Love/Fail

Chapter 29

Annoying Pinspiration Quote #29

"Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end."

"Jade!" I yelled as I thumped on the door, praying she'd open up before security found me. "Open the door right now! Come on, I know you're in there."

The door creaked open an inch, and Jade's drawn face peered out. "Mia? What are you doing here?"

Relieved and overwrought, I shoved past her into the gorgeous hotel suite, which was shut up and dark and smelled like takeout food that hadn't quite made it into a bin. "I'm here because you won't answer the phone. I had to stalk the reception desk to find out what room you were in, then I've been riding in the elevators for the last half an hour waiting for someone to hit the button for your floor."

"I'm sorry." She drifted wraith-like back to the couch where she'd obviously been camping out for the last twenty-four hours or so, and tugged a blanket around her slender shoulders. "I was scared. Every phone call might have been Nora telling me to go home or more bad news. I didn't want to leave, but I didn't know what else to do."

"I've been there," I said, empathy coursing through me. I plopped down next to her and said, "It's like you get frozen, because doing something might be the wrong decision, so you do nothing instead. But Jade, I need to ask you a serious question, and I need you to think carefully before you answer."

I gave her the recap of Rupert's condition, trying to be honest without scaring her, and letting her know the limited timeframe we had before Rupert left the country. "So, my question is – what do you want at this stage? Because if Nora is right and a boyfriend going through a hellish recovery with a speech disorder is too much for you, that's fine, but tell me now. No one would judge you for leaving, because lord knows you've dealt with enough trials in your life already, but I need to know."

Since the moment I'd met Jade, she'd seemed fragile, like a beautiful hummingbird, unsuited to the harsh conditions around her. But as I threw down the gauntlet, she drew herself up and said with fierce resolve, "Mia, I raised my two additional-needs brothers single-handedly, I've looked after my parents since I was barely able to walk. I still care for my family now, because they are my flesh and blood and that what you do.

"But if Rupert gives me a second chance, I will care and support him unconditionally, not because I'm obligated too, but because I love him. I want to live my life by his side – everything else is negotiable."

Thank god. I stood, grinning. "Well, chuck some shoes on then, lady. Looks like I've got some more unauthorised entry to do today..."

Jade dressed hurriedly and we raced for the lobby entrance, where Cody waited for us in the rental car. The three of us discussed a rushed plan to get Jade in to see Rupert without having to battle Nora; it was flimsy, but it would have to do.

Upstairs, Jade and I hid at one end of the corridor leading to Rupert's room, as Cody made his way towards Rupert's parents from the other. "Mr and Mrs Marx? Can I take you both downstairs for a coffee and some fresh air? You haven't had a breather in hours, have you?"

"I could do with a cuppa," said Floyd, standing and stretching. "What do you say, love?"

His wife looked towards Rupert's door uncertainly. "Well, I supposed he is sleeping. It couldn't hurt, could it?"

The three of them began to move off down the hall, and Jade squeezed my arm in excitement. "It worked!" she whispered.

The second they turned the corner, I said, "Let's go," and we dashed along the corridor towards Rupert's room. Bizarre elation thrummed in my veins; this must be why people sneak in places. It wasn't just about succeeding or being busted. There was a very distinctive thrill to putting yourself out on a limb, win or lose.