The fight to get back to you. (Book 3)

Chapter 16

I hailed down a cab and jumped in, giving the address of the theatre and requesting that he get me there as soon as possible. I had a good feeling about this place, it was special so maybe it would bring me the luck that I had been praying for.

I drummed my fingers on the tattered leather seat as we drove along at a steady pace. It seemed the driver had not picked up my sense of urgency and his fast was no more than fifty kilometres an hour! My phone rang and when I answered it Domingo was on the other end telling me that there was still no sign of Elliot.

I told him that I was still searching and I had a few more places left to check, I promised to let them know if he turned up and hung up the phone. I didn’t want to get their hopes too far up especially when I may be wrong about this.

“Could you please speed up a bit sir, this is quite important.” I asked trying to stay polite.

He did speed up by all of five kilometres per hour. I sighed in frustration and continued to drum my fingers whilst staring out the window. My other hand was still gripping the cross at my neck hoping that I was right and that he would be there waiting for me.

When the cab eventually pulled up outside of the theatre I paid and thanked him then raced into the theatre. I bought a ticket so that I could get passed the usher and proceeded to check the three screens that it held. I got the usual hisses as I walked up and down the aisles whispering his name amongst the few people that filled it.

Nothing in screen one so I moved quickly onto the next, I received even more comments in this one as it was a little fuller than the last. I moved down one aisle across the front of the screen and back up the other side, calling out his name as quietly as possible, but loud enough to be heard.

I stopped just outside of the doors, head hung low and sighing. This wasn’t going to be it, I could feel the hope draining from me quickly. I could also feel people’s eyes on me it felt like they were boring into the back of my head so I pushed the door and walked out into the lobby ready to try the last screen.

I went to enter but the usher stopped me apparently people had made complaints, I tried to make him understand. I told him I would literally be a few minutes but he wasn’t having any of it so I decided I would wait for the show to end and see if he came out.

“Lucas?”

I stopped in my tracks, my breath hitched. I turned slowly and there he was standing right in front of me, he had a duffel bag with him. It was on the floor beside him as he stood there looking almost ashamed and shocked that I had found him.

“Elliot.”

“What are you doing here?” He asked me.

“I found your letter.”

“Oh you weren’t supposed to see that until I was gone, I am leaving for England now.”

I punched him full force in the face, his nose broke, I heard it and the blood splattered over his face as he yelled out. He stepped back, dropping his duffel bag once again as the usher yelled out and came running over to us. My body was heaving in anger, my pulse was racing and my eyes were becoming hazy trying to focus through the fog.

“Is that all you have to say to me?!” I punched him again.

“Lucas please!” He begged. “It’s the right thing you know it is.”

“Don’t you DARE tell me that it is the right thing for me, it’s only right for you. You coward!” I spat. “You haven’t had Charlie pacing, worrying about in the apartment. You haven’t had to watch your poor mother collapse in a heap on the floor because she thinks her son is dead. You haven’t had to watch a strong man like your dad almost break and you haven’t had to listen to your heart break as you read what you assumed are the love of your life’s final words! So don’t you DARE tell me that it is the right thing to do, the only person that wants this is you!”

“Lucas I am sorry but you have no idea what this is like.”

“BECAUSE YOU WON’T TELL ME! You won’t let me in!” I screamed.

“Lucas please try to understand this is the best thing for everyone.”

“NO! I will not understand, you understand this. I LOVE YOU! We all love you so very much and we won’t allow you to do this. Look at all of those poor soldiers out there that are struggling to make it through another day. Some of them far worse than you are and with much less support, some make it and some don’t. I won’t let you give up just yet not before you have even tried god damn it! You didn’t even try therapy, you never talked to me, and you just expected me to be ok with it all. Just like you’re expecting me to be ok with this, well I am not ok! Don’t you understand, if you die then so do I. I have always loved you, I waited years and years to share that love with you and I am not prepared to give it up now. I am fused to you Elliot, your heart is my heart, we are two parts of one whole and without you here I won’t survive either. So if you want to go, then go. But know that when you go you are taking me with you.”

He looked at me shocked, tears in his eyes but he was just as adamant as I that they would not fall. Stubborn until the end, that was my Elliot and despite the situation I was glad to see that some of him was still around. We had a crowd gathered around us now as I screamed my heart out to him trying to make him understand me.

He didn’t move for a long time and I stared at him defiantly, daring him to argue back at me just one more time. Daring him to pick up his duffel bag, walk passed me and leave me standing here alone but he didn’t make a move. He didn’t even blink he just kept staring, looking more and more confused as time went on.

“You really love me don’t you?” He asked quietly. “I mean you really, really love me.”

“YES you absolute idiot of course I love you!” I cried out.

He walked towards me and in front of everyone he grabbed my face and kissed me, he told me that he loved me too and he thanked me. It was very, very clichéd but the small group of people around us clapped and cheered. Some of them came up and slapped Elliot on the back then they all cleared and went to watch their movies.

“Charlie is here?”

“No he went home, we are not stupid we knew what your plan was.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to return to the apartment. If you had stayed at your mom’s then my plan as you call it may have succeeded. I still believe I am right but I owe you so much more than even you realise and so I am prepared to do anything. I promised you once that I would fight to get back to you, I didn’t realise then that I would need your help to do that. But I am grown up enough to realise now that I never could have done this alone and for that I am sorry. From now on we do this together and we fight this fight together.”

“I will be here ok, I am not going anywhere and neither are you.”

“Ok it won’t be easy.”

“When is love ever easy, especially our love?” I laughed and he laughed with me which made my remaining fears vanish. “Come on let’s go and put your poor family out of their misery.”

He grabbed his bag and my hand and led me out of the theatre and into a cab. We made our way home to tell everyone he was safe and sound. I grabbed my cross and brought it to my lips one last time, thanking whoever had answered my prayer. I knew the road ahead wouldn’t be an easy one but Elliot now knew for certain that he was loved.

We would all be with him every step of the way and we would all come out of this and move on once he was well again. Now that we would be working together to get him better, I felt more secure with the knowledge that I would be able to truly help him even if that help was just being there beside him.

Together we would fight and together we would win.

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For Marie who wants every ending to be a happy one xx

Theo and Alfie's story coming soon xx