What If (His Proposal Alternate) Unedited

Aleysa Gets Released From The Hospital

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

Jai smiles. "That's great. 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?"

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

"What is her favourite food?"

I smile. "Mac and cheese. It's quick and simple. Just the way my little sister likes her meals. She's never appreciated the amount of 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 was wondering why I slaved in the kitchen the other night for you to only take a couple of bites of the meal and leave the rest to Nate and I."

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

I cleaned Aleysa's room last night and removed dust and a few items that were ruined when Aleysa got sick. I found a few family photo's in a box I kept under Aleysa's bed and stuck them on the wall in her room. Jai helped me put photo's up in the living room of Mom and Dad.

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

I came across a photo that was taken while I was away at 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 I. "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 that 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 smiled. "I know."

"That afternoon Mom and Dad took us to the wharf and we hired out a small boat and we took out on the lake. Dad bought some fishing nets and rods for him and I. 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 then threw it in the water." He shakes his head. "She threw a perfectly good fish back in the water. We could have had that dinner."

I laughed. "I wish that I was 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 New York to live in when I had the best family in Los Angeles? I lost heaps of times 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 saw it.

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

I nod. "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."