LOTF: Before and After

Phase 3: Chapter 5

Ralph stood in the doorway of his bedroom in East Point, Georgia for the first time in over five months, staring into the room uncomfortably. It didn't feel like his room anymore. It felt like an abandoned space that belonged to the past.

What made his chest sting a little more fiercely was seeing the folded up air mattress sitting in front of his closet. He and Jack didn't have time to pack it away before they left for school nearing the end of August. His mom had insisted that she'd clean it up later after the boys had gone, and she had. But she'd left it there, sitting on the floor; now a physical reminder of the Jack Ralph had lost to the island.

Ralph plopped down on his bed and rubbed the end of his comforter between his fingertips. He had forgotten how soft mattresses and blankets were. It was like sitting in a pile of cotton candy compared to sleeping in the shelters they'd built on the island.

Jeffery and Laurie Langley were also getting settled in their own bedroom now. Laurie put her pyjamas, robe, and pink slippers on before checking in on their son while Jeffery finished his shower.

Laurie peaked her head into her only child's room. The light was off, and she was surprised to find Ralph sleeping soundly on his bedroom floor. She thought about picking him up as best she could and getting him into his own bed.

Where would he have slept on the island?

On the ground, outside, she'd guessed. Like the food choice he'd made today, Laurie thought that this just might be another weird thing Ralph may do until he's readjusted to being part of society again.

"He asleep?" Jeffery asked from their king size bed when his wife returned to the room.

"On the floor" Laurie informed him.

"He's sleeping on the floor?" Jeffery sought to clarify.

"He isn't used to sleeping in a bed, Jeff. Between that and his diet, it might be awhile before his behaviour and habits start to resemble those he used to have" Laurie thought aloud. She crawled into bed with her husband, and sighed a deep sigh of relief knowing that for the first time in five months, she could sleep knowing her baby boy was safe and sound.

Paige Merridew was growing impatient. Jack had been back in the examination room at Senterra Princess Anne Hospital for almost an hour after the Langleys had taken off.

"At any point did you fall from a height greater than your own height?" the late night doctor asked Jack in the examination room.

"No" Jack answered simply.

"Any memory of hitting your head at all?"

"No" Jack repeated.

"I think that just about covers all the questions. Could you remove your t-shirt and sweatpants for the physical exam, hun?" the doctor asked him.

"No problem" Jack responded as he pulled his shirt over his head before removing his sweatpants.

"You haven't had the chance to shower, huh?" the doctor asked as she stared Jack up and down.

Jack glanced down at how dirty his torn up briefs had become over the last five months. His face, neck and chest were covered in smeared charcoal and blood stains.

"That obvious?" Jack joked.

After the exam was finished, Jack pulled the search and rescue clothes back on and was brought back out to the waiting room where Paige sat.