Second Chances

AKA The First Day

When Trish first woke up, she didn't know where she was. She briefly panicked as she looked around the room, trying to remember whose room she was in. She started flailing, which caused her to almost fall out of the bed. She blindly stumbled out of her bedroom, toward the living space. She was barefoot and the floor was cold underneath her feet. Trish practically fell into the open area, and leaned onto the wall to keep her balance because she felt like the world was spinning around her.

Her thoughts were making her head spiral and she felt like she was going to be sick.

Where am I? Where am I? Where am I?

Jess? Where's Jess? Jess! Jess?

Oh no Sallinger has her. Sallinger has Jess. Oh no. Oh no.

Wait.

Does he have me? Did he capture me? I need to get out of here!

Sallinger. Sallinger. Sallin-

Dawn was at the counter and she looked worried as she approached Trish. She gently rested her hand on Trish's shoulder, helping her slouch to the floor. She knelt next to the blonde.

"Hey, Trish. You're in the Tower. You're safe." She gently touched Trish's forearm causing the older woman to shudder underneath her touch.

For the first time since she had woken up, she felt grounded. Her thoughts became less cloudy as she made eye contact with Dawn. The other woman's face was tight with concern, her dark eyebrows were scrunched in confusion. Trish could feel Dawn's hand on her back, rubbing comforting circles back and forth in a rhythmic fashion.

Dawn helped Trish to her feet, guiding her to one of the stools at the counter. She sat down shakily as Dawn grabbed a glass and held it underneath the faucet. As Trish watched as the clear water filled the glass, she could feel her anxiety filling her throat. The platinum haired woman offered her the glass, and she took it cautiously. She stared at it as it sat on the counter in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Dawn questioned. Trish just kept staring at the glass, not seeming to hear the question.

She refused to speak for fifteen minutes. She was openly ignoring Dawn's attempts to make sure she was all right before she said, "I don't want to go to prison."

Dawn's confused expression turned sad. "You're not going to go to prison." She reassured.

Trish looked at her as if she was in a trance. "Is that so?"

Dawn nodded. "You're with the Titans in San Francisco."

"San Francisco." Trish replied dreamily.

Trish's thoughts seemed to clear as the memories of the last twelve hours started to come back to her. She remembered waking up in the infirmary with Dawn informing her that she would be staying in the Tower so she could get back on track. She shook her head, taking a sip of the water from the glass Dawn had given her. The cold water had warmed slightly, and it felt like sludge against her throat. She swallowed it quickly as Dawn made her a cup of coffee.

"Are you okay now?" Dawn asked five minutes later, handing Trish a green mug full of dark liquid. She offered her sugar and creamer, and Trish gratefully put three small scoops and a small drizzle of the caramel flavored creamer into the coffee. She stirred it until almost all of the sugar evaporated into the creamer, leaving the coffee a warm brown color. She took a sip, smiling against the warmth of the mug. Dawn leaned on the counter with her own cup of coffee.

Trish nodded. "Yeah... After what happened back home, I-I have this sort of fear. When I woke up here, I was lost and I thought Sallinger had me. Or worse..." She paused. "He had Jess."