His Proposal

His Proposal - 29

On Thursday afternoon, I got a phone call from the hospital saying that Aleysa could come home. I put my phone down and looked at Jai. "Aleysa's being released. We can pick her up and bring her home."

Jai smiles. "That's great. I'm not letting you drive. I'll take you to the hospital to get your sister and drop you off at home before I go to the club."

"What are you going to do for dinner?"

He looks at me. "I'm going to buy something on the way to work. Do you want me to stop somewhere and get something for you?"

Shaking my head. "I think I will cook tonight. I might make Aleysa's favourite dinner. I hope she will eat it."

"What is her favourite food?"

"Mac and cheese. It's quick and simple. Just the way my little sister likes her meals. She's never appreciated the time people spend in the kitchen to make something that will be in your stomach five minutes after it's been put on the table."

Jai laughs. "She has a point. I wondered why I slayed in the kitchen the other night, so you could only take a few bites of the meal and leave the rest to Nate and me."

"Nate's a growing boy. He can eat whatever he wants and burn it off at football practice." I pick up my handbag and walk to the door with Jai. "I'm looking forward to bringing my little sister home."

Last night, I cleaned Aleysa's room and removed the dust. I found a few family photos and stuck them on the wall in her room. Jai helped me put pictures up in Mom and Dad's living room.

Nate helped us put things up that remind us of our parents. Right now is the perfect time to have things from our parents around the house. I was starting to miss all the pictures of them.

I saw a photo taken while I was away at the University of Mom, Dad, Nate, and Aleysa.

Nate took the photo from me, and he looked at it. A smile came across his face. He looked at Jai and me. "This was a special day for us." He whispered. "It was the day that we found out that Aleysa was cancer-free. Mom and Dad took us to a Lakehouse they went to when they first got together." He looked at me. "They were going to take you with us, but you landed an internship, and they didn't want to mess your future up. That's the way Mom and Dad were."

"I know."

"That afternoon, Mom and Dad took us to the wharf, and we hired a small boat and went out on the lake. Dad bought some fishing nets and rods for him and me. We went fishing. Aleysa caught a fish and she put it in the boat. She watched it move around. Dad told her to touch it. She looked at him with disgust and said. "No," she looked at it again and threw it in the water." He shakes his head. "She threw a delicious fish back in the water. We could have had that dinner."

"I wish that I were there that day. It seemed like a great day with Mom and Dad." I rose from my seat and excused myself.

I missed out on so much. Why did I have to choose to live in New York when I had the best family in Los Angeles? I lost heaps of time with my family.

A tear slips down my face while we are heading to the hospital. I wipe the tear away, but not before Jai sees it.

Jai holds my hand. "You were going through what happened last night, weren't you?"

"How did you know?"

Jai pulls the car to the side of the road. "You haven't said much since you heard the story about your parents and siblings. I see more of you than you think. You're easy to read, Chloe. I hope you don't close this part of yourself off. I like who you are when you show vulnerability at the right time."

I laugh. "I won't shut myself off. I'm as tough as a nail."

Jai pulls the car back onto the road. He turns the radio on, and Billy Ray Cyrus's "Achy Breaky Heart" plays. He sings along to the song.

"Don't tell my heart
My achy breaky heart
I don't think he'd understand
And if you tell my heart
My achy breaky heart
He might blow up and kill this man."

"I can't believe you know all the words to this song."

Jai winks. "It's a classic. I remember Dad played this song to Mom when we were driving. He sang loudly that Mom had to bring earplugs on cross-country trips. Dad made sure to play the song every two hours. Mom got Dad to pull the car over, and she began to walk down the highway. There were no cars around. So, Dad drives away. There was a hill about four miles from where we left Mom. Dad pulled the car over and waited there for her. When she got to the car, sweat dripped down her face, and her clothes clung to her body. It was in the middle of summer. She cursed at the hotel. Mom checked in and ran straight to the shower when we finally got to the hotel. She waited in the bathroom until she got Dad to give her a set of clean clothes, a towel, shampoo, and conditioner."

Smiling at him. "If you do that to me, I will break the CD in half."

He chuckles. "Noted."

Silence fills the car as Jai gets closer to the hospital.

I can't wait to have my sister at home and sleeping in her bed again.

Jai pulls the car into the hospital's parking lot and finds a spot near the front.

Stepping out of the car, I went straight to Aleysa's room and opened the door.

Aleysa looks up as I enter the room. She has a smile on her face. "I get to go home today." She climbs out of bed and moves over to me. She hugs me.

There is paperwork on the table, and I go through it. I sign everything and take it to the nurse's station.

Ten minutes later, Aleysa is released, and I push her to the hospital's doors. Aleysa stands up and grabs my arm. She holds onto me to the car.

Jai opens the door.

Aleysa thanks him before climbing into the backseat.

Climbing in, I buckle my seatbelt and turn towards her. "Are you looking forward to sleeping in your bed?"

Aleysa nods. "I'm looking forward to seeing Nate play football again. I have missed watching him play. He's amazing on the field."