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“Thank you.”
And just like that, there were three of us in the room. I sit down on the arm of Harper’s chair and she keeps her head against my chest.
“How are you feeling, Harper?” her doctor asks.
She shrugs. “I’m... I feel... I...” She stands up and walks over to the window. “I hate that I’m here. That I’ve put my family and friends through hell. But having some of those answers to questions I’ve been mulling over is...” She pauses and turns to look at us. “It’s a relief. I didn’t cause Angel's death.”
I let out a breath that I didn’t realise I was holding. My head slumps into my hands, and the doctor lightly touches my shoulder.
“And those words are what I think were holding you back from making more progress than you have in the last two weeks.”
I sit up straighter. “Where do we go from here, Doctor?”
“This depends on Harper and what she wants. I’ll spend a few days with her, getting a feel for what the best way forward is. Is that going home? Is it going to a better rehabilitation unit that isn’t a locked, secure unit? As far as I’m concerned, the medication we have started you on, Harper, is doing the trick. You are on the right road to recovery. Look at the difference in you in just two weeks. What we’re going to do is look at all the positives. The past is just that, the past. We can’t forget what brought us here today, but instead of seeing that as a negative, we can use it to show how far you’ve come.”
I’ll admit I wasn’t sure of this doctor at the beginning, but he knows what he’s talking about. I really do like his approach to Harper and making her better.
“I'll leave you two to chat just now, but I’m only a call away, Drew. Anytime.”
“Thank you.” I stand up and shake the doctor’s hand.
“I’ll see you this afternoon, Harper.”
After the doctor leaves, I walk over to the window and stand beside Harper. Silence surrounds us, but this time, it isn’t uncomfortable. I think it was a huge relief off Harper’s shoulders knowing she didn’t cause Angel's death. And it was an even bigger relief hearing her say out loud that she wasn’t to blame.
“Please don’t shut me out, Harper. I want to be there for you.”
She turns and places her hand on my cheek. The warmth of her skin is something I’ve missed terribly.
“I’ll call you. We can speak on the phone.”
“I’m not in a hurry today. We can speak now.”
She looks down at her feet and rocks on her heels. “I’m just tired today, Drew. I promise we will speak about everything. I just can’t today. It feels like I’ve got hurdles to jump, and I think I need to take one at a time.”
I nod. I understand. I do. I just hate all the waiting around, but for Harper, I’ll wait as long as she needs.
“It’s okay. When you’re ready, I’ll be here.” I pull her into my arms and just hold her tight.
The scent of her shampoo, the feel of her body in my arms... it feels amazing. I thought I had lost this for good. The thought of never seeing Harper again, never holding her, gives me cold sweats.
Today has given me a little bit of hope that we might just get our lives back on track.
Chapter 12
Harper
“You look a lot brighter today,” says the doctor.
I smile warmly at him as I finish the stroke of my brush.
“I feel... lighter. I feel like it’s time to put one foot forward instead of constantly going backwards or standing still.”
He smirks at me. “And what do you think you need to do next? I mean, I don’t think you need to be here anymore.”
“I don’t think I’m ready to go home… to where it all happened.”
“What about a friend or your parents’?”
