James got up in the morning, around 6:30 AM, and took a cold shower. He got out and got dressed. He walked over to the mirror and adjusted his tie. He looked at his reflection and sighed.
"Back to work I go." James said to himself. He walked over to his car keys and grabbed them. He got everything he needed situation in order and grabbed himself a bite to eat. He walked to his car and got in it. He closed the door and put his seatbelt on. Then, he sat in silence. He sat there, motionless and quiet, and breathed in and out carefully. He started up the car and went to work which was the last place he ever thought of returning to thus far.
~
He made it to the parking lot and got out. He walked towards the door. But before he could go in, a voice called out to him.
"James...you're back!" The voice said. James turned around and realized it was Larry Mitchell. He walked over to Larry and tried shaking his hand but Larry gave him a hug instead.
"Hey...Larry." James said confused. "You're acting like I went away on some distant voyage." Larry chuckled.
"I'm just happy to see you, man. That's all." Larry said with a smile on his face. Regardless of how off it seemed, James was happy that someone cared. Someone was effected by his absence. In short, he meant something to someone and that gave him hope that everything would be ok.
"So, any updates on Eileen?" Larry asked. James shook his head.
"Not at the moment. I'm gonna swing by the hospital after work. You know...to just check up on her and see how she is doing." James said. Larry nodded.
"Well, I'd say we better go in and get to work." Larry said and the two walked into the building. Everyone inside was happy to see James and welcomed him back with open arms and warm hearts. George Beckit walked up to him and shook his hand and helped James sort through his work until he was able to do it like he used to. All in all, James felt as if he finally belonged. He was engulfed in a sensation of eudaimonia and he wanted nothing less.
~
James got into his car after work and drove up to the hospital. He got out and made his way inside. When he got to the room Eileen was in, he sat down on the chair and talked with her.
"Hey Eileen. Sorry I've been away for awhile. I've been with mom and Michelle. I think I'm starting to get better. I mean, it still hurts but I am slowly getting better. I know that much. I'm gonna be going to that therapy group you went to. For so long I didn't want to go to one of those groups because I felt that the only reason to go was if your life was so...fucked up that you have no one else to turn to. But now I see that it is not that at all. Instead, it's a place to go to when you don't know who else to turn to." James said. He looked at her and continued:
"I know you probably cannot hear me but...it helps to believe you can. It's like my own solace in the pain if you know what I mean. So yeah"
James sat there in her presence and looked at her, quietly but lovingly. And just before he left the hospital room, he turned around and looked at her one final time and headed off to his first support group meeting. A therapy session that he was nervous about but still needed to attend nonetheless.
YOU ARE READING
The Things That Will Be
Teen Fiction"If there's no struggle, there's no progress." - Frederick Douglass When a young couple expect a newborn, they are unaware of what the future holds when one of them slips into a coma and the baby becomes a sti...
