This choice: You don't see Allison again before you leave. • Go Back...Chapter #8You don't see Allison again before you leave. by: Wassel   Outside, after a brief discussion again with her parents - the two of them clearly able to read how difficult that was for you, telling you to "not to give up on her", you returned with Dr. Saunders to your room.
You were so shaken up by the visit, that even he really didn't know what to say, and instead just gave you a supportive little pat on the shoulder and then silently left. Leaving you alone with your thoughts. Of Allison. Of your mother...
Though seeing her like that had not been easy for either of you, and it had left you feeling heartbroken and confused, you could at least take some solace in the fact you tried. You didn't know where things were going to go from here, but at least you did try.
The rest of the day went by much the same as the previous, doing your best to distract yourself by watching TV or playing games on the phone that your father had brought you. He also gave you the good news when he appeared a few hours later that you were being discharged tomorrow, and that you could finally go home. You should have felt happy about it you supposed, but you didn't. Knowing that it wouldn't be the same one you left several days before. Not without your mother...
"Okay. Well I think that's all the paperwork for now," Saunders told you the following morning, after you'd put pen to paper and signed the agreement to keep Allison's surgery a secret. The Doctor himself looking relieved that he'd finally got the last signature he needed (everyone else having seemingly already signed). "If you have any further questions about anything. Allison... The transplant... Your financial compensation. Please, do call either myself or Dr. Kerry. And once again, we're so terribly sorry for your loss and how everything has had to play out."
"Thank you, doctor. We really appreciate it," your father told him, shaking his hand.
He wasn't quite done yet however, asking then as he looked over at you, "Would you uh... would Tim perhaps like to visit her one last time before he leaves?"
Looking over at you as well, your father replied, "I dunno. Do... do you want to, son?"
With the two of them now staring at you, you felt a real sense of pressure as to your answer. On the one hand you felt like you owed it your girlfriend to say goodbye and tell her that you were leaving. On the other, after yesterdays... awkwardness, well, you really weren't sure you could face it. Not again. Not so soon.
"I think it's probably best if we just go," you decided, it not being an easy decision. Trying to pass it off then as if you were doing her favor. "There's no point in bothering her just now. I'm sure she's got more important things to do."
Reading between the lines, Saunder's simply nodded.
"Tell her I said bye though, would you please?" you asked him then, not wanting to be completely heartless.
"Of course."
And with that the two of you took your leave, feeling somewhat guilty perhaps that you had not said goodbye yourself, but thinking that it was probably for the best. At least for now.
The drive home was a quiet, somber affair, with neither you nor your father really saying much of anything. He did mention though how glad David and Tabitha would be to see you, as well as the divorce proceedings he would need to get started soon, once Allison is discharged. According to the doctors that would be also be soon. Within the next two to three days at least. Seeing as physically there was nothing wrong with her. Your mother's body having come out the other side of the accident with barely a scratch - the blood clot that led to her death being the only real damage she'd sustained. Once that happened though, you were unsure of how things were going to play out. Your father had briefly mentioned how, like him, your siblings really couldn't bring themselves to see Allison either. At least not for the time being. But what about you? Would you still want to see her when she got out? You'd spent nearly every day in each others company for the last five years. Could you just break it off so easily? ... No matter how much pain and sadness looking at her now made you feel.
You were torn. There was no two ways about it. Fortunately your arrival back home and the welcome you got from your siblings provided adequate distraction for the time being, and for a moment you almost felt normal again. Only for a moment though.
Though it was a tough initial couple of days being back in your house without your mother there, having to pretend like the grief you felt was for you recently 'deceased' girlfriend instead whenever anyone called or stopped round, you were somehow managing to keep things together. The worst of all these was probably when your best friend, Randall, appeared on your doorstep the day after you'd got back, sharing his sympathies with you and causing you to feel all the worse. He was you best friend and yet you couldn't even tell him what had happened. You had to just go along with this ruse that it was Allison who had died and not your mother. Which really was hard to do, especially with him.
Randall and Allison had always had somewhat of a tentative relationship. Sometimes getting on great, other times not so well. But he knew that she was the only one for you. Often sharing his jealousy with you over the fact that you had found such a great, smoking hot girl, while he was still very much single. Now we're both in the same boat again I guess...
Naturally, noting the absence of your mother around - Randall always being happy to see her anytime he visited, and clearly having had somewhat of a crush (much to your distaste) - he asked you where she was, causing your heart to drop.
"She's uh... she's gone round to see Allison's parents," you nervously told him, this being sort of partially true. "To share her respects and make sure that they're okay." You weren't entirely sure how long this ruse would last thought. She couldn't exactly be out visiting every time someone came round, and you couldn't very well say that she'd moved out either, not so soon after the accident.
Putting this to your father after Randall had left, he told you that he'd think of something. Say that your mother has gone to visit family for a while, so things didn't seem too suspicious. Then after things had settled back down a little, he would make it known that they had separated - seeing how, according to his lawyer, they would need to be separated for at least 6 months before the divorce could actually go through. This wasn't ideal, but it was the only way for it to work and still save face. Your father not liking the idea of faking adultery just to make the divorce move faster. He loved your mother too much to do that,
As for Allison, you had yet to hear anything on her end yet. Certain that she would have been discharged by now, but not knowing quite how to proceed. Did you call her? Did you wait for her to call you? Or did you do as you were doing now - nothing - and just wait and see how things play out? As well as how you both feel? It would take time after all...
You got your answer less than a week later, after Mrs. Lowry called to organize picking up a few of your mother's things - clothes and such that she would no longer need, but that Allison now would. Your dad had agreed to this back in the hospital, seeing no need to hang on to everything, and knowing that if Allison was to continue the ruse, she would at least have to be dressed the part. However, now that it came to actually doing it, he really didn't have the heart and sp asked you to help the Lowry's collect it all up yourself in his stead.
You agreed and after the two of them came over the following day, after a slightly awkward reunion, you led them up to your parents bedroom and helped Mr. Lowry pack some clothes out of your mother's wardrobe into a few boxes. Mrs. Lowry meanwhile, you left to take care of your mom's slightly more personal items, underwear and such, after making a comment that Allison was really going to need some of her bras now due to the "massive increase to her bust". This definitely wasn't something you wanted to have to hear about. This situation being bad enough without having to also have your attention drawn to the size of your mother's breasts.
And so keeping your head down, you diligently went about your task, occasionally asking the odd question about how Allison was doing, as well as apologizing that you hadn't yet come to see her.
"Well, there's nothing to stop you now," Mr. Lowry said, after you'd packed up the last of what she needed and headed back out to their car. "I know she really wants to see you. She doesn't really have anyone else but us right now, and well... I guess she's too embarrassed or frightened to give you a call."
"I... uh, I dunno..." you mumbled, not sure what to say.
"Well, we're heading back to the house with all this stuff. So we'd be happy to give you a ride. That's if you feel up to it of course..."
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