Reckless Abandon (Part 1)

Chapter Ten

Elijah's POV

I always thought that I would say it first.  It wouldn't be big or spectacular like in the movies, but I would accidentally say it out loud over breakfast or coffee or while I was watching her play with Nix.  I never imagined a scenario in which she said it first.  Although, I didn't think she meant to do it.  I think she may have been worried about it, but in the rush, she let her guard slip and it fell off her lips like she had been saying it the whole time.

I loved her too.  Who was I kidding, I knew I was falling for her the day I saw her on the hill.  Every time we talked, every time she bit her lip or scrunched her nose or laughed or smiled or did anything, I fell a little more.  Watching her last night with Jane and Jeremy, dancing, laughing, having more fun than I had ever seen before, I knew I was going to grow old with her.

She shouldn't have gone.  I had a bad feeling about this.  Her mom would never let her know if her dad had been hurt.   She would have kept it from her until she found out herself and blamed her for not being around while her dad was in the hospital.  Something was wrong.

I waited 45 minutes before I called her, but she didn't pick up.  She wouldn't if she were int he hospital with her dad.

30 minutes later, I tried again and again nothing.  Maybe it was serious.  Why was I so worried?  Maybe her mom had had a moment of humanness and decided to let her in on it.  Maybe I just needed to relax.

I kept myself busy with Nix.  Cleaning her litter box, playing with her until she was tuckered out.  I couldn't find the charm bracelet and assumed she had grabbed it on her way out.  The house really did look good.  I guessed maybe Jane and Jeremy had been right trying to get me to celebrate it all these years, but it never felt right until now.

I sank down into the couch and turned on the television, still on Investigative Discovery.  It was actually really good.  I always wondered what the big deal was about it, now I knew; it was just that good.  I was hooked.

I snapped out of it long after the sun set when my phone started to ring.  It was Jane.  I knew because the ring tone I had set for her was the sound of one of Jeffery Star's songs.  I glanced at the clock as I picked up my phone.  It was nearly eight.  I should try calling Harlen again.  "Hey, what's up?"

"Is Harlen there?"

I instantly straightened out at the sound of panic in her voice.  "No, she left hours ago to see her dad in the hospital."

"What!  Elijah, her dad's not in the hospital, he thought she was with me."

My heart stopped, my breathing getting shallow.  "What do you mean Derrick isn't in the hospital?  Her mom called and told her he was in the hospital."

"I'm telling you, he's not.  I just got off the phone with him.  He was checking in to see if he should set a place for her for dinner tonight and that he phone was off."

"Off?" I asked, putting her on speaker.  "No, no, I called her earlier, right after she left, it rang through to voicemail."

"It's not doing that anymore.  When did she leave?"

I tried calling her and it went straight to voicemail.  No, she was okay.  She was fine.  Her phone just died.  Why wasn't she at home?  Where was she?

"Elijah!  Focus, please, when did she leave?"

"Uh...um...around one," I finally said, shaking my head.  "She called a cab, went to the hospital."

"Okay, um..just...shit, what do I tell her dad?"

My mind filled with that static sound old televisions made, my ears filling with water.