Matters of the Heart

Chapter 4: Not For the Faint of Heart

Chapter 4:

Not For the Faint of Heart

When Rollins got back and found out that Ali was up and talking his jaw nearly hit the floor. He looked both confused and amazed. He invited Emily to stay for dinner, but she declined since she'd already made plans with Hanna. She saw the look of disappointment on Ali's face and thought about postponing her plans. Ali saw her mulling it over in thought. Emily glanced at her phone. She knew Hanna would understand. But before she could hit the "call" button Ali put her hand over Emily's phone and gently pushed it down.

"Don't." She shook her head. "You don't need to put your life on hold for me. Not again."

"That's not what this is about." Emily assured her. "I know you've been through a lot and I just don't feel right..." She drifted off, unsure of how she wanted to finish her thought.

"What? Having a good time?" She asked. "It's okay, Emily. You should be able to smile and laugh. Just because my life is miserable right now doesn't mean yours has to be."

Oh, Ali, if you only knew... She tried not to think of the web of lies she was currently caught in.

"Go," Ali said, and she sounded sincere.

"Are you sure?" Emily asked. "I really don't mind staying."

"I know." Ali nodded with a weak smile. She knew that Emily would do anything for her. She'd used that to her advantage for years. But she was different now. She never wanted to hurt her again. Emily deserved so much more than someone who was careless with her feelings. "I'll be fine."

Rollins walked into the living room with two plates full of food. Pam's casserole was the main course. Pam would have been so excited to see that out of all the comfort food in Ali's house, hers was the top pick. He put a plate in front of Ali and then sat down next to her.

Emily took that as her cue to leave. She wasn't really sure what was going on between the two of them, but she felt uncomfortable being there with them. Or maybe it was just Rollins she was uncomfortable with. She felt like there was more going on beneath the surface than he let on.

"Call me if you need anything." She waved to Ali.

"I will. Thanks, Em."

Emily left the house and was halfway down the driveway when she heard the front door open and close behind her.

"Emily!" She heard Rollins calling to her. She turned around and saw him step off of the porch. He had her mother's dish in his hand. He jogged over to her. "Sorry, I meant to give this back to you before you left, but I got distracted."

He handed her the dish. It was so clean it was practically sparkling. He was as anal-retentive as her mother. Then again, he was a doctor. He bathed in sterility.

"Thanks."

"I hope it's clean enough."

Emily observed it and let out a chuckle.

"I don't think I've ever seen it this clean...and that's saying a lot. My mom is pretty neurotic when it comes to cleanliness."

"Please be sure to thank her for it. I look forward to the leftovers." He smiled. "The kindness that everyone has shown the past few days has been very helpful." He put his hands in his pockets and looked back towards the house. "She seems..." He trailed off.

"Yeah." Emily nodded with a polite smile.

"I haven't seen her this..." He tried to find the right word, "alive..." He turned around to face Emily again, "...since Charlotte..." His throat constricted as he tried to hold back his emotions at the mention of his former patient. He shook his head, "...I still can't believe it. Who would do something like that?"