Robbers

twenty - three

// twenty - three //

On Sunday morning, Ella called Ryan. She had kept herself from dialing his number the day before, because she figured he would be resting after what had happened and wouldn't want to be disturbed. But not hearing from Ryan all day Saturday had made Ella too anxious to recover from the long night, and she hadn't managed to quiet her mind long enough to fall asleep. She'd only managed to drift off into a broken slumber around 11 last night, but exhaustion was still tugging at the corners of her mind despite the rest she'd finally gotten.

Ryan picked up on the second ring. Ella's hello contained a tone of surprise because she'd half-expected him to be sleeping when she rang, and it didn't go unnoticed. His voice crackled with a sigh as he told her, "I've been lying on the couch with nothing but my phone ever since yesterday afternoon. My mom won't let me get up. I only just got her to leave the house a little while ago. She's getting groceries."

"How do you feel?" Ella asked hesitantly.

"Shitty," he admitted. "I couldn't sleep last night. My ribs are killing me."

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from reminding him that they could have gone to the hospital. Ella was still worried that his ribs had been broken, but she knew it would do no good telling Ryan what he should do.

He continued, saying with annoyance, "And I just finished the last of the Tylenol. That was keeping me going."

It was clear Ryan had been kidding about the last part, but Ella still sat up a bit straighter against the headboard of her bed. "Can I come over? I'll pick some up on the way."

Ryan laughed quietly, but the sound came out slightly ragged and it seemed it might have been painful. He coughed once before saying, "I was gonna ask you to come visit anyway. You don't have to bring painkillers, Ella."

"I'm just trying to help," Ella insisted, pretending to sound snippy. "Stop being so difficult."

He groaned under his breath. "Mom's been saying that ever since yesterday. Just come over. I need to see you."

Ella held the warm phone against her cheek, telling him softly, "I need to see you, too. I'll be there soon."

She told her parents she was going to get a coffee, even bringing a book with her for good measure. The drive to the nearest convenience store took longer than expected, because the roads were covered with a thin sheet of snow and the grey clouds overhead were still showering down tiny flakes. Ella picked up a bottle of Tylenol and hurried back to her car after paying, deciding she would pick up a coffee for Ryan as well.

So she arrived on his doorstep with two coffees in her hands and the painkillers in her pocket. The Hunter's driveway was empty – Ryan's truck was still parked at the pier – but Ella was still cautious as she entered after knocking briefly. Ryan had told her to let herself in because both his parents were out, but it still felt odd simply opening the front door and stepping over the threshold on her own.

Ryan was splayed out on the couch when Ella entered the living room, in the same place where she had left him the other morning. He strained to sit up as she stepped around the side of the couch, the bright glow of the TV screen illuminating his bruised face.

"Don't sit up," Ella protested hastily, setting his coffee down on the table beside him. She bent forward to push him gently back against the cushions, her hair slipping forward to tickle his cheeks as she kissed him. His lower lip was still a little swollen.

"I wasn't expecting the coffee," Ryan said, with a tiny grin that Ella's lips had placed upon him. He watched her set the bottle of Tylenol onto the coffee table beside the Styrofoam cup. "I should invite you over more often."