The Expansion of the Universe

Forty-Eight | "She knows."

When Zach and Austin finally returned to Elijah's hospital room, Liza had shifted to sit on the edge of Elijah's bed (per his insistent requests), and she'd warmed up enough to move the blanket until it was only covering her lap. Milo's chin was settled on her knees, and Elijah had a firm grip on her waist. The same nurse had come in briefly to give Elijah a scheduled pain medicine, but—other than that—Liza was remaining relatively unbothered.

Still, she could feel that it was nearly time for her to request that Austin bring her back to her condo. Although the interruptions from nurses and doctors had been minimal (no doubt due to Austin and perhaps Elijah's requests), she knew from experience that such peace would not last. She was certain that the following morning would see a team of doctors, physical and occupational therapists, a case worker, and nurses descending upon Elijah's room, and Liza knew she could not stand in the way of that. She also would not be able to handle such activity.

Austin and Zach took up posts on the loveseat on the opposite side of the room, further from the door, giving Liza plenty of space, which she appreciated. Upon sitting, Zach leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together as he found Liza's eyes with his own.

Interestingly enough, he didn't look all that much like Elijah. His hair was darker, his frame stockier, and his skin darker. But what he did share with Elijah was a pair of dark, chocolate brown eyes, and she was grateful for the similarity, if only so she could reassure herself that he wasn't a total stranger, not really.

"Liza, I want to apologize. I'm sorry for scaring you; I shouldn't have reacted that way, and I hope you'll forgive me."

No, he shouldn't have, but Liza supposed she could understand his reaction. If she put herself in his position, as Whitney had taught her to do, then she would have been upset and taken aback by the sight of a random person standing over her loved one, too.

"I forgive you," she told him without hesitation, Elijah's fingers tracing over her knuckles lovingly as she spoke. "It is nice to meet you. Elijah's told me some stories."

"Oh, God," Zach groaned comically, throwing his head back and eyeing the ceiling miserably. "That's never good. I swear that I was the well-behaved brother. Any trouble I got into was Eli's fault."

At his brother's words, Elijah shifted his head to Zach and narrowed his eyes. "Lying is not the trait of a 'well-behaved' brother."

"You can't say anything," Zach argued. "You're the younger brother, so I automatically have seniority."

"Well, you are looking pretty old these days . . ." Elijah sighed, as though saddened by this realization, and Zach snorted.

"You haven't changed a bit." It was clear, even while they were teasing, that Zach was the more mature of the two. He seemed far calmer than Elijah, and Liza imagined that he likely had played a significant role in keeping Elijah out of trouble when her boyfriend had been younger.

Elijah passed his brother a bright grin. "Not a bit," he echoed. "Only, I have a freaking stunning girlfriend now," he passed Liza a cheeky wink, and she rolled her eyes with fond amusement. "She's the best."

Great, now she was blushing.

Zach smiled at them, and Liza noticed that his grin was also similar to Elijah's in the way that his left lip lifted just a bit higher than his right. "It's nice to see," he mused. "Does Mom know?"

This brought Liza up short. She'd never considered it, but did Elijah's stepmother know about her? If Zach wasn't even aware of her existence, then she doubted his mom knew, but, of course, he was very close with the woman . . .