Heading home

By the time the end of the week had come, which had been about 5 days in total, you were ready to get the hell out of dodge. The idea of going to someone else's home and having to live their life, to pretend to be someone you were not, had been more or less a stressful issue to deal with, no doubt. It had been made even more apparent, though, when you had looked up in the newspaper and saw your obituary staring back at you in black and white. Luckily the details were made up to sound like there was no body left for the burial but the finality of your situation impacted you at that moment. For the rest of your life, you were now Julianne Miller, a married woman and mother of 3.

Things could be better, you supposed, but it also could be so much worse.

You were not able to say goodbye to Joanne as she had left a few days ago with her new family, having exchanged pleasantries with the woman who was now her mother, explaining that the two of you had bonded in the hospital after the accident. Joanne, for her part, gave you a warm hug and then, with a wink, slipped you a piece of paper when the parents were stepping out of the room with her new number and after a kiss on the cheek, slipped out. Watching the last connection to your past life should've been something of a shock, trauma at the very least, but you actually found yourself adjusting to the situation. Sarah had always commented you were quick to adapt, perhaps she was right about this as well?

"You ready?"

You looked back as the doctors stepped into the room and glanced at you for a few moments. "I guess...there's only to say 'Thank you'..."

Saunders nodded with a warm smile and even Kerry gave you an appreciative nod before he handed you your discharge notes, followed by a second pack of papers. "This is a contact number for a therapist that is a part of our group. If you need to speak with someone about your adjustments, anything at all, contact her. She knows enough about your situation that she can help."

With a final nod, the two of them turned and opened the door. You stood there for a moment as a man walked in, realizing that this was your now husband, and the two of them exchanged a final round of pleasantries and discussion for post-discharge care, before they too walked out of the room. "Hey, Jules, you ready?"

You nodded and followed the man out of the room. It took a few moments to get used to the bright light of the sun after spending weeks in the hospital but you managed to make it to the car and after buckling in, sat and made some small talk as the two of you drove to your new home. "The kids wanted to stay home to make sure you were okay but I told them that you probably needed more rest than dealing with them. They'll be sure to drop in and say hi when they get home from school."

"Thanks..." You paused for a moment before looking back at him. "It's going to be a big adjustment..."

"I suppose. It's been hard to have you out of the house but I'm glad you're okay." He looked back at the road. "I mean, with those two people dying in the other car, it's amazing that you only got a few bruises and a concussion."

"Yeah...lucky..."