Chapter 18: Will the real Sarah please stand up?
Sarah had a lot to think about and a lot to come clean about…but it was her brother that was suffering for her mistakes.
Something has to change…
We have to either get out of here or change the plan…
She sat on top of the spare bed brought in and was just looking at her brother Matthew sleeping peacefully.
He was out of his starter gear and had simple linen clothing on, something a peasant farmer might wear.
Matthew had been severely injured, but now he was fully healthy…
Other than the blue streaks going up his arms, there was nothing else to say as he looked like a normal young adult just sleeping.
Three whole days had passed, and Clara had helped Sarah by getting her a small job working with the other secretaries. They were incredibly important people and made the guild run very smoothly.
Sarah was worried about the health of Matthew and how much longer she would be able to stay in the guild before getting kicked out…
As another day passed, Matthew began stirring.
[Need…Mtn…Dew.] Thought Matthew as he rose from the ranks of the dead to obtain his favorite addiction.
As he was rising, he remembered what had happened.
[SARAH!] he thought as he looked around the unfamiliar room but sitting at the end of his bed was his big sister Sarah.
She was still blurry in his eyes, but he could tell her blurry outline anywhere!
"SAR-OOF" Said Matthew as he was tackled by the girl.
"I-I thought…don't do that again…" She said as she broke down into tears, finally letting all of her pent-up feelings of sorrow and grief wash over her now that it was officially resolved.
Matthew sat in the bed with her arm around his neck thinking about what he almost lost.
[I should have gone alone…fuck…why am I so stupid??? I knew the world was different from what I am used to, so why did I assume everything would be exactly like I made it…dumbass…]
Matthew and Sarah sat together for a long time and Sarah seemed a little more uncomfortable than usual.
"Sarah, tell me what is eatin' at ya'…I can tell there is something…" Said Matthew, looking into her pretty green eyes.
Sarah thought about it for a moment, but she couldn't lie to Matty anymore.
"I-I-I'm not the real Sarah…" She said meekly as she turned her head away.
Matthew sat, confused about her statement.
"What do'ya mean that you "aren't the real one", you look pretty real to me."
"I am not the same Sarah that you met outside of the game world. I am different…"
"How different?" Said Matthew as he sat up in bed, taking this seriously.
"I was told to not tell you this by her…but she has altered my memories to make me "happier" if that makes any sense." Said Sarah as she looked at the ground.
"How many memories did the other you take??"
"She said that she "took the memories that helped cause the accident"," the ones that brought unhappiness to my life", and that she was hoping for us to find some joy in this new world."
Matthew sat looking at Sarah…wondering why she would do that to herself when he realized something.
"Hey, Sarah, how do you feel about having a family?" Jokingly asked Matthew.
"Hmm? Probably someday, but long after we are done with this adventure, right?" Said Sarah with a little bit of hope in her eyes.
[She doesn't remember her own family, what kind of mother would remove her own kids? Wait, this Sarah isn't the one at fault, I need to talk with the other her. Why would the original do something like this? Why would her children be her source of pain? Was she unhappy in her marriage?] As Matthew was thinking, he suddenly remembered a sequence of events just after her death that had upset him.
[Just after Sarah…died…her husband married that slut Misty. They had a kid not too much longer and it had always bothered him.]
"Hey Sarah, random question, but how would one figure out the conception date on a baby?" Said Matthew as he broke the serious atmosphere in the room.
"Huh, who's baby are you trying to figure out??? Did Matty meet a nice lady while sleep walking?" Sarah said teasingly.
"I am trying to figure out something important, can you help me, please?" Said Matthew with a serious tone.
"Oh, okay, well the formula isn't that "accurate" but it gives a good measure. What day would the woman's last menstruation be?"
"Uh…what? Oh, period…you are talking about her period, right?"
"…yeah…" Said Sarah with a massive sigh.
"I have no idea…but the baby was born I think September 12th, but the baby was a few weeks earlier than expected."
"How many weeks early?" Asked Sarah.
"Does it matter?"
"Unfortunately, yes…"
"Okay, let me think, the baby was said to be I think 3 weeks early and was really underweight…"
"Alright, I am going to assume the normal estimated birthday was probably October 3rd, and that would come out to….early January…"
"What?" Exclaimed Matthew as he got out of bed. "How did you get that date?"
"I used the formula for it. I had to solve for (x) but it isn't hard. The hospital does a standard calculation using the menstrual cycle. The norm is 28, so I used that, but the date came from you. See, if you give me the date, I can work out the estimated day she had her last period.
You take her first day of the last period, then you need to go three months back on the calendar from the estimated date. Then add 1 year and 7 days. So, I just did that in reverse and then reworked it a little to get the date the baby might have been conceived.
Keep in mind, ultrasound confirmation is much more reliable, so we do both a lot." Explained Sarah as Matthew's face went as white as a sheet.
[Sarah's crash was mid-February….]
Then Matthew hugged her very tightly.
He had realized why a mother would erase her children from her mind.
[Imagine coming back to life and seeing a woman in your place…but then you do the math and go through all of the old phone records…]
[She knew, she had to have known. That is the only thing that makes sense. Why would a mom do that to herself, if it was truly the greatest pain in their life…but she wasn't upset…did she know before her death?] Matthew's mind couldn't help but perform leaps of logic, attempting to rationalize anything as he knew that Sarah was a good person and that she would not abandon them. Then Matthew spoke out loud. "I am so, so, so sorry." As he hugged her even more tightly.
~End~
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