The Night I Was Saved

Chapter Nine

The ride from the hospital to my apartment goes smoothly; Josephine is sitting in the backseat, with Daisy in her car seat next to her. The moment I started the engine, Daisy fell asleep which gave Josephine and I a chance for small talk.

The subjects were mostly limited to what kind of food she likes, how she looks back on her days in the hospital, and in what kind of neighborhood I live. She is curious about that, and I could tell she is nervous too.

After thirty minutes of driving through busy London, we arrive at my apartment. I park mum's car in the parking lot underneath my building, explaining to Josephine how I need to bring it back to my mum later today.

We take the elevator up, me carrying the car seat with a still sleeping Daisy since Josephine can't carry heavy things for a while. During the ride up, we don't talk. Josephine seems to soak up her surroundings, and when the elevator peeps to indicate that we have reached my floor, she jumps as if she was drifted into some very deep thoughts.

I step out of the lift, looking over my shoulder to see if she is following me which she is. When I stand in front of my door, I try to act as nonchalantly as possible so she won't notice how nervous I am.

The door opens, and I step aside as I motion for her to enter first. She reluctantly does, carefully stepping over the threshold while her arms are folded in front of her, her plastic bag hanging on her arm near her elbow through the loop.

"So, to your left is the hallway that leads to the bedrooms and bathroom, to your right is the kitchen and living," I explain, curiously scanning her reaction. I keep my voice low, making sure Daisy won't be disturbed.

She is eyeing everything intently, her expression difficult to read. She seems impressed, but at the same time out of place as she fumbles with the loop of the plastic bag.

"It's so... Homey," she whispers.

Homey. My chest swells as I soak up her first thought of my place. She thinks it's homey, yet she's only seen the entrance. "Come on, I'll show you around."

I once again motion my head, silently asking her to follow me. When I come across the first door, I turn around. "This is my room," I tell her while I open the door to show her. I'm not entirely sure why I open the door, but I guess it's because I want her to know that I want her to feel at home. She's allowed in every room in this house. I don't have anything to hide anyway.

My room is quite simple; a black, kingsize bed frame with mattress on top of it, the sheets greyish-blue. There is a tv hanging on the wall across the bed, and one wall is covered in closets. The walls are painted in a pale, beige tint, and there is a poster of my favorite football team hanging above the bed. It's a basic guy-room, nothing special and very functional, and it has everything I need.

She scans the room briefly and then nods her head. "It looks nice."

I smile and nod in agreement, and then close the door before taking two steps to the next door, which is across from my bedroom.

"This is the bathroom," I state the obvious as I show her the room that entails a walk-in shower that separates by a glass wall and a double washstand. The tiles on the floor are dark grey, almost black while the tiles on the wall are white.

Josephine once again looks around the room before nodding her head. She doesn't say much, but I can tell that's because she is overwhelmed.

I close the door and then show her the toilet, which is just next to the room that we made for her. When it's time to show her, I feel the nerves rise in my throat.

I open the door slowly, my eyes never leaving her to see the first reaction. "And this is where you and Daisy will stay."

The moment she gets a first glance of the room, her eyes widen as she slams her hand in front of her mouth. Unlike when I showed her the previous rooms, she now steps through the door immediately, taking the time to look at every corner intently.