Somebody That I Used To Know

Only One Time

One Week Later

Tom sits on the couch under the window, scrolling on his phone. He smiles at the text Lily sent through Molly's phone.

Molly: I miss you Daddy. Mummy said that I can come see you soon.

Tom: Me too, kid. You'll see me soon, don't worry. I love you, darling.

Tom places the phone on the nightstand and sighs, looking out of the window. It was slightly open, a crack at the top, but these were the type of windows that had blocks after a certain opening spot.

The door opens and Molly walks in, holding a bag from Tom's favorite bagel place.

"Hey. It's been awhile."

"Yeah." Molly whispers. "Um, I got you an everything with veggie cream cheese."

"Thank you."

Tom slowly gets up and grabs the bag. "I'll ask Dr. Bettany."

"Isn't the whole point of you being here is that you eat?"

"Kind of. I have to see how I can eat without it making me sick. But have you noticed anything different about me?"

"Yeah, you don't have a tube up your nose. Finally stopped your hunger strike, Gandhi?"

"Molly-" Tom repremands. "I'm proud of this."

"I know you are. Now you just have to get the IV of your arm and you're good to go."

"Hopefully it'll be soon."

"It's good that you're eating again. How much?"

"8 ounces of oatmeal, some soup at lunch, and then chicken and veggies for dinner."

"Good. Same thing everyday?"

"Different oatmeal flavors and different veggies. They also make me eat the sauce with the chicken."

"All of it?"

"If I don't eat it with the chicken, I gotta lick the cup."

"Well, I understand their concern."

"I don't. It sucks."

"What sucks is you refusing to eat. You're past that now, you'll be past this."

"So why did you ignore me for a week?"

"What?"

"Lily and I have texted, she told me that you're not around when we talk. As in, you tell her to tell me that you're not home, even though she has your phone and needs to be with someone at 5 years old."

"I was mad."

"At?"

"You."

"Please don't."

"You asked me."

"I don't want to hear about how pissed you are at me, okay? This is childlike."

"Children don't have these type of arguments."

"And I envy them. Give me time, alright? I don't need this stress. I just got the tube out, I'm eating, I'm doing therapy, I'm getting better."

"You're not going to have this shield when you leave the hospital. You're going to have to make your own decisions and you can't hide behind the doctors."

"I'm not hiding behind anyone."

"You are. I just don't want you to one day get out of the hospital and you have all these serious decisions to make."

"I'm going to get out of the hospital, go home with Denise, and recover and handle being home. After that, I'll search for a new apartment with room for my daughter. What don't you understand?"

"Whatever." Molly spits. "Eat your damn bagel."

"I have to wait a little, I just had breakfast."

"And how do you feel?"

"Bloated and my stomach hurts but it's getting better."

"If it's already bad you might as well have some. It's your favorite."

"It's my favorite but if I throw up from it, it's going to be this whole ordeal."

"Just promise me that won't go to waste."

"I promise. You can stay if you want."

"Oh, um, maybe."

"After storming out-"

"I'm sorry but I was upset and I can't lose it on someone hooked up to a heart monitor."

"Whatever happened to treating me the same?" Tom teases.

"I guess you're right. You look good though. A lot less..."

"Skeletal. I know, you know can say it. Denise hesitated too."

"I don't want to bother you."

"Well that's a first."

Molly rolls her eyes at Tom. "I'm trying to be nice."

"I know."

"Even though I'm staying with Denise, I want you in my life."

"You'll still see me, we have a daughter together."

"I don't mean like that."

"Tom, if you want to-"

"No. I'm not cheating on Denise. I just want you to be there for me still."

"You didn't want me to be there for you when we were married."

"And I made a mistake. You don't appreciate what you have until it's gone and I understand that now. I know that I lost you for nothing."

"You lost me because you slept with Denise while we were still married. I'm not counting being seperated, I mean actually still together."

"If it makes you feel better, nothing good happened. It couldn't, I freaked out before it could."

"Well that was for that time."

"That was the only time."

"Really?" Molly whispers.

"Yeah. I told you, what we did was just in the moment. It's none of your business, but we haven't done anything since, haven't even thought about it."

Molly walks closer to Tom and embraces him in a hug. "I have to go. I'm going to bring Lily the next time I see you so let me know when you're feeling better, okay?"

"I will."

"Good. Enjoy your bagel."

"Thank you."