The 18th Floor

Chapter Sixty Eight

Cyrene

It's Sunday morning and Lucien is driving me to physio. I woke to Adara already up, coffee in her hand.

"I go to physio, for my muscles", I had explained to her, telling her that Lucien can stay at home if she wants and I can get dad to take me. A small, reserved part of me even offered her to come along for some reason, but she declined all offers. She said she had made plans with a few friends to go shopping

and have lunch. A small part of me was washed with relief, but nonetheless she thanked me for the offer that she had seen as clearly a personal matter. She wished me luck and was out before me and Lucien were.

"I like your sister", I tell Lucien in the car.

"I think she likes you too. Which is a rare delight", I hear him say and smile. "Should I be worried about why you two were crying when I walked in last night?", he asks for the first time since seeing us.

"Sisterly bonding", is all I say as I flutter my lashes at him and he laughs.

"Ok, ok, I don't want to know", he says as he turns back to the road. "I'm glad you two get along", he says after a while.

"Me too."

"I've missed her."

"I know. She knows. She loves you Lucien", I say, hoping they can mend whatever fracture they can't seem to heal.

He nods, "I'll talk to her. Properly, tonight", he says as he pulls into the hospital.

Lucien's POV

I wait for Cyrene as she does her usual sessions. I go around the few shops in the area and go sit for a coffee in the hospital café as I wait for her. I think about this weekend. How Adara showed up out of the blue and nearly sent me off the edge, but then when I saw the both of them together last night curled up the sofa, something in my heart cracked at the sight. At the sight that I may have denied them both a sister by not introducing them sooner, but also at the fact that I've pushed away my own.

Adara is not blameless, but nor am I. We've both presented our faults in the past and somehow have

found them difficult to overcome, but I will talk to her about it tonight. I promised Cyrene.

If Cyrene can find some comfort in my sister from knowing her only a day, I'm sure we can work together to mend that sibling bridge.

It didn't help that when I opened the door yesterday morning, I thought it was my mother staring back at me. Not Adara. The chiselled features, ink black hair, olive tan. So much of our mum in her. Our mum before the cancer. We didn't mention it, but she must know it. Must see it every time she looks in the mirror. I wouldn't be able to bare it if I looked anything that close to dad.

I sigh as I play with the coffee cup in my hand. Adara's passing comments didn't go unnoticed by me, pregnancy, marriage, sister in law. She's itching for it. I won't lie and say it hasn't crossed my mind, but I don't know if she's ready. And I don't want to push Cyrene. Just as I feel like we're on the right path, life throws in another curveball. Another obstacle we have to deal with.

My phone pings out the text notification. I read in confusion as I see Cyrene's name across the screen.

Come to room 104

Is she ok? Why does she need me? Tension rolls through my gut as a I ask a nurse to show me to the room. I knock on the door and hear her voice telling me to come in.

When I pushed open the door, I wasn't sure what I was to expect, but I find Cyrene in the centre of the room in a chair different to hers, with nurses close by.

"Lucien! Ok, stay there don't move. Watch!", she says excited as she starts to push some buttons on the chair and I watch. I watched as the chair began to whir and beep, with the seat slowly rising. Although I know confusion must have been written across my face, I find Cyrene's to be smiling and full of light. I watch as she gets higher and higher from the ground until she reaches her full height.

A standing wheelchair. I had never seen one before, Cyrene had never even mentioned it. But here she was, standing up right in front of me, looking nothing short of beautiful.

"Cyrene", I whisper as I take a step closer to her.

She's beaming.

"Isn't this crazy haha. They've brought one in for test and well, I just had to call you in", she says looking up. Despite now standing at what would be her full height, I still tower over her. All I want to do is take her into my embrace, feel her against my chest.

"I though you would be shorter", I tease, finding myself at a near loss for words and she rolls her eyes.

"All the same height lying down", she whispers even though I see a faint blush spread across her cheeks. That's my girl.

I step closer to her and hold her hand, I'm conscious of the nurses around us but I can't help the need I have to kiss her.

"You're beautiful. Either way" I say, because I know what thoughts she'll have after and I don't want them to eat at her. She nods. "We can get it. If you want one", I tell her.

"Don't be ridiculous these things are over £20,000."

"So?"

"So?", she repeats back to me as if I've said something out of the ordinary.

"Anything to make you happy."

"You're insane."

"About you", I tease and she flips me off. I laugh. She laughs. Her sound filling the room and it's all I want to hear.