Chapter 10
Emily's POV
The first thing Emily noticed was the change in the rhythm of the monitor.
She had been watching the green line move steadily across the screen for nearly an hour, its quiet beeping the only thing keeping her from completely unraveling. When the pattern shifted slightly, she looked up immediately.
Will's fingers twitched against the blanket.
Her chair scraped softly against the floor as she leaned forward.
"Will?"
His brow furrowed, the way it always did when he was trying to surface from sleep. Slowly, his eyes opened, unfocused at first as they adjusted to the light.
For a moment, he just stared at the ceiling.
Then confusion crept across his face.
He turned his head toward her.
"Emily?"
Relief washed through her so quickly it almost hurt.
"I'm right here."
He blinked slowly, taking in the room around him. The white walls. The machines. The IV line in his arm.
His forehead creased deeper.
"Why am I in the hospital?"
Emily felt her stomach tighten.
She had been prepared for a lot of things when he woke up. Panic. Pain. Disorientation.
But that question still caught her off guard.
"You fainted," she said gently. "The doctors think it was stress and exhaustion. You haven't been sleeping much."
He processed that slowly, glancing down at the IV in his arm like it might give him answers.
"I fainted?"
"Yeah."
He let out a quiet breath.
"That's... embarrassing."
Despite everything, the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
"I promise you weren't worried about your dignity at the time."
He studied her face for a moment, as if trying to read something deeper there.
Then his gaze drifted away again, searching the room.
A different kind of tension settled into his expression.
"Did something happen before that?"
Emily's pulse ticked up.
"What do you mean?"
"I remember..." He paused, clearly reaching for something that wouldn't quite come into focus. "I remember meeting Aria."
The name hung in the air.
Emily kept her expression calm, though something tight twisted in her chest.
"You did," she said quietly.
He nodded once, like that confirmed something.
"I remember wanting to talk to her. I remember feeling like I needed answers." His brow tightened again. "But everything after that feels... foggy."
He looked back at her.
"Did we fight?"
"No," Emily said quickly.
Not exactly a lie.
His shoulders relaxed slightly.
"Good."
He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking.
"Where is she?"
There it was.
Emily had known the question was coming.
"She came here," she said carefully. "After you collapsed."
His eyes opened again immediately.
"She did?"
"Yeah."
He absorbed that for a moment.
"And?"
Emily chose her words slowly.
"She decided to take a step back from helping with your recovery."
The confusion returned instantly.
"What?"
"She thought it might be better for you if things slowed down a little."
He stared at her like he was trying to translate what she had just said into something that made sense.
"That doesn't sound like her."
Emily's chest tightened.
Of course it didn't.
Even with his memories fractured, even with the emotional clarity gone, he still knew something fundamental about Aria.
She nodded gently.
"I think she's just been through a lot."
That part was true.
Five years of grief didn't disappear overnight.
Will looked unconvinced, but the exhaustion on his face was winning the battle.
His eyelids drooped slightly.
"I remember seeing her," he murmured. "I remember thinking..."
He trailed off.
"What?" Emily asked softly.
But he shook his head faintly.
"I don't know. It's like trying to remember a dream."
He rubbed his temple with his free hand.
"My brain feels like someone shook it."
"That's probably accurate."
He huffed quietly at that.
Silence settled between them for a moment.
Then his gaze returned to her.
"Did I say anything stupid?"
Emily almost laughed.
Instead, she shook her head.
"You mostly just scared everyone."
"Sorry."
"You don't need to apologize for fainting."
"Still feels like I should."
His voice was already growing heavier with fatigue.
Emily could see the moment the exhaustion started pulling him under again.
"Try to get some more rest," she said gently.
"Yeah," he murmured.
His eyes closed slowly.
For a few seconds, he seemed completely still again.
Emily thought he had already drifted back to sleep when his voice came again, softer this time.
"Emily?"
"I'm here."
"If I did say anything stupid to Aria..."
He paused.
"...don't let me do that again."
Her throat tightened unexpectedly.
"I won't."
A few seconds later, his breathing deepened, settling into the slow rhythm of sleep again.
Emily sat there for a long moment, watching the rise and fall of his chest.
He remembered her.
He remembered Aria.
But the storm that had nearly torn him apart the night before had faded into fog.
And she didn't know whether that was a blessing...
or the beginning of something worse.
The fact that he had now awakened three times more confused than the time before did worry her, but the doctors assured her this would be normal and okay.
Emily sat back slowly in the chair beside the bed, the tension leaving her shoulders a little at a time now that Will had fallen asleep again. The steady rise and fall of his chest was the only thing grounding her.
For a while, she just watched him.
The faint lines of exhaustion around his eyes.
The way one hand rested loosely over the blanket, fingers slightly curled.
She had seen it for weeks now.
The nights when he tossed and turned.
The mornings when he woke up looking like he hadn't slept at all.
And now this.
Fainting outside of a bar because his brain was trying to sort through two different lives at once.
Her chest tightened.
She reached out instinctively and brushed her fingers over the back of his hand.
"You're going to be okay," she whispered, though she wasn't entirely sure if she believed it.
He didn't stir.
The machines continued their quiet rhythm.
For a moment, she let herself imagine something simple.
What if things stayed like this?
What if the memories never fully came back?
What if the man she had fallen in love with stayed the man she knew?
The thought slipped into her mind so quietly she almost didn't notice it.
And then it settled there.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Because that thought meant something else.
It meant Aria would always remain part of his past instead of his present.
Emily pulled her hand back slowly.
God.
That was a horrible thing to think.
She leaned back in the chair and rubbed her face with both hands.
"Wow," she murmured to herself.
That was the moment she admitted it.
The small, selfish truth she had been trying not to acknowledge.
A part of her was relieved Aria wasn't here.
Not because she hated her.
Not because she wanted to erase her.
But because she had seen the way Will looked at her.
She had heard the way his voice changed when he spoke to her.
The weight behind his words.
It had felt like standing in the middle of someone else's love story.
And it had terrified her.
Emily stared at the floor.
"Congratulations," she whispered under her breath. "You're officially a terrible person."
Her chest ached.
Aria had spent five years believing her husband was dead.
Five years.
Emily tried to imagine what that must feel like.
Losing someone like that.
Living in a house full of memories.
Holding on to a life that had suddenly stopped.
And then one day, finding out he was alive.
But he didn't remember you.
And he had built a whole new life with someone else.
The thought made her stomach twist.
"No," she murmured.
She didn't hate Aria.
If anything, she respected her.
Respected the strength it must have taken to stand in that hospital room earlier.
To look at the man she loved.
And see a stranger looking back.
Emily exhaled slowly.
Aria stepping back wasn't a weakness.
It was survival.
She glanced up at Will again.
"You really complicated everything," she told him quietly.
He didn't answer.
Of course, he didn't.
He just kept sleeping.
For another minute,
She sat there, listening to the steady rhythm of the monitor.
But the room suddenly felt too small.
Too quiet.
Too full of thoughts, she didn't want to sit with alone.
Emily stood slowly.
She hesitated beside the bed for a moment before pulling the blanket up slightly where it had slipped down his shoulder.
A small, familiar gesture.
"Get some sleep," she whispered.
Then she turned and walked toward the door.
The hallway outside was brighter than the room.
Cooler.
She stepped out and leaned against the wall, letting out a slow breath she didn't realize she had been holding.
For the first time since everything had started unraveling, she allowed herself a few seconds to simply exist.
No decisions.
No comparisons.
No past or future.
Just quiet.
She closed her eyes briefly.
And that was when she heard footsteps approaching down the hallway.
Emily didn't look up at first. Hospitals were full of people moving at all hours. Nurses changing shifts, doctors making rounds, families wandering the halls because they didn't know what else to do with themselves.
But something about the pace of the steps made her glance up.
Parker was walking toward her.
For a second, she thought she was imagining it.
He had left earlier. She had watched him disappear into the elevator after telling her she was stronger than he expected. He had said he was going to check on Aria, and Emily had assumed that was the last she would see of him for a while.
Yet here he was again.
He slowed slightly when he saw her standing outside the room.
"Hey," he said.
Emily straightened from the wall.
"You're back."
He nodded once.
"Yeah."
She studied him, confusion slipping easily into her voice.
"I thought you left."
"I did."
That answer didn't exactly explain anything.
Her eyebrows lifted a little.
"So... why are you here?"
Parker shifted his weight slightly, one hand sliding into the pocket of his jacket like he suddenly wasn't sure what to do with it.
"I checked on Aria," he said. "Made sure she got home okay."
Emily nodded.
That part made sense.
"Is she alright?"
"About as alright as someone in her situation can be."
The honesty in his voice made something tighten in Emily's chest.
She didn't push further.
"What were you doing after that?" she asked.
"Had to run a couple errands," he said with a small shrug. "Talked to Hayes for a bit. Sorted out some things with the guys from the unit."
He paused.
Then he added something that made her blink in surprise.
"But something about leaving you here by yourself didn't sit right."
Emily stared at him for a moment.
"You came back... to check on me?"
Parker looked mildly uncomfortable with the attention.
"Yeah. Pretty much."
For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
The first time she had met Parker, he hadn't been rude.
He hadn't been aggressive.
But he had been... solid.
Unmovable.
Every word, every look, every pause had made one thing clear.
He was on Aria's side.
Which, honestly, made perfect sense.
And yet now he was standing in the middle of a hospital hallway because he didn't like the idea of her sitting here alone.
"That's actually really nice of you," she said quietly.
He shrugged again.
"It's basic human decency."
"Still counts."
He looked past her briefly toward the door of Will's room.
"How's he doing?"
"He woke up."
Parker's posture straightened a little.
"And?"
"He's confused."
"About?"
"Why he's in the hospital."
Parker nodded slowly.
"That tracks."
Emily tilted her head slightly.
"You don't seem surprised."
"I'm not."
"Why?"
"Because his brain's been through hell," Parker said simply.
There wasn't pity in his voice.
Just quiet understanding.
Emily glanced toward the door of the room behind her.
"He remembers meeting Aria," she added.
That made Parker's eyes flicker slightly.
"But he doesn't remember much after that."
"Did he ask about her?"
Emily nodded.
"First thing."
Parker let out a quiet breath.
"What did you tell him?"
"That she decided to step back from helping with his recovery."
Parker looked down the hallway for a moment, thoughtful.
Then he nodded slowly.
"Probably for the best."
Emily watched him carefully.
"He said that didn't sound like something she would do."
A faint smile touched the corner of Parker's mouth.
"Yeah," he said. "That's true for sure."
Emily crossed her arms loosely.
"You know," she said after a moment, "when I first met you, I thought you hated me."
Parker blinked.
"I didn't hate you."
"No?"
"No."
She gave him a skeptical look.
"You could've fooled me."
He let out a quiet breath.
"I didn't know you."
"And now?"
Parker met her gaze evenly.
"Now I know you helped bring him home, that you're a good person who is stuck in a real shitty situation just like Aria, and you are just trying to do what's best for the man you love while he is falling apart."
The simplicity of the statement surprised her.
"You believe that?"
"Yeah," he said. "I do."
Emily looked down at the floor for a moment, absorbing that.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
Another small silence settled between them.
Not uncomfortable.
Just thoughtful.
Finally, she asked the question that had been lingering in the back of her mind since their first conversation.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"What was he like before all of this?"
Parker leaned back against the opposite wall, thinking.
"Stubborn," he said after a moment.
Emily smiled faintly.
"That tracks."
"But loyal," he continued. "The kind of guy who shows up when people need him."
She nodded slowly.
"That sounds like the man I know."
Parker studied her for a second before nodding.
"Yeah," he said. "It does."
And for the first time since everything had started unraveling, Emily didn't feel quite so alone standing in that hallway.
Emily leaned against the wall across from Parker, arms folded loosely, exhaustion beginning to creep into her bones. The adrenaline from Will waking up had faded, leaving behind a strange hollow feeling.
Parker studied her for a moment.
"Have you eaten?"
The question caught her off guard.
"What?"
"Food," he clarified. "Have you had any today?"
Emily blinked, trying to remember.
Coffee that morning.
Half a granola bar in the car.
After that... nothing.
She suddenly realized how empty her stomach felt.
"I guess not," she admitted.
Parker nodded once, as if he'd already expected that answer.
"Come on."
She frowned slightly.
"Where?"
"Cafeteria," he said. "Or the diner down the street if the hospital food looks like a crime scene."
Emily hesitated.
"I should probably stay here."
Parker jerked his head toward the room behind her.
"He's asleep."
"Yes."
"And if he wakes up," Parker continued calmly, "the nurses will call you."
She considered that.
Then her stomach betrayed her with a small, embarrassing growl.
Parker smirked.
"Yeah," he said. "That answers that."
Emily sighed softly.
"Fine."
The hospital cafeteria was nearly empty.
A few vending machines hummed quietly along one wall, and a tired-looking nurse sat at a table near the window scrolling through her phone.
Parker grabbed two trays before Emily could protest and slid one toward her.
"You're eating," he said simply.
Emily laughed softly.
"You're very bossy."
"Military."
"Right."
She picked at the food at first, but after the first few bites, she realized just how hungry she actually was.
For a few minutes, neither of them said much.
Just the quiet sound of utensils against plastic trays.
Then Parker leaned back slightly.
"So."
Emily glanced up.
"So?"
"What's he like?" Parker asked.
"Who?"
Parker gave her a look.
"Will."
Emily blinked slightly.
"That's a question."
"One that stays on my mind since meeting him again."
She thought about it for a moment.
"He's calm," she said slowly. "Methodical. He likes solving problems."
Parker nodded.
"Engineer brain."
"Exactly."
"He always double-checks things," she continued. "Makes lists. Plans everything."
That made Parker chuckle.
"That doesn't sound like Chase at all."
Emily tilted her head.
"Really?"
"Not even close."
"How would you describe him?"
Parker didn't answer immediately.
He took a sip of his drink, thinking.
"Chase was... instinct, don't get that confused with foolish or in a rush, I mean, the guy was in command of our unit from time to time."
Emily frowned slightly.
"What does that mean?"
"He didn't overthink things," Parker said. "If someone needed help, he was already moving before anyone else finished thinking about it."
Emily smiled faintly.
"That part actually sounds familiar."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," she said. "Will does that too sometimes. Just in a quieter way."
Parker nodded slowly.
"That makes sense."
Emily leaned back in her chair.
"What else?"
"What else what?"
"What was Chase like?"
Parker rubbed his jaw thoughtfully.
"He was loud," he admitted.
Emily laughed.
"Will is not loud."
"I've noticed."
"He's the kind of guy who disappears into a room," she said.
"Chase walked into one and took ownership."
That difference hung between them.
Emily considered it.
"Was he reckless?"
"Not reckless," Parker said. "But fearless."
Emily stared down at her food.
"Will isn't fearless."
"No?"
"No," she said quietly. "He's careful."
Parker nodded slowly.
"That's probably because of what happened to him."
Emily looked up again.
"Do you think he's still in there... waiting to take ownership of the room?"
Parker didn't answer right away.
"Both of them are," he said finally.
Emily frowned slightly.
"This is so complicated."
"It is."
They sat there quietly for a moment.
Then Emily said something softly.
"Will loves quiet mornings."
Parker raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah?"
"Coffee. Reading. Working on little projects around the house."
That made Parker smile faintly.
"Chase hated sitting still."
Emily laughed again.
"Really?"
"He'd get bored in about five minutes."
She shook her head.
"That's funny."
"What?"
"I can't picture him that way."
"And I can't picture him as an engineer," Parker said.
They looked at each other for a moment.
Then Emily said something thoughtful.
"I guess neither of us really knows the whole man now."
Parker nodded.
"No, I guess not."
"But between the two of us," she added quietly, "we probably know all the pieces."
That realization settled between them.
Two people sitting in a hospital cafeteria, quietly comparing notes on the same man.
The man who was trying to become himself again.
Parker studied her for a moment.
"You really love him," he said.
Emily met his gaze.
"Yes," she said simply. "I love Will with all my heart."
And Parker believed her.
A/N
I did this from Emily's perspective because I felt like it was time to show her side of everything taking place. She is human, and she is allowed to feel a wide range of emotions that can hurt.