Settling In

Since it was summer break, Matt spent most of the next few days at the hospital with Candy but he seemed ill at ease and did not say much.

At last, Candy decided to ask him what was wrong. "Matt, is everything okay?"

Matt hesitated.

"You don't need to stay here with me, you know," she said quietly. "I'm okay now."

"No! That's not it!" Matt shook his head, looking troubled. "I just – I just want to tell you how sorry I am, Candy."

Candy gaped at him, taken aback by the unusual seriousness of his tone.

"Sorry? Why are you sorry?"

Matt looked at her with anguished eyes.

"I was a jerk to you from the beginning, Candy, a complete and total jerk. I led the way in making your life at school more difficult than it was already." He paused, swallowing hard. "I – I thought we were just having fun – I never thought about what you were feeling. Candy, I'm so, so sorry about everything I did."

"Matt, that's okay, really," she replied softly, taken aback both by his apology and by the guilt on his face.

"No, but that's not the end of it." He looked tortured but forced himself to go on. "That day at The Cream King…you didn't slip and fall, Candy – Nora tripped you."

"What? But why would she do that?" Candy was astounded. She had known that Nora hated her, but she had never imagined she would actually hurt her.

"I – I think it's because of the way I've treated you, Candy." Matt sounded agonized. "I thought it was fun to rag you, but hurting you physically was never on my agenda. But I guess people took their cue from me and took things too far…I know you have no reason to believe me, Candy, and I wouldn't blame you if you don't, but I honestly had no idea Nora was planning to trip you up. I can't forgive myself or forget that you could have died because of me and my friends."

He looked at her, despair and remorse written on his face. Candy smiled softly at him, feeling an enormous weight lift off of her chest. "I believe you, Matt…and all those other things? I forgive you for all that, so you don't have to feel bad about it anymore."

"Thank you, Candy…and I promise you that, from now onwards, I'll always be there to take care of you." Matt took her hand in his big, warm one and she felt a tingling spread through her, touching her in places she had never felt before.

After that, Matt hardly left her side except to go home and change, and slowly she began to feel more comfortable with him now that they had both put the past behind them.

Of course, spending so much time alone with him only increased her crush on him massively, but that was her own little secret.

Candy was discharged the next weekend, and as the Kanes brought her home she couldn't help but feel excited about her new life. Her eyes widened at the sight of their palatial mansion with its tall wrought-iron gate, sweeping drive, well-tended gardens and manicured lawns.

"C'mon, you have to see your room," Matt said excitedly.

Melinda and Matt led Candy up the broad marble stairs with Rich following them, amused by Matt's enthusiasm. At the top of the stairs, passages to the right and left led off to a number of rooms.

"Our room is on the other side," Melinda said as they led Candy to the left. "Matt's and your rooms are in this wing." She opened a door.

"This is yours, Candy," she said. "I wasn't sure what you'd like but we wanted the room ready when you came home, so I chose pink. What do you think?"

Candy stared in awe. It was a huge room, bigger even than the living room back at Aunt Lucy's. There was a queen-sized bed with a pretty pink and cream cover and several cushions and pillows in matching shades. Curtains in a deep rose color were drawn back, allowing sunshine to stream in through the big windows. There were a couple of comfortable armchairs and a small elegant table arranged near the windows. A big cream-colored wardrobe and matching dressing table stood to one side.

"Candy? Do you like it?" Melinda asked a trifle anxiously.

"I – I can't stay here," Candy stammered.

"Oh, honey, we can redecorate it if you don't like it, or you can choose another room," Melinda said quickly.

"I told you it was too pink, Mon," Matt smirked.

"No – the room is lovely, I've never seen such a beautiful room, Mrs. Kane," Candy rushed into speech. "But – but – it's too much for me. C-can't I stay with the staff? You've already done so much for me -"

"Candy, my dear." Rich spoke for the first time. "We're your family now, and we'd like to do everything we can for you, same as we would for Matt. We'd love for you to think of us as your family and call us Uncle Rich and Aunt Melinda, if you feel comfortable with that."

"Candy, we don't have a daughter, and I think God sent you to us to maybe fill that gap," Melinda added. "I'm so looking forward to doing girl stuff with you, like going shopping, for one! You can't believe how boring these two can be when it comes to certain things!"

Candy looked around at her new family, seeing nothing but genuine concern and affection for her in their eyes.

"Mrs. – Aunt Melinda, Uncle Rich – I'll never forget what you've done for me all my life," she said seriously. "I didn't have anything a few days back and now, you've given me everything."

"Oh, honey." Melinda pulled her in for a hug as Rich patted her head. "Now, let's get you settled in."

"We may be family now, but don't expect me to think of you as my sister," Matt whispered mischievously in her ear, and Candy blushed.

Candy found her new life with the Kanes exciting, exhilarating, and at times, bewildering. She had woken up early the day after her return from the hospital and rushed down to the kitchen to start her chores. Mrs. Hudson, the housekeeper, had instead given her a glass of hot milk and a cookie and then shooed her out of her domain. Candy had just managed to find the supply closet and get herself a dustpan and broom when she had run into a bemused Melinda.

"Candy, what are you doing?" she had asked, puzzled.

"I – I just thought I would get started with the cleaning since Mrs. Hudson wouldn't let me cook breakfast," Candy had replied diffidently.

"Oh, honey." Melinda had divested her of her cleaning equipment and led her into a cozy little parlor. "Candy dear, you don't have to do any housework now," she said when they were seated. "We have Mrs. Hudson and the other staff for all that."

"But Aunt Melinda – how do I -" Candy bit her lip. "I want to – to do something to pay for my keep."

"Sweetheart, we told you that we're your family now, and that means you're the same as Matt. Family members don't pay for their keep, honey."

Candy thought of her own family where Uncle Ed and Aunt Lucy had made her do all the work in the house and still never given her even a kind word in return. She had never imagined a family could be like this, she thought. Why would the Kanes want to do so much for when they would get nothing in return? Melinda must have sensed her thoughts, for she took Candy's hand in hers and spoke gently to her.

"Candy, the only thing we'd like from you that would make us very happy is for you to be happy with us," she said. "All we want is for you to live your life like any other teenager. That's all we expect from you, dear."

Candy stared at Melinda, seeing nothing but sincerity in her eyes. She nodded slowly, warmth spreading in her chest. "I'll make sure you are never disappointed in me, Aunt Melinda," she said quietly. "I'll do well in my studies, and – and everything and make you and Uncle Rich proud of me."

Melinda smiled at her, though there were tears in her eyes. "We're already proud of you, honey," she said softly. "So very proud of you."

A couple of days later, Matt woke up suddenly in the middle of the night. He glanced sleepily at his phone. 3 am! Lots of time before he had to get ready for school. But what had woken him up?

He waited for a few minutes but there was only silence. He was just about to drift off when he heard it again, a kind of choking, sobbing noise that made him sit up straight in bed.

"What was that?" he wondered, switching on his bedside lamp. He got up and padded to the door, clad only in his boxers. The noise seemed to be coming from the room next door – Candy's room! He paused for a second, then knocked. There was no answer, just that weird noise again. Matt tried the door and finding it open, went inside quietly.

Candy was threshing about in the bed, the sheets tangled around her legs. A thin, keening noise escaped her lips as she moved restlessly.

"She must be having a nightmare!" Matt thought, hurrying over to the bed. He sat beside her and touched her shoulder gently. "Candy! Candy! Wake up!" he said softly. "Wake up – it's just a dream!"

"Wh -" Candy's eyes flew open, the pupils huge and unfocused. "I – please…don't…no – please!" she whimpered. Unable to bear the look of terror in her eyes, Matt gathered her in his arms and pulled her to him. He held her against his chest, stroking her hair soothingly.

"It's okay, Candy, it's okay, I'm here now," he said over and over till at last her shaking subsided. At last, she drew away and looked up at him awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, I – I just had a bad dream," she mumbled, flushing. "I'm sorry I disturbed you."

"You don't have to apologize, Candy," Matt replied quietly. "I'm just glad I could be there for you."

"Thank you, Matt." Candy's flush deepened. "You – you can go now – I'm okay."

"I'll just wait a bit till you're sleepy again." Matt felt strangely reluctant to leave her alone, especially when she looked so vulnerable. He hesitated. "Candy, do you, you know, get these dreams often?"

Candy bit her lip. Matt would think her an even bigger weirdo than he already did, but she did not want to lie to him.

"Maybe twice, thrice a week," she said reluctantly. "But it's okay, Matt, really."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, concerned.

Candy shook her head, eyes downcast. She didn't want to seem even more pathetic by telling him about the dreams that had haunted her ever since she could remember, from when she had come to live with the Clarkes. "It's nothing important, Matt. I'm sure I'll get over it."

Matt nodded, privately resolving to speak to his mother about it the next day. He looked at Candy, struck by the desolation on her face.

"Come here," he said, drawing her gently back to him. She stiffened in surprise but did not resist, so Matt simply held her till at last she relaxed against his strong chest, soothed by the steady beat of his heart. He didn't know how long he sat there like that, holding her safe in his warm embrace till at last her eyelids drooped. He laid her back gently against the pillows and pulled the covers up. "Good night, Candy," he said softly as her eyes drifted shut. "From now on, I'll always be here to take care of you."