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Damon knocks and peeks in. “Can I come in?”
“If I say no, are you going to listen to me?” I say sarcastically. He shrugs and walks in anyway. See? I don’t even know why he asked.
He pulls out the chair from next to my bed and sits forward on his knees. “You look better today. How are the ribs?”
“Hurts like hell,” I answer dryly. I narrow my eyes at him. I can’t think of one good reason why he’s here. It doesn’t matter if he’s here for Aiden or because he’s FBI and needs to question me, either way, I don’t want to talk to him about it.
He exhales loudly, looking down. “I’m assuming you don’t want to talk to me about what happened.” Really? What gave that away? “I’ll send someone you don’t know personally if that’ll help. I just wanted to see how you are doing, if you needed anything …” he says, lifting his head up with furrowed brows. I look away from his pained stare.
I stare at the TV. “No, I’m fine.”
“Addison, I’m only here for you. So, if you need anything …” he pauses until I look at him, “… please let me know.” I nod once and he stands. He looks back over his shoulder giving me a crooked smile before pulling the door open and leaving. Unwanted tears fall down my face. I can’t even tell why I’m crying. Maybe it’s because I was just a bitch to a friend or maybe because anything or anyone associated with Aiden messes with my emotions. I may be clean on the outside, but the filthiness I feel inside of me that won’t go away consumes me whenever I think about Aiden. I’m not the woman he fell in love with. I’m not the woman he wants.
Damon doesn’t waste any time sending someone in. A female FBI agent comes into my room and asks questions that are so painful to say out loud, that my broken rib feel like kisses on my skin compared to that pain. When she leaves, I’m exhausted from my body being tense the whole time. I press the nurse call button and request some pain meds. I know it’s not going to make the emotional pain I feel go away, but it’ll help me go to sleep. So much for a successful morning.
I can hear the quiet hum in my room before I even manage to open my eyes. My eyelids are still heavy from the pain meds, so I keep them closed. I would know the person behind that melody anywhere. Sydney. I hesitate because I need to prepare myself. Sydney is as much my sister as Amy is my aunt. They are not my family by blood, but by choice. I know she must have been going crazy the entire time I was missing.
I take a deep, quiet breath before I pry open my eyes. Sydney sits on the chair next to my bed, looking down at her phone. She has black circles under her eyes and her messy hair is pulled back in a clip. I slowly scan her face. She doesn’t have any makeup on and her face is pale. My heart hurts knowing how much anguish she must have been in. My gaze moves down her body, and I notice her plaid leggings don’t match her flowered tunic. It’s so hideous that people might actually think she meant to do it. But I know Syd. She didn’t mean to.
Her fingers fly across the screen as she writes out a text. Her polish is chipped on numerous fingernails; she’s been picking it off. The melancholy melody coming from the back of her throat brings tears to my eyes. She’s sad because of me. When I sniffle, her face jerks up, meeting mine.
She softly smiles and says, “Hi.”
“Hi.” I manage a small smile. We stare at each other for a couple seconds before her eyes fill with tears.
“Fuck!” she says. My eyes go wide at her sudden burst of a curse word. “I’m sorry. I thought I could put on a strong façade because I know you.” Tears run down her face, and she wipes them away. “I know you don’t want anyone looking at you and feeling sorry for you, b-b-but I can’t do it,” she stutters and climbs on the bed, lying on her side so we’re face to face. My eyes sting as the tears fall freely down my face. “I’m so sorry this happened to you. I can’t even imagine the hell you were in these last couple weeks,” she hiccups. She wraps her hands around mine and falls silent. She’s right. I don’t want people’s pity, but if there is anyone who I can be myself around, it’s Sydney. I close my eyes and let my emotions pour out of me.
My body shakes as my cries fill the room. She moves closer and wraps herself around me. I don’t even notice that someone else is in the room until I hear Syd say, “Not now.” I wipe my tears away and turn toward the door. No one is there so I turn back around.
“Always so bossy,” I say, sniffling.
She smiles and shrugs. “You needed this more than that person needed to come in here.”
I take a deep inhale and exhale, nodding. “Who was it?”
“I’m pretty sure it was your doctor.”
I smirk. “I’m having a déjà vu moment right now.”
“Nope. She’s definitely not as hot as Dr. Parker was,” she says with a laugh. I chuckle when I think about the last time I was in the hospital after being shot and Syd hooked up with my doctor.
“Thank you for being here,” I say softly.
She squeezes my hand. “Nobody could have kept me away from you. I love you, Addie.”
“I love you, too, Sydney.” I take a few more deep breaths to calm myself. I need to change the subject because I can tell my emotional state is barely hanging on. “So, did you get the job?”
Her gaze flicks over my shoulder before coming back to meet my eyes. She chews her lip while she contemplates what to say. I can already tell what her answer is going to be.
“That’s great,” I say, not wanting to wait for her to tell me she got it but that she’s not going. That will never happen. She will not put her life on hold because of the mess I’m in.
“Addie—”
I shake my head. “No. When do you start?”
She stares at me for a minute and sighs. “I’m supposed to go next week for orientation.”
“Then you’re going,” I deadpan. She sticks her tongue out. “I’m fine. I’m alive and I’ll eventually go back.” She narrows her eyes. “I need someone to take care of my apartment anyway.”
