Shore Leave

What hope?

Day twenty one

Ailis was starting to dread that Mia's memories were never going to come back. It had been her second check up, with Beth and physically Mia was mostly recovered from the accident.

"Alright, so good news is your concussion isn't affecting you anymore. Your motor skills have really improved, and you don't fall over as much anymore," Beth started. "The only thing you can't do is drive still, but another few weeks and you should be good," the unspoken words were there, hanging like a guillotine. Mia hadn't had any new memories pop up.

"Is there anything we should be looking for?" Ailis asked, already knowing the answers.

"More headaches, dizziness, nausea, lack of appetite, all of those could be problematic. Just stay vigilant, but right now we're in the clear. Mia, have you remembered anything else? Anything at all?"

"Uh- I feel like I just set everyone up for disappointment because I was remembering all this stuff. But- it's- it's just kind of stopped. I only remember enough to know that I can trust Ailis and that Mors is my son," she said softly, like she was worried about offending someone.

"Hey, it's alright, it can happen. We still have a while longer before we need to have worries about you not getting them back. Just keep trying out the things you used to do. Don't avoid activities, and utilize your support system. How are you feeling?" Mia looked worried for a second.

"I- I'm fine, I'm just trying to make myself useful until I can get a job or something," she shrugged. Beth hummed, glancing at Ailis.

"Ailis, can you step outside for a moment, please?" Beth asked. Ailis blinked but nodded, patting Mia's shoulder.

"No, wait, she doesn't have to go anywhere," Mia blurted out. Beth raised her eyebrows.

"Okay, I just wanted to ask you again but in a place you felt more comfortable," she said softly.

"I was thinking, maybe you could go back to school?" Ailis asked Mia. "You were doing medical billing and coding, and said it was a great way to finally get away from angry customers. It takes a few months to get through the courses for it, but you'd be able to get a job pretty quick and it would give you something to do in the meantime."

"I'm worried about school because I've been having some trouble with my short term memory..." Mia said. That had been an ongoing problem since she woke up. It was getting better, but her recall wasn't improving as fast as anyone liked even with the exercises they'd been doing.

"We can figure that out, and schools have a lot more disability resources than they did back then, so you'd be accommodated. It's up to you though," Mia nodded.

"It wouldn't be the worst idea. You were always very independent, maybe a job or school could help you regain some of that," Beth chimed in. "Just no driving or operating machinery. So no forklift certifications," she joked.

"Damn," Mia snapped her fingers, jokingly.

"Sorry to burst your bubble on that one. I'd also advise against working at Starbucks again. It's worse now."

"Oh god no, that's like working at a Walmart," Ailis shuddered. "Too much abuse."

"I'll figure something out," Mia said softly, she looked like she was thinking really hard.

"We're here to support you, whatever you want," Ailis told her.

"Any other questions for me medically?" Beth asked them, looking between them.

"Well I guess- if we pass thirty days- what happens?" Mia asked. Beth cleared her throat, leaning forward.

"At the thirty day mark, the chances of you getting your memory back significantly decreases. We'll run tests, get scans, and see if it's something causing an obstruction like a small bleed or aneurysm. If it's a physical problem, we may consider operating, but if not... if not then we'll just keep working at it, and you decide what you'd like to do with the rest of your life moving forward," that was the thought that made Ailis shake. What if she wanted to leave?