For Forever and A Day

13.

Since the Accident:
8 months, 14 days
August 21st, 2010

Cassandra Williams slid her headband into place as the doorbell rang. She turned from the mirror and walked quickly to the door, grabbing a hair elastic from her vanity on the way out and sliding it onto her right wrist.

The strawberry blonde opened the door with a genuine smile flashing to the officer who stood on the other side.

"Good morning Ryan!"

"Morning Cassandra." The man replied. His hair, which had been cut not too long ago, was already back to its long and bouncy curls. He pushed the curls from his face and the girl shook her head.

"I feel like you need a haircut every week." She joked as she stepped to the side, allowing him to enter the apartment.

"It's weird how fast my hair grows, but usually I don't get it cut much so that could be why." Officer Ryan Blake walked towards the windows and turned to the girl. "Shall we get started?"

The girl nodded as she took her hair elastic from her wrist and tied back her strawberry blonde hair. "Let's get to it."

Ryan stepped up to the window and pulled back the curtains. A layer of dust flew out. Ryan turned his head and waited a few moments before letting out a breath.

He coughed a bit when he breathed some of the dust particles in and turned to the girl, letting out a laugh.

"You really haven't cleaned in awhile huh?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "I was, you know, living through a trauma."

Ryan Blake smiled. He was happy to see that the girl had come out of her shell.

He reached up and removed the curtains. He shook them out, coughing some more before he extended them towards the girl. She gladly took them and folded them and set them to the side to prepare to wash.

"How has counseling been going?" Ryan asked. It had been almost a month since Cassandra Williams had started to try to move on from her experience.

The counselor began her on sessions three times a week. Ryan Blake knew he was no expert but he thought that was overkill. Why not just get everything done in one session? Why do the same thing three times a week for what, three to four months depending on her progress?

The officer definitely saw a difference in her, that was for sure. So he assumed it was working. He knew it was working. He saw how her eyes looked more like gems and her smile more raider than before.

The officer remembered when he has undergone treatment. It was like being reborn, coming alive again. You see what's wrong and have someone giving you help. Hope seems to return and even though you carry that baggage with you you know you have people that will fight with you.

He knew she was making progress but he wanted to see if that is what the strawberry blonde thought.

"I think it's been going good actually." Cassandra replied as she looked around in the bag of cleaning supplies ryan brought and removed a feather duster. Ryan Blake let out a small sigh of relief.

She grabbed a chair from the kitchen table and moved it into the kitchen and by the counter tops.

"I'm glad to hear." He looked up towards her voice and he immediately walked towards her. "Here let me do that. I don't want you to fall."

The girl giggled as she reached up to the tops of the cabinets and been to clean. "I'm fine Ryan, don't worry. Go ahead and keep cleaning in the other room. I've got this."

Ryan Blake looked unconvinced and kept his feet planted. The girl continued to clean and ignored his presence for a few minutes. When she turns back around and saw he was still standing there she let out a sigh.

"I've already done half anyways." She said with a sneaky smile, stepping down from the chair and handing him the feather duster. "Here you go worry wart." He took it from her hand before she walked into her room and the guest bedroom to remove the curtains.

Ryan Blake shook his head and moved the chair to the other side and began to clean up.

The two work for hours. They washed curtains, sheets and pillow cases. They vacuumed every corner of every room. They swept and swiffered every hard surface. They cleaned any surface they could find until it sparkled or smelt like lilacs and roses.

When they finished Cassandra let out a long sigh as she fell back into her newly made bed.

It was the thing that she had to do in her small apartment and she finally finished it. She let out a content sigh as she closed her eyes.

"Sleeping on the job already?"

Cassandra didn't even bother to open her eyes.

"I just finished thank you very much." As she slid up the bed towards her pillow.

"Come on let's go get something to eat." Cassandra opened one eye to look at him. Ryan Blake laughed when he saw her, looking like a small child. "I knew that's get your attention. Come on, we're going to see Tony and get some food."

"Well they did have good food." The girl sat up and immediately threw on a pair of sneakers.

Ryan Blake watched the strawberry blond as he smiled at her fondly. She looked like a mother, ready to go and get her kids dinner after a long day of house work.

"Ready!" The girl replied after she picked up her wallet. "And don't even think about it," she said as she passed Officer Blake, "... I'm footing the bill this time."

~*~

The bell chimes as Ryan held the door open for the girl. She smiled at him immediately making her way to the front counter.

"Cassandra! It's so good to see you again!"

"It's a pleasure to be back." The girl replied with a warm smile.

Mark returned it, his brown eyes sparkling with joy at the sight of her. He hadn't changed much the girl noticed. He looked exactly the same as he last time she saw him here all those months ago.

"Tony look who we have visiting us!" The girl was not all that surprised to see red hair come from the kitchen. When he came out he beamed at the two of them.

"I'm so happy you've finally returned!" The man exclaimed as he ran around the counter. Without thinking he grabbed ahold of the girl and wrapped his arms around her. The man child's blonde friend stiffened at the sight of it.

However his worry was for naught. The hazel eyed female he accompanied hesitated for a moment but did indeed hug the man back.

"It's nice to see you too Tony."