Sarah immediately took to Deb, easily bonding with her.

They were too engrossed in their conversation to notice you, so you stood and watched for several minutes. Sarah was very animated, waving her hands and laughing as Deb smiled and responded. The scene reminded you of a picture Deb had shown you. The two of them were at some sort of dinner party and seemed so happy together.

Likewise you could easily mistake the two of them now as an actual mother and daughter. You shook your head in wonder. Sarah was generally friendly but you had rarely seen her take so quickly to someone. Finally, unable to wait any longer, you cleared your throat. "Ahem!"

Deb and Sarah turned to face you. Sarah's face lit up even more when she spotted you. "Jim!" she said excitedly, opening her arms for a hug. You rushed across the room and embraced her. It was good to take in in your arms, though part of you felt a little strange. You weren't sure you were ready to do more than hug at this point, especially with Deborah right there. Fortunately Sarah didn't press for a kiss, aparently satisfied with being held for the moment.

After a bit she pulled back looking slightly embarrassed. "Hey," she said almost shyly.

"Uh, hey yourself," you answered, not sure what to make of her sudden change in behavior. "Are you feeling okay?" you asked.

"Yep!" she said, "feeling great! Well, I mean, you know, considering everything..." she trailed off, looking over at Deb.

"It's fine, dear," Deb said, putting an arm around Sarah. "I've accepted my loss - I'm just glad that something good came from it."

"Oh, so you know everything that's happened?" you asked.

Sarah looked back at you. "yeah...the docs told me everything...."

"The confidentiality agreement as well?" you prodded.

"That too," she said. "It sounds totally crazy. But Deb explained that it's for the best. And it'll be kinda cool, I guess, being young again. And having a mom," she added, giving Deb a smile. "It's not been the same since my parents died - I think I'll like having family again."

You raised an eyebrow at Deb and said "well, living arrangments are still up in the air..."

Sarah interrupted. "Really? I thought it was all worked out. We're all moving in together. You guys can get married - just 'pretend', of course - and we'll figure things out from there."

You were speechless, completely shocked by Sarah's easy acceptance of things. When you finally found your voice, you said "Uh, Deb, can we talk for a minute?"

She nodded. "Sure." Turning to Sarah she said "we've got to work out a few details. I'll be right back."

"Okay, no problem!" Sarah answered cheerily.

Deb walked with you out into the hall. Before you could voice your concerns, she spoke "Jim, I know what you're going to say. There's nothing to worry about. Doctor Saunders already examined her. He said that Sarah's going to be emotional for a little while. Adjusting to all the new hormones and the new teenage body is throwing her off-balance - not to mention dealing with the shock of all this. And she still has some parts of Jessica's brain - that will take time to fully integrate everything. We just need to be supportive and help her adjust."

Once again you found Deb very persuasive and reassuring. "Okay, so what's next?" you asked.

Deb answered "we get through the next couple days here and then take her home."