How Did We Get So Tangled: Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Another day…
The day after the accident was always going to be difficult. Katie and Isabelle had been silent, just enjoying the closeness they shared. Neither was ready to face what had gone on and they knew that even if they were, Jodeyne probably wasn’t ready to see them.
Rosalinde had stayed at Jodeyne’s side last night and she was still there this morning. Despite a slight concussion and mild dizziness it seemed that she would be fine. The nurses were beginning to lower the drug levels and she knew that soon enough she’d be faced with a panicked woman. She had faced such things before as a young intern here but she had left to take up the skating show’s slack and she worked mainly as a skater or medic to the skaters, she could only hope that she still remembered the best ways to calm someone without needing to touch them, she didn’t doubt that Jodeyne would be in pain for a while.
She had half-expected to be facing it alone and although she knew that was likely a good thing she also knew that she could end up needing to help Isabelle with calming Katie one day. She had no doubts that she could do it, she only hoped that what she thought was likely to happen didn’t. Isabelle, much as she had actually broken Rosalinde’s heart, still meant a lot to her and she wouldn’t have liked seeing Isabelle panicked or hurt. Of course, she knew she had to concentrate on Jodeyne for now.
She had watched in silence, waiting for the woman to wake. She wasn’t going to rush her but she knew she’d need to stay close when she was finally awake. She knew she’d probably have to work fast to calm the woman and she wasn’t likely to risk not being there.
Eventually she could see the woman was starting to wake, slowly. So slowly. All the same she moved to where she knew Jodeyne would be able to see her.
For Jodeyne it was a weird experience. First all she could see was light and a few vague shapes… Slowly the world began to clear and gain edges. She’d not moved, waiting to see if she could until she could see clearly. She still didn’t recognise the woman by her bed, but she chose to speak, her voice strangely weak.
“Where am I?”
“St. James’…”
The woman’s voice sounded strangely familiar and it took Jodeyne only a few moments to recognise who it was. Rosalinde. The woman had been there by her side when the ambulance came, she’d been holding her hand then… now it was empty. The emptiness left a strange feeling. She missed the feel of Rosalinde’s hand holding onto her own, she’d felt safe then, now she wasn’t so sure.
“W… What happened?”
Rosalinde’s only answer was silence, she seemed to know that Jodeyne knew what had happened, she only moved to take and squeeze Jodeyne’s hand, reassuring warmth spreading from their joined hands. Safety at last.
After so many years of being confused, closeted and then left by the one person she’d trusted it felt strangely right to be clinging tightly to Rosalinde.
“Did you…”
“Stay the night… yes.”
“When can I leave?”
“Soon.”
She’d paused, silently shivering at the thought of going back to her tiny, and empty, flat. She hadn’t even realised she was silently crying until she felt Rosalinde’s free hand brush her cheek dry.
“I can’t go back there… I can’t…”
“You’re coming home with me Jodeyne.”
The day after the accident was always going to be difficult. Katie and Isabelle had been silent, just enjoying the closeness they shared. Neither was ready to face what had gone on and they knew that even if they were, Jodeyne probably wasn’t ready to see them.
Rosalinde had stayed at Jodeyne’s side last night and she was still there this morning. Despite a slight concussion and mild dizziness it seemed that she would be fine. The nurses were beginning to lower the drug levels and she knew that soon enough she’d be faced with a panicked woman. She had faced such things before as a young intern here but she had left to take up the skating show’s slack and she worked mainly as a skater or medic to the skaters, she could only hope that she still remembered the best ways to calm someone without needing to touch them, she didn’t doubt that Jodeyne would be in pain for a while.
She had half-expected to be facing it alone and although she knew that was likely a good thing she also knew that she could end up needing to help Isabelle with calming Katie one day. She had no doubts that she could do it, she only hoped that what she thought was likely to happen didn’t. Isabelle, much as she had actually broken Rosalinde’s heart, still meant a lot to her and she wouldn’t have liked seeing Isabelle panicked or hurt. Of course, she knew she had to concentrate on Jodeyne for now.
She had watched in silence, waiting for the woman to wake. She wasn’t going to rush her but she knew she’d need to stay close when she was finally awake. She knew she’d probably have to work fast to calm the woman and she wasn’t likely to risk not being there.
Eventually she could see the woman was starting to wake, slowly. So slowly. All the same she moved to where she knew Jodeyne would be able to see her.
For Jodeyne it was a weird experience. First all she could see was light and a few vague shapes… Slowly the world began to clear and gain edges. She’d not moved, waiting to see if she could until she could see clearly. She still didn’t recognise the woman by her bed, but she chose to speak, her voice strangely weak.
“Where am I?”
“St. James’…”
The woman’s voice sounded strangely familiar and it took Jodeyne only a few moments to recognise who it was. Rosalinde. The woman had been there by her side when the ambulance came, she’d been holding her hand then… now it was empty. The emptiness left a strange feeling. She missed the feel of Rosalinde’s hand holding onto her own, she’d felt safe then, now she wasn’t so sure.
“W… What happened?”
Rosalinde’s only answer was silence, she seemed to know that Jodeyne knew what had happened, she only moved to take and squeeze Jodeyne’s hand, reassuring warmth spreading from their joined hands. Safety at last.
After so many years of being confused, closeted and then left by the one person she’d trusted it felt strangely right to be clinging tightly to Rosalinde.
“Did you…”
“Stay the night… yes.”
“When can I leave?”
“Soon.”
She’d paused, silently shivering at the thought of going back to her tiny, and empty, flat. She hadn’t even realised she was silently crying until she felt Rosalinde’s free hand brush her cheek dry.
“I can’t go back there… I can’t…”
“You’re coming home with me Jodeyne.”