A DAY AFTER Kurt left for rehab, Krist surprised Lindy by making an unexpected visit to her apartment. When she opened the door, she was stunned, but also quite appreciative, to see Krist's tall, lanky frame standing on her doorstep.
"Now this is the kind of surprise that I like," Lindy smiled, welcoming Krist inside. He laughed, ruffling her hair in a usual brotherly gesture.
"And what kind of surprise is that? Bigfoot standing at your front door?"
"Pretty much," Lindy grinned.
Twenty-four hours without Kurt had so far not driven her mad. In truth, she had gone much more time without him before, between his touring schedule and the period when they had been broken up. What bothered her was being far from him after his near death experience. She was missing out on precious time that could have been spent enjoying his company after nearly losing it for good.
"Are you doing okay?" Krist asked, eyeing her with a questioning look as he lumbered into the living room.
"I'm alright. What about you?"
"Doing my best. But I care more about how you're doing."
Lindy playfully rolled her eyes at Krist. She had the slightest inclination that Kurt had left Krist in charge of watching over her while he was away. Krist would have done it happily on his own accord, but it still meant something knowing that Kurt might have asked.
"Where's Shelli?" Lindy asked.
"Work. I would have brought her, otherwise. Do me a favor and don't tell her I stopped by or she'll be mad I didn't wait for her. She misses you."
"Tell her to come by whenever!" Lindy said enthusiastically. "It'll be like old times. We'll have sleepovers."
"And fall down the stairs after taking a tab of acid?" Krist teased, raising both eyebrows purposefully.
"Maybe not that," Lindy laughed. She had almost forgotten the New Years that she'd spent tripping on LSD, throwing up in Krist and Shelli's old living room and nearly breaking her neck on their staircase.
"Are you too old for that now?"
"I'm with child now, remember," Lindy said, pointing to her stomach.
"Ah, I almost forgot. You're a mom now."
"Not quite yet. But soon."
Krist smiled at Lindy before staring pointedly at her neck. "I meant to congratulate you on hiding that from Courtney the other night. I'm not sure any of us would have survived if she'd seen it."
Lindy's fingers instantly grabbed at her chest, where they made contact with the silver cord tucked into her shirt. She became suddenly aware that she was still wearing her engagement ring as a necklace. The diamond had gone entirely unnoticed, as it been stowed out of sight for days. She hadn't even noticed it when she'd taken showers — a testament to the current clutter of her mind.
"Shit," Lindy said. "I totally forgot it was even there."
"Probably a good thing. Now you don't have to hide it anymore, though."
"Yeah, I guess not," Lindy agreed. She yanked on the chain, not caring when the clasp snapped and was freed from around her throat. She turned the diamond ring over in her hand.
"You can put it on, you know," Krist said gently.
"Not yet. Not until he's really, truly divorced."
"I admire you for making that decision."
Lindy folded her fingers over the ring and placed it in her jeans pocket. There would be a time and place in which she could slip the ring on without guilt over knowing Kurt was legally married to someone else. It may have not been time yet, but it gave her something to look forward to.
