Breaking Through These Walls

Chapter 37

Cullen's POV

"How's she doing?" I ask Lexi following her to the kitchen.

"She's a mess. She's in her room wrapped in a blanket staring blankly at the wall. I haven't left her alone. I fear for her." She says worried.

"I do too." I say quietly. "Has she talked to Pat?" I ask.

"Not really. He calls me in a panic making sure she's ok. She doesn't engage in their conversations or she just doesn't answer his call altogether. He made the rule of not leaving her alone, but quite frankly, he didn't have to make the rule because I don't trust her to not do anything to herself if she's alone." She explains.

"I haven't seen her this bad since Dan died and she took that hard."

"I'm just scared for her." Lexi says with a sigh.

"I am too. I've never seen her this crushed." I run my hand through my hair.

"Neither have I." Lexi sighs.

"What time do you have to leave for work?" I ask her looking at the time.

"Probably now." She chuckles.

"Alright, well have a good shift. We'll see you when you get home." I say stepping forward to hug Lexi.

"Thank you Cullen. I'm sorry to take you away from you first official day all moved in." Lexi says pulling back.

"It's not a problem. I'd rather spend time with my twin to be honest." I say with a smile.

"Alright good. Good luck though. You'll need it." She says before walking out the door.

I walk down the hall to Rian's room to find her in her bed wrapped in her comforter. I go over and climb into her bed with her and wrap my arms around her.

"How are you doing Ri?" I whisper.

"Awful." She whispers back, sniffling.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask her.

"No." She chokes out.

"I'm here if you do, ok?" She nods her head and sniffles again. "Do you want to get some lunch?" I offer.

"I don't know." She whispers.

"Come on Ri, you have to do something." I coax her.

"No I don't." She says sternly.

"What do you want then?" I ask her.

"My baby." She says before breaking into a new set of sobs.

I roll her over so she's facing me and I pull her to my chest. She buries her face in my chest, soaking my shirt. I hold her tight to my body, afraid that of I let her go, she will vanish.

"It's ok Ri. You'll get through this. You have so many people who are here to help and support you. You have a guy who loves you so much and is hurting seeing you like this." I say, rubbing her back.

"He should hate me though." She chokes out.

"Why? Because you lost the baby?" She nods against my chest. "Rian, he doesn't blame you for that. He loves you no matter what. Things happen. It's life. We learn from experience. He is not going to hate you because of this. If he does, I'll kick his ass, but he doesn't hate you. He could never hate you. He calls Lexi and I every night to make sure you are ok. He wanted to leave LA early and not play in the game to be here for you. Lexi and I both told him to stay and that we would look after you. He calls us multiple times a day to check in on you because you don't answer or you shut him out. Stop pushing him away Rian. He is hurting just as bad as you are. He needs you just as much as you need him." I tell her.

"I wish he was home." She whispers.

"I know Ri, I know. He'll be home early tomorrow morning." I tell her.

"I just want him home now." I mumble.

"I know." I say placing a kiss on her forehead. "Let's go get some lunch to try to take your mind off of everything." I propose.

"Ok." She says quietly, sitting up in her bed. I walk out of her room to let her change. I send Pat a quick text.

To: Pat
I convinced her to get lunch with me today. She misses you a lot and she can't wait for you to come home. Good luck tonight, we'll be watching.

From: Pat
Thanks a lot Cull. Please tell her I miss her and I love her. We'll hopefully be landing around 2:00 am. Thank you for all you've done. I really appreciate it.

To: Pat
Not a problem. She is my sister after all. Good luck and safe travels. We'll see you when you get home.

I put my phone in my pocket just as Rian walks into the kitchen.

"Ready?" I ask. She nods her head and walks through the door.

Patrick's POV

I sprint to my car as soon as I get all my bags at the airport.

"Why the rush Peaks?" Seabs calls after me.

"Rian." I call over my shoulder. I throw my bags into my car and peel out of the parking garage. I speed down the empty streets of Chicago to get to Rian's apartment. As soon as I pull into an open spot, I kill the engine, grab my bag and sprint into the building, not caring if I locked my car or not. I take the stairs two at a time and make it to the floor. I sprint down the hall and to the door, pausing to catch my breath before opening it.

I step into the apartment and walk deeper to where the tv is on low volume. I walk in to see Rian sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket. She turns her head over to me and sprints over to ms, throwing her arms around me.

"I'm sorry." She sobs into my chest.

"It's ok buttercup, there's nothing to be sorry for. I'm just glad you're ok." I whisper, pulling her body closer to mine.

"I've missed you so much." She whispers.

"I've missed you too, love." I place a kiss on the top of her head. "So much."

We held onto each other for a while as if the other was our lifeline. I rub circles on Rian's back, knowing that calms her down. I hear her yawn after a while.

"Come on love, let's go to bed." I say looking down at her face.

"Ok." She says quietly.

She grabs my hand and leads me to her room. She crawls into bed as I strip down to my boxers. I climb in next to her and I pull her body to mine. Her head lies on my chest as I hold her body to mine.

"Can you tell me a story?" She asks.

"Um, let's see." I try to think of a story to tell. Then it clicked. "It was the day of Prince William and Princess Abigail's wedding. The chapel was decorated with flowers with white and gold accents all around. Prince William was nervously waiting for the ceremony to start. His hands were shaking and he was starting to sweat. Princess Abigail was the same way. She was just as nervous as her future husband was." I look down to see Rian looking up at me with a small smile.

"It's the same story as last time." She giggled.

"No it's a continuation of the last story. There's a difference." I state. "Anyway, they were finally told that it was time for the ceremony to start. Princess Abigail starts to walk up the aisle to her love. He looks up after a few seconds and gets blown away by how beautiful his bride looks. Neither of them take their eyes off each other, so in love with the person standing before them. William holds on to Abigail's hands, never wanting to let go of them. They exchange their vows, professing their love for the other, while exchanging rings. When it finally came to the point where William could kiss his new wife, he wasted no time placing his lips on hers for a soft kiss. The chapel erupts with clapping and cheering for the new couple. They ran down the aisle hand in hand after the ceremony. They went along to the after party and danced the night away like they did that first night they spent together. They lived happily ever after. The end." I look down to see that Rian is already fast asleep. I kiss the top of her head and close my eyes, letting sleep take over me as well.