26th January 2040
“Hello, is this Sadie Monroe?”
The voice on the phone said to her, interrupting her from the recording session she was in - beginning the process of her new album, following the single she had released months prior - and had been in the charts ever since. Sadie hadn’t been expecting any calls, as she had already checked in on her brother, Ray, as she did on most days and the call from… Billboard Women in Music Awards… wasn’t due for at least another month. Not that she was waiting on it or anything.
“Yes, this is her speaking,” Sadie replied - slightly apprehensively. The apprehension had been correct for her to have, as she immediately was responded with: “I am calling from Cerulean Emergency Room, there’s been an accident involving your daughter,” A brisk sit-up quickly evolved to a race to her car, and within minutes after that line, Sadie was already en route to the ER, her head filling with awful worse-case scenarios she could be driving into. What was the last thing she said to Annie? Or Kyra? Were those her last moments with either of them?
Trying to suppress her thoughts, Sadie burst through the doors into the corridor, to the room she was led into by the nurse whose voice matched the one on the phone. “Annie,” She realised out loud, running over to the hospital bed, her eyes filling with tears immediately. Annie had always been a subject of concern to Sadie – she knew Annie was a loose cannon and was constantly worried she didn’t know the right way to approach it sometimes. And now Sadie’s uncertainty came at the expense of her daughter. “She was involved in a crash, she was driving, and the car collided with the house of your ex-husb–” “Jordan? Where is he, is he okay?” “Unfortunately he was victim to the accident also, and we’re working to keep him stable right now,” The nurse told her, adding another weight onto her shoulders - both Jordan and Annie.
She tried to speak, to ask further questions, but her throat was dry and her words were lost. Sadie’s breath started to quicken like she was short for air - like she couldn’t breathe. No, she couldn’t. She was gasping, and now her eyes were darting around the room, looking for something to lean against - but there was just empty space, except now she couldn’t see that, her vision was cloudy - and she was still trying to catch her breath - and then it was gone.
Sadie’s eyes opened in a different room, the bright light making her sit up immediately after waking. “You’re okay,” The nurse told her, reassuring her confusion they both knew Sadie was feeling. “You just passed out, and we brought you into the room next to Annie’s,” She told her. She continued before Sadie even had the chance to ask: “Who is also okay - Annie we expect to wake up in a few days, she is stable. As is Jordan.” Sadie found the breath she had lost, the one she was gasping to find, and she could finally exhale it at the thought that they were going to be okay. “Thank you, so much,” Was all she could say.
“As for you, the faint was mainly due to the stress of the news, but I wanted to do a few blood tests just in case - if you permit this,” She suggested to Sadie. Though she didn’t think it was necessary, and that any time to spare should really be spent on Jordan and Annie rather than her, Sadie still nodded in agreement. With Sadie’s permission, it was not long before the nurse was taking blood samples from her. “Am I okay to go back into Annie’s room?” Sadie asked the nurse hiding all signs of slight impatience she had toward seeing her again. “Of course, I’m all done here, I should be able to give you results in the next few days.”
28th January 2040
The last 48 hours Sadie had spent in the hospital room of Annie’s, waiting for any sign of her waking up. She could not bring herself to leave the premises, and instead, she sat at the table in the room, that faced her daughter. The only thing that kept her sane at that time was writing, an outlet for her worrying as time passed by too slowly. If you only knew how I see you, would you come alive again? Her words for Annie she wrote, at some point in the small hours of the night when she couldn’t sleep.
As much as she tried to fight it, though, her need for food and/or water began to reach its peak by the morning of day 2. For the first time, she left the room and went to the general waiting room for the vending machine. Her head rested against the glass as she watched the soda she had selected roll down the frame of the machine. Then it stopped right before she could get it.
That was, until the machine began to shake from side to side, allowing the soda to continue its journey and become collectible. “D@mn thing hasn’t been working for days,” The man now standing beside her said, though his demeanor changed when Sadie faced him. “Mrs— Annie’s mom,” Sadie looked in confusion for a moment at his mismatched address to her, and also to remember how to interact with another human being again after the many hours of what was essentially solitude.
“You’re here for Annie?” She asked him, her eyes squinting slightly to try and think who of Annie’s friends she was talking to. After his nod, Sadie questioned further - “How long have you been waiting?” Though the small cluster of his things at the chair indicated the answer of- “Since Thursday, Ma’am,” -the same two days she had also been waiting. For the first time since that day, a small smile crossed her face. “That’s a long time to wait for a friend,” Sadie commented as she began to walk back to the room, slight amusement coming from his hesitation. “So you must be Ricky?” She said- coming out as more of a statement than a question. She gave her own nod of confirmation, being able to put a face to the name she had heard from Annie, and allowing him to infer whatever he wanted from that.
“Okay, you made your fvkcing point, you can get off me I’m literally going,”
Surprise didn’t even begin to describe what Sadie felt when she heard a voice that could only be Annie’s in the corridor outside her room. Not only had she woken, but was already up- and fighting with one of the nurses. Sadie’s features softened to see her daughter, much sooner than she had expected, too. “Annie…” Was enough to get her attention, the frustrated look on Annie’s face immediately fading as she instinctively ran into an embrace. Though she shortly pulled away as words fell out of Annie as her tears did; “They won’t let me see if Dad is okay, I- this is my fault and I’m- I didn’t mean to do any of this- I know I’ve disappointed you and- I’m so sorr–”
“It was an accident,” Sadie reassured her, “Your Dad is going to be okay, I promise, and I’m just glad you’re okay, everyone’s okay,” She continued, straining to get the point across to her, for Annie to see how much Sadie meant it. She took Annie’s hand and made sure she was looking at her when she said; “Annie, I love you, okay? Nothing will change that, not this, not anything,” When she stopped, they hugged once again, Sadie holding onto her daughter, thankful for her to be safe and alive.
“Sadie Monroe?” The voice of the nurse echoed down the hall, reverting her attention. “Could I speak to you, please?” She requested, causing Annie and Sadie to break apart, Sadie nodding her head towards the waiting room. “Go, there’s someone waiting for you,” Sadie told her, trying to hide the smile of excitement trying to come through from her. “What, who?” “Just some friend, I think,” “What are you talking about?” Annie’s eyebrows raised in a worried-concerned-embarrassed manner, though edging towards the doors to the waiting room. “I don’t know,” Sadie shrugged, though said as if she did, in fact, know. “See for yourself,” Sadie told her, before she then made her way towards the beckoning nurse.
Rummaging through files, the nurse indicated for Sadie to sit - which she did so. As she did, a third party entered the room, a doctor. “Your results from the blood tests,” She told her, Sadie sat up, having barely thought of the tests since waiting for Annie. “The BNP tests, specifically, have some… complications,” She ambiguously told her, Sadie remaining quiet so she could expand. “The hormone levels, they are indicating a possibility of a more serious condition.” A silence followed those words, filled only by - “Oh,” Sadie managed to murmur. But it was only a possibility, right? Surely it wasn’t time to jump to conclusions already. Right? “I suggest an ECG, so we could come to an accurate diagnosis,” Sadie slowly nodded - mainly out of taking in the information, though she realised it could also be in agreement to the scan.
After the scan was arranged to be in a few days’ time, and she began an attempt at making sense in her mind what she had just heard (the attempt was failing), Sadie re-entered the corridor. Entering the same from the back exit was Annie, whose hands pressed against her head, and Friend Ricky. “Are you okay? Annie, baby, are you okay?” Sadie asked in a fluster, approaching as her hands raised to either side of Annie’s head. “Just mild… to moderate concussion,” Annie muttered, straining. Sadie ushered her back into the inpatient room, before Sadie and Ricky were advised to stay in the hallway by the doctor who was checking on Annie.
“Thank you for bringing her back,” Sadie’s voice echoed quietly towards Ricky - as she knew Annie probably would not have returned on her own accord. “Of course,” He said, “I just hope she’s okay, I-…” The pause caught Sadie’s attention. She knew that pause. She had given that pause about people in her life. “… I care about her,” Ricky finally continued. Sadie smiled at that, at knowing that Annie had someone else looking out for her - in the case that Sadie’s support was to no longer be around… somehow. “Please don’t change that,” Sadie told him, looking across at him. Then her voice grew stronger, with slight sternness to it – “And don’t mess her up,” She said. Sadie looked over as Ricky fidgeted in his place slightly.
“Please,” Sadie turned to face him more. Maybe she was trying to compensate for something. That everything seemed so unstable that she needed to know that there would be something less-than-temporary for Annie, at least for her own peace of mind. And maybe that was a lot to put on the teenage boy, who probably had enough going on. This was why she didn’t push for any promises and answers, and why she finished with: “Just… be careful with her, please?” Before walking back into Annie’s impatient room.
14th February 2040
Without saying a word to anyone, Sadie had taken the ECG the nurse had suggested and she had reluctantly agreed to. Days later, Sadie was still waiting on her response - which soon brought the morning she was called into the hospital. Which, was becoming a regular thing, nowadays. Though she could only assume it was for one thing. On the phone, Sadie remained calm and composed, though hanging up she failed to hide her anxiety that had been building up over the last few days. Of course, her mind had gone to worst-case scenarios, that she knew were highly possible - and could be confirmed in the next few hours.
“Just this way, Miss Monroe,” The doctor beckoned Sadie soon after she had arrived at the hospital. “We’ve contacted the rest of you’re immediate family too, so they should be coming soon,” He told her, walking ahead of her. “What?” Sadie exclaimed, freaking out as they approached the impatient room he was leading them to. Were any of them already here? Did they know? They can’t find out from the doctor, they can’t find out anything right now, it might not even be anything, it wasn’t worth making into a big deal. “What, why? What did you say? You can’t, they can’t kno—” “Sadie.” “Jordan?”
Suddenly Sadie felt stupid for thinking this had been about her, she had been overreacting, they probably even forgot about her scan because the results were so normal. This was the focus, Jordan was awake, alive, and that was the most important thing, and Sadie could only feel relief as she rushed over to him. Though her relief quickly evolved to be something more complex when Jordan’s lips met hers. “No, Jordan… it’s me, Sadie, I’m not- Jezebel is, she’s-” Sadie quickly turned to the nurse in the room, hoping to find a solution from her. But once his wife entered the room it had become clear: Jordan didn’t remember anything. Which, consequentially, included any memory of Annie.
After Annie’s arrival, and realization of Jordan’s circumstances, Sadie sat with her in the waiting room where they had been advised to stay – to prevent Jordan from any further stress. “This is all my fault, I don’t know what to- he’s going to- I can’t—” Annie sat with her hands running through her hair, looking down at the ground, gasping for air between her disjointed sentences. “Annie,” Sadie took both her hands to focus Annie’s attention on her. “It was an accident, we all know that, Jordan will know that,” “But even before, he hated m- I made him hate me, he will never forgive this, it will never be okay, he won’t want me part of the fami- he doesn’t even know me, I-”
“He will know you, he will remember you, okay? This, this is just temporary, he will remember, and when he does he will love you. The same way he did before, the same way he always have,” Sadie reassured, continuously having to re-establish eye contact that Annie kept breaking. “But I fvcked- I’m fvcked up–” “You are loving, and strong, and maybe slightly relentless, and you were scared and confused,” Sadie told her, “But you are not, you are not fvcked up, and you will always be loved by your father. And by me. Okay?” The moment was broken by the nurse who re-entered the waiting room, calling for Sadie. She stood when Annie made it clear she was okay with it. But just before she left, Sadie turned again - “You’re not your mistakes, don’t define yourself by something that was an accident,” She said, “I love you.”
Expecting to be brought back to a man waiting for his… supposed ‘wife’, Sadie was led into a room different from the one Jordan was in. She sat across from the doctor she realised was the same one she spoke to weeks prior. Which indicated to her immediately what this was about. What horrendous timing. “Miss Monroe, the results of your ECG have come back,” Sadie pulled at a loose thread on her sweater, clinging onto it in an attempt to displace her nerves as she looked back up at the doctor. “Unfortunately, the results confirm our concerns, and because it has gone unnoticed, it has already advanced to a severe stage.”
The details followed by this were received in blur by Sadie, as it was nothing to counter their initial statement. There was no life-saving information, only slight preventions, and delays to the recently learned… and potentially upcoming inevitable. All they could do was give her medication, and all she could do was nod and accept it, and know that this was the best they could do. Before she knew it, Sadie stood back in the waiting room, feeling worlds away from when she last had been.
“What is it, Mom?” Sadie looked to Annie, who’s attention she had caught, and who somehow found room to be concerned despite her own concerning state. “I’m–” She stopped herself. More so, the look on Annie’s face stopped her, the burden that was already on her with her own father not remembering her. How could she add to that? Why did she need to when, at least for now, she was still here? “Jordan was asking for ‘his wife’, apparently,” Sadie replied, trying to make that abnormal sentence come out as naturally as possible.
Her reply was still faced with a look of upset, laced with the same guilt from earlier. “Hey,” Sadie tucked a strand of Annie’s hair behind her ear. “He will be okay, I promise,” She reassured her once again. “He will remember again, and he will remember our gift of having you brought into our lives,” Sadie said before hugging her, holding on slightly more for her own sake. “Who could forget you for too long, anyway?”
[[ Track 4 ]] I need you to understand, that I don’t mind your shadows
28th March 2040
The surprise on Jordan’s face almost made Sadie regret turning up. Not that she should, as much as it was out of want - she also kind of needed to come. It had been a few weeks since the triplets were born, and his memory came back to him, and so things were… somewhat verging on ‘normal’. “You’re not my wife,” He said, mainly to himself. “Wasn’t as obvious as you might think,” Sadie replied light-heartedly, only slightly more audible than his statement - but loud enough to trigger slight panic in Jordan. Too soon? Maybe too soon.
“I didn’t- I meant I had- I was just expecting her–” “I’m kidding, I’m here to pick up Annie’s bag she left last time she was here,” Sadie explained, though cringed at herself when she realised it wasn’t enough of an emergency to be coming unexpectedly. “Maybe I should have called if this is a bad–” Though she cut herself off when Jordan indicated for her to come in. “I’ll just go look for where she might have left it,” He told her before disappearing, Sadie left standing in the middle of the room. She looked up at the ceiling, a pit forming in her stomach. No one tells you how to plan the potential last moments with people. How to say goodbye without letting the other person know what it is. Sadie closed her eyes when she felt tears filling in them, though her thoughts were interrupted when it seemed she wasn’t the only one crying.
But the baby was slightly more obvious in doing so and caught the attention of both her and Jordan, who had promptly re-entered just after Sadie managed to compose herself. “Almost impossible to get the three of them happy at once,” Jordan joked as Sadie watched him rocking the baby, an uncontrollable smile crossing her face at the sight. “You know you’re an amazing father, Jordan,” She told him. Before he could give her a debating response, she continued, “And I knew you would be, when I met you, I knew,” Sadie told him, as she knew Jordan to be fearful of the father he turned out to be, due to the one he had. Despite those concerns, or maybe it was because of them, he became the best parenting figure she had seen. In a more playful manner, she added - “And I was right,” with a shrug and a smile.
In another life, Sadie wouldn’t need an excuse to see him. But in this one, she watched as the man continued to settle the baby he had with his wife. Regardless, he had been everything to her. Jordan taught her to love, and they even learned parental love together - she would forever be grateful to him. Her first love, and probably her last and… only. She wouldn’t be any of that for him, but that didn’t matter. Sadie let go of any regret and resentment of their history, as everything turned out how it was supposed to.
“Jordan,” Sadie called over as he began to turn away. Okay, now he was facing her, expecting her to say something. Because most people have something to say when calling others. “We’re…” She eventually began, “We’re good, right?” She finally came out with. Something she had been holding back from asking since his memory came back, since he re-married, since they separated, since everything. Now she could finally ask, because, what really did she have to lose? “Yeah,” He stated like it was obvious. But they both knew how far from the surface level that question actually was. “Of course we are,” He reinforced, despite how confusing and out-of-place this sudden need for closure may seem. No, they would never be the same, but yes, they were okay.
“It should just be in here,” Jordan said, interrupting the moment. Coming back down to earth, Sadie tried to find context to what he was saying. “What should?” She asked in defeat. He gave her a slight look of confusion - no, suspicion - as he replied, “Annie’s bag,” A.K.A the reason you came here, Sadie. Way to keep a good cover. Before she could even begin a reasonable response to that, Jordan reappeared with the reason she came. Which then became her reason to leave. “Thank you,” She said as he passed it over. But as nonchalant as it seemed, it wasn’t a Thank you for the bag. “Bye, Jordan.”
[[ Track 2 ]] Goodbye’s so much harder, 'cause we were happy
11th April 2040
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Billboard Women in Music Awards, where we recognize and celebrate the hard work, dedication and excellence of all the talented and successful women in the industry. I’m Hailey Coleman and I am honored to be back as your host tonight.” After everything that had taken place in the last few months, the awards that had once been constantly on her mind had become a mere afterthought by the time they came. To put it simply, things hadn’t been getting better. But after being emailed prior about the results, Sadie knew she could use the event in her own way - and with a good wardrobe, hair and makeup department no one could guess what was going on under the surface.
Even after all the time that passed, Sadie and Liza Koshy still remained close friends post-Work It. Tonight they reminded the fans of that fact, turning up and then sitting together at the awards show. “We’re going to start off the night with a woman new to the scene, our Breakthrough Artist, who has very quickly taken the world by a storm, and we’re all sure will continue to do so,” Hailey broadcasted as she began to open the envelope, “So… this award goes to Lula Montez!” Sadie applauded along as the young recipient stood. She was nervous as she approached the stage, but it wasn’t obvious. Sadie could only read that as someone who has been in that exact position before. Though she had only spoken to Lula at a few events, Sadie still felt a sense of emotional pride watching her on the stage. Like Hailey said, Lula was only at the beginning of a promising career. Maybe she even felt a hint of envy at that.
Small talk and awards went on, then finally came the moment Sadie had been waiting for. Suddenly she was the one that was nervous. “The Women of the Year award goes to an especially accomplished woman in the music industry, her success as a recording artist keeps reaching new highs, and is continuously doing every woman proud. This goes to Sadie Elizabeth, everyone!”
Sadie had been told prior that she had won, and while she had prepared her speech and attempted to prepare herself… there was still a part of her that was trying to convince herself that maybe it was a fake email and this wasn’t real. Women of the Year? She couldn’t begin to understand how she fit the description she had been given in that announcement. Even getting up out of her seat, it still felt like a dream. This was something she had fantasized for years. And it was real. She was really standing to make an acceptance speech for her dream.
"I- This…- I can’t put into words how much this means. This is everything. This moment is more than what I could have even begun to imagine when I started. I’m honoured to be your Woman of the Year, next to all the sensational women that came before me. Thank you all for seeing me, and teaching me to never apologise for myself, and to take up space in my life.
"I suppose now would be a better time than any to announce my next, my 5th, album. It’s called this is it. It’s been in the making for the last year and… to call it sentimental would be an understatement. It’s about turning a page on life, facing some hard goodbyes. When things get hard, and they do sometimes, it’s okay to let yourself feel everything… and nothing all at once, but those feelings and those hard times won’t last forever. With ends come new beginnings, and love and light in new ways that will bring happiness in different ways. A new chapter. I hope this album helps you get to that place, like it did me.
“Thank you for following me through this journey. I don’t know where I would be without the people I have had around me, without my friends, without my family, without my fans. I want to be there forever in the same way you all have been for me. Thank you to my team, to my label. To everyone I’ve worked with, to Liza, to Keiynan. To Jordan. To my family, Justin, Kyra, Annie. You all make me feel so incredibly lucky. I can’t wait to see you all grow, to enter new chapters. Thank you.”
On the 1st May 2040, it became public news that Sadie Elizabeth Monroe has passed away due to an underlying health condition. When going through her things, a memory stick labeled ‘Ready to release’ was found, holding the contents of the album she had announced. Sadie’s 5th studio album, this is it, was released as she wished several days later.
I thought this could be a good opportunity to bring back the OG characters, to attend a wake that would be at her house, and it would have been what she wanted for everyone to come. This can also include NB characters as well, even like unrelated/non-legacy because they can have shown up to support friends.
