"Hi," Zara said as she greeted Blaine at the front door. "If you're looking for Cassie, she's not here. She's at the hospital with Mom."
"That's ok. I was just in the neighborhood and I thought I'd drop by. I wanted to see how your mom was doing."
"Oh, that's nice of you. You can come in if you'd like," Zara said as she stepped aside and invited him to have a seat in the living room.
"So your mom is still in the hospital?"
"Yeah, they want to keep her under observation for awhile before they send her home. I don't think she'll be there much longer."
"That's good. It must be hard for you and Cassie, not knowing for sure what's wrong or what's going to happen."
"It is, but it's not anything we weren't prepared for. I think Cassie's been in denial about it because she's always wanted Mom back home so bad and she's convinced that it's all Dad's scheming that got her committed in the first place. But I think we've both kind of been watching out for her, trying to make sure she's really ok."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"I don't think so, but thank you for being there for Cassie at the hospital and helping her take Mom to the emergency room. That was so kind of you. We really appreciate it."
"It's the least I can do. Cassie's been a good friend to me, offering me a place to live when I lost my apartment and being there for me when Reese and I broke up. I just want to return the favor."
"So where are you living now?" Zara asked, changing the subject.
"I found a little apartment to rent. It's really small, but it's only temporary. What I really want is a house of my own someday, a place that would be good for when I eventually get married and start a family. It might take longer than I thought, but I'll get there someday, I hope."
Zara couldn't help smiling as Blaine shared his dreams of a future. She could see what her sister saw in him. "I'm glad you got your living arrangements sorted out. I know it's tough when a relationship with someone you're living with goes sour. I've been going through that myself lately. How are you doing otherwise with the break up?"
Blaine opened his mouth to speak and then hesitated. "I'm not sure. I'm doing ok, I guess, but sometimes I don't know. Even though we seem to want different things, I still wonder if I gave up on the relationship too soon. I've thought about going back to Reese and try talking it out and see if there's anything we can do, but after talking to Cassie, I'm afraid it probably won't do any good to try."
"Look, it's none of my business, but I think talking things through is always a good thing, even if it doesn't end up changing anything. It's up to you though. You have to do what seems right to you. If you want my advice, don't make your decisions based on what Cassie says. You don't want to let anyone interfere with your relationships."
"And especially not my sister," Zara added silently to herself.
Cassie watched wordlessly as the nurse left the room after checking on Serena and making note of her vital signs. Her mother's blood pressure was still higher than it should be and Cassie could tell that her mother was under a lot of stress.
"You need to try to relax, Mother. Otherwise they're going to keep you here even longer."
"I can't. I need to figure this out," Serena insisted. "I was so sure I had it before when I was at the house, but I can't remember now. It just has to come back to me and soon."
"I know, but maybe you're trying too hard. Maybe if you stop trying, you'll remember."
"I wish I could, but there's no time. Lives could be at stake."
"Shhh," Cassie said, looking around her nervously. "You have to be careful what you say around here. If you start talking about premonitions and things like that, the doctors are going to want to have you committed. I don't want them to take you away again, not when we finally got you back in our lives."
Serena leaned back and nodded. Her facial muscles relaxed and she seemed to take her daughter's advice to heart. "It's up to you then, Cassandra. You have to figure out where this . . . evil is coming from and stop it before it reaches anyone else. You have the gift. I have faith in you."
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