The Blackout ⤖ George Russell

T W E N T Y E I G H T

15th of February.

Nora chewed on the inside of her cheek and played with the strings of the hoodie she was wearing. She sat in front of doctor Kline and Damien at the hospital who was telling her, her dad and step mum the progress of Nora's recovery. Also, the results of the exam earlier this afternoon, which was positive. Nora was zoned out of the conversation, all she could think about was George. It was his birthday today, was it reasonable to wish him a happy birthday after what happened yesterday? Or should she stay silent? Not wishing him a happy birthday felt guilty, but also wishing him a happy birthday felt guilty. The fight they had was awful yesterday. Nora understood George he didn't want to face her or even get a text from her.

"...Nora?"

Hugo looked at his daughter; she was not with them. He nudged her, what made Nora look up. Hugo nodded at the doctors.

"I didn't quite get that," Nora said and cleared her throat. She straightened her back and gave them a half lipped smile.

Damien smiled. "How is doctor Bailey doing his job? We can't have an eye on him when he works at your home, so we would like to have some feedback from you about doctor Bailey."

Doctor Bailey? It took a moment to realise it was about Ben. "Oh, doctor Bailey," Nora said. "He's doing an excellent job," she nodded. "He tells and explains every step before starting the programme, and I think he's doing his job right. Be...doctor Bailey is a good doctor, and he works hard for it."

Damien nodded. "That's great to hear. Doctor Bailey is also very positive about your process and progress, and he is positive about this new way of working. Thank you for sharing." Nora raised her eyebrow, since when was Damien that serious? "And the memories? Any new news on that?"

"I remember some interviews and time off, but I don't think I will remember everything because I can't memorise every minute of the day. I do know what happened to me, but not the whole race. I remember Saturday evening and Sunday morning," she told him.

He was impressed. "That is good to hear. And what do you mean with 'Saturday evening and Sunday morning'?" Damien wanted a story, so he could make a note of that moment.

Nora looked away and held in her breath for a couple of seconds. She remembered his lips on hers, she remembered the love they had made, she remembered him. Her eyes wetted, but she managed to hide her emotion.

"Angel..." Hugo whispered. The silence between the question and answer was taking too long. Did something happen to her Nora had been hiding something awful?

"What?" Nora hissed and looked at her father. "I'm not gonna tell anyone about with whom I slept with," she said to him. Hugo's eyes went round. Nora looked back at Damien. "I slept with someone," she gave as answer to Damien's question and faked a smile.

"Alright," Damien awkwardly said and took a sip from his coffee. The silence made it more awkward. "According to doctor Bailey, your flexibility is good. I would like to do some tests in a few. And we are changing the rules on devices: one hour of tv per day. If it doesn't feel right, stop watching tv. Preferably no use of a mobile phone or iPad, laptop etcetera yet."

Nora licked her lips and nodded. "Okay."

"Good, everything is looking positive. I'm proud of you, Nora. Are there any questions?" Kline said and looked at the three people on the other side of the desk.

Victoria looked at Nora, who was staring outside. Victoria cleared her throat. "Can she fly? Nora is planning on visiting her mother in Switzerland, and flying is the fastest way," she asked.

Kline nodded. "She can fly, but as soon as her head starts to hurt, go to the hospital. But out of precaution, warn the flying company before the flight so they can keep in mind there can be a medical emergency on board when something goes wrong. I will give you a copy of Nora's medical dossier with my phone number in case of emergency. They probably have her dossier online as well, but it might be handier," he informed Victoria.