A wreck within

Chapter 28

The snow was falling heavily on Christmas' Eve. Freya walked into her room and took the last boxes with her stuff. A whole month later she was ready to take all of her stuff and go live with her mum. Soon she realized a small plushie bear was in the far back of her closet. Her closet who used to be packed with so many shoes and bags it could hardly close was now empty. She placed the small bear on her hands. She tried to remember why it seemed so familiar to her.
It was 10 years ago. The first Christmas Freya would spend without her mother. Sandra had to work late, and Freya had to go with her. Most of her childhood, Freya was in Sandra's office drawing butterflies on paper. How much she loved drawing butterflies. When she turns 18, she wants to tattoo a butterfly on her shoulder.
That day James had to come at the Office too. Back then he did not understand what his parents' job were because he simply did not care. The two of them spent a long time in Sandra's office playing quietly, not to bother the adults who were working.
When James was going to leave Freya was very upset. He got sad too. One thing that never changed on James was the fact that he always wanted his best friends to be happy. Freya remembered that he opened his dinosaur backpack. He took out the small teddy bear which was his favourite toy to play either . It was specially made for him, but he decided to give it to Freya. Because Freya was sad, and he was happy.
That Teddy Bear was the most important toy Freya ever had. She always was careful with it as it was James' first gift to her. She used to sleep with Teddy and every time she was going to James' house, she was bringing him with her. So they could all play together.
"Are you ready Freya?" Howard said with his head popping out of the door frame. He got in the room and sat in the empty wardrobe next to Freya. "What are you holding?" he asked with curiosity. To that point Freya had tears in her eyes.
She wiped away her tears and sniffed her nose. "It was a gift. It helped me out when I was feeling very bad. Now it has to go find someone else who needs it more than I do." Howard took the curl that was on Freya's face and placed it behind her ear. Then he gently touched her cheek and kissed her.
"What did I do?" Freya laughed as Howard was staring at her.
"You are doing the thing again" Howard complained but smiled.
"What thing" Freya asked.
"You are being the most amazing person that exists." Freya smiled and hugged him.
"Let's go, your mum is waiting for you to unpack" Howard said.
Freya pouted. "She can wait a bit. It's Christmas." She kissed Howard in the lips.
"When you will be searching your red vinyl skirt and your green sweater remember that phrase." Howard laughed and they got up.
"Bold to assume you that I haven't already put them on my dresser. Anyway, I have to give Teddy to a very important person. " She mentioned.
"Do you want me to drive you somewhere on my way to the hospital?" Howard questioned.
"I am going to the hospital too" Freya answered. Howard seemed a little confused but figured out that she would give it to a sick kid probably. Freya was always full of surprises.
They drove in quiet to the hospital. Freya registered as a visitor and went to the upper east wing. Where the coma patients were. She opened the door of the room 026.
She sat on the chair. She stayed quiet for a few seconds. "I want to thank you for helping me out all these years. I figured out that Teddy may want to go back to his rightful owner." Freya said and placed Teddy on the nightstand next to James' bed.
She tried not to start crying again. "I hope you wake up soon. We have a lot of things to talk about. Kiara called yesterday. Everything is back to normal in Celestia. She was beautiful at her coronation. Just like a real queen. She is a real queen. Maggie is searching for you every day. She is having lots of fun in Kindergarten. Do not worry me and Howard are keeping an eye on both her and Sarah. You will not believe how far Sarah has come. She overcame her anorexia and she even found a girlfriend. I saw them yesterday. She was very happy. I am sorry I did not visit you more, but it is hard. You are my best friend James and I am not used to seeing you helpless." Freya wiped a tear of her cheek.
"I hope Teddy works for you as a good luck charm. I remember what you said to me when you gave him to me. "Don't be sad Freya. Teddy is a happy bear he will make you smile when I can't be there for you". How right you were. In the past month it is the first time I did not fake my smile. I did not force a laugh or had to hold back my tears. It is hard to be happy. There is such a big weigh on telling that you are happy after so many tragedies have happened. I cannot believe that Liz moved away."
The thought of Liz made her shiver. Two days after the battle she left New York. New York never was her city. Too many tragedies had happened to her there. She found a school of fine arts in Washington. She left and never looked back.
Freya wiped away her tears. "But today is different. Maybe for the last 12 years Teddy has been my good luck charm. Or It is just a Christmas miracle. You can interpret in any way you want." Freya let the tears flowed and her cheeks. She tried to talk without her voice trembling.
"I know that you are listening to me and you have gotten bored of me crying every time I visit. You know that I am sentimental. It will be the first Christmas that we will not watch the Grinch together. Next time. Next Christmas we will make it right. I just want a little Christmas magic to wake you and Morgan up. I am trying to act normal but how am I supposed to? I hear a sexist joke and I turn to my right expecting to see Morgan rolling her eyes. But Morgan is not there to reply like the badass feminist she is. I hear about a movie I had never heard of before and I wonder whether you have watched it. Who am I kidding? Of course you have watched it. And you probably have a hard copy of it and a review whether you liked it or not. I want you to get better. I miss you so fucking much. Howard and I will probably come visit you again tomorrow. We do not want you to spend Christmas alone. I love you very much boxer. See you soon"
Freya made sure the Teddy was safe and then left. Howard was sitting by Morgan's bed. Freya left a frame with an image of the five and Morgan's signature perfume on the table. She had written a message on it. 'Because I know how much you want your Cinnamon Vanilla perfume to be the first smell you smell after you wake up.' She also put a new bouquet of White Roses on the vase.
Freya hugged Howard from his shoulders and whispered on his ear "Are you ready to go?"
Howard was staring at Morgan. "I wish I never had to leave her alone in here." Howard pouted. He was coming to see Morgan every single day. Every day he was getting even more devastated.
"I get you." Freya stared at the floor. "But she is getting better. Same about James. That's what is important"
"Let us go. I feel horrible watching her being so small and fragile." Howard said and nearly ran outside the room. Freya stood beside him as he sat on the floor. "I think I am going to throw up" He said turning paler.
"Everything is going to be fine Howard. A new year is starting. A fresh start. Stay strong for only a little while longer. Everything will get better. They will both wake up and you will not have to be strong anymore. We will be immature and annoying. We will be normal kids." Freya promised to him.
"A new year. I want this shitty year to be over. This year was our Odyssey." Howard complained.
Freya got confused "What do you mean by that?"
"Odysseus. In Homer's Odyssey. He was fighting for 10 years. It took him other 10 to go back to his wife and son. But at the end he got his happy ending and sealed his legacy. What is happening to us is our Odyssey. Our worst nightmares. But at the end we are going to get our reward. A normal life. Right?"
The two teenagers went to Freya's new room. She blasted some Christmas songs and they started unpacking her stuff. Now it was just the two of them. Howard was trying to stay as long as he could away from his home. He was petrified to even open Morgan's bedroom door.
Freya put on her Christmas lights. It was a jinx for her to spend Christmas without lights on her room. She was trying to get down the stairs and she fell. But Howard got her. They kissed. "Merry Christmas Howie." she smiled.
"Merry Christmas Freya"