Nebulous || Evan Buckley [1]

chapter eighteen

stuck in the past 

The alarm went off in Josephine's bedroom that early morning, immediately awakening her. A hand outstretched for the phone sounding the alarm on the nightstand, eventually stopping it. Josephine mustered out a groan as she stirred underneath the comforter. Soon she slipped out of the comforter then headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Before she took her exit out of her bedroom fully dressed and refreshed for the morning, she snatched a pen and notepad to write out a little note to lay beside the nightstand near the sleeping figure.

Josephine drove to a café downtown to meet her best friend, Alexis moving back into the city.

Since the massive earthquake happened, Bobby had given- well, forced Josephine to take a week or two off to spend time with family and talk to a therapist. She didn't like to be perceived as fragile, though understood that her mental state needs to be stable to work through the 24 hour shifts. She couldn't deny with the triggers led to her having nightmares.

Taking his advice, she started seeing the trauma therapist from work again and slightly reconnected with her mother.

Isabel was stunned when Josephine asked if she could stay a few days. Although, seeing the way she broke down into her arms from that day was enough to say. More so relieved that her daughter came back in one piece, knowing the countless scenarios that could've occurred as a first responder.

When Josephine ended up falling asleep on the couch in the living room after Isabel tucked her grandson into bed, she laid a blanket on her. Her lips tugged into a sad smile while caressing her daughter's face.

Josephine hasn't been responsive to her 118 family besides Bobby checking up on her. She did reply to Hen a few times. Nobody did anything wrong, she felt to isolate herself for a bit before returning to work. Nor did any of them really have to worry about her.

The blond haired woman rose to her feet at the sight of Josephine arriving the café. She braced a wide smile amid suppressing a squeal opening her arms. "It's so good to see you!" Both women engulfed each other erupting into  laughter.

"Welcome back," Josephine pulled away with a warm smile.

Once they got settled and ordered their food, Josephine narrowed at her best friend. "How does it feel to be back? I thought New York was going to be your forever home again." She enthused.

Alexis pursed her red lips together, "Feels great, actually. Of course, I will always love New York but life happens, and plans change. With my parents officially back together and my mom moving here. I don't want to be too far away."

"Well, I can't deny that I'm happy you're back. I missed my best friend a lot." The brunette smacked her lips. "How are you fitting in at the hospital?"

"They've been welcoming so far but we'll see." Alexis simply replied. "How are you feeling? I feel it's kind of good timing that I'm back now."

Josephine took a deep breath, reluctantly entailing the recent events. "A break from work has been fulfilling but overwhelming to talk about everything. And then, trying to mend my relationship with my mom is something else. It's only the beginning, maybe we can finally establish a good relationship." She trailed off, fidgeting with her manicured nails after going to the salon with her mother and sister.