Forgetting Faith

“Are you sure?” Elaine asked, “I can stay if you want me to, it’s no trouble at all.”
Lorraine rolled her eyes, they had been over this many times, “Elaine its fine, I’m here if Sage or Jeff need anything, besides Beau will probably fly out here and drag you back to Pittsburgh himself if you don’t leave soon.”
The Olympic break was over, the hockey season had gone back to normal, and Carolina was playing without a player. Elaine was supposed to be back in Pittsburgh weeks ago but had stayed for the sake of her friends, her boyfriend Beau understood her reasoning for being gone so long, but even he was having trouble being without her.
Elaine sighed giving in, her flight was scheduled for today, she had her bags packed and would be back in Pittsburgh just in time for the Pens game against Colorado. She leaned back and looked into the living room where Sage was seated on her laptop, she felt guilty for leaving Lorraine and Megan by themselves with Sage who was going through such a rough time.
“Is she coming to the airport?” Elaine asked, she shut the door to Lorraine’s bedroom to block Sage from hearing them discussing her situation.
Lorraine frowned, “No, she has another session with Kristen today.” Kristen had been helping Sage and Jeff through counseling, Jeff wasn’t making any progress with remembering who he once was but slowly they were trying to change that. Sage was a completely different story.
Lorraine checked her phone for the time, she muttered a swear word under her breath when she realized she had lost track of time, “I have to drive her and Jeff to the centre, I’ll be back in time to bring you to the airport.”
Lorraine walked out of her bedroom to inform Sage that they needed to start heading to pick up Jeff but Sage was already standing at the door ready to leave. Lorraine grabbed her car keys off the kitchen counter and followed Sage out the door, neither of them said a word, just like usual.
Before the accident Sage would hardly ever shut up, she was always talking, always the one to keep up a conversation, she was different now. Sage hardly ever talked to anyone but Jeff, Kristen, her counselor told them to give her some time, the reason she only spoke to Jeff was because they had both gone through a tramatic event, he could relate to how she was feeling.
Sage fidgeted with her hands as they drove toward Jeff’s house, it had been weeks since the accident, Sage was still adjusting to being comfortable in a car again. Jeff didn’t remember the accident, he didn’t remember anything. All he knew was the details his parents had told them, he wasn’t nearly as nervous as Sage was to be in a vehicle again.
“Stay here, I’ll go get him.” Lorraine informed, she got out of the driver’s seat and jogged up the steps to Jeff’s home, she lightly knocked on the door and waited for an answer.
“Lorraine,” Mrs. Skinner smiled when she answered, “Jeff’s just getting his things ready, and he’ll be down shortly.”
“It’s great to see you again Mrs. Skinner, how’s Jeff doing?” She asked.
“No progress,” She sighed, “How is Sage?” Lorraine looked over her shoulder at Sage who still sat fidgeting with her hands in the passenger seat.
“She’s getting there,” Lorraine smiled as she saw Jeff descending the staircase, “Hey Jeff.” She greeted with a smile.
“Lorraine, it’s always a pleasure to see you.” He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, he understood how hard it must be for her to have her own boyfriend forget her, he tried his best with little gestures to make her feel special again.
Lorraine’s cheeks burned just like they always did whenever Jeff kissed her, he never failed to make her feel flustered. Jeff kissed his mother goodbye before walking with Lorraine to her car, once he was seated and buckled in, he greeted Sage.
Lorraine focused her eyes on the road as Sage and Jeff discussed their plans for tonight, it was the first time in weeks that they’d be going to a hockey game, only this time Jeff wouldn’t be playing. Lorraine was nervous about having Jeff and Sage go out on their own, after the accident leaving them alone made her feel uneasy.
Lorraine pulled up in front of the building and put the car in park, they had made it to the centre with 5 minutes to spare. Jeff and Sage unbuckled their seatbelts and thanked Lorraine for driving them, they got out of the car and began to walk towards the doors, Sage stopped, turned around and walked back to the car, Lorraine and Jeff watching her every move.
“Lor, tell Elaine I said goodbye. Let her know I really appreciated everything she did, everything you all did. I love you guys.” Sage genuinely smiled, she wanted her friends to know just how much she loved them.
“We love you too.” Lorraine whispered to herself as Sage walked away from the car.
Jeff and Sage walked into the centre where Kristen stood waiting for them, she flashed them a warm smile and greeted them both with a tight hug. “Sage, I need to speak to Jeff for a moment, go make yourself comfortable while we speak.” Kristen ordered.
Sage looked over at Jeff who reassured her that it was okay, he watched Sage walk into the room where they held their meetings, he could see her sitting in her usual seat through the glass. He brought his attention back to Kristen who was eyeing him curiously.
“Do you remember anything?” She asked, Jeff nodded his head, “What is it?” She pushed for more information.
Jeff avoided Kristen’s gaze, he looked over at Sage in the other room, “When she called me Skins, I felt… I felt like I had known her my whole life,” Jeff shook his head trying to think of the right words, “Of course I had known her my whole life, she was my best friend, but before that day I couldn’t remember a thing about her, she was just another person I couldn’t remember.”
“Sage? You remember her? Only her?” Kristen pressed for more answers.
Jeff nodded, “I remember everything about her.”

Notes