Her Road|Book 2|

Day 40|I

All it took was another day for everyone to be okay with me being around Harry.

My parents obviously had their reasons but they figured since the police were practically swarming the hospital, it was okay. Besides, Doctor Megan cleared me for physical movement and heart-stopping news. Yippie!

Annabeth spent a lot of hours around me since Harry's family wouldn't leave him. It was also already Sunday so it wasn't like she had anything going on. I couldn't believe the days had passed so quickly. Some long weekend it had been. And yet, it had been some weekend.

Every few minutes I'd slip a question about Harry. When she got annoyed by it, I asked about Emily or his father or mother. Annabeth told me that his mother hadn't shown up at all, still away. I wondered how that was possible. I was seriously starting to wonder what exactly the parents and Mr Malakai had done that weekend I'd babysat Emily.

Finally, Annabeth wheeled me away to his room.

"You know, I know Megan cleared you to walk." She huffed as she pushed my wheelchair down the corridor.

I smiled and laughed uneasily. "Milking it?"

She looked to say something but closed her mouth as her eyes settled on something. I looked forward and saw Mr Malakai leaning with a cup of coffee steaming in his hand.

His eyes met mine and I inhaled. This was our legitimate first meeting, the father of the boy I loved. Not only did the circumstances make it kinda awkward but the similarities pushed it over the edge.

Mr Malakai looked in no way good. Sleep deprived and worried about his son, he had bags under his eyes and his clothes were disheveled. But that did nothing to hide the fact that he was handsome. His hair was slightly more kept than Harry's but the same colour. His strong jawline kept a beard lighter than his hair. I wondered if Harry grew a beard would he look this good or even better?

But with every Malakai, the magic was in their eyes. Even in the dark situation we found ourselves, the minute he noticed us it was almost like a soft fireplace.

"Alice, I'm glad to see you looking better." He greeted with a small smile. He quickly returned his eyes to the door of Harry's room, the curtains drawn. "You came at a good time. Chief Naomi is in with him but he's awake."

Chief Naomi certainly took her time. It felt like hours as I sat there, anxiously glancing at the door and window. As mentioned before someone had drawn them closed. Probably because now that he was awake, he needed privacy.

Annabeth occupied a chair of her own in the hallway with Mr Malakai still leaning on the wall, drinking his coffee.

Finally the door rattled as it slowly opened. Chief Naomi, in uniform, blocked any view to the room as she made her way out, closing the door behind her. Her badge glistened on her belt, her holster noticeably empty.

She looked up and nodded towards Harry's father. Unlike everyone else I'd seen, the chief looked as she always did but then again when did she ever look unprepared?

Finally, her eyes settled on me. "The doctor told me you were doing well but... It's good to see you, Alice."

I didn't know how to respond to her. Our relationship wasn't exactly normal and, after everything we had been through, I wasn't sure a generic answer would suffice. Instead, I nodded.

"I suppose you can see him." She sighed and then met Jonathan's gaze. "Can I have a word?"

The first thing I noticed was that his hair was loose, the locks dangling against his cheeks. The collar around his neck had disappeared and he sat upright, staring to the closed window.

I'll admit it, I whimpered. As the door closed, I whimpered at the sight of him upright making him turn to me. He was still rather pale, his lips dried and cracked. There was a red scab just next to his left eyebrow but those eyes were the same. My eyes.

I wheeled closer to him, wanting to reach for him. I settled for his leg when I realized that the arm closest to me was the broken one. Someone had thrown another blanket over him but it didn't seem to help as he shivered when my hand connected.

His head was pressed against the pillow behind his head but a small smile appeared. "So I was able to save you then."

My other hand wiped at my tears but it didn't help. "I-"

What could I say? Suddenly that euphoria of him being awake turned to dread. I had been so selfish during the shooting that he had to carry the burden alone. How could I even form a word when his first were about saving me?

"I'm sorry." I finally said. "I'm so so sorry. I shouldn't have...I should've-"

"I'm sorry." He interrupted, his gaze holding mine. "I put you in that situation and it was only right that I did everything I can to save you. It's not your fault."

I tried saying something. I had so much to tell him. That I love him. That I hated him for getting hurt. That I was grateful that he was awake. That I love him. That this made us soulmates. That I knew he tried to protect me when we crashed. That I love him.

Instead, he didn't wait but continued. "I didn't break my promise."

I gaped at him, unsure if I heard him right. The stupid promise I had made him swear to was on his mind now?

He tapped the side of the bed opposite to his broken arm in a clear gesture. As I moved to that side, I noticed that the blanket was uneven as if an object wss under it. He immediately gripped my hand in his, squeezing. I understood immediately.

In just over a month, we'd grown so close and yet we knew nothing about each other except that we needed the other person. This tight grip told me that he felt the same.

So we sat like that, hands held, just taking each other in as much as we could. When I looked away from him, a barrel was hovering in front of my eyes.