"And I'm happy to see you." Agny replied. "I can't wait to go home."
"We won't move from here until the doctor says."
Agny shook her head. "I already know that. But... I just want to sleep, I'm tired." She confessed.
Anni-Frid stroked her hand, she looked exhausted indeed. "Mormor, we will go home and I will take care of you. School is over, I just have to go deliver a project but that's all. I promise I'll take care of you." It was a subliminal message, a way of telling her that she could stay and carry on with her life as before, that she would always be by her side. Anni-Frid silently asked her not to go to Norway. Was she being selfish? She pushed the thought at the back of her mind, it was too soon to feel guilty.
"Ssh, okay," Agny yawned long. "Oh god, what's with these serums? I swear I'm terribly sleepy."
Anni-Frid giggled. "Sleep if you want, I'll be here. Also, the doctor will come soon." Agny nodded with her eyes closed. Anni-Frid believed that she would indeed sleep but she suddenly continued speaking.
"Daughter, don't let your Aunt Olive bother you." She said, looking at her again. "She's just stressed and worried."
Anni-Frid reduced herself to nodding. The last thing she wanted was to cause her grandmother more anguish. "Everything's fine."
***
Anni-Frid propped herself up on her elbows on the bed, taking the locket in her hands. Agny was stable at the moment, yet she had to stay in the hospital for at least another two days. Visiting hours were over so Olive sent the girls home, Anni-Frid refused at first, but with Olive here she took a backseat.
The sun had already disappeared over the horizon, the room was illuminated by the lamp. She was alone with her thoughts, could finally clear her mind. The last twenty-four hours were anything but expected; first Ragnar arrives at the ball and then Agny has a heart attack. It was chaotic, all in a matter of hours. Anni-Frid played with the locket in her fingers, opened it and the photo of Benny and her appeared in front of her eyes, stealing a smile as always.
Her breath hitched and her heart dropped for the second time in less than a day. She had forgotten. Anni-Frid got up quickly, nearly tripping as she landed on the floor. She knew something was missing, something didn't fit. She flung open the door and reached for the hall phone; she raised it but she reconsidered, Sølvi was in the room across the hall. Anni-Frid left the phone in its place and, clutching the locket tightly in her left hand, ran down the stairs in search of the phone on the first floor. Anni-Frid dialed the hotel room number, really hoping for an answer. The phone rang but no one answered so she tried again. "Please, please, if you're there, answer," she murmured, squeezing her eyes shut, wanting to manifest. On the fourth ring, the phone was raised.
"Hello?"
"Benny!" Anni-Frid squealed with relief and happiness. Oh god, how good it was to hear his voice! One word was enough to make her skin crawl.
"Anni-Frid, honey," Benny sounded relieved on the other end of the line as well.
"Oh my god, you're there," Anni-Frid leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. She honestly believed that he would not answer, that he would be busy celebrating his day; his birthday. She forgot, in the middle of all chaos she had no time to think about anything else, not even her boyfriend's birthday.
"Yeah, I'm still here," Benny chuckled. "I just got out of the shower."
Her lips built a slowly smile as she blushed. Anni-Frid let out a sigh, but as she did so her entire body relaxed and her eyes turned to water again. Stop it , now! She chided herself, she was so sensitive. "Happy birthday to my one and only favorite Hep Star," she whispered, suddenly missing him fifty times more.