Summer Rain

[31] Ever Enough

Please answer the question in my AN? It's kind of important. Thank you! :)

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(Unedited)

Even when all the lights are fading,

Even then if your hope is shaking,

I'm here holding on.

I will always be yours,

Forever and more.

~Ever Enough- A Rocket to the Moon

      We arrived in Los Angeles three hours later. Kaden's Mom was waiting there for us. On the drive to the hospital Kaden's dad had been admitted into, she told us his condition.

      Mr. Fleming was fine, he was unconscious, and they were still had to do an extensive amount of checks to make sure nothing was wrong, but he probably wasn't going to die or sink into a coma or anything like that. The reason for the heart attack was stress. And I guess, a little bit of old age, but mostly stress.

      They were still doing checkups on him when we got to the hospital, so no one was allowed to see him yet. We probably wouldn't be able to for another hour or two. The doctor came out to explain his condition, but his long words and flat tone was starting to make my eyelids feel heavy. Not because it was boring or anything- okay, maybe a little since the only thing I really understood was that Mr. Fleming had a pretty serious heart attack, but would be okay- but because jet lag was finally catching up to me. It may have been just nine here, but in New York, it was past midnight.

      I woke up to the feeling of fingers gently combing through my hair and a slight pain in my neck. I opened my eyes a tiny bit to see that I was still in the waiting room of the hospital. My head was resting on Kaden's shoulder, my neck starting to get a cramp from staying in the same position for so long. I was about to move to stretch when Mrs. Fleming started talking.

      "I don't want to ask you to do this," she said. "But you know your father won't step down for anyone else."

      His fingers stilled in my hair for a moment, then resumed their stroking. "I know."

      "Have you told her?" Who did Kaden's mom mean by her? Kallie? Me? A family member? Someone I didn't know?

      I felt his shoulder move as be shook his head. "No."

      "Kaden-" Mrs. Fleming started.

      He shook his head again, cutting her off. "Mom, don't worry, I'll handle it."

      "I'm sorry," she said quietly. She paused and I heard the soft clinking of jewelry, then a sigh. "You guys can go. I'll call you in the morning when he's awake."

      "Are you sure?" he asked.

      "Yes, go, Kaden, you're both tired," Mrs. Fleming replied. For a moment, there was nothing but the quiet tapping of someone- the receptionist- fingers moving across a keyboard. Then I felt Kaden shake me gently, trying to get me to wake up even though I was already awake. He just didn't know that. I opened my eyes, wincing at the bright hospital lights.

      "Hey." I stifled a yawn and glanced over at Mrs. Fleming beside Kaden. "Any news?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer. She shook her head.

      "Come on," Kaden said, helping me up. "We're going to find a hotel."

      "How long was I asleep?" I asked Kaden as we made our way out of the hospital.

      He shrugged. "Just an hour and a bit." We walked over to the street to try and hail a cab. Luck was on our side, there was already one there, dropping an elderly couple off. We slid in after they left and Kaden asked the driver to take us to the closest Four Seasons hotel, where our stuff had been dropped off earlier.

      "I thought you owned a house here," I said lightly, trying to make a conversation and distract him at the same time, though I had a feeling it didn't work.

      "It's across town," he replied. His voice was flat. Not in the mean way, exactly, but it was clear that he didn't really want to talk. "Sorry," he said a moment later. "I'm just..."

      "No, I get it, you're worried." It was a little like role reversal. Just yesterday, twenty-four hours ago, he was the one assuring me everything would be okay as we flew to see my parents. His worry was a bit confusing, though. The doctors had said that his dad would be fine, that he would recover within a couple days. I could understand that it was scary, and that it had been tiring, but it seemed to be more than that. I wanted to ask if there was anything else, but decided not to, instead just reached over to pull him into a somewhat awkward hug thanks to the seatbelts. Except it didn't really work because the cab stopped and the driver turned to stare at us. Yup, awkward.

      Kaden laughed quietly as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket and handed him a couple bills. We got out of the taxi to see a Four Seasons hotel. It was huge, over ten floors, and bathed in lights despite it being so late. The lobby was pretty empty, other than the staff.

      As we walked up to the check-in counter, I saw the woman working at it's eyes light up with recognition. Huh, the first person to recognize us this evening. She kept her composure, though, didn't scream, or faint, or pull her clothes tighter like I had seen some fans do.

      "Hi, we have a room for two nights, under Fleming," he said. Only two nights? Would his dad be okay by the end of the weekend?

      "Any specific floors?" the woman asked, typing away at her computer. So they had reserved a room for two nights, but not a specific room.

      "Third or below." So no suites, and manageable stairs in case he building spontaneously burst into flames.

      "We have a room on the second floor available, no smoking, king sized bed."

      Kaden glanced at me, silently asking if it was okay. I shrugged and nodded in response. He turned back to the woman. "We'll take it."

      I'll admit there was a time when I would've been horrified and unwilling at the idea of having to share a bed with him, even if it was a huge one. But things had changed. We were actually okay now.

      "We'll need a deposit," the woman said. Kaden handed over his credit card without a word. Within a couple moments she handed it back along with a small folder containing two room cards. "Your things will be brought up to you in ten minutes."

      We thanked the woman, then made our way to the elevator. The ride up was silent. Kaden didn't say anything, but I could feel his eyes on me the whole time. I wasn't sure if I should stare back or look away. I chose the latter. It wasn't like before, where I simply avoided his eyes because it was awkward. His eyes had a slightly unfocused look to them. He was distant, this time, staring at me, but thinking about something else, I think. I wanted to ask if he was okay, but I already knew the answer so there wasn't really any point.

      "Your dad's going to be fine, Kaden," I told him quietly as we walked down the hall to find our room. It was the last one in the hall, beside the fire escape stairs.

      "I know," he muttered, pulling out a room card and sliding it through the slot. After the light flashed green, he twisted the handle and opened the door. It was a beautiful room, with a pretty good view despite being on the second floor. Neither of us really cared, though, we were both pretty tired. I was distracted by wondering what was on Kaden's mind that made him so distant and Kaden was distracted by, well, whatever was on his mind.

      A light knock sounded on the door, breaking the silence. Kaden walked over and opened the door and a man handed him our suitcases. We didn't say a word as we got ready for bed, the silence almost killing me. I wanted to ask what was on his mind, but I didn't. The logical answer would be that he was worried about his dad, but I could tell it was more than that. He looked almost anxious, as if he was certain something bad would happen. Which didn't make sense because the doctors had assured that his dad would recover just fine. I had understood that much.

      It wasn't until he turned off the lights that he spoke. "Raine?"

      I turned to face him, even though I couldn't really see him in the dark. "Yeah?"

      "You know I'll always love you, right? No matter what." His words caused mixed reactions in me. I was happy, I guess, as expected. He had said always. But his serious tone also filled me with dread. Maybe I was being paranoid, but there was something about the way he said those words. Something that made me think that something bad was going to happen to us. And that Kaden already knew that.

      That he had known all along.