Lock and Key

Blood Test

Grace didn't know when but at some point the combination of the soft hum of the tv, the quiet murmurs of the ac unit, and the feeling of finally having returned home she'd fallen asleep. She likely would have stayed asleep too had it not been for the random pain in her leg that had been so sharp and concentrated that Grace had jolted herself awake having to hold back a silent scream as she almost thought it was getting broken again. When she sat up in bed she took deep breaths and reminded herself of where she was. That was new, Grace never had dreams about her trauma, the memories always flooded back while she was conscious but sleep was a haven.

"At least it used to be." Grace noted before looking down at her leg. She actually had no clue how long she was supposed to keep her cast on, she was sure she'd been told but with everything else going on in her life that piece of information had eluded her. More than a few times she'd considered just prying the thing off but each time she'd decided against it. After all, only bad things could come from removing it too early compared to removing it late. Besides, she'd gotten so used to having to walk with crutches and wearing the thing that sometimes she almost forgot that it hadn't always been like this.

"Well, I certainly remember now." she mused as rubbed a sympathetic hand over her sore leg. With no pain killers she'd just have to deal with it for now and wait for the pain to fade, however long that took. Grace's last doctor visit had been three months ago when she'd gotten the thing and she was fairly sure that she was due for another. And she also knew that the only way that she was getting a doctor visit, barring getting a job with good health insurance, was to go find her parents. She looked over at the clock, she'd fallen asleep somewhere around midday. The time on the clock read 8:30 pm. A part of Grace wanted to say that since it wasn't tomorrow yet she should just stay and go back to sleep.

The rest of her knew that putting off the inevitable would just seek to make her more anxious. Sitting up in bed fully now she opened her fanny pack and counted what she had left. She'd spent $65 on the room and since she was going at night she'd probably have to pay some money for a ride. Outside of that she definitely would have enough cash left over to get something to eat before seeing her parents.

"I'll consider it my last meal." she told herself as she marched downstairs to the front desk to ask about somewhere she could eat. After a brief exchange about food and taxis Grace found herself across the street at a Mcdonalds. She remembered as a child never being allowed to go near one let alone eat at one and if what Grace knew about the restaurant was true it was probably a good call. It never stopped her from being bitter about it however and so as a show of confidence, and unbridled hunger, Grace was going to eat this greasy, awful for her, fast food. What a fitting last meal for her last night of freedom, something she was sure she'd never have again after being around her parents.

After eating a caloric nightmare of a meal Grace felt full though she wasn't sure if the meal had made her feel better or worse physically. At the very least it relaxed her enough to make the phone call to the cab company. Grace still remembered her parents phone numbers, it was completely possible for her to just call them instead but she decided against it. It was better to do this in person, to rip off the bandaid. Her ride arrived and she climbed in the back preparing for the longest five minutes of her life. The driver didn't talk to her which was good, Grace didn't know if she could handle small talk while she was trying desperately not to jump out of the moving car and run as fast as she could in the opposite direction. Grace braced herself as he pulled up to the gate and she saw the familiar lights of Monroe Estate.

She tipped the driver extra for making her ride as painless as possible and walked up to the gate's keypad. She typed in the code and heard the familiar correct buzz as the gate opened for her. Just like her parents to keep the same gate code for eighteen years in a row. Every movement toward the door of the house felt like an impossible feat. It was as if Grace was being affected by moon gravity, every inch forward like a desperate struggle against the forces of nature themselves. After what felt like an eternity Grace finally made her way onto the doorstep and barring a brief consideration of just booking it in the opposite direction, she was confident when she rang the doorbell.