Branded (Fall of Angels)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

   

  I lay with my head resting on the side of the bed, Sal’s hand still held securely in my own when I felt the warm hand touch my shoulder.  Sleep had been threatening to pull me under but at the contact, a warm jolt of life and energy flooded through me.

  “Alex!” I exclaimed as I lurched to my feet and launched myself into his arms.

  He didn’t say anything as he wrapped his arms around me tightly and pressed his face against mine, momentarily pressing his lips to my cheek.  Tears flooded my eyes again and spilled onto his shoulder.  Such a deep sense of relief and comfort washed through me, I felt as if I were physically melting into his embrace. 

  After several long moments of pure joy, I opened my eyes and saw Emily leaning in the door frame, a tiny half smile on her lips.

  “Thank you,” I mouthed to her.  Despite the bomb she had dropped on me earlier, I would be eternally grateful to her for however she had magically made Alex appear.  She simply smiled and nodded.

  I stepped back just a bit, not releasing my arms from around his neck, so I could look at Alex’s face, not caring how horrid my own must look.  “How?” was all I managed to say.

  He pushed the hair from my face as he looked seriously in my eyes, emotions playing intensely across his impossibly blue eyes.  “Things got wrapped up in California more quickly than I expected and I just had this feeling that I needed to get home.”  My insides quivered slightly as he said the word home.  “I got back to the house just a little bit ago and your friend here was there and told me where you were and that there had been an accident with Sal.  We got up here as fast as we could.”

  A little sob escaped my lips as I buried my face in his chest, unbearably grateful he arrived when he did.  It had been all I could bear to contain everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner,” he whispered as he stroked my hair.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” I choked.  “You couldn’t have had better timing.  I’m just so glad that you came back at all.”

  I regretted saying the last part almost as soon as I said it.  Alex pulled me away from him just enough so he could look me in the face.  He seemed to be searching my face for something for a long moment before he spoke.  “It was much harder than it should have been for me to be gone as long as I was.”  He pulled me back into his firm embrace again and I thought I heard him mutter something like, “Don’t you realize?” but I wasn’t sure, nor did I have the energy to ask him what he had said.

  After several minutes that passed all too quickly, I realized I was being very rude in not formally introducing Alex and Emily.

  “Oh,” I said as I stepped away from Alex.  “I’m so sorry, Alex this is my friend Emily Lewis.  Emily this is Alex Wright.”

  “Yeah, we did actually get to that part in the whirlwind of this evening,” Emily said with a little smile from the doorway.

  I blushed slightly, feeling a little stupid.  Of course they would have at least gotten each other’s names considering Alex most likely had found her in his house.

  “Please, sit,” I said as I wiped my tears on the sleeve of my jacket.  Once everyone was settled I took a deep breath, preparing myself to say what I knew needed to be said.

  “The doctor said it looks like Sal tried to commit suicide,” my bottom lip quivered slightly as I spoke.  “The hospital wants to keep her under observation for a while to make sure she really should be living by herself.”

  Everyone was quiet for several minutes after I spoke, each unsure of what to say.  A few tears escaped down Alex’s face, though he made no move to wipe them away. 

  “I’m so sorry Jessica.  Alex told me how close you two were and that you took care of her,” Emily said as she stood and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.  “You are a good woman.”

  I accepted the embrace immediately.  The raised skin of what I knew would be an intricate set of wings was barely detectable through the fabric of her sweater.  She backed away after a moment, a knowing look on her face.

  Just as Emily backed away, a nurse came into the room to check Sal’s vitals.  I realized they were checking her every hour.

  “She’s doing just fine,” the dark-complexioned woman with motherly eyes said.  “The medication we gave her should be wearing off soon so she could wake up at any time.  We have her on the monitor down the hall but she’s likely to be very confused when she wakes up and her throat is going to bother her from when we pumped her stomach.  Just push this button here when she wakes and someone will be here in just a moment.”

  We nodded and thanked the woman and she left with a comforting smile.

  “Do you want us to stay with you?” Alex whispered as if he were afraid to wake Sal.

  “You don’t have to,” I said as I rubbed my eyes.  “I’m sure you’re tired after traveling all day.  You should go and get some sleep.”

  Alex grabbed my hand in both of his and brought it up to his face, gently pressing his lips to my knuckles.  “Do you want me to stay with you?” he asked earnestly.

  “Yes,” the words slipped out of my mouth before I could tactfully think of a way to say so without sounding so desperate.

  “Then I’ll stay.”

  I just nodded my head and tried to keep the thankful tears back.

  “Um,” Emily said, sounding slightly uncomfortable.  “I don’t want to make Sal uncomfortable when she wakes up since she doesn’t know me.  Maybe it would be best if I go back to your house and get my car?”

  I considered this for a moment.  She was right.  Sal did have a hard time with new people, Cole was proof of that.  “Yeah, that would probably be a good idea.  Thank you for coming up though.  I really appreciate it.”

  Emily stood and gave me an encouraging hug.  As she stood, Alex dug around in his pocket and handed her the keys to my car.

  “Can you drive a stick?” he asked.  “You can take my truck if not.”

  “I think I can manage,” she said as she gave us a wink.  “I’ll leave the keys on the table.  I’ll call you later, Jessica.”

  “Okay,” I managed, my voice sounding hoarse.

  She left with a quiet click of the door.

  We sat in silence for a moment, simply staring at Sal’s still form.  I wondered what was going on in her mind right now, what could cause the perplexed expression she bore.  It didn’t seem fair that she should have to be so tortured in her sleep. 

  I stretched my legs out in front of me as a huge yawn escaped.  I couldn’t help it as I rubbed my eyes.

  “Why don’t you take a break for a minute,” Alex said as he rubbed a hand in circles on my back.  “I can sit with Sal for a bit.  Why don’t you go get something to drink?  I saw a vending machine in the waiting room.  I’m pretty sure they even had Dr. Pepper in it,” he said with that half smile.

  I let out a little chuckle.  So apparently he had noticed my drink of choice. 

  “I think that would be a good idea at this point,” I said as I stood, raising my arms above my head, trying to make my blood circulate again.  “I’ll be back in just a minute.”

  “Take as long as you need.”

  It was indeed a relief to be out of the tiny room that was beginning to feel stuffy.  I was however not exactly anxious to leave Alex’s side so quickly after he miraculously returned.  But the halls were a welcome break and oddly, they lifted my fallen spirits a bit with their white walls and bright lights.  It also helped me to feel more alert and awake.

  My first stop was to the ladies’ room that was just off the waiting room.  I was glad to see it was empty as I stood at the counter and looked in the mirror.  I looked like a nightmare.  The bags under my eyes were frightening and I wondered if they would ever return to normal.  My eyes were swollen and bloodshot; all evidence of the make-up I had worn earlier had been long washed away with the tears.  My skin looked splotchy and unhealthy.  The mane that w
as my hair was turning frizzy and looked disheveled.  I suddenly wished I were the type of girl who kept a portable salon in her purse- anything to help the scary face that looked back at me in the mirror.

  I splashed some water on my face and dried it.  It felt refreshing and I wished I could take a shower.  That was going to have to wait though.

  I felt suddenly ashamed after I stood looking at myself for several long minutes.  Sal had just been fighting for her life and I was worried about what I looked like.  How could I be so shallow?

  There was indeed a vending machine in the waiting room and I was grateful they did have my favorite drink.  I bought two of them and quickly made my way back to Sal’s room.

  “Feel better?” Alex asked with a little smile as I closed the door behind me.

  “Much,” I said as I tried to force a smile onto my face unsuccessfully.  I held one of the sodas out to him but he shook his head.

  “I’m okay.  I can’t say I care too much for that stuff anyway.  Thanks though.”

  “Well, I don’t think I’ll have any problem downing both of them,” I chuckled as I unscrewed the lid to the first one.  I downed half of it in less than thirty seconds.

  “Whoa!” Alex laughed.  “Slow down there.”

  “Sorry,” I said as I wiped a tiny drop that had escaped onto my lips onto the back of my hand.  “I’m tired.”

  The laughter that had just filled Alex’s face suddenly died away.  My heart sank into my stomach for a moment.  I hadn’t forgotten what I told Alex but up until this point I was pretending I could ignore that fact and just simply enjoy that he was here. 

  But rather than just look at me like I was a freak, he opened his arms and ushered me to him.  My heart gave a little flutter as I settled myself into his lap and he wrapped his arms comfortingly around me.  I let my head rest on his chest and his chin settled softly on the top of it.  He began humming softly and after a few minutes I couldn’t find the will to ask him what the tune was and break the near perfectness of the moment.

  There was a not entirely small part in the back of my mind however that wondered if the closeness we were experiencing would last beyond this dramatic night and into tomorrow when things would return to a more normal state.  I was trying hard not to think about that.

  The clock ticked on, the second hand seemed to grow fractionally louder with each tick.  Despite the setting and circumstances we were there under I couldn’t help but be wonderfully happy.

  Just before three, the magic was broken, though it was not an entirely heartbreaking experience.

  Sal’s eyes fluttered open and then shut once, her brow becoming all the more furrowed.  Her lips quivered, almost as if she were trying to say something, but was unable to find the strength to make the words come out.

  We both jumped to the side of her bed and I took one of her hands in mine as I sat on one side.

  “Sal?” I whispered.  “Can you hear me?”

  Her eyes opened briefly again but they were unfocused and clouded looking.  They slid heavily closed again.  Her lips began to move a little more deliberately and small hissing sounds escaped them as she tried to force air up her throat to speak.

  “It’s Jessica,” I whispered as I touched her face, pushing her wild hair out of her eyes.  “Alex is here too.  He got home this morning.”

  “Where?” the raspy word made its way out of her throat.

  “You’re at Saint John’s Hospital, Sal.”  I had to try very hard to keep my voice steady as the tears threatened to spill over again.  I didn’t think I could handle telling Sal what had happened as I knew it was likely she wouldn’t remember the incident at all.

  “He told me…” her voice quivered as her eyes remained closed, the furrow between her brows continued to deepen.  “Make me forget.  Forget what happened.”

  I looked up at Alex with a worried and confused expression.  His own face reflected how I felt.

  “Let him in.  Black eyes said trust him.  Face tricked me.”  Sal’s eyes slid open and she found my face, suddenly able to focus.  Her eyes stared intently into my own and I saw fear spread through them.  “Wasn’t what he seemed.  Tricked me.  Don’t trust him.”

  “Sal, I…” I stumbled for words as I kept the intense stare she was giving me.  “Who are you talking about?”

  “Don’t trust him, Jessica,” she wheezed as she squeezed my hand with much more force than I thought she would be able to muster.

  Just then the nurse came in the door with a quiet tap.

  “I thought she must be awake,” she said.  “The monitors suddenly started jumping all around.”

  She walked to Sal’s side and began checking things and Alex and I had to move to get out of the way.

  “Dr. Ostler is going to want to check her out again and talk to Sal in private,” the nurse said, turning to us.  “I suggest the both of you head home and get some sleep.  It’s been a long night I’m sure.  The hospital will give you a call, Miss Bailey, to let you know what is happening.”

  I simply nodded my head, which suddenly felt like it was spinning with the possibility of leaving Sal in this hospital full of strangers by herself. 

  “We’ll be back soon, Sal,” Alex mercifully spoke when I couldn’t.  She stared at him blankly before her eyes slid shut once again.

  I grabbed my things from the room and we left silently.