Where our paths cross

Arlo

After a short flight over the forest in the helicopter, Arlo and his group arrived at the hospital. He was immediately taken to the emergency room, the rest had to go for a quick check. 

The doctors almost immediately determined that Arlo had a massive brain hemorrhage and required surgery. So he had to stay in the hospital for at least another 2 weeks. Sam asked the doctors if he could stay with him, but he couldn't convince them. He then decided to go back to their school residence with the rest of the group and report the accident.

The school was in shock about what had happened. However, the school trip was coming to an end, and they had not found a possible way to extend the stay as it was too much hassle and did not match the lesson plan for the rest of the year. The school ultimately decided to continue with their trip home, and after a long negotiation with the doctors, they arranged to hire a personal counselor for Arlo, who would help him recover as quickly as possible, so that he could could depart on a flight back home paid for by the school. 

Arlo, meanwhile, had undergone surgery to close a hole in his skull caused by a rock he landed on during his fall. Unfortunately, he had suffered a fairly extreme brain hemorrhage, meaning his full recovery could take another month. Luckily, he had already regained consciousness, but after an interrogation by his supervisor it turned out that he remembered nothing about the fall and the journey through the rain that preceded it. The supervisor decided to enroll him in a rehabilitation group so that he would not have to spend his time in the hospital alone.

Arlo thought the rehabilitation group was a good idea, and on his third day of stay in the hospital he was allowed to participate for the first time. He was very nervous because he didn't really know what it entailed, but his supervisor assured him that he would feel completely at home. With a pounding heart, he knocked briefly on the door of the room where the group's meeting would take place.

"Hello?" He said nervously. "Come in!" Came a soft voice from behind the door. Arlo carefully opened the door and entered a small room with a wooden floor and beige painted walls. About ten children and young people sat in a circle on the floor, some with an IV attached to their arm, others in a wheelchair. He looked around nervously for a place to sit. After a few seconds he saw a spot between a boy who looked about nine years old with an IV attached to his arm, and a tired looking girl who was about his age. "Can I sit here?" he asked the girl. "Sure, come on over," she muttered. She shifted slightly, leaving just enough room for Arlo to sit down.

"Okay, because we have a few new people in the group today, we are going to do a quick introduction round. Take turns saying your name, age and why you are in the hospital. Extras are always allowed, but make sure you don't wait too long. Everyone should be able to have a say!" said the woman who appeared to be the organizer of the rehabilitation group.

A girl sitting furthest from Arlo had to go first. "Hello, my name is Anna, I am ten years old and I am in this hospital because I broke my knee." With a shy smile, she nodded to the person next to her, signaling that it was his turn to introduce himself.

It went on like this for a while, until it was the turn of the girl sitting next to Arlo. "Hello, my name is Malin, I am sixteen years old and I am here because of a failed attempt to end my life." She didn't seem happy about having to say this in front of the group. Arlo looked up in surprise when he heard her speak. She didn't look too happy, that's a fact, but he hadn't expected this. There was silence for a long time, until Malin nudged him on the shoulder. "Stop staring, it's your turn to say something, new one." Arlo looked at her in confusion for a moment, but quickly regained his bearings. "Um, hello, I'm Arlo, I'm seventeen years old and I'm here because I fell off a cliff in a forest near here." A muffled laugh sounded here and there. "It's stupid, I know," he laughed, although he didn't actually find it that funny at all.

The introduction continued for a while, until after a few minutes the last person had introduced themselves. "Well, we've had that again! We're going to play a few games so you can see how many names you remember," said the group leader. "I'm going to give a balloon to a random person, and they have to say the name of someone else in the group and throw the balloon at them. The first one to drop it is out. Let's see who wins!" Arlo sighed. He thought that in this group they did fun activities, not boring introductory games. The balloon was passed around slowly and without much enthusiasm in the group, until after a while it ended up with Arlo. He thought for a moment; he had already forgotten almost all the names... He only remembered Malin, and about two boys of about ten years old. "Malin" he said carefully. She gave him a devilish look. "Seriously?" she whispered. "Sorry, I didn't know any other names," he muttered worriedly. He was afraid she hated him, and immediately regretted saying her name.

The game continued for a while until they heard an old bell ringing in the hallway. "Ah, look, it's time for dinner!" the supervisor reported. One by one the children stumbled through the old wooden door into the hallway. Arlo was deep in thought, not paying attention to where he was going. Suddenly he bumped into Malin. "Shit, sorry!" he said. Malin looked at him indignantly. "Hey, um, I just wanted to apologize for saying your name earlier. I didn't mean to annoy you, I just didn't know any other names and-" Malin cut him off. "It's okay, don't make a big deal out of it now. It was just a stupid game, that's all." She walked away towards her room. Arlo wondered why she didn't come to the cafeteria. "Oh well, maybe she'll have dinner in her room," he thought.