Paper Thin

• 121: Chitchat •

Melody

Carson sat on the bed next to me after watching the police take Margot away. Apparently, they'd come to the hospital from a crime scene, which was why they were so quick to get here. They talked to my father and Mia somewhere in the hospital for a while, leaving Carson and I by ourselves. My head was against Carson's shoulder and our hands were intertwined. We were quiet for a little while before he spoke.

"When did you find out?" Carson asked, gently tracing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb.

"The same night as the party." It came out fairly quietly. I stared down at our hands, unable to meet his gaze.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. I shrugged in response.

"It sounded so crazy I didn't think anyone would believe me. I even started to doubt myself. Maybe I misheard, maybe I was just sleep deprived... I didn't want it to be true even when I said it today."

"I'm sorry you have to deal with this," Carson whispered.

Before I could respond, Mia poked her head inside the room. She looked sheepish but determined. Like she wanted to be anywhere other than in this room, but she had to be here.

"Hey. Can I talk to you for a second?" She asked quietly. I nodded slowly and could feel my eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "I just wanted to apologize. I've been pretty horrible to you these past couple of years. And I know nothing can excuse that, but it was it was just easier to hate you than to love you."

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

"Because if hated you, then I didn't have to feel bad about lying to you," Mia said, staring down at her designer shoes.

"When did you know?"

"The summer I turned fourteen," Mia started. It all made sense. That was the summer she began to act like I was the plague. "I was digging through her things to find something for that vintage themed birthday party I wanted to throw and found some stuff to do with a storage locker. I asked and she told me about it. She made me swear to never tell anyone or she'd ruin my life and yours. She was pretty horrible to me and I took it out on you too. I'm so sorry."

"Did you know he was your dad?" I asked. I wasn't sure I forgave her, but something inside me wanted to try to.

"Not until just now," she said. "She always lied or avoided it. Anyways, I'll leave you guys alone. I'm sure you need your rest." She began heading for the door and stopped. "I don't expect you to forgive me. I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

She then left before I could say anything.

Carson and I were quiet for a little while, staring after her in disbelief.

"Should I forgive her?" I asked after a few moments.

"You can if you want to... but you also don't have to," Carson said. "She was horrible to you for many years. But you do also have a chance at having a sister. Either way, that's something only you can decide. And you don't have to choose now."

"Good," I sighed. "Ugh, I just want to go home and watch Project Runway!" Carson chuckled softly at that and kissed my forehead.

Soon, a lady walked into my room. Her dark hair was tied up in a bun, meaning business, but she smiled softly at me. "Hi, Melody." Her voice was calming. "I'm Dr. Williams." She was wearing a white coat like Dr. Benson, but rather than scrubs underneath, she had on black pants and a plain blue knit shirt.

"Hi, are you here to discharge me?" I asked, hopefully.

"Not quite," she smiled. "I just wanted to chitchat a little, check in on your vitals... that sort of thing."