Chapter 23: What About Now?

*MASON'S POV*

Even though it feels odd cuddling up to another body, I sleep better than I have in months.  I finally have my Hadley back.  It's a different package, but it's still her.  I can definitely deal.

I wake up in the morning and run into my dad.

"Morning Pops..." I reply.

"Um, son," he looks down at my lack of shirt, "maybe you could put a shirt on around here?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm just used to..." I was going to say being in my own house when I realize that I don't have a house anymore.

"Yeah, well...when you get settled somewhere you can walk around naked for all I care, but you're making me look bad!" Dad laughs.

"Hahaha!  Sorry about that," I reply.

"Yeah, I'll bet...just wait until you get old," he jokes.

We laugh for a minute and then he gets down to seriousness, "Have you all talked about where you're going to go from here?"

"Not yet," I reply, "I can probably get a loan to make a down payment on a house..."

"Well, your mom can probably help out with that," he says, "maybe one of the places she's building on will be okay for you."

"Honestly, we don't need much," I tell him, "just a one bedroom, one bathroom house will do it."

He looks at me with a sadness in his eyes, "Damn, are you sure you all can't fight to get to keep your house, or your savings?"

"We probably could," I tell him, "especially considering we are technically divorced because of her death, but  I don't want to spend all kinds of time fighting.  I just want to be with Hadley."

*ZOEY'S POV*

I guess it's no surprise that I'm on the phone with Amy, asking her to meet me at the park.  I don't want to tell her about what went down last night over the phone...yeah, "You're daughter is in someone else's body" requires face-to-face time.

When I get there, she's standing by the pond, rubbing her neck like she does when she's stressed..

"Z, I hate getting old, every day I wake up with a new pain...I'm going to throw away my Joke of the Day Calendar and get a Pain of the Day one that reminds me what body part is going to hurt today."  

I laugh, "welcome to the club."

We laugh and trade stories about our ailments, then talk a little bit about how sad it is that whole parts of our daily conversations include complaining about our ailments.

Oh, how times change.

Either way, I have more pressing things to discuss with her today.

"I need to talk to you, maybe we should sit down..." I start.

"Oh shit, are you pregnant?" She asks.

"WHAT!?"  I screech, "Are you crazy?  And don't jinx me like that, you did that too me once already, remember?"

She shrugs, "My bad...okay, what is it?"

"Know how Briana came to you and said she was Hadley?" I start.  May as well jump right in...

"Yeah, that little girl is...wait, you're looking at me weird...what is it?" She can already tell something isn't right...well, she's calling it this time, that's for sure.

"She wasn't lying," I tell her.

"Z, I can't possibly..." but she stops to think, "are you sure?"

"If I wasn't, would I be talking to you about this right now?"

Her face falls.

"Oh...my...what have I done?" she asks.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.  I am going to love hearing how she is going to blame herself for this one, "She's at my house...she's fine...she and Mason have figured it all out..."

"No, has she been this way the whole time?" Amy asks me.

"I think so..."

She gasps, "So that was her, in the shelter?"

"Yeah...I guess..."

Melt down.  "Z, you should have seen her, she looked awful.  Her body was bruised all over...it was terrible...that was my daughter and I just let her go...then turned her away when she needed me."

"You didn't know..." I start to comfort her, even though it pains me just as much to think of Hadley in that situation.

"Hadley is a strong woman, and she got out of it, you can't blame yourself," I continue.

"I have no excuse..."

"Mom, it's okay."

We hear someone behind us and realize that Hadley has been listening to our conversation.

"It's really okay," she repeats, "you believe me now and that's all that matters."

Amy and the new Hadley hug.  We are going to get back to normal around here...somehow.