Recovery is always strenuous, be it physical or emotional. Ricardo always finds it just a little bit different, every time he goes through it. This time is even different because he's allowed certain liberties as long as they think he's sincerely trying to heal.
So he has his phone, and he's even allowed to tweet, for a certain, limited amount of time. It leaves him feeling like a child, but he understands. There are meetings and therapy and other things required of him as he regains control of himself.
It also means he can talk to Alicia, and Andre, and Sofia, and all of his other friends. It means a lot to him that they trust him to that extent.
Sometimes he's even allowed to go out, explore the grounds, and even gambol about a bit, grinning like a child as he takes in the slow return of spring. Sometimes it's chilly, sometimes it's hot, but he thinks he likes Philadelphia.
So much so that after a couple of weeks, he calls Alicia. "Hey, Foxy," he says softly, listening to her murmuring to Sofia to take over Andre for a few minutes. "How are you?"
"I miss you," she says honestly. "But I'm doing alright otherwise. Sofia is taking really good care of us, and Andre as always is a little sweetheart."
"When is your next appointment?" he wonders and she takes a deep breath, humming softly.
"Next week," she murmurs. "I wish you could be here for it."
"I do too," he tells her, honestly sad about it. "But you make sure to call and tell me everything, alright? No matter what time. I need to know you're both doing ok."
"I'll be sure to," she agrees easily. "But enough about me. How are you doing? Are they treating you ok down there?"
He smiles. "Yeah, Alicia. they're being really good to me. Better than i thought I deserved at first, honestly. I've actually been kind of thinking. I mean, the timing may be strange. We have one baby, and another on the way, but... um. I think Pennsylvania would be good for us," he says hesitantly. "I mean, I've never lived anywhere that wasn't Florida, California, or Texas. What do you think about trying something a little different?"
Alicia doesn't answer for a long, quiet moment. "You'd want to move to Pennsylvania?" she asks, sounding incredulous. "I never thought you'd want to leave the more southern states."
"I didn't either," he says. "Until I actually experienced it here. Things are... I don't know, they're just really nice here. I think it'd be good for us. But I understand you probably need time to figure out if it's something you'd really want. You have time, I'm not going to push for this until we can talk it out face to face."
She exhales, relieved. "Alright," she murmurs. "That sounds... alright. Um, I'll think about it, do some research and we can discuss it as soon as you're home. Should I mention it to Sofia?"
"Probably, but make sure she knows this isn't officially decided on so she doesn't worry. Things can change a lot by the time I get out of here," Ricardo tells her.
"Yeah," Alicia nods. "I'll make sure she knows that." Silence passes between them then, neither sure where to take the conversation while they drift, lost in thought about everything that's ahead- the pregnancy, a possible move to Pennsylvania. It's a lot, and it's intriguing but scary all at once. "I love you, Ricardo. I'll call you tomorrow, ok?"
"I love you too," he says softly. "Talk to you then." He listens for the phone to click to end the call and then exhales, dropping back against his bed.
He's not sure how it'll all work, but he really hopes that Alicia will want to move here with him, continue raising their family somewhere nearby. Imagining a future of himself, Alicia, Andre and their future children in one of the nice houses he'd seen a few blocks away, he folds his arms under his head and closes his eyes, slowly drifting off with a faint smile on his face.
