MARCH 4th, 1994, SEATTLE, WA
DESPITE THE PROTESTS of both Trae and Allie, Lindy insisted that she was perfectly fine to drive back to Seattle the morning after her bout of sickness.
"I'm fine!" Lindy had shouted as she maneuvered herself out of their front door, carrying her bags. Allie scampered after her, Trae following her lead, as they both voiced their concerns that she would become too ill to drive on the way home. She had been throwing up on and off all night.
"I'm telling you, it's nothing," Lindy promised them both seriously, packing her car and slamming the trunk shut. "Tell Dad I would have said goodbye, but I don't want to risk him catching whatever I have."
"So you admit you're sick!" Trae accused, making a move to snatch Lindy's keys.
"Not sick enough to stay here," Lindy said, getting in her car and blowing a kiss at Hannah, who was in Allie's arms.
Vacationing in Aberdeen with her family had been nice, but she did have a job to return to after all. And if she were truly sick, all she wanted to do was ensure that she got as much bed rest as possible before returning to the hospital.
Throughout her two hour drive back to Seattle, Lindy catalogued every thought that flurried through her mind. Lee's living situation had become basically settled in Trae's hands — he would move to hospice care when he was ready.
She thought of Kurt, saving the image of his face for last. It had been quite some time since they had talked on the phone by then. She wondered if he had called to wish her a happy birthday.
Lindy got back to her apartment just as the evening sun began to sink lower behind the cloud covered sky. Tired from her drive and still feeling sensitive from vomiting the night before, Lindy set her things down and went straight towards her phone machine.
"Did Beth feed you enough while I was gone?" she cooed at Freddie, who appeared out of her bedroom and began to purr loudly as he looped between her legs.
The first message Lindy played back was Kurt's. She felt the stinging familiarity of craving his presence when she heard his voice, sweet and soft as he wished her a happy birthday and proclaimed how much he missed her.
I miss you too, Lindy thought. Having Kurt only several minutes away had still made her feel so lonely in the past; now, he was on an entirely different continent, widening the gap between them and making her feel all the more isolated.
She clicked past his message after replaying it twice, making a mental note to save it. The next voicemail was from a billing agency followed by several 'happy birthday' wishes from distant family, but the final message on the machine came from Jack. This particular message made Lindy raise her eyebrows skeptically.
Hey Lindy, I'm just calling to wish you a happy birthday. It feels like forever since I've seen you. Beth mentioned at work today that you went back home to Aberdeen, so when you get my message, call me back and let's plan to meet up. I've got a gift for you and I won't let you turn it down. Hope I hear from you soon.
Lindy wrinkled her nose, hoping from the bottom of her heart that Jack had not spent money on her. Although he was constantly telling her that they were still good friends, she felt guilty having him spend even a dime on her, especially when he had a new girlfriend in the picture.
Nonetheless, Lindy called him back, unwilling to leave him hanging.
"Hey Jack," she said politely when he answered the phone. Leaning against the wall, she frowned as a vague dizziness surrounded her.
