Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Tuesday and Wednesday passed in a blur for Emmalyn. To avoid thinking about Hunter, she'd kept busy with work, staying later in the afternoons than she usually did. She hadn't heard from Hunter since Monday night, but she knew he'd been taking combat fitness tests at Camp Pendleton the past two days. She really hoped he was doing well. His success would take him away from her, but she still wanted it for him. He deserved to get his career back. He'd worked so hard to make that happen. She just wished his career didn't stand in the way of their relationship. But as she'd learned many years ago, wishing was pointless.
After school on Wednesday, she drove to her aunt's house to check on her mom. Linda greeted her with a smile that felt lighter.
"Is there good news?" she asked hopefully.
"Come in. I'll let your mother tell you."
Linda led her out to the deck, where her mother was at the table sipping a cup of tea. She still looked pale, but there was a new alertness in her eyes, a subtle energy that hadn't been there before.
"Emmy," her mother said, standing to embrace her. The hug felt stronger than it had just days ago.
"You look better," Emmalyn said.
"I feel better," her mother replied. "The doctor finally told me what's wrong with me."
"Which is what?" she asked as she took a seat at the table with them.
"It's a combination of problems including malnutrition, hypothyroidism, and…" Her mother turned to her sister. "What was the other one, Linda?"
"Pernicious anemia," Linda said. "Her body doesn't absorb B12 properly. She's probably been deficient for years. She'll need thyroid medication and B12 injections, as well as vitamin supplements to get her other levels into an appropriate range, but it's all manageable now that she's getting treatment and improving her nutrition."
"Thank goodness. So, you're going to be okay?"
"Better than okay," her mother said, a cautious smile forming. "I already feel more clear-headed just knowing what's wrong. The doctor says the brain fog I've been experiencing was probably from the thyroid issue."
"That's wonderful news. Your future is looking bright."
"I'm beginning to feel that way." Her mother paused, then gave her a speculative look. "How's your future looking these days, Emmy?"
"Uncertain," she admitted.
"Because of Hunter?"
"Yes. I don't know what to do about him," she said with a sigh. "Things are complicated. If he passes his tests, he'll go back to active duty. He'll be reassigned, maybe deployed. He's a military man, who will always be leaving, and I can't handle that kind of relationship."
"Because he wouldn't be putting you first," her mother said with a surprising amount of insight. "And you've already been hurt so badly by someone who couldn't do that."
"You could have done it; you just didn't," she said, the accusation slipping past her lips before she could stop it. But maybe she'd kept her mouth shut for too long.
Her mother stiffened, but she took the hit. "I'm sorry, Emmy. You're right. I could have acted differently. I didn't have the courage to do that."
"No, you didn't. But what you did isn't influencing my decisions now." Even as she said the words, she wondered if that was true. Maybe subconsciously she was avoiding being hurt because she didn't want to feel abandoned as she had before.
"I hope that's true," her mom said. "Because I would hate to think you're missing out on something special because of me."
"Whatever I decide isn't going to be about you."
"Fair enough. I just want you to be happy, Emmy."
"I want the same for you. Obviously, our relationship is going to be a work in progress, but I'm glad we get a chance to do that work."
"Me, too."
"I was thinking we might take a walk along the beach," Linda interjected. "Now that we know we're safe from Jeremy and the others, and your mother is feeling better, there's no reason not to get out. It would be nice, don't you both think? The sand in our toes, the wind in our face, the sun on our heads…"
Her aunt had been trying to bring them together for so long that she didn't have the heart to say she was tired.
"It does sound nice," she said. It would also be a way to postpone going back to Ocean Shores, which had once been her peaceful place but now seemed fraught with emotion.
Hunter flopped down on his couch just after seven on Wednesday night. He was so exhausted he wasn't sure he could get back up again. The grueling combat fitness tests had pushed him to his limit. Somehow, he'd made it through. Taking out his phone, he texted Emmalyn. He hadn't talked to her in two days, and it felt like forever.
Just got home , he texted. Are you around?
She answered almost immediately. Just got back from seeing my aunt and my mom. How did your day go?
Instead of texting her back, he called her.
"Hi," she said. "How were the tests?"
"They were rough. Harder than I expected."
"Did you pass?" she asked, a wary note in her sweet voice.
"I did. My numbers weren't as good as my last tests, but good enough."
"You're only going to get stronger."
"I would think so," he agreed. "How was your day? How's your mom?"
"My day was fine. My mom has two very treatable conditions, which is great news, so with medication, a better diet, and more sleep, she should improve quickly."
"That's great."
"It really is. I feel like we can all breathe easier now. We took a walk on the beach, and I could see my mother finally starting to feel her freedom."
"I'm so happy for all of you."
"Me, too. It's all because of my aunt. She never gave up on getting my mother out of there. My mom might be weak, but my aunt is a lion."
"You take after her."
"I hope I do."
"I'd like to see you, Em. It feels like way too long."
"Not tonight," she said quickly. "I need to get some sleep, and I think you probably need that as well. You have even bigger tests coming in the next few days."
As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. "I do. And to be honest, I'm not sure I can get up from the couch I'm on."
"You should go to bed."
"I miss sleeping with you."
"We didn't do a lot of sleeping the night we were together, Hunter," she said dryly.
He laughed. "True. But you know what I mean."
"I do. But I want the best results for you, so I'm going to help you by saying goodnight."
"You know I don't like to take help."
Her laugh warmed his heart. "I know that very well. You know, every year I read the kids in my class a story about a bear who gets a nail stuck in his paw. And he doesn't trust anyone, so he limps around in pain and frustration because he can't get the nail out by himself. And then one day, he lets someone help him, and he feels so much better. The nail is gone, and so is his pain, and he can be himself again."
"I'm guessing I'm the bear."
"You were until Olivia arrived. Until you had to let me help you. Now, you're yourself again, and the real you is so much better than the wounded bear who locked himself away in his apartment for seven months."
"I didn't think anyone could help. It wasn't just about trust. I thought it was impossible to feel better."
"And yet here you are—feeling better."
"Better than I would have imagined," he admitted. "Those dark days are behind me."
"So tomorrow and the next day, through whatever tests you have to face, just be yourself, Hunter. I am completely confident that will be good enough. Now I'm going to let you go so you can sleep."
He didn't want her to let go. He didn't want to stop talking to her. But he also needed to prove her right. If he was going to be his best self, he needed to sleep. "Good night, Em."
"Night, Hunter. I know you're not going to need it, but good luck."
"Thanks." As he hung up the phone, he thought of so many other things he could have said and wanted to say, but tonight wasn't the time. He just had a bad feeling that there was never going be a right time.