I pull Gabrielle’s hand into mine giving it a agency squeeze. “You all the time know the best way to inform me what to do with out making it appear to be you’re. You really are a Jedi.”

“Once I see you this glad, I need you to get it. No matter it’s, go get it.”

Chapter Sixteen

Dylan

The longer we sit right here, the extra I fear. I want I might have been the one to stand up and seize the espresso. I can’t wait till I can eliminate these crutches. Being stationary offers me one other perspective I won’t have in any other case. I hate the power I can’t burn off, which I notice is nerves. I’m attempting to determine which breaks my coronary heart extra, how I felt ready for Eli to get up or watching him torture himself as a result of he ought to have identified one thing was fallacious with Hayley.

I’ve watched him a whole bunch of instances ponder choices he’s made in a boardroom or on a convention name. His shoulders are rolled again, and his chin excessive. He could shut his eyes sometimes, however that’s solely to course of. For the final couple of hours, when he’s not pacing, his shoulders are rolled ahead, his head is hanging or resting on his hand, and his eyes are not laser centered. They’re shiny and vacant. I’m not solely frightened about Hayley, however I’m additionally frightened about him.

The strain in his fingers is clear as he walks again towards me. I wrap my hand over his as a substitute of taking the heat I’d like. “She’ll be okay. I promise.” He exhales as he permits his fingers to mingle with mine. “I do know you have to transfer. I perceive that. I do however sit with me for only a bit.”

He lowers to relaxation his physique near mine. Eli’s arm slides round my again, his fingers mindlessly twirling a chunk of my hair on the finish of my braid. “How’s your ache? I haven’t even requested. I’m sorry.”

“Eli, it’s okay. I’m not ache free, however I’m effective.”

“I dropped every part and ran. I didn’t even contemplate you.”

“Cease. I need you to cease it. I’m a giant woman. I stored up simply effective. It is advisable hear me after I say she’s going to be okay.”

“How might I be so blind, Viper? I’m her finest buddy. I purchased into her explanations for every part. I ought to have dug deeper.”

“Take heed to me. Sadly, if that is actually what we’re coping with, I’ve had some expertise with it.” His hand stops shifting. I can hear him maintain his breath. “No, not me. The lifetime of a dancer is usually very unforgiving. You wouldn’t consider the issues I’ve seen each women and men, girls and boys do to their our bodies for the value of a task or fame. It’s actually darkish and unhappy.”

“Why would she do that although? I don’t perceive.”

“Okay, first, the physician is just going off what he’s decoding primarily based on the exams. I do know he mentioned he acquired some data from Hayley, however you have to reserve judgment till we hear it from her.”

“What do you assume although, Dylan? Does this match what you’ve seen earlier than?” My fingers flex and contract across the heat cup in my hand. I stare down into the slowly rotating darkish liquid, wishing I had a special opinion than the physician. “Dylan?”

“Sure. Now that I’ve had time to assume again, sure, I feel he’s proper. I don’t need to deceive you. What I do know is that she has a terrific help system. She has a person in her life who loves her. Not every part is sunshine, however we’ll have the ability to get her again to herself.”

“How can we do this? What are we speaking about right here?”

“My guess is remedy. I feel it will be good for her anyway, particularly with the infant mama drama. If I needed to guess, if it have been me, that’s the place plenty of that is coming from.”

“Has she mentioned something to you in regards to the child? Hannah?”

“I imply… she has, and she or he hasn’t. She has plenty of questions, and rightfully so. I do know I’d if I have been in her sneakers. I do know we’re not prepared, at the least I’m not, for a child, however should you had one with another person…” I let that thought cling within the air not just for him, however for me too. I assume it’s all the time been behind my thoughts. Simply figuring out he was married to Tori is sufficient to drive me to need to punch one thing. I can solely think about what it will really feel like if he shared a baby together with her. “I hadn’t considered it till I mentioned it. Wow.”

“Wow, what? Inform me.”

“I do know Hayley wouldn’t thoughts, however nonetheless I don’t need to break her confidence. If it have been me, I’d need to know I’ve my place. I’d be yours, the infant can be yours and hers. There would all the time be this kind of wall, ? If Hannah is something like Tori, which I believe she may be, there might be some sport enjoying happening right here.

“Wes is quite a bit such as you. His compass would possibly level the whole fucking other way typically. Nonetheless, he does have a really robust sense of loyalty and we each know the way he feels about household. I don’t know her, but when she is aware of this and needs to make use of it in a nasty method, she might actually fuck together with his head, and in flip, Hayley’s.”

“I haven’t requested. I didn’t need to step into their enterprise. The one fucking time I determine to remain out of it, that is the outcome. Now isn’t the time to probe. We have to get Hayley higher and residential. We have to get her to really feel secure then we are able to speak about every part. I’m not going to let both of them drown.”

“Eli, you possibly can’t make selections for them both. As a lot as you need to repair it, the one ones who actually can are Wes and Hayley.”

Eli sighs in defeat as he lets his head drop over onto my shoulder. I relaxation my head in opposition to his whereas my fingers thread by means of his. His thumb slides forwards and backwards throughout my wedding ceremony band like an anxiousness ring. I hope it helps.

“Mr. Sawyer?”

Eli’s head jets up from my shoulder on the sound of his identify. A nurse has approached us. “Sure?”

“Your sister is asking for you. I can take you to her should you’d like?”

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