Issues

Alive

Alison's POV

I'm finally able to go home and I feel like I'm dragging my body up the stairs like some sort of zombie. As soon as I open the front door, Moose happily greets me with little squeals and snorts.

"Oh baby come here" I say as I pick him up and give him kisses. "I know. Mommy has been gone for far too long!"

I gently put him down and head straight for the shower to wash the night shift off of me. Within ten minutes, I'm out of the shower and instantly in comfortable pajamas. Even though I'm beyond exhausted, I have to stay awake for my weekly Skype date with my parents Ken and Jessica. Still drying my wet hair, I log on and initiate a Skype session. I pick up Moose to snuggle with him. He always hates it when I'm gone for so long and our neighbor can't check in on him.

"Hi mom! Hi dad!" I say excitedly when I see their faces on the screen.

"Hey pumpkin" they say happily in unison.

"Oh Ali you look so tired. Bad shift?" my mom asks worriedly.

"Oh mom you have no idea. This little boy was probably 10 and he had 4 gun shot wounds. He coded but we brought him back. It was super stressful and emotionally draining" I reply thinking back to the entire situation.

"I'm sure you did everything you could Ali. You're an amazing nurse" my dad says trying to comfort me.

"May I be blunt with you Ali?" asks my mom.

"Um sure... What's up?" I ask feeling unsure about what was about to come out of her mouth.

"You're eyes.... they're different...they're... happy. Are you seeing someone?" My mom says smirking at me.

I wasn't expecting her to ask me about this. Yet again she is my mom and she knows me better than most. I have kept my relationship with Emily a secret because I didn't want them to know about her till I was for sure this was a real deal with Emily. I wanted to be able to tell them that I was in love and that this wasn't just some fling. I was actually going to tell them during this Skype session.

A heavy, and I mean heavy blush brightens my cheeks and my dad says, "Oh my! I do believe you're onto something Jessica".

"Peanut, tell us about her. I want to hear about the woman that's made you seem so happy" my dad says encouragingly.

I take a deep breath and say, "Well..... her name is Emily. She went to school for art and her work is absolutely breathtaking. She's ex military, discharged honorably. Now she's a world renowned model. She's had a bit of a troubled past but she sought out professional help and is doing much better now. She puts in honest effort to try and improve herself as an individual, to heal old wounds, and to be a better person for our relationship and for me. She loves to cook, she's adventurous, silly, extremely protective, open, honest, communicative, and quite beautiful. We've been dating for about 5-6 months now. I haven't told you about her before now because I wanted to make sure this wasn't just some fling. I wanted to be in love with her before I introduced her to you guys. I hope you can understand that".

My mom smiles widely and says, "Oh Alison I'm thrilled that you're in love. I've missed this light in your eyes for a while now. I feel like I can speak for your father when I say that I'm happy someone is there to brighten your life, fill you with love and joy, and to protect you as a companion and partner should".

"Do you think we could chat with her over Skype sometime soon?" my father asks clearly hoping I'll say yes.

"Of course! I'll just tell her about it and check her schedule. It'll hopefully be sometime soon. I wish you could meet her. I know you guys would love her" I say feeling bummed that our situation is what it is. I wish I could see my family like I used to before all of this mess with my ex happened. I wish I could bring her home to my parents like the old fashion way. Maybe one day we can work something out. But for now, I must accept the circumstance and be blessed for their endless support and love.

Emily's POV

I fumble my way through the front door of my apartment, trying not to drop all of my bags from my week in Thailand. Once I set my bags down, I head to the kitchen and pour a glass of water as I thumb through my huge pile of mail Hanna made for me while I was gone.

"Bills, bills, fan mail, junk, more fan mail... no address?" I say suddenly confused by the plain white envelope in my hands.

I can't quite explain it, but this awful feeling suddenly overcomes me. I cautiously open the envelope and pull out a piece of computer paper that simply says, "Break up with her or you'll live to regret it."