he read, we would have to backtrack to figure out that last thing I'd heard him read. He never seemed to mind.

The lovely hospital staff decided that they couldn't part with me quite yet and I would have to stay at least another week, just to be certain that I was okay to go home. Dad and I met with several specialists and therapists to talk about the transition to my normal everyday life. They gave us handouts with information and lists – many, many lists. What to look for, when to be concerned enough to call the doctor, keeping notes between appointments, coping strategies for any lingering cognitive issues, determining when I would return to school and other normal activities, and simple exercises to do at home. I'm sure there was more, but at some point, I tuned out and let my dad worry about remembering what they were saying.

Those additional days were a blur of activity alternating with periods of rest. My daily walks had initially been strolls down the hallway and back to my room. I worked up to outdoor walks with a short break to sit on a bench in the garden. Usually, that time included conversation with either Dad or Weevil. But the exhausting days came when they stepped up my schedule to include physical therapy to strengthen muscles and help with my balance issue, as well as vision therapy which included coping strategies for when I got back to school.

I was surprised how tired my brain got from going to therapy sessions or even from simply reading – any time I had to concentrate on a task. If I continued too long, my vision would get blurry and my coordination would suffer – primarily, slurring my words and dropping things. The doctors and therapists kept reminding me that I would need to learn to pace myself and be patient. They believed that most, if not all, of my symptoms would subside in time. The scans they had done of my brain didn't show any significant damage, but as I had quickly found out, even what is referred to as a "mild" traumatic brain injury can have an impact on your daily activities and your life as a whole.

On days when I was more tired, I was also more forgetful. I needed more sleep than normal. Normal – I'm not sure I ever really knew what that was. But everyone at the hospital kept saying two things: I was "lucky to be alive" and I might need to "accept a new normal." The prospect that my life would be changed as a result of the accident did not scare me … exactly. I'd been through change before and survived.

What did worry me was that every once in a while when someone was talking to me – usually Dad or Weevil or Wallace – they would talk about something that happened in the past couple years, assuming that I knew what they were talking about, but they should not have been so quick to assume. Much of the time I did remember the things they were talking about. But sometimes I didn't.

It made me paranoid about what memories I might have lost. And made me wonder if I would get them back.

Dad and I had watched enough old episodes of Quantum Leap for certain terminology from the show to creep into my personal lexicon. "Swiss cheese memory" was one of those terms. I didn't understand what Sam Beckett meant until now.

There were holes in my memory.

I had talked about it with one of my doctors. He said he was not concerned – yet. Getting home, being in familiar surroundings might help. Again, he encouraged me to be patient.

Clearly, these people did not know who they were talking to. I wanted a solution. That's what I did – I solved things. I found this lack of control unnerving.

[

I had convinced Dad that he should go to Chicago before my release from the hospital. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about me taking care of myself while he was gone. He got the trip lined up quickly and Alicia was able to get the days off.

While he was away, there was still plenty going on in Neptune. Someone had approached Weevil about a drug purchase – making it sound like the PCHers were dealing. Weevil figured that this had to lead back to Thumper, but he needed proof. As a favor to me, Duncan helped him find out who was selling drugs at school. Duncan had Dick ask the PCHers where he could score some E. Hector sold to Dick, but when asked about it, he claimed it wasn't a regular thing. He told Weevil that when Dick asked, he went and bought from Sean. Then, he turned around and sold to Dick. So, Weevil and Felix weren't sure how any of this fit together with what they already knew and suspected.

As Weevil told me how all that had played out, I heard something in his tone. I knew things were getting more serious – as if they hadn't already been plenty serious. He didn't want to go into details about how Felix and he were going to handle things. But he did want to talk about how they planned to protect me.

They had two plans worked out. The first option was the best one, but would only work if they were able to choose the timing. The other was more like an escape hatch – you know, a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency type of plan. The way things were going, he and I both expected we'd be pulling a ripcord on a moment's notice.

[

[

A few days before I was released, Dad returned from Chicago safe and sound. One of my last evenings in the hospital, Dad was flipping through channels while I ate my dinner. He stumbled upon a movie he had seen years ago and it apparently made a big impression on him. We had only missed the first few minutes. After Dad gave a quick synopsis to Weevil and I, we quietly watched A Bronx Tale.

About halfway through, Weevil got a call from his grandma. She needed his help at home.

Leaning over my bed, he gave me a goodbye kiss. He shook Dad's hand as he was leaving.

Dad mumbled something about renting the movie once I was home. I knew why. He wanted Weevil to see the end of it. There was a lesson in there that Dad was hoping he would learn before it was too late.

The movie was based on an autobiographical play by Chazz Palminteri. There were some quotable moments. Early in the movie, when the main character was 9 years old, his father says to him, "The saddest thing in life is wasted talent. You could have all the talent in the world, but if you don't do the right thing, then nothing happens. But when you do right, good things happen."

As he grows up, his loyalty is torn between his father and the neighborhood crime boss. At the same time, his life is also affected by the racial tensions of the late 1960s. In the end, he learns some lessons the hard way.

In the closing moments of the movie, he talks about those lessons: "I learned to give love and get love unconditionally – you just have to accept people for what they are. And I learned the greatest gift of all: the saddest thing in life is wasted talent. And the choices that you make will shape your life forever."

Yeah, there was definitely a reason Dad wanted Weevil to see the rest of the movie.

After he turned off the tv, Dad told me about something that happened while he and Alicia were in Chicago. As they were leaving a jazz club, a man seemed to recognize her and tried to talk to her, calling her by another name. When Dad asked, she got really uncomfortable, but she did tell him who the man was.

"Now, honey, I realize that everything I've just said is going to make you want more information, but—"

"Seriously, Dad?"

"You're gonna have to trust me on this, sweetie. I can't give you more than that right now. Alicia has some things she needs to talk to Wallace about. It would be wrong for me to tell you before he knows. As close as the two of you are, I'm sure that he will talk to you about it when the time comes."

[

[

The day I got out of the hospital, several doctors and nurses who weren't even on duty showed up to see me off. I was not sad at all when they said they never wanted to see me back there again. Honestly, I never wanted to see another hospital as long as I lived.

Dad had taken the accumulated cards and flowers home the night before. I still had some stuff to pack up before leaving, but at least Dad would only need to make one trip to the car.

By the time all the paperwork was taken care of and I was rolled out the exit, it was just after 5 pm. As Dad was driving me home, I asked if we could stop to pick up dinner. He declined my request, saying that there was food at home. When we walked through the door of the apartment, it became clear why he wouldn't stop at my favorite restaurant.

I was greeted by quite the welcoming committee. Weevil opened the door and immediately pulled me into his arms, as everyone else yelled, "Welcome Home!"

All the flowers and balloons that had been in my hospital room were now in our living room. Dad had hung up the get well cards the way we would hang Christmas cards at the holidays. With our place all decked out, it felt like I walked into a party, because I did.

Dad carried my bag to my room while I received a series of hugs. Then, everyone went back to what they had been doing. Mac was in the kitchen pouring drinks. Wallace and Darrell were on the couch playing cards. Alicia was arranging serving dishes on the counter. Letty was standing at the stove cooking something that smelled delicious.

There was a pile of gifts and cards, but I was too exhausted to deal with them. I simply thanked everyone and said I was going to wait until the next day to open them.

After filling my belly with the best food I'd had in over a month, I curled up on the couch and watched everyone visiting with each other. Weevil sat down next to me, covered me up with a blanket, and put his arm around me. He kissed the top of my head and whispered, "You should rest now, mi vida."

Despite the noise around us, I fell asleep on his shoulder. I'm not sure how much later it was when I awoke. At first, I assumed that my dad had carried me back to my bed, but as I was lowered to the mattress, I realized it was Weevil.

He kissed me on the forehead and said, "Sweet dreams, Sleeping Beauty."

As I fell back to sleep, I could hear Dad and Weevil talking in the living room. The last thing I remember hearing was the front door opening and closing.

A/N:

And now it begins … so many things to deal with: solving the bus crash mystery, staying safe while dealing with Thumper, helping Duncan and Meg, etc. … all while recovering from the accident and catching up on school work.

In the first part of the movie A Bronx Tale (1993), the main character (at age 9) was played by Francis Capra.

Thanks for reading! Until next time …

~Jen

26 January 2018

mi vida = my life (term of endearment)