In The Dark

71 - November 12th

Melanie was sitting up in bed with a notebook on her lap and she was intensely focused on writing on the paper. She'd been practicing non-stop, attempting to perfect her writing skills. There were discarded papers and notebooks scattered around the room, a build up of two days of practicing. No matter how much everyone around her tried to get her to take a break, her complete focus was on getting her fingers to work properly. She'd had a few physio treatments to check the affect her brain injury had had on her lower limbs as well, but her doctors struggled to get her to focus. She was completely determined and focused on being able to write properly.

Joan was sitting on the edge of the bed with her daughter, gently brushing Melanie's hair and examining the small incision in the side of Melanie's head that had been stitched closed earlier that morning after the doctors removed the tube and gauze. Her surgeons had been very delicate with her, shaving a minimal amount of hair away to create the incision. With her hair down, it was completely unnoticeable.

"That looks perfect, Melanie," Joan commended, looking down at the page Melanie was writing on. Her work had paid off. She no longer seemed to struggle to get her fingers to do what she wanted them to. She'd practiced signing her name, writing out little sentences, and making little doodles. The work on her current page looked effortless and neat.

"I think I got it back," said Melanie excitedly, setting her pencil down and looking over the page.

"You absolutely did," Joan confirmed. "And your incision looks like it's going to heal really well. You're not even going to be able to see it in a few weeks." Melanie smiled and set her book on the table, pushing it to the side so it was no longer over her lap. She interlaced her fingers together and extended them in front of her, causing them to crack with a satisfying series of loud pops. Joan grinned and rolled her eyes. Melanie had had a habit of cracking her knuckles since she was a child. No matter how much she tried, Joan hadn't been able to stop her from doing it. Now, it was a welcome sight to see. It was like having a piece of the old Melanie back.

"I've told you you're going get rheumatism if you keep that up," Victoria humoured as she and AJ entered the room. Melanie looked at her curiously, cocking her head to the side as she tried to remember Victoria's prior warnings.

"Sorry, before," Victoria chuckled. "But you wouldn't remember that. I guess I'm starting from square one then."

"I don't know what that is," Melanie confessed softly, looking down at her fingers as though they were going to change instantaneously.

"Just ignore me," said Victoria. "How are you feeling?"

"Not dizzy anymore," Melanie replied with a smile. She watched as AJ sat on a chair next to her and picked up her notepad. "And my fingers are all back to normal now."

"This looks great," AJ gushed, looking at Melanie's work and flipping back to some of the earlier pages to compare her progress.

Victoria sat on the foot of the bed, tossing her bag onto a nearby chair, then gently squeezing Melanie's ankle affectionately. "Have they said how much longer you'll have to stay here?" she asked.

Melanie shrugged and looked at her mum. Joan set the brush aside that she'd been using on Melanie's hair and she gently stroked her daughter's shoulders.

"They want to keep her under observation for a little longer now that the tube's been removed," she replied. "She's still had a few moments where things have been confusing for her, but that might just be something we have to work on for the long-term. They noticed a bit of weakness during her physio yesterday, as well, and they want to work with her for a few days to see if they can fix that."