Visiting time was finally over and Rufus bid his visitors farewell. He’d had quite a good visit and managed to get a bit of business done. All he really wanted to do, however, was get back to his journal.

“Hey, would you lot mind if I wrote in my journal for a bit? There’s something I need to get written down,” Rufus asked.

“Nah, it’s okay, time for my programme, anyway” Cynthia smiled.

“Okay, I’ll get out of your face, too,” Gloria agreed.

Once again, Rufus was alone, save for some other patients and nurses buzzing around.

‘Right, time to get this shit done, where was I?’

He picked up his journal and turned to the most recent page.

‘Ah yes,’ he smiled and continued the journal:

The other woman was Amy. It was as if Cynthia and I had actually adopted her, legally. But that’s impossible, she’s a ghost. Unless, she was re-corporialised. That doesn’t even make sense. What could this mean? Was it just my mind getting crap sorted, or does it have some deeper meaning? I’d better stop writing now, or I’ll drive myself nuts.

Rufus put the journal away and secured it with the mini padlock. Even though he knew he could trust his friends and family, he didn’t trust anyone else.

“So, you work out why you dreamed that Amy was alive yet?” Claire asked.

“Huh? Were you reading my journal?” Rufus was angry.

“Rufus, no need to be angry, she’s clairvoyant, remember?” Amy said.

“Amy, good lord, you scared me!” Rufus almost sniped at her.

“Sorry,” Amy bowed her head, pouting.

“Ah no, it’s all right.”

Claire pretended to talk to Rufus as he talked to Amy and took his vital statistics at the same time. Rufus tried to ask about Claire’s clairvoyance.

“I don’t talk about that in work. Those worlds shouldn’t collide. Asked Cynthia to move in yet?” She deftly changed the subject.

“Fine, don’t tell me. I don’t like you any more,” Rufus feigned a huff, avoiding the question.

“Crazy bugger!” Claire laughed.

“Anyway, stick around, willya? I need to talk to Amy some more.”

“Okay,” Claire sat in the seat next to Amy, so it looked as if they were talking.

“Amy, I’m thinking about asking Cynthia to move in with us. Are you okay with that?” Rufus asked tentatively.

Amy’s face lit up and she smiled widely: “Yes, Rufus, you dope, I’d love that!”

Dr Moon strode into the ward in his usual confident way.

“Rufus, how are ya?”

“I’m good, man. How are you?”

“Not bad at all, just coming in to say we’re pleased with your progress and you’re being discharged tomorrow.”

“Wow, that’s great news,” Rufus smiled.

“You’ll still have to take it easy and do rehab and physio, but I’m sure you’ll be fine. I’ll be back in the morning with the details, so get some rest for tomorrow,” Dr Moon shook Rufus’ hand and walked out again.

‘Now or never, isn’t it?’ Rufus asked himself, really just reassuring himself.

Cynthia came back in and told Rufus that his mum had gone home for the night.

“Okay. So, Cynthia, I need to ask you something,” Rufus said carefully.

“Okay, what is it... Spill!”

“Well, I really like you and I want you around as much as possible, so do you want to move in with me?” Rufus’ heart thumped in his chest.

“Of course I’d like to move in!” Cynthia squeaked.

“So, you wanna move in tomorrow? I’m being discharged,” Rufus beamed.

“Yes, yes, yes! Of course! Did you tell your mum yet?” Cynthia bounced around happily.

“Not yet, but she knows I was asking you to move in. She just didn’t know when I’d do it.”

“Oh, right. Well, do you want to tell her tomorrow?”

“Yeah, but one of us better tell her I’m being discharged in the morning.”

“Good idea. You want me to go over to hers just now and tell her?”

“Nah, it’s cool, I’ll just call her.”

Rufus called his mum and made plans for tomorrow. He was excited to be getting out and back to his own flat. It may be a dingy wee place, but it’s home. And it’ll be home to Cynthia soon.

“I’m gonna stay here tonight,” Cynthia told Rufus.

“Sure thing. Hey, do you mind if I get Claire’s number?”

“Huh? Why?”

“Well, she doesn’t shout it, but she’s clairvoyant and seems to know about Amy, so we want to chat to her sometime soon, if that’s okay with you?”

“That’s fine. Jeeze, I thought you were gonna ask me if you could ask her out! You had me worried there, you bastard!” Cynthia laughed and playfully batted Rufus on the arm and then kissed him on the lips, curling up beside him on the bed.

Rufus and Cynthia woke up in the morning beside each other, smiling. Gloria walked in to the ward.

“Rufus, I’ll bet you’ll be glad to see that back of this place!” Dr Moon smiled.

“Yeah, no kidding. I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed!”

“Well, wait no longer, it’s discharging time.”

Dr Moon went through all the necessary procedures and then showed Rufus and his family off the ward. On the way out, Rufus met Claire and got her number.

“Text me, or whatever,” she told him.

“Will do, take care.”

“You too and take care of your girls, too!”

Rufus and Claire hugged goodbye. There was a strange sensation in the air, excitement mixed with pensiveness. Rufus and Cynthia could both feel that something was about to change irrevocably, though they couldn’t put their fingers on it, it felt like a good change.