Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

ELIJAH

Fallon waits until we're inside my dorm room before unloading on me.

"What the fuck are you doing?" The window glass vibrates when he kicks the door shut.

" Me? "

His blue gaze turns glacial, and it honestly makes me squirm. It's like having a parent's disappointed stare boring into you as they wait for the bullshit explanation they know you're about to give them.

"Did you fuck around with David behind Julien's back?"

My jaw hits the floor. "No! And the fact you'd ask that is insulting. I would never cheat on Julien."

Fallon and I literally just talked about me proposing. He knows how much I love Julien.

The bathroom door slowly creaks open to reveal a wide-eyed Ash, toothbrush in hand, resembling a rabid animal from the toothpaste foam around his mouth.

"You cheated on Julien with David?"

Oh my fucking god.

Overwhelmed and getting angry for being accused of something I would never in a million years do, I throw myself onto my bed and cover my scream with a pillow.

"Explain what I overheard," Fallon says.

Jackknifing into a sitting position, I hug the pillow to my chest. Julien's pillow. The one I stole because it smells like him.

"What exactly did you hear?"

One blond eyebrow knowingly arches. " Don't marry him. Give us a chance ."

"Holy sh—" Ash splutters toothpaste and hurries to the sink to spit it out.

"Then you missed a hell of a lot," I reply.

Fallon's glare could melt steel. "Don't be a smartass."

I reach for another pillow and chuck it at his head. It misses by a mile.

"Then stop talking to me like a fucking child. I didn't do anything wrong."

The water turns off in the bathroom, and Ash comes out. The mattress dips when he sits down beside me.

"For my benefit, because clearly I've missed a lot, start from the beginning. And BTW, I told you that David liked you. More than once. Just saying."

Ash ducks out of the way when I swing another pillow at his head.

"I think everyone is missing the bigger picture here. I'm not interested in David. We're just friends."

"Does David know that?" Fallon argues.

"Now who's being a smartass?"

I didn't think Fallon's scowl could get any severer, and if people could spontaneously combust from a look, I'd be a pile of fiery embers.

With great reluctance, I give in and rehash everything from last night and today, leaving nothing out, which only makes Fallon get angrier.

"Dammit, El, why didn't you call me? It really ticks me off that I'm finding out about all this shit now."

Ash comically points at him, then transfers his derisory finger at me. "Ditto what he said."

I know their outrage comes from a place of love.

"I had Julien."

Fallon pulls my desk chair toward the bed and sits down. "You are so goddamn stubborn sometimes. Need I remind you that you have me, too? You have Ash."

"Damn straight," Ash agrees.

Fallon's hands land on my legs, his touch both imploring and supportive. "What can I do? I'll pay for your therapy. Kick David's ass. Buy you and Julien a house to live in near campus. Whatever it is, let me be there for you."

"You've always been there for me."

I wish Fallon could see himself the way I see him. He thinks he's broken. The fuck up. The black sheep of the family. All I see when I look at him is my hero.

Ash raises his hand and mumbles, "I'd like a house."

"If David doesn't back off, tell me."

"I can handle David."

I don't want Fallon going after him like he did Justin. David is still my friend, and it's a friendship I'd like to keep. However, if he keeps pushing for more, I'll have no choice but to walk away.

"He gets physical with you again, all bets are off."

Ash looks horrified. "David hit you?"

I do a metaphorical facepalm. "No, he didn't hit me."

I'm thankful when my phone chimes.

SexyBoyfriend: SOS.

Me: SOS?

SexyBoyfriend: I'm at the hospital. It's Liz. They think she had a seizure.

I pull into the emergency room parking lot, but it takes a minute to find an open spot.

Me: I'm here.

SexyBoyfriend: They're admitting her. Want to keep her overnight. I'll meet you in the front lobby.

I thunk my head against the steering wheel before backing out to find a parking space closer to the front entrance of the hospital.

Hospitals and I are not friends. Too many bad memories. Julien after Marshall hurt him during the soccer game. Me after Justin beat the shit out of me. And the smell. Hospitals always smell of rubbing alcohol and disinfectant. It's a bitter, unpleasant odor that invades your nose and sticks to your tongue.

Getting out of my car, I head to the front entrance, only to bump into Fallon on his way out. How did he get here so fast?

"Have you seen Jul—" He walks right by me. "Are you leaving? Fallon!" I call when he doesn't stop.

Not even glancing my way, he slams the door of his Porsche shut and wheel-spins out of the parking lot.

What the hell?

"I'm so glad you're here."

I jump when Julien grabs me in his arms, almost toppling me over with the force of his hug.

"How is she?"

"They're doing an MRI now."

"She had a seizure?"

So many worries take up residence in my thoughts. Liz has been through so much, and now this.

The stubble of his cheek scratches my neck when he nods. "That's what the ER doctor thinks, but he doesn't know for sure."

Tears soak into the collar of my shirt.

"Liz is going to be just fine."

I hope to God I'm not lying, but it's what he needs to hear.

"It's not only that." His shoulders shake when he takes a shuddered breath. "Jay found out. He and Ry got into a fight at the library in front of Liz. And then she… Jay said she became unresponsive and started shaking and…"

I don't know what to do to make things better, so I guide us to a nearby bench and hold him as he breaks. My heart breaks right along with him.

Pulling away, he swipes agitatedly at the tears. "I hate crying."

I catch a tear with my thumb. "A good cry can be cathartic."

"Let's agree to disagree."

I run a comforting hand over his upper back, kneading at the tension that has taken root in his shoulders.

"You hungry? I can make a run for food or coffee and bring it back. The stuff they serve in the cafeteria is godawful."

He sniffs as he dries his eyes. "I remember." Julien looks around as if searching for something. "I thought I saw Fallon."

"He left."

"I guess that's for the best. Jay doesn't need another reason to flip out."

Taking my hand, he brushes fingertips around each knuckle. Julien has beautiful hands. Long fingered and wide palmed.

"Liz's cousin, that guy, Daniel, who took guardianship over her, is here. He flew in from Seattle this morning to visit her. He seems decent. He got her a private room." Julien's knees bounce. He shifts. Crosses his ankles. Uncrosses them. "I just want her to be okay. She needs to be okay."

When he looks at me, I kiss him. "Liz is a fighter. Titanium, just like me."

He smiles, but it's a sad smile. "I should get back in. I need to make sure Jay and Ry don't kill each other. You don't have to stick around if you'd rather leave."

I bump his shoulder. "Family sticks together."

I mean that with every fiber of my being. Julien, Jayson, Ryder, and Liz are my family, just as much as Jessi, Fallon, and Ash are. Found family in the truest sense.

"Ready?" I ask, reversing our grip so that I can twine my fingers through his.

Julien squeezes my hand, and I squeeze back, hoping it reassures him even a fraction as much as he needs.

We make our way inside, passing through the sliding doors of the hospital and into the sterile, brightly lit lobby. It's quiet, hardly anyone is around. A middle-aged woman quickly looks up from a book she's reading as Julien leads me past the information desk to the bay of elevators.

"Liz is on the top floor," he says and presses the button with the number ten on it when we step into the lift.

"I used to love this song."

"Oh, hell, no," Julien says, laughing when I start singing the lyrics to a horrendous muzak version of "Never Gonna Give You Up."

As soon as the doors open, he quickly pushes me out.

"I'm going to add that to your playlist. Good running music."

"Add that to my iPod and suffer the consequences," he replies and turns right. "Ry and Jay are in the waiting room up ahead. And fair warning, Meredith is a talker."

"Who's Meredith?"

"Liz's friend from her study group. Hold up."

He stops us in the hall when a man approaches from the nurses' station. He's not a doctor. Wrong clothes. This must be Daniel. The family resemblance between him and Liz is also a tell. He's almost the spitting image of Liz's dad, John. I met John a few times. Went to see one of his shows when his band played at the state fair. Liz inherited her musical ability from him.

"How is she?" Julien asks.

"They just moved her into a room. Visiting hours are over, but I pulled some strings."

Julien releases me to shake his hand. "Thank you. This is my boyfriend, Elijah."

Daniel transfers his handshake to me. His grip is firm but warm when I take it, and there's a quiet strength in his eyes. "Nice to meet you, Elijah. Liz often speaks of you, Julien, Ryder, and Jayson. Good to finally have faces to go with the names."

He motions for us to follow him to the waiting room. "She wants to see everyone but would like to speak with Ryder first, if that's alright."

"Of course," Julien replies.

We share a look. Jayson isn't going to like that one bit.

The waiting room is partially filled with people, some in quiet conversations, others staring blankly at the muted television in the corner. My gaze lands on Ryder and Jayson first. They're sitting a few chairs apart. Deliberate distance. Jayson's knuckles are white from gripping the edge of his seat, while Ryder leans forward, elbows on his knees, eyes blank and unseeing. The strained tension between them is palpable, like a rubber band pulled taut, ready to snap.

Sitting next to Ryder is a petite girl with dark hair cut in a short bob. Her hands move almost as fast as her mouth while she animatedly talks to the tall guy standing next to her. I do a double take. Blond hair and blue eyes. He's so strikingly similar to Fallon that he could be Fallon's doppelg?nger.

"Help me keep a leash on Jay. No repeats of last time."

Last time being after Liz was attacked. Jayson and Ryder got into a fight, which led to all of us being barred from the hospital. The next day, she was gone.

Ryder's red-rimmed eyes lift, and he's bounding out of his chair in an instant. So is Jayson.

"She'd like to see you. I'll take you to her room," Daniel informs Ryder.

The angry outburst I expected from Jayson never comes. With dejected, hunched shoulders, he sits back down and averts his gaze toward the floor.

"Elizabeth wasn't kidding about the twin thing," Meredith says, hopping around us with barely contained energy. "She talks about you all the time. Well, she talks about everyone all the time, but you especially. You, too," she says to me.

Trevor grabs her shoulders to hold her in place. "Forgive her. It's like trying to control a hyperactive chihuahua."

Meredith jabs him in the stomach with her elbow. "I'm standing right here."

"Sorry that we're meeting under these circumstances—excuse me for a sec." Julien peels away to check on his brother.

Trevor cocks his head when I look at him. Another thing Fallon does.

"You look so much like my friend. The resemblance is uncanny. Fallon Montgomery. Do you know him?"

Trevor's expression hardens to stone, and I bite back anything else I was going to say.

"I'm going to grab something from the vending machines. You want anything?" he asks Meredith.

Seeming to pick up on the mood change, she grabs his arm. "I'll come with you. I need to stretch my legs. Want anything?"

I'm not hungry but could do with something to drink. "A soda would be nice. Anything caffeinated."

When I join Julien, I catch the tail end of what Jayson is saying.

"… Liz completely zombied out. It was the freakiest thing I've ever seen in my life. Fucking Ry. I knew something was going on. Lying bastard." Jayson rubs the heels of his palms across the dark circles under his eyes.

Julien bands his arm around Jayson's shoulders. "Not about you or him right now. Liz needs us. What she doesn't need is you and Ry fighting. I love you, but if you start anything, I'll kick your ass out of her room."

Jayson's mien fills with a mixture of guilt and frustration. "I'm not going to let him steal my girl. Fuck him."

"Jay, Jesus Christ, enough," Julien warns.

"You can see her now," Daniel says from the entryway.

The walk to Liz's room feels impossibly long, and when we get there, I'm not prepared to see how small and fragile she looks lying in the utilitarian bed. Juxtaposed against the stark white sheets, the harsh fluorescent lighting gives her complexion a sickly hue.

"Hey you," she says, her voice raspier than usual.

Julien hurriedly crosses the five feet to her bedside and takes her hand.

"How are you feeling?"

A weak smile spreads across her face. "Tired," she admits.

He bends over her, and her eyes flutter when he lovingly kisses her forehead. "We won't stay long."

"Stay. I want the company. Where's Jayson?" Tears prick her eyes when she sees him hovering just inside the room as if he plans to bolt at any moment.

"Hi," he softly replies.

When she struggles to sit up, Julien and Ryder help her.

"Jayson, I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to find out this way. I never meant to hurt…"

Liz goes quiet, and her head and left arm begin to twitch as she stares straight ahead.

"Elizabeth?" Ryder says, panicked.

Julien hits the call button. "Go get a doctor."