From Darkness Comes - Book 2 in the Ash and Ember Series

The Night Whisperer

The next morning, after a restless night's sleep, I awake even earlier than usual. I head to the gym immediately, hoping that exercise will provide me with some clarity. My feet pound on the treadmill as my head races with thoughts of those last moments with Wyler, before I discovered that he had turned on me. Thoughts of our last couple weeks together. Thoughts of how we used to be. Thoughts of him kissing me. Touching me. But every time I think of Wyler pulling me close and pressing his lips to mine, it's Kelly I see when I pull away. My mind continues to betray me, scrambled by both Environettix and my parents, to believe one thing and forget another. The enemy and the people I loved most were both messing with my head, and the longer I am left with nothing but my thoughts to keep me company, the more confused I become.

I take a long hot shower, trying to drag out the time. I want to see Wyler but I'm trying desperately not to, for reasons I don't fully understand. I think part of me doesn't want to forgive him, but I know that if I'm around him, it will be impossible not to. How do you not forgive someone who still holds a piece of your heart?

I dress and pull my wet hair back into a loose bun. I stare at the breakfast on my plate pushing the food around with my fork. My appetite is non-existent, and as stubborn as I am, I know I won't be able to hold out much longer. I stand and push my chair away from the table, grab my zip-up sweatshirt and head out the door towards the infirmary.

A moment of dread fills me when I see Wyler missing from his room. A nurse is stripping the sheets and my panic rises. Why didn't I come sooner? Why am I so damn stubborn? Before I can spiral too far into the pit of irrational hypotheticals, the nurse sees me and tells me that they've moved Wyler from the contagion unit to the regular ward and I'm no longer required to dress in my infectious disease ensemble, which comes as a welcome relief.

I find Wyler in the physical therapy unit. He has one hand on a bar and another wrapped around Constantine as I enter the room. He looks up at me and is so surprised by my presence that he wobbles for a moment, nearly losing his balance.

"Easy, night whisperer," Constantine teases.

"Night whisperer?" I inquire, as I approach.

"That's the nickname the other nurses and I came up with, on account of him talking in his sleep at night." She gives Wyler a teasing smile.

"Really?" I giggle. Wyler looks somewhat embarrassed. "What does he talk about?"

"Nothing," Wyler immediately interjects.

"You darlin," Constantine replies, despite the intense stare down Wyler is giving her.

"What?" I ask, confused by her response.

"He talks about you."

"Oh," I say, both shocked and unsure of how to respond. I turn to Wyler whose face is bright red. When my eyes meet his, he immediately looks down at his feet.

"Well, I'll let you take over," Constantine says, as she grabs my arm and pulls me to where she was standing. She wraps Wyler's arm around my shoulder. Then she turns to leave with another smirk on her face. She's quite pleased with her meddling.

"You said she was great, but I'm starting to think she's more of a pain in my ass," Wyler says, trying to lighten the mood and avert the awkward tension lingering heavily in the air.

I know better than anyone that you can't control your dreams and that sometimes they don't mean what you think they do. Sometimes they mean something entirely different than what's on the surface. Sometimes they can be trying to tell you something which you hold deep down inside, helping you work through feelings you don't quite understand, and sometimes they don't mean anything at all. I can't help but wonder which one of these applies to Wyler's dreams about me.