Page 89 of Alexander: Alexander's Story

The moment shatters, and Blanks pushes past my hand and leaves me in the kitchen.

“Yeah,” I turn to the nurse, “I’m back.” She nods at me while following Blanks with her eyes.

“I’m going to shower, but when I’m out, I’d love to sit down and talk about Emma’s progress. Can we do that?” She nods, giving me a look somewhere between annoyance and discomfort. “Great.” On our last few nightly phone calls to review Emma’s status, I thought I heard disdain in Beck’s voice. Being in person confirms it.Great.

“Caleb!” I can hear her shout over the sound of the faucet running. I turn it off and listen to what sounds like muffledcrying. Terrified and still half naked, I take off, running down the stairs, rounding the hallway corner following the sounds.

“It just felt so real,” I hear Emma say, heaving a deep breath. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Just please, promise me you won’t leave me.” I stand in the doorway to Emma’s room, not fully prepared for the sight in front of me.

The sight of Emma curled into a ball in Blanks’s lap, her hands fisting his shirt as she cries nearly hysterically. His hands are threaded through her hair as he whispers back, “Never. I’ll never leave you.”

“Em?” I ask softly, drawing her attention.

“Alex?” she questions back. She slowly releases Blanks’s t-shirt but doesn’t move out of his embrace. Meanwhile, Blanks glares at me.

“Are you okay?” I ask, stepping past Becks, who is also in the room.

She sniffles before answering, “What are you doing here?” She couldn’t remember last night? Of course, that was more than I deserved.

“I came home last night…” I try to remind her gently, “Do you remember?” She stares at me long and hard.

“Maybe…” she eventually rasps out. “I-I thought it was a bad dream.”

“Bad?”

“Well, I don’t know,” she cries a little bit. “I was so relieved, but then I woke up and was alone again...it didn’t feel real. I wasn’t expecting to see you, I guess.” As innocently as possible, she’s taken my heart and stomped on it.

Becks gives me the side eye, a disapproving glare plastered on her face. The same glare is still plastered on Blanks’s face.

“I’m here now,” I say solemnly. What else can I do?

“Okay,” she says, still shrinking slightly away from me. “I-I’ll be out in a minute, okay?” She looks at me, asking for a moment.I wanted to curl in a ball myself, but eventually, I concede and back out of her room.

As soon as my back is turned, they’re whispering to each other, my blood reheating from the conversation with Blanks earlier.

He loves her.

Emma

They must think I’m the biggest fool.“I’m so stupid, Caleb. I’m sorry.” I can’t meet his eyes as he holds me. Not unlike he has many times before.

“Shut up, you are not.” He shakes me a little bit, trying to get sense back into me. I fear I will never be sensible again.

“I thought I imagined the whole thing.”

“Yeah, well, that’s hardly your fault, Angel.” I nod against his chest.

“I meant what I asked, you know.” I feel his body go still beneath mine. “Don’t leave me,” I whisper.

His hold on me tightens, and as much as I shouldn’t want it, I do. I can’t remember the last time Alex held me like this. I don’t know if it’s my shoddy memory or an actual fact, but Blanks was safe to me. I don’t want him to go away like he did last time. When I spent months wishing he would walk through that door.

Granted, back then, I hoped he was around for another reason…but now, I just need him. Like everything will be okay as long as he’s around.

“Whatever you want, Angel,” he eventually replies, loosening his hands from out of my hair. “I think Becks has waited patiently enough.” Jesus, I forgot she was still in the room.

“Right.” I crawl out of his lap and onto the other side of the bed, and Becks approaches, taking my wrist in her hand.

“Do you need a minute? Or are you ready?” Becks asks while my eyes glaze over. I’m aware of where I am, but my mind feels somewhere else. Or like it wants to be somewhere else. There’s an empty longing burning inside me that I don’t understand.