11 June 1989, Morning

[noteful]

When Meg got back from the hospital on Saturday evening, she found her suitcase sitting at the foot of her bed in the hotel room.

It was almost surreal to open it, to find all her things still neatly folded and arranged just so, from when she packed it in what now feels like a previous lifetime. She half-expects things to be jumbled, since the suitcase went through the same car crash she did.

It's oddly comforting to find that it looks just as it did when Alain put it in the trunk of his car in her parents' driveway. And there is something reassuring about having her own clothes back. It feels slightly more normal.

Sunday morning, she picks a green dress and a white sweater, leaves off the sling, and goes down to the breakfast in the hotel's lobby early, feeling more like herself than she has in about three days.

Comments

[noteful]

"I'm not worried," Meg says easily.

She's had a lot of experience with worried in the last couple days.

"Just grateful.

"And I'll stop now, because I know most guys hate this stuff, but . . . I needed to thank you.

"How've you been?"

[oftheaxe]

"All right," Dave says, with a glance down at his notes.

"I mean - the usual. You know."

Other things Dave is not good at: talking about himself.

. . . and he can't exactly turn the question around, either. Uh. Now does not seem the time to be asking about school, either.

"How are your parents doing? Don't think I've seen them since yesterday."

[noteful]

"They're good," she says. "All things considered."

It's kind of the required caveat.

"I meant to write you, after Christmas, but things kind of got crazy, and then it had just been so long that . . . I don't know, you know how you put something off long enough, it starts to feel kind of silly to try to do it?

"I was kind of hoping I'd run into you there."

The there will go unspecified, what with the whole having this conversation in public.

[oftheaxe]

"I haven't . . . been there much."

Dave frowns, and reaches for another bite of eggs, to give himself time to think.

"I went once or twice, but - I dunno. The place takes a hell of a lot of assimilation."

[noteful]

"Yeah, it does. I had about three straight months, as an introduction."

She had not exactly assimilated to it during them, either.

"I'm going to get some juice. Do you want anything while I'm up?"

[oftheaxe]

"I think I'm pretty glad I didn't get the sink-or-swim intro, all things considered," Dave says, tempting fate.

"- uh, I guess I wouldn't say no to more coffee, if you're getting it."

[noteful]

Meg wiggles her fingers.

"No trouble, now that I can use both hands.

"Be right back."

It doesn't take long.

"So," Meg says, setting the coffee down because it's easier than trying to hand off a cup of something hot, "I understand you're the reason my suitcase magically appeared in my room."

[oftheaxe]

"Oh, yeah - it was at the police station." Dave grins, quick, at that. "Special combo of size and legal jargon. Better than a magic spell."

Mabye not as impressive as Kim's magic, but oh well!

[noteful]

"You know, I'm almost sorry I didn't get to see that."

Not that much could have gotten her out of the hospital yesterday.

"Since those are two things I will probably never get to combine personally."

[oftheaxe]

"Stilts," suggests Dave, after some consideration.

[noteful]

"You're not exactly the first person to suggest them," Meg says, drily.

[oftheaxe]

"- seriously?"

Dave blinks at her. She doesn't register to him as especially short - but then, Dave's perspective is a little skewed.

[noteful]

"Well, no, I don't think anyone has suggested them seriously," she says.

It's a fairly deliberate misunderstanding.

[oftheaxe]

Dave eyes her, but all he says is, "It's true that they aren't exactly intimidating, usually. Stilts."

. . . it's a weird conversational topic, but what the hell.

[noteful]

"It was good of you to do that," Meg says.

"It helps, to have my own things."

[oftheaxe]

"'m glad."

More thanking! Dave is awkward again.

"Yeah. Familiar stuff helps."

[noteful]

And Meg was trying so hard to avoid the T word.

"And clothes that both fit and don't clash."

Meg likes order. She likes neat and tidy. And she feels off kilter when things aren't.

[oftheaxe]

Dave nods - he's also something of a fan of neat and tidy. He likes being able to control his environment; as a kid, it didn't feel like he controlled much else.

"I get that."

[noteful]

Meg smiles a little.

"And you probably have even more trouble than I do, finding things to borrow."

It can be easier to wear clothes that are too big than too small.

[oftheaxe]

Heh.

"For a couple of reasons."

The size factor, and the relatively few people he's on any kind of borrowing-things terms with.

[noteful]

"Well, I hope you won't be in a position to have to any time soon."

Meg finishes her juice.

"I should go get ready for church, and I should let you get back to work."

[oftheaxe]

"I'll take you over Blythe vs. Davis any day," Dave says, looking back ruefully at his notes.

"But point taken. Have -" Do you tell people to have fun at church? Dave's family's not religious. "- a good service."

[noteful]

"I think that might be the oddest compliment I've ever received," she says, amused. "But thank you."

She stands.

And then pauses.

"Hey, Dave? For whatever it's worth, I'm really glad my sister has you."

[oftheaxe]

"It's worth a lot.

Thanks."