Breaking Barriers - S.R.

19

I woke up the next morning to an empty bed. I could hear muffled voices and recognized them as Spencer and Diana. They must've been having a conversation in the living room. There was a fleeting moment of peace before the weight of yesterday came crashing down on me. I wondered if Diana would have any memory of what she did. From the small amount of information I had on her condition, I don't think she would recall the events of yesterday, but I wasn't sure.

I laid in bed silently listening to their soft tones, but unable to make out any of the words spoken. I gathered that Diana was having a good day based on the lack of raised voices. I wasn't sure how she would react if she saw me coming out of Spencer's room, so I stayed in bed, hoping that Spencer would come back soon. I was still pretty tired from the last couple of days so I wasn't bothered by it, but I did wish Spencer would've still been asleep when I woke up. I know he needs more sleep than I do.

It wasn't long before the door slowly opened and a mop of brown hair peeked around at me, a small smile on his face when he saw I was awake. He slipped back into the room and closed the door behind him, coming to sit down on the bed beside me. He was still dressed in a t-shirt and sweats, much to my surprise.

"Good morning, sleepy head." He teased, pushing my tangled hair away from my face as I sat up. He handed me a cup of coffee and I wrapped my hands around it gratefully, taking a sip.

"Thanks." I smiled as he leaned in and placed a short but sweet kiss on my lips. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good. You?" He asked.

"Good. Is your mom okay?"  I replied, glancing at the door.

"She's having a good morning. She's entertaining herself with a book right now." He stated. "I told her you're here and she remembered you, so you don't have to hide."

I smiled softly. "I should probably go home and take a shower soon anyway. How long have you been up?"

"Only an hour or so. Can we talk for a minute before you go?" He asked, moving to sit directly in front of me.

"Yeah, of course." I replied, swallowing the lump in my throat. Something about the look on his face made me feel uneasy.

"You lied to me yesterday." He said calmly.

"About what?" I replied.

He gave me a disappointed look and his shoulders dropped slightly. "I know what happened between you and my mom, Liv. You didn't run into a door."

I stared at him for a moment before averting my eyes and setting the cup of coffee on the nightstand. "How did you find out?"

"Cassie told me before she left yesterday." He replied.

Cassie. That's the nurse's name. "I'm sorry I lied to you, I just couldn't put that on your plate with everything else that happened yesterday. It wouldn't do you any good to have known. I was planning on keeping it a secret and it would've worked if Cassie hadn't told you." I sighed.

"I would've figured it out eventually. You're a terrible liar and that story wasn't even believable." A small smirk formed on his lips in amusement. "I'm not mad at you for lying. I understand why you did it, but you don't need to protect me. I'm a grown man, Liv, and I can handle it. I need to know when something like this happens."

"I know. I just watch you constantly dealing with so many terrible things and there's nothing I can do to help. I figured I could at least spare you the pain of that situation. It's not like she knew what she was doing anyway." I shrugged, my eyes drifting down to where his hand was covering my own.

He sighed. "No, she isn't herself when those things happen, and I'm sorry that happened to you. I've been trying to prevent something that like that which is why I limit her interactions with you to when she is acting like herself." He leaned forward, catching my attention again. "But you're wrong about not being helpful. You help me so much more than you know just by being here for me."