Down the road of memories

I am only one call away

Noah POV

It was a big week at work after Elle and I returned from Mexico. The stress from Lee's wedding was gone but the stress from ours was starting to mount. Not surprisingly, my mother started wanting to know what we had planned to do for that day. I got a few grimaces from her when I told her we wanted to have an intimate wedding of fewer than 100 people. Of course, my mother was disappointed not to be able to invite her cousins so with Elle's agreement, we increased our number of guests. I really hoped that this wasn't just the beginning and that my mother wouldn't continue to make requests for our wedding day over the next few weeks. I remember Lee's amused face when he saw me struggling with Mom at the last family lunch... But if that's what I have to endure to marry Elle, I'll happily submit to it!

I was in the employee break room at the office pouring myself a coffee when I realized that Elle still hadn't responded to my texts from this morning... weird, usually I get a response within the next 2 hours. And it had already been 4 hours! I hope she answers me before noon because the florist wants an answer today. I was so preoccupied that I didn't hear my college Josh approach :
- I won't be able to help you read the files for the Dwell case, Flynn.
- And why?" I asked him with suspicious eyes.

He sighed before telling me :
- Daycare called, my daughter still has a fever. Probably another ear infection. Usually it's my partner who goes to see the doctor but we had a discussion last week. She complained that she missed work more often than I did. So, it's my turn to go wait in the emergency room.
- The lot of fathers!" I told him, laughing.
- Wait, your turn will come, Flynn." Josh told me with disgust.
- Except that I won't have to wait in the emergency room. My fiancée is a doctor.
- Lucky!" Josh said to me enviously. "I would give a lot to not have to wait for hours. What hospital does she work at?
- At the Los Angeles Medical Center.
- Ah, that's where I planned to go.
- You would be better off not going to this hospital!" replied Ashley, another of my colleagues.
- And why?" I asked her.
- I heard on the news that the hospital emergency room is in quarantine because there are patients suffering from a contagious pulmonary disease which is spreading. There would have already been a few deaths.

My blood ran cold in my veins and I rushed to my office. I tried to reach Elle on the phone but was directed to voicemail on the first ring.
- Elle, it's me! I was just told that the hospital emergency room is in quarantine. I know you're probably really busy but please call me to let me know you're okay! I love you !

As I hung up, I realized that I felt exactly like I did when Elle and I were separated for the first 3 years when we had very little contact. I felt her so out of my reach. But everything changed after her father's wedding...

Flashback LA the day after Mike's wedding, 3 years before the meeting in front of the Kissing booth

I have never slept so well in the last 3 years. The nights were often for me, the moments when I allowed myself to : dream of a different life with her or remember all the wonderful moments I lived with her... But when the morning light would snatch me from my sleep, I inevitably returned to a world without her. But not this morning, I still felt her body pressed against mine having fallen asleep in each other's arms last night...

I never thought the day would go like this when I boarded the plane to come to Los Angeles. I knew that Elle had been seeing Mark for 6 months and that everyone thought they would become an official couple in the coming weeks and would even start talking about future plans.

When I saw Elle appear down the aisle with her brother yesterday afternoon at the wedding, I had so many mixed feelings. I still loved her, there was no doubt about it! I thought she was absolutely stunning in her bridesmaid dress. But I could see through the ceremony and reception that she was trying to avoid me. And I felt that until I could have a moment to read her eyes, I would probably have no answer to my question : do I still have a chance to hope?