28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

P ixie had only been in the room with her mother for an hour, but she was already wiped. Not only the adrenaline crash but also navigating her mother in this state and making sure she didn't set off any mental landmines had taken a lot out of her.

"The doctors are going to be coming back for you soon," she said, pushing up from her seat. She'd done what she could here, and she'd return to check in on Maisie once the hold was lifted. The relief trickling through her made her feel guilty as shit, no matter the logic that the trained professionals would be able to help Maisie better than she could. She squeezed Maisie's hand.

For a moment, her mother's eyes cleared, like lucidity descended. "I'll be okay, sweetheart. You've done so much. Go rest."

Her body sagged. She hadn't realized how badly she needed to hear that permission. In the past, she would've left to wallow in the swell of bitterness and confusion that followed her or chase a distraction. Not today. Today, she had something to look forward to, to hope for.

"See you on the other side," Pixie said, giving her mother's hand one last squeeze. The sight of Maisie sitting there softly smiling at her was one that settled in her chest. Maybe she'd been spinning her wheels by keeping all this from her friends. Maybe if she'd let them in a long time ago, she wouldn't have struggled so hard.

She didn't look back as she exited the ICU room and walked to the waiting area where she'd left Parker.

Pixie's skin buzzed. The relief coursing through her was staggering. Not only was her mother fine with just a mild concussion, but she was en route to getting the help she needed. If the meds wore off, the doctors would adjust them and work with her until they found the best solution.

And she wasn't going out by her lonesome to slump into her car.

No, her friends were aware of her situation. Eva waited for her.

When she turned the corner into the waiting area, she stopped still.

Parker was there, but he wasn't alone. More noise than should've been in an ICU waiting room poured her way.

Everyone had shown up.

Micah sat in Parker's lap, waving his hands wildly, with Parker's arms wound around him as they talked to Nolan, who sat right next to the pair. Sloan leaned against Fin's side, and they wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Meg murmured something in Fin's ear, a wicked grin ensuing, and both of them glanced at Tristan .

And Eva stood beside them, still wearing Pixie's clothes from the morning.

Pixie's heart surged, and her eyes prickled.

"Oh, look," Micah said. "You finally decided to show up."

"We're in a hospital, Micah Frederick Abrams," Eva said in the Domme voice that never failed to send a shiver down her spine. Not like Micah would listen. Eva wasn't continuing with him though—no, she walked in Pixie's direction, crossing the space between them.

Pixie covered her mouth with her hand, unable to believe the sight before her. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her vision blurring. Her heart cracked open right then and there. She hadn't said a word, yet they'd all come here for her. To support her.

After years of carrying the load herself, this was more than she could've imagined.

When Eva wrapped her arms around her, she sank against Eva's chest, the softness and warmth the exact comfort she'd been searching for. "I told you, dove. We've got you."

Fuck. This woman was going to make her bawl.

The stress, the agony, the loneliness poured from her, and she was left with a freedom she'd never been able to find, no matter how hard she'd searched. She was probably making a mess of Eva's shirt, but those steady fingers combed through her hair, and Eva held her like she could single-handedly keep her broken pieces together.

"Pixie girl," Fin said. "You are in so much trouble."

"Fucking Christ, Fin. Can't you see she's dealing with a lot right now?" Nolan's smack echoed.

"You want payback for that?" Fin said.

"Don't threaten me with a good time."

"Kids," Meg said .

Pixie let out a wet giggle. Her eyes refused to stop leaking, but her heart was so damn light. She couldn't get over the sheer joy of being among her friends.

"We're going to get kicked out of here, and when that happens, I don't know you lot," Sloan said. "Hottie nurse down at the front desk slipped me his number."

"Lucky," Tristan drawled. "He was gorgeous."

"No one will get kicked out if you can lower the volume," Meg said, her voice sharp in her Domme-ish way.

"Yes, Mommy," Fin said.

"Some days I wish you were a sub, just so I could spank the everloving shit out of you," Meg said.

"You can take it out on me." Tristan winked. Meg slid her arms around him and pressed a kiss to the side of his neck.

Pixie pulled out of Eva's embrace and wiped her eyes, wanting to see everyone, to know they weren't figments of her imagination.

"Micah called them," Eva said. "He wanted to prove to you how much everyone cares about you, dove."

Micah's gaze hadn't left her, but he also wasn't rushing her way. Fuck, she didn't deserve him.

"Hey." Pixie took the first steps toward her best friend, even if they were a little hesitant. As much as she wanted to address everyone else, she needed to talk to Micah first. She stopped in front of him, brushing away the wetness on her cheeks. "I'm sorry. Not for falling for your sister, because I warned you she was hot as shit, but there was one person I should've opened up to a long time ago, and that was you."

"Ew, that's my sister." The teasing note to his voice calmed her at once. "Why keep me at a distance?"

Pixie stared at the ceiling for a second. Her reasons for barricading herself away for years felt stupid now. She'd isolated herself from everyone, and for what? "Truth? I just didn't know how. But I'm learning. And I'm going to get better."

"You and I are going to have a boba date so you can practice," Micah said, crossing his arms as if daring her to argue.

"I'd love that." She sniffed, the tears surfacing again. "I just don't want to lose you."

"You won't," Micah said as he leaned against Parker's chest. Parker rested his chin on his shoulder.

"Good, the two of you can drink that vile stuff," Eva teased, running her fingertips through Pixie's hair. A shiver ran down her spine.

"Micah mentioned there was talk of moving." Sloan took the seat beside Parker and Micah.

Payback for holding back on him, of course. Pixie let out a huff of breath. She loved the bratty little shit. Eva wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and she leaned against her, adoring the public affection. They didn't need to hide anymore, and she would soak this up as much as possible.

"I have an interview for a residency at the Portland Museum of Art," Pixie said. Fin stage gasped behind her, and Pixie resisted the urge to flip them off. "One I'm going to turn down."

"If this is a goal of yours though, why not pursue it?" Meg asked. She perched on the side of the rickety hospital chair in true bisexual fashion.

"Because it's not a goal. I was just looking to run. If I'm being honest, to escape this"—she gestured at the ICU room she'd left—"and because I'd been isolating."

"We all knew that." Fin crossed their arms over their chest. "I was two seconds from busting down your door and staging an intervention."

"They even had the banner made," Noles said wanly .

"The banner needed a bit of work." Tristan leaned against one of the chairs. "Not enough glitter glue."

"You guys are ridiculous." Pixie scrubbed at her face as if she could erase the trace of the tears that had been pouring down her cheeks. The weight of Eva's arm around her was a comfort she'd never known, and if this was what having a partner was like, she regretted holding off for so long.

Except maybe then she would never have met Eva. And she didn't want to imagine a future without this woman.

Eva pressed a soft kiss to her head. "How is your mom doing?"

"Oh, shit, why didn't we ask that first?" Micah said, wrinkling his nose.

Pixie let out a watery laugh. "If things were bad, I'm pretty sure I'd be coming out here a whole lot differently. You read me right."

Micah, Parker, Sloan, Tristan, and Meg were filling the seats while Nole and Fin hovered beside her. She still couldn't get over everyone in the waiting room with her. It was time to rip the Band-Aid off, at least about her mother. She could dive into more with Micah when they had their boba date.

"The EMTs thought her head trauma was a lot worse. She's just got a mild concussion. She's got schizoaffective disorder, and she's in a manic episode, so that was what confused them."

Pixie's shoulders tensed as she waited for everyone to throw judgmental looks at her or dig deeper into her past she wasn't comfortable constantly ripping open. Eva gave her another squeeze.

"Sounds like good news, then," Meg said. "Are they addressing her mental health here?"

"Yeah, she'll be in a psych hold." Relief washed over her. Micah fixed her with a knowing look that pierced right through. Given his skills in reading people, he'd probably pieced a lot of her past together over the years.

"Okay, so do you want to stay here longer? Or are they taking her to the ward soon?" Meg directed the group like she always seemed to do. Pixie was grateful as fuck for it.

"She'll be heading there any minute," Pixie said, resting her head against Eva.

"Why don't we go get something to eat?" Eva said. "It's midday on a Sunday, so guaranteed there are a lot of places open. You've got to be starving."

"I am," Micah said. "I haven't even had coffee yet."

"What a war crime." Parker carded his fingers through Micah's curls.

"Brilliant idea," Meg said. "The sooner we can get out of here, the better. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure we're going to get the boot in a minute."

"Correct," the nurse at the desk said. "You lot generate way too much noise."

"You should hear us on a Play Night," Fin said, a Cheshire grin on their face.

Nolan smacked them in the arm. "Seriously, Fin. We're in a hospital."

They shrugged. "I'm sure this hospital's seen plenty of action." The nurse snorted, and laughter bubbled up inside Pixie. Fuck, she loved these people so much.

"You want to hear a good story?" Fin asked the nurse, and already Meg was striding over to rein them in. "I've got this one about a watermelon…"

"You're not going to scar this poor nurse with the watermelon story." Meg gave Fin's ear a tug. Fin flicked her in the arm .

In a single day, all the isolation Pixie had been consumed by had vanished. Today had reminded her of the truth—that she already had a family she'd formed here in San Francisco. She'd put in the time to seek out all the right people in her life, and giving that up would be the worst decision she could make. She had everything she needed to fuel her art and happiness here in the city.

"Come on, dove," Eva said, drawing away. Pixie let out a whimper by accident, and Eva's lips curved into a smirk.

"Don't think the two of you are getting out of explaining all that." Sloan pointed between them. "Just saying."

"Stella's Café is about a five-minute drive from here," Parker announced, scrolling through his phone. "Want to meet there?"

"You're driving with me." Eva intertwined her fingers with Pixie's. "Micah can hitch a ride with his boyfriend."

"Thank fuck," Micah said. "Your five miles under the speed limit approach is worse than Aunt Peggy's."

Eva lifted her middle finger at Micah, and warmth exploded in Pixie's chest. Such a simple, stupid gesture, but them bickering was proof positive that everything would be okay.

"All right." Eva tugged her toward the door. "We'll lead the charge out."

Pixie moved along with her as they reached the corridor and headed down it. Unlike when she'd been approaching, she felt a thousand pounds lighter now. The adrenaline had crashed, but it had been replaced by overflowing joy. One she'd never experienced before in her life.

They entered the elevator, and all too fast, they stopped on the first floor. Pixie was floating, pure buoyancy.

"I'm sorry I wasn't the one to drive you," Eva said. "I was thinking of you the whole time. "

Pixie shook her head. "No, this was important too. If I hadn't seen that everyone showed up for me today, I don't know if I would have believed it could happen. And Micah being okay means the world to me. I'm assuming the two of you made up."

"Yeah," Eva admitted, giving her hand a squeeze. "We had a long overdue talk about the shit we grew up with. He's fine with us dating—just didn't want to get pushed out."

"I don't want that either," Pixie said, swinging their arms back and forth.

When they stepped out of the hospital, the sunlight was blinding. How had all this occurred in a single morning?

"You know what kept me sane through this, though?" Pixie squeezed Eva's hand. "You."

"I wasn't even here," Eva said, tugging on her ponytail as she averted her gaze.

Pixie shook her head. "Knowing you were coming for me, that you'd be here for me no matter what. I've never had that." Her eyes prickled a little, and she sucked in a shaky breath. "We're serious, right?"

Eva arched her brow. "Are you asking if we're girlfriends? I thought that was a given with our conversation before. I don't casually date."

"Good," Pixie said, her heart thumping hard. "Because I'm in love with you, Eva Abrams."

Eva stopped midstride across the parking lot to stare at her. Pixie wanted to commit every detail to memory—how the sun made her auburn strands glow, how her perfect lush lips opened in surprise, and how her expressive eyes communicated every ounce of her care and affection. Eva had a quiet solidness to her nature that had drawn Pixie in from the start. However, what she'd uncovered was that the dominant, bossy side, her perfectionist tendencies, and her endless curiosities had all played a part in handing over her heart.

With Eva, it'd be safe, and that was a rarity for her.

"I love you too," Eva said, her eyes glistening. "Fuck. More than I ever thought possible."

She dragged Pixie against the nearest car, which definitely didn't belong to her, and pushed her against it. Eva's lips crashed to hers, and Pixie tilted her head back in surrender. The cool door pressed into her, but she was on fire from Eva's kiss. Eva gripped her hips, keeping her in place as she claimed her mouth with drugging kisses, sliding her tongue inside. Sparks flew up her spine, and the light exploding inside her grew so bright it rivaled the sun.

In Eva's grasp, she felt safe, protected, and loved. Tears pricked at her eyes again as she just kissed Eva back with all her might, hoping to pour her emotions into this kiss. Already, the colors and shapes burst in her mind—splashes of green like tendrils of vine, twisting around them and binding them close together, a combustion of white and yellow lifting them up.

From the moment Eva had come into her life, her subconscious had known this woman was the right one for her, and her creativity had responded in turn.

Someone wolf-whistled behind them. "Get a room, guys," Nolan called.

"My car!" Sloan's voice snapped them out of their bubble.

Eva pulled away, her eyes twinkling, and Pixie burst out laughing.

"Let's go, dove," Eva said, grabbing her hand and tugging. "Before Sloan comes and yells at us."

The giggles pealed out of her as they raced toward Eva's car.

A year, hell, even six months ago, she would never have believed having a future with someone was possible. Yet falling for Eva had proved that not only was she where she needed to be, but she'd also found the person she was meant to be with.