Motion (Sequel to "Collide")

CHAPTER SIXTY FIVE

A/N: I'm not gonna lie, the first half of this chapter wasn't exactly the most exciting part for me to write, BUT I promised drama, and here's the first glimpse of it. Buckle up, because from here on out, it's going DOWN...

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I stared at the clock on the nightstand, watching one minute turn into another. I couldn't sleep. No matter how hard I tried, I kept tossing and turning without being able to close my eyes for more than ten minutes.

Michael had stayed awake with me until the wee hours of the morning, listening while I turned the same questions over and over again, imagining the worst-case scenarios possible about Hayden. There was something we were missing, and I was determined to find out what it was.

Eventually, sometime after four, Michael's responses had grown quieter, then stopped altogether. I couldn't blame him. If anything, I was relieved. Michael struggled enough with sleep as it was, and with his surgery right around the corner, the doctor in me knew he needed every minute of rest he could get.

The bedroom had gone completely still around us. The only sounds came from Michael's slow breathing beside me and the occasional rustle of the sheets whenever I shifted again. Pale morning light had started creeping through the curtains, turning everything  that familiar shade of gray that came right before sunrise.

Michael's hand was still resting near my hip where he'd left it before falling asleep.

At least Hayden wouldn't be his problem to solve for the next few hours.

We had spent hours trying to understand what could possibly have pushed Hayden to lie to everyone about where he'd been. Every time I replayed Andy's explanation, every time I remembered the look on LaToya's face when she'd told me something was wrong, I arrived at the same conclusion.

The same conclusion I'd refused to entertain less than twelve hours earlier.

What if LaToya was right?

What if Hayden had relapsed?

At six, I finally gave up. I took one last look at my husband beside me, and quietly slipped out of bed without waking him from his slumber. I padded into the bathroom, closing the door before turning on the light. The woman staring back at me looked about as rested as I felt. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and splashed cold water over my face.

It didn't help.

Dark circles had settled beneath my eyes, but I couldn't be bothered with concealer. Sunglasses would have to do.

I pulled on black jeans and a plain white T-shirt, then grabbed one of Michael's checkered flannel shirts, still carrying the faint trace of his perfume, and slipped it over the top.

I couldn't stay here. I needed to see Hayden.

Before I left, I laid a gentle kiss on Michael's forehead, and left a note on my pillow for him to read.

"Couldn't sleep.
Went to see Alice. Probably gonna go see Hayden together afterwards.
Meet you at Neverland.
I love you lots,
Mrs Miller"

I hoped the signature would make him smile, because it brought a smile to my own face. It seemed cruel that such a perfect night had ended with us discovering Hayden had been lying to everyone. Until then, everything had been perfect.

"Hey there, early bird," Bill greeted me, as he was seated outside the condo's front door. "Did you fall out of bed?"

"I wish I had," I sighed, giving Bill a short hug. "I haven't slept at all."

"Mmh, Matt mentioned something happened last night," he said quietly. "He didn't know what happened, but he said you guys were pretty upset when he came to pick you up from the restaurant."

"Family drama," I simply shrugged, as we headed towards the elevator together. "I'll tell you everything in the car," I promised, giving him a small smile. "Can you take me to the loft?"

"Of course, kid," he smiled with compassion. "I'll get Wayne here to replace me," he added, as he took his cellular phone from his pocket. "You wanted to catch up, huh? Well that's our chance."

"That's already the highlight of my day and it's barely started," I smiled, which made him roll his eyes in return.