Indestructible: Reinforced

Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

     September 2012

     Present Day

     Josh’s head was in my lap and he was lying horizontally on the chairs lining up the wall across Avy’s room. He was snoring and he looked very peaceful. I’d gone to get myself a cup of coffee and a candy bar from the cafeteria and had come back to find him like this but he’d rolled up his suit jacket and made it a pillow.

     I stroked his hair slowly and gazed at him. He looked very beautiful and angelic when he was sleeping, very innocent, and not at all playful or stressed. Josh sleeping was an amazing sight. And for the past couple of months I’d been waking up next to him a couple of days a week if I was lucky.

     Drake returned and slowed down a bit when he saw Josh. He walked slowly and sat down next to me on the other side. “Hey.” He mouthed.

     “Hi.” I mouthed back.

     “How’s Avy?” He whispered.

     I glanced at Josh, he didn’t even stir. He was out. “She’s fine.” I whispered and looked back at Drake. “Dad says she could’ve been worse, if she wasn’t, well, Avy.”

     Drake’s lips quirked up but his eyes remained sad. “She’s a tough one, yeah.”

     “Too bad we depend on that too much.” I shook my head. “But, Drake, even the mighty fall sometimes.” I paused. “Her words, not mine.”

     He looked down at his feet and he was the picture of sadness. And for the first time I was able to be unbiased and see how much everything that had happened had affected him. He needed Avy as much as she needed him, and maybe he had problems of his own that he needed to talk to her about but couldn’t. She’d been his bestfriend as well, and he’d loved her. He really had.

     He still did.

     “It’s easier to believe that she’s tough and wouldn’t ever break, Gaby.” He said. “It’s easier to believe this, because then we wouldn’t feel bad when we hurt her. And we’ve all hurt her. And we all depend on her so much, we can’t imagine Avy not being strong. Even when she shows some weakness, we still know that she’s only doing this to be able to go on. But the thought of her breaking down…” He shook his head and looked ahead of him with a dazed expression on his face. “…It’s unbearable. If she broke down because she was feeling alone it would kill me.”

     I closed my eyes and a couple of tears ran down my cheeks. I wiped them quickly before they fell on Josh’s face, I didn’t want to wake him. “Damn, this is more heartbreaking than when she and Jake broke up.”

     Drake laughed humorlessly and nodded. “He never had that effect on her.”

     “No.” I shook my head. “Nobody does. Just you.”

     “Should I feel special, then?” He asked. “Because right now, I hate myself.”

     I put my hand on his shoulder and brushed my thumb against his shirt. “Everything’s going to be okay. You can work on it after she leaves the hospital. You’re going to be a family in a couple of hours, Drake.”

     “I know.” He sounded angry and hurt. Like Avy did sometimes. They were more alike than they thought. But then again, they’d known each other for almost twenty-five years, they’d grown up together, how could they not be alike? “And I didn’t think it would happen that fast. I mean, it feels like it was only yesterday when she told me she was pregnant and that I was the father.”

     “Do you love Amelie?”

     He frowned and seemed like he was trying to focus. “Amelie?”

     “Yes.” I nodded. “Your girlfriend?”

     “I don’t want to talk about it, Gaby.” He shook his head and looked away. “I’m sorry.”

     “Okay.” I nodded. “So, where were you just now?”

     “I went for a walk.” He sighed. “I wanted to get a teddy bear or something. But then I realized I didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl and I didn’t know if what I got would be neutral. And then I found out that there weren’t any shops around and I came back because I was afraid I might miss the actual birth.”

     “And I’m up.” Josh groaned as he sat up and stretched. “How long was I out?”

     “About half an hour.” I frowned. “Sorry I woke you.”

     “It’s alright.” He shook his head. “I’m going to go to the loo. Be right back.”

     “See you.” I waited till he’d left before I turned to look at Drake. “You don’t look so good to me, man.”

     “I’m a mess.” He shook his head and looked down at the floor. “I’m a fucking mess.”

     “You could go in and sit with her for a bit.” I suggested. “I know it might not seem like a good idea but you’re in a better mood when you’re together.”

     “I don’t know, Gaby…” He sighed dejectedly. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle it.”

     “Just comfort her.” I urged. “She needs it. She needs you. And you need her, Drake. It’s obvious. So just put everything behind you and go to her.”

     He closed his eyes and shook his head. “If I go in now, if I lay eyes on her now, something will happen which I’ll regret. And I can’t do this right now. She’s not the only one who’s going to break down if any more drama ensues.”

     If Jake came, both Avy and Drake were going to man up. I didn’t regret sending him that text, if he came everything was going to be alright. I knew it.

     “Go get something to eat, then.” I said. “You look like you haven’t eaten all day. Go get a nice cup of coffee and a sandwich or something.”

     “I might do that, yeah.” He got up and trudged down the corridor. “Keep me updated. And call me if anything happens while I’m down there.”

     “Will do.” I called after him. I sat there alone for a bit, contemplating what else could result from Jake’s visit. Josh returned a few minutes later and looked a bit more refreshed than he’d been for the past couple of hours.

     “Hey, gem.”

     I smiled and shook my head at him. “Gem?”

     He shrugged. “You’re precious.” He grinned childishly. “Like a gem.”

     “Someone needs to sleep.”

     He frowned at me childishly as well. “You saying I’m not your gem?”

     “No, baby.” I rubbed his back soothingly and kissed his cheek. “You’re my gem too.”

     “Alright, then.” He said in a deep, masculine voice and puffed out his chest. “Good.”

     I giggled and wove my arm through his. “Thanks for cheering me up.”

     “No luck with Drake?”

     I shook my head. “He’s devastated, Josh. He looks more broken than she is. Or maybe I’m just not used to seeing them like that.”

     “Well, if he’s like that then you need to leave him alone and not badger him about it.” Josh replied. “By the way, Jake texted me. He just got on the plane. He’ll be here in two hours or something.”

     A thrill ran through me but I tried to appear confident and nonchalant. “Great.” I sighed. “I can’t wait for all of this to end.”

     “Because Jake’s going to be the one who makes the baby pop out?” Josh asked sarcastically.

     I rolled my eyes at him. “Fine, make fun of my plan. It’ll work, you’ll see.”