Dancing in the Oaks

Faked and Forged

When I woke up in the morning I headed directly to the hospital yet again. I could not stand to be home with my family anymore. They are just so different. I mean, they were pretty darn rude to me before their whole fake death thing. No one has ever been as nice to me as Nick has. I guess something really dark has gotten into them recently. I wanted them to come back, but now realizing it, that was a bad idea. I always wish now that I had the house all to myself. I can deal with the ear piercing quietness and creaking of the old farmhouse. I feel so bad, but that is just the way it is. The nurse was bothering us about how Nick was doing. "I'm fine." Nick said. I know Nick better than that. He was not fine.

This morning was very quiet and drab. It had been different from the other mornings. "If we can use MaryAnne to bust the Dales that would be great. The other thing is the fact that she doesn't like to talk about him. They are sort of a shut off kinda family. So MaryAnne is two years older than me and the Dale guy, I think his name is Ryan, Ryan is four years older than me."

"I never knew Ryan." Nick said.

"He would keep quiet is what Mary said. She hated being with him, but he was just ridiculous. He apparently moved to Boston for a fake job offer." Yeah go figure because he was so dumb. Get the job before you move. Who is in the right mind? People break promises. I know that for a fact, as I have experienced that from time to time.

"Well, don't search for jobs in another state, move there, then wait to get hired. Make sure you're hired first." Nick added.

"You're right. I thought the same thing." We are always on the right track. Great minds think alike.

•••

I decided to travel home to retrieve a few items of importance. I need to hide a few things so my mother does not get a hold of my possessions. It is pretty sad if I have to worry about who is messing around with my stuff. I mean, they are just so invasive ever since they have gotten back from the dead, or who knows where. My mom was watching for me to come home. She is famous for looking out the front window. "Norah, hi..." it seemed as if she was trying to convey something but couldn't.

"Yes mom?" I tried to be nice, or as nice as I could.

She still gave a scowl, "I want to say sorry about earlier. We have to talk about something, but we need Nick to be here. This is very important. Your father and I talked about this last night. It's finally time that we tell you what happened. The horror that we went through was real. We welcome Nick, and we appreciate his care for you. We're gonna stop by the hospital tonight." My mother seemed very emotional towards the issue. However, I know that is not necessarily always the truth. People fake emotions, and she is one of them.

"Really? Yeah that's great. Nick needs some company. Please apologize to him." It was hard to be nice after all they have done to me. It has also been hard to figure out what is the truth and what is not.

"We will. You doin' alright Norah?"

"Yeah. I'm just worried about everything."

I grabbed my jacket out of my bedroom closet. I also grabbed my belt because I've lost too much weight so my pants are too big. "Alright, I'm going back to the hospital. I need to be with him. He needs help and everything. He is supposed to be going home within the next day or so."

Once I left, I felt some sort of a relief in the back of my head. When arriving at the hospital it appeared as if no one was there. The front desk was empty until a blonde woman showed up. She looked like she was stressed about something. Once she checked me in I was able to travel back to Nick. I traveled down the long, narrow corridor that attached the west wind to the north wing. I could feel a presence there that felt similar to that of the basement. Artwork had been hung between each room. I couldn't fathom being in this place any longer. Being in the hospital was not fun at all. It just seemed drab and dry. Finally, after two minutes of walking I made it to room 112. I walked in and noticed an empty hospital bed and Nick standing with the nurse. "Nick! You're walking now. That's great."