“Don’t worry, Dana. The puzzle will still be there tomorrow,” Alice replied with a laugh as she pushed the table away from Dana’s bed.

“I’m sure it will,” Dana mumbled to herself before falling into a deep sleep.

***

The following day

“Welcome home,” Alice said cheerfully, opening the door to Dana’s apartment and carrying her suitcase inside.

Dana stood silently in her entryway for a moment before crossing the threshold. She gazed in wonder at her furniture and pictures hanging on the wall. The blanket she had been covered by on the night she’d been taken to the hospital was still crumpled on the couch where the paramedics had tossed it aside; her glasses still sat on the coffee table. If it hadn’t been for the pile of mail sitting on the floor inside her door, she wouldn’t have known any time had passed since that awful night. Everything looked exactly as she had left it; yet somehow it was changed. Or maybe it’s me who’s changed, Dana thought to herself.

“Sorry about the mess,” Alice said, as she rested Dana’s suitcase against a wall. “I meant to clean the place before you came home, but I didn’t have a chance. Plus, I wasn’t expecting you to be back so soon – not that I’m complaining, of course,” she added with a bright smile.

Dana returned Alice’s smile absentmindedly as she walked into the middle of her living room in silence.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” Alice asked, noticing Dana’s uncharacteristic quietness.

“I don’t know,” Dana answered, glancing at Alice thoughtfully. “It’s weird; I feel as though I was never meant to come home again.” She laughed embarrassedly. “That sounds dumb, doesn’t it?”

“No, it doesn’t,” Alice replied, taking a few steps closer to Dana. Her face quickly assumed a wry look as she added, “it does sound a little morbid, though.”

Dana laughed gently in agreement before sinking tiredly onto her couch and closing her eyes. Although it had only been a short drive from the hospital to her apartment, she suddenly felt exhausted.

Alice grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and laid it over Dana carefully. As she tucked it in snugly around Dana, she suddenly remembered doing the exact same thing ten days ago – the night she had left to go on her date, a few hours before Dana had been rushed to the hospital. Her face grew serious as a flash of guilt shot through her at the memory.