“Alright, Spencer. I’m going to let go of your hand now. All that I want you to do is continue to clutch the pen without my help. Okay?” Marian, the physical therapist, eyed Spencer anxiously. She was clearly pleased when her green eyes flashed with devotion and she nodded, and Melissa nodded confidently from the hall. “Concentrate.”

                Marian tucked her thick, white hair behind her ear with her left hand, and gradually released Spencer with her right. Almost smiling, Melissa watched hopefully as she held the pen tightly, so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

                “Come on, little sis.” Her lips curled up. Good. Maybe her sister was more like her than she thought; she was a Hastings after all, and Hastings’s never gave up. At this point, Spencer had been in the hospital for a week, in physical therapy for about four days, so that they could keep a close watch on heart rate.

                “Whimsical,” Marian said. Now, very slowly…I want you let go. Do you think you can do that?”

                “Yes,” Spencer answered hesitantly, her brows furrowed in confusion. The little gold pen in her fist stood up straight and Melissa nervously waited to see if she would let go. Letting out a relieved breath, she smirked when she saw little sister’s hand gradually letting go. Millimeter by millimeter, Spencer had complete control of what her hand was doing.

                But then, just when the pen was ready to completely drop on the table under her control, Spencer’s fingers twitched and it landed on the ground with a deafening silent click. Melissa’s mouth fell into a straight line. She watched as her sister had what seemed like the seventh mini-breakdown of the session, which mainly consisted of Spencer hitting the table with her right fist. Melissa sighed and her gaze briefly locked with Marian’s. Giving a quick consoling, grin to her, she nodded and looked back at Spencer. “That was good, Spencer. There’s no need to beat yourself up. Your hand will be working again in no time. Good work today. You made great progress,” she promised warmly

                Spencer kept her gaze down on the floor where the pen had dropped. “Not enough, clearly,” she answered seriously, and Melissa knew that tone, that familiar, annoying tone that only signified one thing: Spencer was being way too hard on herself, as usual.

                “Hey, kiddo,” Marian cooed, placing a hand on Spencer’s tense shoulder. “You can’t learn everything in one day. It takes time. You’re doing great. Now give yourself a break…you deserve it. I’ll see you Tuesday alright?”

                Spencer smiled just a bit; Marian reminded her of the cool grandma in those Disney Channel movies she watched when she was a kid. “Okay.”

                As soon as Spencer pushed the arms of the chair to stand up, Melissa, almost on instant at this point, rushed over to give her a hand. “What happened to your wheelchair?” she asked when Spencer winced and tried to grasped her stomach.

                “I don’t need it.”

                Melissa rolled her eyes. “You don’t need it? Then why are you over here moaning like a dog that just got hit by a car because you’re standing up? Oh yeah! Because you did get hit by a car and you’re too stubborn to admit you need any help!”

                Spencer shot her a glare. “I did not get hit by a car.”

                “Just about,” she quipped back. “Okay, let’s just get you to the room in one piece.”

                Saying nothing else, the youngest Hastings agreed and leaned against her older sister support. Almost the second he collapsed on her thin hospital bed, Spencer reached to unbutton her hospital gown, trailing her fingers limply around the corner of the medical tape on her torso. He let out a groan on aggravation as he stared down at the white gauze over her burning stomach; she knew she was healing from surgery still, but in a way, she felt as if she was still being cut open.

                The tape itched.

                “Look at you! Using your fingers!” Melissa’s voice was over-dramatic but she did seem genuinely pleased. Spencer wondered what it would feel like when things what back to normal and Melissa went right back to hating her. She’d been surprisingly nice lately; well, as nice as Melissa could get. There were moments when Spencer enjoyed having a sister, like when she gave her advice before leaving for Not Alone, but most of the time, there was a barrier between them that Spencer didn’t understand that seemed to have started up about a year ago.

                She didn’t understand why Melissa was cold to her half the time.

                But right now, she would simply enjoy having her sister back. Because, honestly, she missed it.

                “They’re letting you go home today,” Melissa exclaimed, and Spencer’s eyes instantly popped out, eagerly.

                “What!” Spencer exclaimed, the biggest grin she’s had in a while, appearing on her face. Melissa realized just how miserable Spencer had been in the past week.

                “Yup,” she confirmed. “I have to sign those papers for you, since you can’t sign anything right now, and you’ll be good to go.”

                Spencer laughed; she actually laughed. Melissa almost had to bit her lip to keep from smiling.

                That second, Toby appeared through the hallway, greeting every doctor and nurse as he walked by. He knew everyone name-for-name by this point. When he to the door of the room, his gaze fell on Spencer and she gasped.

                Awestruck, he giggled. “You’re smiling! You’re laughing!”

                Melissa shook her head. “Told you.” She crossed her leather arms over her chest. “Your Spence-Spence is getting out of the hospital today.”

                Toby’s face lit up and he smiled warmly and lovingly at Spencer. “A: That’s great!” He then turned her attention to Melissa. “B: She’s not my Spence-Spence.”

                Melissa eyed them cynically. It seemed they weren’t convincing him

                “Don’t listen to her, Toby,” Spencer said. “Nobody listens to her anyways.”

                “I reject that statement!” Melissa quipped. “Everybody loves me. Ladies love me. Gentleman love me. She loved me.”

                At those words, Spencer and Toby raised a brow. “Who’s ‘she?’” they asked at the same time.

                Just as if it had never left, Melissa’s cold façade quickly returned as she glared icy cold daggers at her sister. “Right,” was all she could say before changing the subject. “I’m going to go sign those papers. Toby, you mind taking her home for me? I have to take Ella to some town event thing. Day drinker she is, you know? Ella.”

                He slowly and confusedly nodded. “Okay…?”
                Then she walked out.