And So She Slept

Goodbyes & Safe Keeping

With the once vintage chic loft baron of all that made feel like a home, Jack and Krystina exchanged glances, neither knowing what to say. It hadn't taken long to move all of Sadie's furniture into a storage unit, especially as she was so insistent upon giving most of it away as payment for help and services rendered. Jack did the heavy lifting with assistance from Alec, and Krystina worked hard with Sadie to determine what items would be placed in her safety deposit box at the ACCI to access immediately upon her homecoming.

"So, all of your i.d. stuff is in the box with the envelope of photos from the hallway frames. They said the package covers some clothes to get you started, and we'll all be contacted when you're awake to help you get situated," Krystina said, running over a mental checklist as if she were helping Sadie pack for a study abroad.

"I can't thank you enough for helping me put this whole thing together. I know it isn't something you agree with, but you have no idea how much this means to me" Sadie spoke as she shook her head. She looked around at the empty room, noticing how much larger it all appeared. Trying to remember the last time she saw the walls without any decor, she winced as the shooting pain behind her eyes throbbed more intensely than before.

"No judgement, baby girl. I love you and this isn't about me. It's about you. Do you want me to get you some water and those pills they gave you?" she asked as she stood up from the floor. Seeing Sadie struggle to hide her agony as she nodded her head to answer, Krystina left the bedroom to check on Jack in the living room.

Walking down the hallway, she tried to hold back her tears. It was no easy feat, but she didn't want Sadie to see her panic. She couldn't imagine what Sadie was going through, especially now, so although she would have chosen a different path for herself, Alec helped her to understand the best way to support her friend. She stood still and looked up at the recessed lighting of the hallway ceiling to blink away the rogue tear that tried to escape the lower lash line of her right eye.

Entering the living room, she noticed Jack in the same mental state as he had been in for two days. He was shifting the last few boxes around aimlessly to remain in motion, trying to quell the rising tide of emotion within himself. He looked up as he noticed his sister walk into the room.

"You almost done out here? We have to leave in a little bit. Where's the binder?"

"Yeah, I'm just...I'm not doing anything important...here," Jack said almost absentmindedly as he handed the binder over carefully. The moment it touched Krystina's hands she opened it up to the final page to see his baby blue card containing their grandmother's ring. Rolling her eyes, she began to open the binder clips to release it.

"Just leave it, please?"

"Jack, I swear to god. Just go in there and tell her. You have to try. If something happens to her...don't you love her?"

"This is tearing me apart, you have no idea. I've always loved her, but this isn't about what I want. She's dying, Krys, and I'm not going to go in there and put more on her. She can't take it," he replied sternly as she left the card in the binder in a huff and closed the cover.

"I love you both, but come on...don't you think it's unfair for her to make this decision without knowing all the options?" Krystina questioned.

"She's already made her decision. It's only four years. We've waited this long, what's another couple years, you know? It's what she wants. It'll fly by and then you'll see."

"I wish I had your faith. I really do. I'm just worried you'll waste your life. She's making a choice for herself, but it's pushing you into one too whether you realize it or not. Last chance," she voiced, holding the binder close to her chest as she picked up the pills from the small box near Sadie's purse.