20. Elise
20
ELISE
Elise
“ T hank you,” I told the worker at the terminal as I landed at O’Hare. With my suitcase thumping and rolling behind me, I tried to sprint through the crowds to reach the exit.
All morning, I’d tried to contact Claudia, and when I finally did in a sketchy, wonky call that dropped three times before it lasted long enough to make out any words, fear rocketed through me.
I caught my breath at the curb and sought out a ride. Heaving and panting from the exertion of running—and the terror gripping my worried heart—I thought back to the single call that had me changing my flight to the soonest one available.
“Keith just kept pushing and pushing,” she said.
“Pushing you to do what?” I asked.
“He… pissed off… and I’m in Room 116… Northwestern Memorial…”
Hearing that Claudia was in the hospital was all I needed to know. If she was hurt, if she was wounded and scared and nervous, I had to be there for her. And if Keith pestered her so much that he’d caused her to be harmed…
I gritted my teeth as a car stopped before me.
The older man helped me cram my luggage inside, and I scooted into the backseat. “Northwestern Memorial.”
He nodded at me, catching my worried expression in the rearview mirror. “Yes. Yes. I hurry.”
“Thank you.” I heaved out a deep breath, trying my best not to think of the worst-case scenario.
This was it, though. She had to get a damn restraining order against him. This had to be enough of a cause or evidence, or whatever we needed for the cops to side with us. Keith had been a nuisance, but now, he’d found himself a very furious cousin to have as an enemy.
Claudia didn’t deserve this. No one did. But I grimaced with more remorse that I hadn’t been there to help her when she needed me the most.
At the same time, I dreaded how this had to look to Grant. I ran. I bolted from the resort, lucky that a flight was waiting to leave so soon. With the storm headed to the island, it made sense that the airports were prioritizing getting people home.
But I felt terrible to just leave. I so badly wanted to talk to him, to let him know that I didn’t want this to be fake between us. The love I’d denied for him for too long was so very real. He wasn’t in the room after the ceremony, though, and with the opportunity to get a fast flight, I wanted to assume he’d understand why I took off. I did text him a short and simple message of, I need to hurry home. Claudia was hurt. That had to be self-explanatory for now. It wasn’t like I wouldn’t see him at work tomorrow, anyway.
Claudia was my cousin, my only family. He’d understand. If he got word that Derek was hurt, he’d want to rush home just the same.
As soon as the car reached the hospital, I multitasked to pay the driver and get all my luggage into a uniform fashion. Still, as I hurried inside, my bags fell lopsided and slowed me down.
“Claudia Macintosh,” I told the woman at the desk.
“Are you family as well?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yes. I’m her cousin.”
“Alrighty. Follow Susana here, and she’ll help ya get there quicker. 116.”
The volunteer smiled at me and helped me arrange my luggage to move quicker. By the time we were halfway down the hall in the ER, I stopped short and narrowed my eyes at the older woman. Jerking my thumb over my shoulder to indicate the direction of the front desk, I narrowed my eyes. “Did she ask me if I was family as well ?”
“Um.” Susana furrowed her brow and shrugged. “I didn’t hear.”
I shook my head, confused and dismissing it. With all this stress and worry, I had to be hearing things. Because the only way Claudia could have a relative in her room with her already was if one of our grandparents rose from the dead and floated in there as a spirit.
Susana opened the door to 116, and I heaved in a deep breath to hold it in. Nerves twinged in me, and I felt my stomach drop like I was about to go down the hill on a huge roller coaster.
How bad is it?
Is she in a lot of pain?
Please, don’t let there be a ton of blood.
Susana rolled my suitcase in and smiled at me to step in.
“Thank y?—”
My gratitude ceased mid-sentence, and I didn’t take the time to look back at the door to see if Susana was still there.
I saw Claudia.
It wasn’t as bad as I feared. No blood, guts, or gore, none of which I could stomach.
She wore a cast on her left arm.
And a wedding dress.
My jaw dropped. As I lowered my arms, I let the bags fall to the floor.
“Elise!” She opened her eyes wide. “You’re back?”
I blinked, trying to understand why she was cosplaying as a bride. This wasn’t a dream. I’d just come from a wedding. I saw Reese Newman standing under an arbor as a storm crept close to the beach. And now, I was transported to an alternative universe of Chicago, one where Claudia was a bride as well.
“I thought you weren’t coming back until tonight.” She sighed as I stepped toward the bed and dropped to sit on the edge.
I dragged my gaze up over her slender form hidden by gorgeous white fabric. Patting her arm not in a cast, I proved that she was really there, like this.
“I hoped that you would get enough of my call and not freak out to rush home too soon.” She smiled and lifted her casted arm a bit. “It’s not as bad as it looks.” A light laugh escaped her. “But I worried that if I didn’t call ASAP, someone in the hospital would and you’d freak out.”
I huffed. “I’m freaking out!” I gestured at her. “You’re hurt. And… and getting married ?”
“I can explain?—”
“Well, yeah . You’ve got a lot to explain!”
Claudia frowned. My words seemed to fall on deaf ears as she focused her sharp gaze on my hand. She grabbed it with her free hand from my gesture, and she gasped at the ring Grant slid on my finger. It shone brilliantly under the light.
“It looks like you’ve got more to explain!”
I sighed, tugging my hand free to slip the ring onto my right ring finger. “Claudia…” I warned.
“No. You first.”
I shook my head. “You called, and I only got a few bits and pieces. Namely, that Keith was bugging you and you were in the hospital!”
She sighed, waving her hand down as though to snuff out a fire. “Okay. Okay. I’ll go first. I, uh.” Her grin was so sweet and honest as she flapped her good arm out. “I got married.”
“Need a little more than that…” I deadpanned.
“Keith didn’t—” She shook her head. “No. I wasn’t hit or anything like that. He just didn’t like the idea of my getting married. He got, uh, argumentative, and my husband won’t allow him to bother me at all . So, after we were done at the courthouse, he told me to go to the car and wait for him while he handled Keith, but I wasn’t looking where I was going, and you know how bad I am at walking in heels. Right?” She sucked in a deep breath, cursed with the same habit of rambling like I did when I was nervous or riled up.
“I walked too fast, and I’m not used to this dress. I tripped on my gown and fell and…” She grimaced, pointing at the temporary cast. “Tada.”
I was stunned, stupefied, and so confused. “You got married ? At the courthouse?” I narrowed my eyes. “Just like that?”
She nodded, smiling. “Yeah!”
“Who did you marry?” It was the most obvious question of all, something I should have led with.
“Well…”
“You married a stranger?” I asked incredulously.
“No!”
“Who— How—” I rubbed my face, questioning my sanity. She just broke up with Keith. She had no one and nothing but her sadness when I left with Grant.
“He’s someone I’ve known for a long time, actually. We sort of always knew of each other, but until this weekend, we never took the time to hang out and get to know each other.”
“To get to know each other well enough to marry?”
She nodded.
“Who is he?” I scowled. “Where is he? You’re in the hospital and he can’t be at your side?”
“He’s at the police station, getting Keith arrested for assault. He already punched him once. And when Keith showed up drunk and high and threatening me if I married anyone but him?—”
“ He broke up with you !”
She dropped her jaw and nodded. “I know! He’s insane.”
I shook my head, overwhelmed by this turn of events.
Just then, the door opened. I heard the hinges, and the chatter and noise from the hallway crept in as someone entered. With my back to the door, I relied on Claudia’s reaction to gauge who it was.
She smiled, so sweet and sincerely that I doubted it was a nurse or doctor, unless her new spouse worked in the medical field.
I turned, slowly, bracing myself for what my sweet, na?ve cousin got herself hitched to.
Derek walked in. His tux didn’t look worse for wear after fighting with Keith. He beamed, having eyes only for Claudia.
As he noticed me, he did a double-take.
I wasn’t sure my jaw could’ve hung any lower.
“Hey there, Elise…” he said sheepishly but with so much charm no one could ever hold a grudge against him for long.
“Derek?” I whipped my head toward Claudia. “You married Derek this weekend?”