You, Me and Our Family

“Molly” Dr. Vicente said. “Molly. Earth to Molly” Cristiano smiled clicking his fingers in front of her eyes bringing her out of the daze she had being in since Dr. Vicente had uttered the words discharging from hospital. “Molly” he said. “I can’t leave” Molly said and Cristiano stared at her in surprise. “You’re ready to leave” Dr. Vicente said. “But I can’t. I can’t” she said. “Molly what’s wrong?” Anderia asked.

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” Molly yelled. “Molly calm down” Cristiano told her. “Don’t” she snapped. “I can’t leave. I can’t” she said. “Molly breathe” Cristiano said taking her hand in his. “Deep breaths. One at a time” he said and she looked at him. “Your memory has a better chance of returning quickly if you are surrounded by familiar things” Dr. Vicente said. “Home is the best place to make you better now” Ana said. “But I don’t know where home is” Molly whispered and Cristiano felt like he had just being kicked. It was stupid to feel that way considering the fact that Molly didn’t remember any of her time in Spain and therefore wouldn’t remember the home she had lived with him and Junior.

“Molly” Ana said noticing the sadness on Cristiano’s face. “I don’t remember coming to this country. I don’t know anyone in this room. And now I’m meant to leave here. Where do I go? Back to England?” she asked. “Hell no” Cristiano said surprising Molly with his certainty. “She’s not going back there” he told the doctor. If she went to England, he didn’t know what would happen. “You can’t tell me what to do” Molly said. “On this I can. And I will” he snapped. “You can’t fly Molly. England isn’t an option” Dr. Vicente said. “Do you want to go back there Molly?” Ana asked. “Shut it Ana” Cristiano snapped. “Let her answer Cris” Anderia told him.

“What the hell are you two doing?” he asked annoyed that they could even be thinking it was even a possibility that Molly should leave Spain. “No” Molly said and he looked at her. “Yes. I don’t know. I only remember there” she said. “You need to be around your doctors anyway. See it’s not an option. So enough talk about it” Cristiano said taking a seat in the chair beside the bed. “You being in a huff is not helping me here” Molly told him and Anderia and Ana let out a quick laugh. “I’m not in a huff” he told Molly as he sat with his arms crossed in the chair.

“And I have my memory back” she muttered looking back at the doctor. “Am I really ready to leave?” she asked and Dr. Vicente smiled at her. “Yes you are. I know it’s going to be strange” the doctor said. “What is the problem Molly? You hate hospitals. You should be jumping for joy at the thought of leaving” Cristiano said. “At leaving the only place I have known for weeks” she said. “Molly” he said leaning forward. “And go where? In here I know what I have to do. I know where I am. But out….” She paused. “The entire point in you being in here is for you to get better to get out of here” he told her. “You don’t get it” she said looking away from him.

Cristiano gestured towards the door and Ana nodded at him. “We’ll just be outside” Ana told Molly before she left with Dr. Vicente and Anderia. Cristiano stood and took a seat on the edge on Molly’s bed. “Getting them to leave really. Why did you assume it’s not you who I want to leave me alone?” Molly asked. “I didn’t think you wanted them to leave. I just thought you might talk to me if they weren’t hovering over you” he said. “Maybe you are wrong. Maybe I don’t want to talk to you. To anyone right now” she said. “You’re scared to leave here right?” he asked. “Of course I am” she snapped. “Why? I thought you hated being in here” he said. “I do” she said.

“Then tell me why you just freaked out at the thought of leaving here?” he asked. “I’m scared of what happens next. In here I knew I just had to get stronger. To let my body fix itself. But out there” she said pointing to the window. “I don’t know what’s out there. Being in here knowing that I don’t remember anything. Anyone. Any place. That is hard enough. But leaving here to. To go who knows where. I don’t know if I can deal with that” she said.

“I get it. It’s one thing knowing it’s another thing facing the reality of what has happened to you” he said. “It’s stupid I know” she said. “No it’s not. It’s……I guess I let my joy at the thought of you leaving here take over. I didn’t think how it would really affect you” he told her. “Where am I meant to go? I can’t go back to England” she sighed. “Do you…..do you want to go back there?” he asked. “It’s the only place I remember. I grew up there. I live there all my life” she told him. “If….if you really want to go back there” he sighed turning his head to look at the window instead of her. “There are other ways to get there than flying….if that’s what you want to do” he stammered. Each word killing him as he spoke to her.

“I don’t” she told him and he looked at her in surprise. “You don’t?” he asked. “No” she replied. “Why not?” he asked not knowing why he was even asking the question. She had said she didn’t want to go. Maybe he should have just shut up and changed the subject he thought. “I don’t know. I just feel that…I don’t…I don’t know” she shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now. You don’t want to go back to England that’s all we need to know” he smiled. “But I still have to leave this hospital” she told him. “To come back to the house you’ve made your home since you’ve come to Madrid” he said. “Back to your house?” she asked.

“Of course Molly. You still need care. Who better to care for you then the people who know you best” he said. “But I don’t know them. I don’t know you Cris” she said. “You know me enough to know that I was in a huff a few moments ago” he said. “Oh please anyone could have seen that” she said rolling her eyes. “It’s because of Junior. Isn’t it?” he asked. “He’s going to be there” she whispered. “Well that tends to happen since he lives there” he joked. “It’s not a joke” she said. “Yes Molly if you moved back to my house, Junior would be there” he told her. “I made him cry the last time I saw him” she said. “No you didn’t” he said taking her hand. “Your mother pushing you to be around him made him cry. It wasn’t your fault Molly” he told her.

“What is wrong with me? Any normal person would be desperate to be around their ….I can’t even say the word” she cried. “You’ve woken from a coma to find out that you’re two years older than you think and have a whole different life to the one you thought you had. I think it’s fairly understandable to be acting this way Molly. To be feeling this way” he told her. “You’re just saying that” she said wiping her cheek. He moved his hand and held her cheek making her look at him.

“The woman I know loves our little boy. It’s just going to take you time to get your head around everything. Your memory will come back” he told her. “You sound so sure” she said. “If we believe hard enough it will happen” he smiled at her. “What if I’m not ready to leave here?” she asked. “You won’t know for sure if you never do” he replied. He moved his hand from her cheek and stood. “If you prefer” he said placing his hands into his pockets as he walked towards window. “I could….I could ask Ana if you could stay at her house” he said staring out the window.

“You don’t want me to come to yours?” she asked. “Of course I do Molly” he sighed turning to look at her. “But if living in the same house as Junior and where you lived for so long is going to be too much for you, then I want you to be where is best for you. Well what you think is best” he mumbled looking back out the window. “And if that’s in England or at Ana’s house. Then so be it” he sighed. “You’d really do that? Find a way for me to go back to England. Or for me to move into Ana’s house. Even though you want me to come stay at yours. Why?” she asked. He let out a sigh and turned to face her. “I don’t want to make things harder for you I guess” he shrugged.

A knock came at the door and Dr. Vicente came back into the room. “I thought maybe discussing the next stage of your recovery out of here might make it easier for you to see that leaving here is the best thing” Dr. Vicente said. “Maybe in a while. She should probably get some rest” Cristiano said. “It’s fine” Molly told him. “It’s just a physio plan and some other things” Dr. Vicente said. “Fine whatever. I’ll leave you two too it” he said. “You can stay” Molly told him. “I need some fresh air” he said not looking at her as he headed out the door.

“Everything ok?” Ana asked Cristiano from where she was standing across from him in the hall. “Why did you ask her if she wanted to go back to England? She belongs here with us” he asked annoyed. “You want her to stay here. Isn’t it best that she wants to truly stay here?” Ana asked. “I’m sorry for snapping. I understand why you said it. Heck I even told her I’d make it possible for her to go back to England if that’s what she wanted” he said. “Cos you want what’s best for Molly” Ana smiled at him. “Is living at my house the best place for her? Is she strong enough to be around Junior?” he asked.

“The house is somewhere she spent a lot of her time. You would think it would help her remember. You know being around familiar surroundings. Isn’t that what Dr. Vicente said?” Ana said. “But what if it’s too much for her? What if I’m making a mistake pushing for it? Because it’s what I want” he said. “Ask her what she wants” Ana said. “And if it’s not what I want?” he asked. “You’ll do what is best for her. I know you will Cris. I may not have agreed with the things you have done in the past. And I know I’ve acted out towards you. But if this accident with Molly has thought me anything it’s that you truly do care about Molly. You just act stupid sometimes” she smiled and he laughed. “I am her muppet” he said sadly. “And we just have to pray she’ll once again remember how much of a muppet you are” Ana said.

Cristiano went for a walk around the grounds of the hospital once Pepe had come to collect Ana. Anderia had already left the hospital and Cristiano knew he needed to talk to Molly about where she should go when she leaves the hospital. He sighed looking at his watch and knew he had delayed for long enough.

“Hi” he said as he walked into Molly’s room. “I thought you had left” she said sitting up in the bed. “I was just giving you some time with the doctor” he said. “Apparently just because I’ll be leaving the hospital doesn’t mean I’ll never see it again” she told him. “They need to keep an eye on you. Makes sense” he said.

“Are you ok?” she asked. “Of course. Why would you think otherwise?” he asked walking to the window. “You just look…..you seemed different earlier…” she said. “Where do you want to go Molly?” he asked. He was afraid of the answer but her knew he had to ask her. “Sorry” she asked confused. “When you leave here in a few days. Where do you want to go? Do you want to stay at Ana’s? Go to England? I can find a different place in Madrid” he told her.

“What do you think is best?” Molly asked Cristiano. “It’s what you think is what matters Molly” he said. “Just give me a straight answer please. What do you think is best for me right now?” she asked. “I think you should come stay at ho….at my house” he said turning his head to look out the window once more. “I guess I’ll be staying at your house then” Molly said.