Rough decisions

After a few days, the shock of being told what was happening to you and your dad was still not completely washed over or water under the bridge, to speak.

Saunders and Kerry had explained to you the ramifications and what the procedure had done, it saved the life of Savannah Moore while guaranteeing that your father, or a part of him at the very least, continued to live on in the body of a 14 year-old girl. One life saved from 2 almost broken lives was better than nothing, right? Perhaps if you had been thinking a bit less emotionally and more carefully, you might have appreciated the sentiment more.

Still, when the conversation died down, you simply asked the two men a simple question: What's next? You were 18 years old and for the life of you, it had always been just you and your dad, Paul. Your mom had left the picture when you were only 4 so the memories you had of the woman were very vague and barely existent. Your father's parents were long deceased and being an only child, you had no cousins or close relatives to hang out with or be kept company. In essence, at 18 years old, you had suddenly learned what it meant to be utterly alone in the world with no one to care if you were to suddenly drop dead the next day.

Saunders had answered you delicately at this one. You would be compensated handsomely by the hospital for the suffering you encountered because of this procedure. I'm being paid to shut up, you thought but said nothing as the doctor informed you of the compensation package that you would be receiving this year. It wasn't much but with the house paid off and your father's life insurance kicking in, you weren't exactly pressed for cash.

"And Dad...?"

Ms. Moore took her turn to explain that she was going to move back to her parents out east, thinking it would be best for Savannah to have a new environment and new faces around her to recover. You really understood this to mean that she didn't want her daughter to be around you in the event some relapse occurred. In essence, she was protecting her child by throwing you to the wolves.

You had accepted that as a harsh factor of reality and it must have showed because she went to hug you again but you just shook your head and smiled sadly at her. "Hug her for me, okay?" was all you asked.

The night before you were released, there was a knock on your door. You had started to fall asleep and stirred a bit drowsily as the door opened. "What...?"

Nicollete stood there for a moment. "Sorry, Tim...I didn't mean to...."

"No, no, please, come in..." you scooched up in bed and looked at the doorway to see Nicollete and a younger girl standing there, slightly behind her. "...is that?"