Kim found her heart racing as Bethany got to her feet and walked over to her. Kim was aware that she had been kept up to date all week with what had been happening, but still found herself hoping this woman would accept her as her new daughter. Bethany seemed to be eyeing her up and down, a hint of puzzlement in her expression.
“Hi Mom” Kim smiled nervously as her new mother stood just in front of her. Bethany blinked a few times, then launched forward pulling her into a tight hug.
“Oh Kim, I’m so sorry for just leaving you like that!” She exclaimed, “Nana’s fine now, your Auntie Steph is with her now, which meant I could come home sooner. I missed you so much” she added. Kim found herself confused now, she glanced over at Lorna who gave a small shrug and a smile. Kim smiled back then wrapped her arms around her mother.
“I missed you too mom” she said softly.
“Why don’t you and Athena go and help Kim sort out her things?” Lorna said, turning to Joey, “I’ll order a Chinese for everyone, I’m sure you don’t want to cook tonight Beth” she added. Bethany nodded.
“Thanks Lorna, that would be nice” Bethany smiled back. Kim, Joey, and Athena headed upstairs to the guest room and began to pack away her things.
“So what happened there?” Joey mused as he dug out the suitcase Karyn had originally brought with her.
“What do you mean?” Kim asked grabbing a pile of clothes and loosely folding them.
“We’ll, she just recognised you straight away, even after everything that’s happened this week you think she’d have some questions” Joey replied.
“Perhaps her memory was just altered.” Athena chimed in, “it seems to me that everyone who wasn’t…changed, remembers things differently. Take me for example, I remember you used to be a girl Joey, but I can’t for the life of me remember what you used to look like, or even what your name was” she added.
“It was…I was…huh, weird, neither can I” Joey replied, “when I try and remember, it’s like thinking back to being a toddler, you know you were one, but you can’t really place anything specific.”
“Wow… that is weird” Kim said as she stuffed her dirty clothes, Karyn’s former outfits, into the case, “I’m the same.”
“Doesn’t that make you sad?” Athena asked.
“Not really” Joey shrugged, “I’m happy with who I am now. Plus I’ve got a smoking hot girlfriend now” he added with a wink.
“Snap” Kim said slyly, causing the other two to gasp in shock.
Once Kim’s things were packed and taken downstairs, they joined Lorna and Bethany in the kitchen. They were soon joined by Vicky, Sabrina, and Martyn, who seemed to show no interest in the woman that used to be his mother. Shaun arrived home just before the food arrived, and between the nine of them it was quickly devoured. Then it was finally time for Bethany and Kim to head home. Lorna and Joey saw them to door, with Lorna giving her an extra tight hug.
“Thanks again Lorna” Bethany smiled.
“Any time Beth,” Lorna replied, “Kim is always welcome here, it’s been a pleasure ” she added returning the smile. With that Bethany led her daughter down the road to where she’d parked her car. They talked the whole way home, with Bethany filling her in on her Grandmothers condition, asking how her week was. Kim kept her blossoming relationship a secret for now. Not that her mother would judge her, but she wanted to make sure it was the real deal before she mentioned anything.
Before long they were pulling into their driveway and Bethany helped carry Kim’s belongings inside. Kim headed straight up to her bedroom, not even stopping to think that the girl walking in there was an entirely different person to the one that had last walked out. She looked around and took in her surroundings. New memories seemed to flash to life, the desk lamp she’d got at a bargain in a yard sale, Puddles her toy duck from childhood, her stack of favourite books. She broke into a wide smile. She was home.
