Beep.......Beep.......Beep........Beep.......
"Hrm, eh?" Audrey slowly opened her eyes, feeling groggy and sore. Gradually, she came to realize she was in a hospital. All she remembered was getting on a flight to see Jennifer. Oh... Jennifer. Her physical pain suddenly became diluted in a wash of emotional anguish as she recalled Jen's response to her on the phone some time ago. When her vision and mind both became clearer, she decided to press the call button and ask the nurse what exactly had happened.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to wake up so soon," the nurse said in a thick Russian accent. "You were involved in a plane crash about twelve days ago. Lucky to be alive, I would say. You sustained a nasty bump on your head and some cuts and bruises, but you are otherwise alright. Before I forget, your name is Audrey Smith, yes?"
"Yes," Audrey confirmed. "How long will it be before I can leave here and return home?" She rubbed her head, wincing as she felt the swollen, sensitive wound under a mass of bandages. She also realized that her head had been shaved, most likely for the surgeons to be able to operate on her brain.
"Once the doctor checks you and determines that you are healthy enough to travel, you will be free to go. I suspect that will take another few days at the very least, given your current state."
"Thank you," Audrey replied. The nurse left, and her thoughts returned to her daughter. Oh, how she must be suffering! Her mother's involvement in a horrible, fatal tragedy probably didn't make things any easier on her. "Jen, honey, I'm sorry I was so selfish, please forgive me," she muttered as she wept into her hands.
Over the course of the next week, the swelling in Audrey's brain subsided and her minor wounds healed. Her doctor, renowned brain surgeon Dr. Valentin Ivashov, finally cleared her just two days before Thanksgiving. She was already boarding a flight home when it occurred to her to call Carol.
"Audrey, is it really you? I'm so glad to hear from you! We've all been worried sick." For Carol, it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. No more would she need to worry about having to deliver the infamous "bad news" to Jen, or what that news might possibly trigger. Just the mere thought of her mother dying had caused Jen to sprout a full coat of fur and, in turn, her own beloved daughter to grow a mustache. "Will you be here in time for Thanksgiving? We would love to have you over," Carol asked sincerely.
"I'm just getting on a red-eye flight now, and I should arrive sometime tomorrow morning. I'll have a taxi bring me back to my house, and then I'll freshen up and head over to your place for dinner. How does that sound?" Audrey replied.
"Perfect, see you then. I wasn't planning to take the girls out anyway to give them a break. Before you hang up, I have one last question for you, if you don't mind me asking. How is it that you're able to get on another plane after everything that just happened to you?"
"Well, for two reasons. Firstly, I understand that what happened was a freak accident and not a common occurrence. Secondly, I've been much too selfish lately and need to start putting Jen's needs before my own. That means getting to her as fast as possible," Audrey answered honestly.
"You're very brave, Audrey. Do you know that? Nobody can blame you for not wanting to see your daughter suffer."
"Thank you, Carol." Audrey hung up her cell phone and settled into her seat. She wore a puffy black jacket that the doctors pulled out of the "Lost and Found" box at the hospital and a red striped beanie one of the nurses bought for her as a farewell gift. It was cold in Russia, after all, and her hair had not yet regrown beyond a thin dusting. She settled into a deep slumber soon after the plane had taken off.
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Meanwhile...
"Girls! I have great news!" Carol yelled as she stormed into the bathroom. "Jen, your mother..." Lisa and Jen were in the middle of their nightly routine, and were currently taking a bath. Carol had only seen small glimpses of what the girls looked like recently, so the image of Lisa shampooing Jen's fur with one hand while stroking her incipient beard with the other hit her hard. "Mom, do you have to barge in like that? Can't you knock first?" Lisa asked, mildly perturbed. "I...um...y-you know what? It can wait. Come see me when you finish up." Carol stammered as she hastily slammed the door.
"What was that all about?" Jen asked.
"I don't know. Maybe she didn't expect us to be naked," Lisa proposed.
"At this stage, I don't even think you can call us 'naked' anymore," Jen retorted dismally.
Carol, sitting on her bed, wept quietly. "I've been following their progress from day one. If even I can get so easily shaken up by their appearance, how will Audrey react to her daughter? The last time they met in person, Jen didn't even have armpit hair, let alone actual fur!"
A little while later, having finished their nightly routine, Lisa and Jen stopped in to see Carol before going to sleep. "What was so urgent before, Mom?" Lisa asked. "So urgent that you decided to break down our bathroom door," Jen added sarcastically.
Carol chuckled. "I'll admit I've been delaying giving you updates about the progress of your mother to avoid stressing you out, Jen, but it looks like she has finally made a recovery. Such a miraculous recovery, in fact, that she's able to fly out tonight to be with us for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Isn't that great?"
Jen hesitated for a moment. It was great that her mother had made a recovery, but her visiting tomorrow was just a little too sudden. How would she prepare? Would her mother still accept her now that she looked this way? There was simply too much to process and too little time for it. "Um, y-yeah, that's... great news," Jen stuttered.
"Really? You don't sound very excited," Carol replied.
"Yes, I'm fine, really. See you in the morning," Jen hastily replied as she hurried out of the room with Lisa.
Carol wasn't convinced, but she was exhausted, so she decided to let it go for now. Soon, just as Audrey had before, she fell into a deep slumber. She had a feeling she would need the energy for tomorrow.
Jen, on the other hand, got very little sleep. Endless possibilities about the day soon to come occupied her mind. She tossed and turned all night. Her mother's reappearance was just as stressful as her initial disappearance, just for different reasons. Her whole body itched, especially her head, and she frequently found herself rubbing her eyes, but she was too preoccupied to care.