How She Came Home

Chapter Seventy-Three

They were into their third week at Nun's, and a whole month since they'd been notified of Freen's reappearance, and yet, every day, Becca still felt like it wasn't real. 

In the middle of the night, she'd wake up from a bad dream of Freen being gone again, only to find her fast asleep, curled up at her side, her head on Becca's chest and fingers clinging to her shirt.  Only then would she be able to sleep, for however briefly until the nightmares that plagued Freen inevitably woke her from the screaming and thrashing. 

Some mornings, if Nun was home, she'd come in and sent Becca into Mind's room to sleep and stay with Freen, holding her through the long hours until dawn crept in. 

Becca was grateful for those stolen hours of sleep, running on very little for the most part - it was was starting to catch up with her.

Still, Freen had decided she wanted to return to National City now, despite Becca suggesting they stay a little bit longer, where Freen seemed more at ease. 

She was worried that the loud city noises and busy crowds might be too much for Freen to bear, thinking the empty beaches and sea air would be preferable, but Freen had insisted. 

So, of course, Becca relented and paid to arrange everything, packing their bags in the morning and enjoying one last breakfast with Nun, until she was called away to the hospital. 

They weren't leaving until the afternoon, which left an empty morning for them, sitting on the back porch as Freen tossed a tennis ball for Athena. Becca thought back to when she'd first adopted her to help combat her loneliness - now, it looked like she wasn't the only one benefiting from that decision.

Once she'd tired of the game, Freen rolled the sandy neon green ball between her palms, a clouded look of wariness on her face as her mouth turned down at the corners before she looked at Becca. 

"Hey, I- I need you to take me somewhere before we go."

"Oh, sure, okay. Anywhere."

Freen let out a short laugh, her mouth hitching into an uneven smile as her eyes creased at the corners, "I promise you, you won't want to take me. I... I want to see it. My grave."

"Your- Freen. That is not a good idea," Becca protested.

"I told you," Freen said with amusement before she turned solemn. "I think it's be... good. For both of us. I might give us some closure, help but this whole... thing behind us. I don't know, I just- I need to do this."

"You need to?"

"Yes, I need to."

With a withering sigh and an eyeroll, Becca climbed to her feet and stooped down to give Freen a kiss. "I'll get your shoe."

Freen insisted on them walking there, rather quick with her crutches these days, while Athena padded along on a leash. 

The weather was warming up considerably, less damp days of late, with summer not too far away, and they both soaked upthe sunshine as they made their way towards the cemetery. 

Freen had her old camera in hand, returned with the rest of her belongings, and she snapped a few photos along the way, a part of Becca relieved that she could still find the beauty in things around her, despite the horrors of war she'd witnessed firsthand. 

She was still Becca's Freen.

They made a detour on the way to buy flowers for Micah's grave, but it still didn't take long for them to reach the acres of land studded with headstones and the little church nestled amidst the trees.