A Fight to Remember

It Feels So Real

Picking up directly where we left off...

Next morning...

Bright warm light shoot through the large windows.

"Who are you?" Meredith asks the camera people.

"I'm from G&J productions, you asked us to do a documentary."

Meredith wrinkles her nose, "I did?"

The camera nods.

"Okay, I guess, but you'll probably have to remind me in a minute," she says smiling. Camera zooms out, revealing her in pajama pants and a Washington U t-shirt, except it's inside out and backwards. Meredith makes herself at home in the kitchen, pouring water into the coffee maker and turning it on. Then she pulls out a box of pancake mix and a bowl.

The camera leaves her for a moment and goes back down the hall to the bathroom. Zola is brushing her hair.

"So what happened last night?" the narrator asks.

"I think mom just got lonely. When you have Alzheimer's, sometimes it's hard to communicate how you feel, or what you need." she sighed. "So, we kinda had an argument becuase I didn't understand... and she didn't know how to tell me. But I remembered what Mel said in group-"

"Group?"

"I go to an Alzheimer's caregiver support group once a week. I try anyway. Mel said that maybe mom just needed some physical contact. She doesn't have a husband anymore to... you know... So, last night, I just hugged her. I think it helped." Zola finishes styling her hair before walking past the camera into the hallway. The camera follows her.

"Hey Zo, I made some coffee-" Meredith greets, then she deflates, noticing she forgot to put coffee in the coffee maker, so the pot is only full of hot water. "Or hot water..." she says as she realizes her mistake.

"It's fine mom." Zola says, reaching into the cupboard for a jar of instant coffee. While she busies herself with that, Meredith reads the back of the pancake mix box, mouthing the directions. She digs around in a drawer and pulls out a measuring cup and a whisk. After looking at the box again she measures out a cup of mix and dumps it into the bowl.

She finds a tablespoon and scoops a spoonful of margarine into the mix. She looks at the box again to read the directions and opens the fridge to grab the milk.

"Mom," Zola interrupts, "Your shirt is backwards and inside out."

"Oh!" she immediately reaches down to take off her shirt.

"Mom! Not here! Camera!"

Meredith blushes. Her hands fall to her side. "It's fine, I'll change later," she says shrugging.

The ipad on the counter rings with a skype call. Meredith reaches for her own cell phone. "Hello?" she speaks into it. She pulls it back from her ear and stares at it. Meanwhile Zola has answered the ipad.

"Hey guys," Bailey says, his face appearing on the screen.

"Bailey!" Meredith exclaims, forgetting about her cell phone. "You never call."

"I called you the other day," he says.

"I don't remember... whatever. How are you? How's school?" She pours milk into the bowl with out measuring it, she's intent on the screen and not paying attention. Zola smoothly grabs the milk before the bowl is too full, she eyes the mix, the amount of milk, and sneaks in another cup of mix without Meredith noticing. She's focused on Bailey.

"School's good mom, I just finished my last exam for this semester... so I'll be home soon."

"You and Ellis are responsible for the new years party."