"You seem to be healing very nicely." The brunette doctor spoke, tenderly pressing around my abdomen. The incision was about an inch long, and slightly jagged, but no longer was red and puffy.

"You'll have to keep a bandage on it for another three weeks or so, and I'm going to keep you on the antibiotics, except just once a day instead of two." Shay's eyes bore through me. I nodded quickly, not able to keep eye-contact with the shorter woman for very long. She was very intimidating when she wanted to be.

"So there is no sign of infection?" Evelyn leaned forward as she spoke, her eyes narrowing on the incision.

Shay shook her head again. "No, Eve. Her incision is healing very well and should be completely closed in about a month or so. But until then we just need to make sure it's well taken care of." She looked at me next, allowing a small smile to form on her lips. "I've also seen improvements in your heart. It seems," she paused, eyeing us, "that the country life compliments you well."

Evelyn scoffed, causing the young doctor to chuckle. I was still confused as to how they knew each other. "Um so, are you two related or something?" Two sets of eyes widened back at me.

Evelyn offered me a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, we are."

I was still partly in shock when we got me all patched up and out of there. My head was spinning with so many questions.

I punched her in the arm when we got outside the hospital, to which she promptly recoiled at. "You're related to my doctor?!"

She rolled her eyes, rubbing her arm slightly, and bumped her hip with mine. "Distantly. We've never been particularly close. She's my first cousin." She laughed at my shocked expression, slinging an arm around my waist. I snuggled closer to her, the air was somewhat cool in downtown Seattle. We walked along the sidewalk, there were shops this way and that.

"Vrabie, Shay's mother lives in Seattle and she is currently one of the most distinguished brain surgeons in the country. Carrie has always been a bit of a wild one, she never stuck around very long. Even growing up with my mother, she was always running off. She wasn't in a very good place when she had Shay. The father abandoned her and the baby when Shay got sick," I was completely entranced with everything she was saying, eager to learn as much as I could about her. "Shay was diagnosed with a heart condition, she underwent many surgeries, but nothing helped."

It was pretty inspirational. The heart surgeon with a heart condition that turned her curse into a career. "Wow." I finally said after a long moment.

She smiled sadly at me. "Yes. My mother has kept in touch with Carrie some over the years, and it appears that she's back into another relationship with a college that used to work with Shay. I believe they're getting married soon. Shay is married to," Evelyn paused for a second, a strange look coming over her face.

"To?...." I encouraged.

Her face turned slightly pink. "Well, she's married to her English teacher from high school."

My mouth dropped open for a full minute before I burst into laughter, Evelyn following soon after. It was to comical. I was in love with my principle, while Evelyn's cousin married her teacher. "How did that work?"

Evelyn gave me a look. "Juliette resigned from teaching after an incident occurred between her and another student."

"Were they involved or something?"

She rubbed the back of her neck, hesitation and anger overcoming her features. "Well, not quite. The student was a boy in one of Juliette's classes, he and Shay were briefly involved. The end result was lies, a college party, and a date rape drug." I gasped, tears springing to my eyes.

"Did he?" I left it hanging, a relieved sigh escaping my lips when she shook her head. "No, luckily she escaped before he could get to that, but the assault left its marks on her in other ways." Anger coursed through me. I was so tired of this world we lived in, this awful, dirty, disastrous world.

"So how did they meet?"

"After Shay had managed to get away, she was wandering the streets when she fell back against an apartment building."

I slowly put the pieces together. "And Juliette lived there." I breathed.

She nodded as we came to a stop outside a busy café. "Yes. She drove her to the hospital and never left her side. Let's head inside, it's getting chilly out here." She held the door open for me, ghosting me with the scent of ground coffee, and sweet smells.

I bat my eyelashes at her. "Why thank you, kind maiden."

She made a face at me but twitched her lips into a smile. Her free arm wrapped gently around my waist and tugged me to her. "Anything for you." She whispered before pressing her lips to mine.

~~~

"They have the best hot cocoa here." Evelyn said as she pulled a chair away from a table in the corner. The little shop was interesting, the walls were dotted with various graffiti inspired art and random vintage objects were strewn everywhere; old rusty chairs, crooked frames, ect.

I loved it. It was unique and I felt understood here.

When I returned my gaze to their favorite muse, I found her watching me as I had watched everything around me. Her beautiful silver eyes were filled with light, casting the brilliant color across my face. "I'm sure they do." I murmured, completely in awe of this person in front of me. We'd come so far in these past few months that sometimes I felt like I could be dead and all this was just a dream in another reality.

"What's that look for, vrabie?"

"I just love you." I whispered, looking at her under my lashes.

Tenderness overcame her face, brightening her eyes even more. Her palm cupped my cheek. "I love you."

Suddenly my eyes were filled with tears, cascading down my cheeks. My eyes nearly fluttered closed at the feeling of her skin on mine. I didn't know why I was suddenly so emotional. Perhaps it was because this all seemed so normal, us, in this coffee shop. Just her and I in the middle of Seattle, filled with endless possibilities.

Her eyes hardened, becoming protective as my tears met her fingers. "Well, I can honestly say I don't think I've ever made a woman cry so much by telling her I love her." She teased.

I coughed out a laugh, shaking my head. Her fingers slid down my cheek to cup my chin, gently turning my face towards hers. She waited until I held her gaze before speaking. "You will never be alone again. You are mine. I'll always fight for you."

I stared at her for a moment, in awe of the fire in her voice and eyes. She let her hand fall from my face only to lace her fingers with mine. "I know it can be hard accepting reality. Sometimes I am afraid to sleep at night, terrified that if I wake up I'll be.." she paused, clenching my fingers tighter. "Still hanging in that basement. I am afraid that I'll wake up one day and it'll all have been just a dream."

Her eyes met mine, a faraway look in them that hurt my heart. "A simply beautiful and wonderful dream."

I ached for her, for all that she'd been through. She was the strongest woman I knew.

"You're forgetting something though." I smiled at her tenderly. "All dreams come true."

Evelyn smiled back at me, moving mountains with her eyes. "It seems then, I have everything I'm ever going to need."

😊