In The Dark

74 - November 18th

Melanie sat alone in the small examination room of the hospital, a place she had frequented many times before, but no longer recognized. Upon her arrival, she'd been rushed out of the public eye to avoid causing a scene with other patients and to avoid getting photographed by any paparazzi that may have followed her to the hospital. Joan had accompanied her, but had ducked out of the room to speak with the administration and ensure Melanie was seen by Sandra.

Melanie sighed as she rested back on her hands. She was seated on the examination table and had been reading the literature posted on the walls to keep herself occupied. Running out of things to read, she tried listening to the voices in the hallway beyond the closed door, but couldn't make out what was being said. A small stack of magazines in the corner of the room caught her eye and she glimpsed her own face printed on the local newspaper peeking out from under one of the magazines. She was curious about what had happened over the past few months and thought perhaps the article would give her some information. Just as she leaned over to free the newspaper from the pile, someone tapped lightly on the door and pulled it open. Two women walked into the room, smiling kindly at Melanie. Joan was following close behind and closed the door behind herself.

Melanie slid off the examination table and smiled politely as her mum introduced Sandra and Lucy. She held out her hand as she introduced herself, but slowly let her hand drop to her side when both women looked at her slightly stunned. Sandra and Lucy smiled sympathetically, assuming Melanie was having another spell.

"You've met before, darling," Joan chuckled, standing next to Melanie and wrapping her arm around around her. She explained who each of the women were and informed them of the sudden change in Melanie's condition.

After a bit of a consultation, Sandra took Melanie to run through a few tests while Lucy pulled Joan aside. They took the lift to the tenth floor and closed themselves into Lucy's office. Lucy walked around her desk and sat down and invited Joan to sit in the chair across from her.

"She doesn't know about the cabin," Lucy stated. She had observed how Joan had spoken with Melanie earlier and how she had avoided talking about the cult when telling Melanie about her time in hospital.

"I know I'll have to tell her eventually," Joan sighed. "I just want to give her a bit of time."

"It's going to be really difficult to keep it from her," Lucy warned. "She is going to find out. It really would be best if it came from you." Joan nodded knowingly, but Lucy could tell she still wanted to keep Melanie in the dark as long as possible. "I have a few spots open this week. I could book her in for an hour once you've talked with her, and I can help her work through it."

"It's just too much too soon," Joan breathed. "She's already upset about losing the amount of time she did. To add what happened on top of that just seems so cruel."

"It doesn't change the fact that it did happen," said Lucy.

"I will tell her," said Joan firmly. "Just not yet."

---

Melanie changed out of the hospital gown she'd been given and back into her own clothes before stepping into the hallway. Sandra had gotten Melanie in for an MRI right away to see if any changes had occurred over the past few weeks. She had done the scans and let Melanie change, but hadn't told Melanie what to do after that.

Melanie looked around, not sure where she was supposed to go. She couldn't see Sandra or the MRI technician anywhere. She didn't know if she should wait for them to come get her or if she was free to leave. Seeing a nurses' station nearby, she decided to ask. She passed a few patients, nurses, and medical staff along the way, but didn't acknowledge them, keeping her head down to keep anyone from realizing who she was.