Chapter 14 #2
The moment I step outside of the emergency department, the numbness hits.
I drop to the bench, staring at the ground, my thoughts spinning.
Do I go home? Do I leave with Liam? Do I stay here once I can breathe again?
I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what’s right.
The questions pile up until I can’t hold it together anymore.
I bury my face in my hands and start sobbing.
A moment later, Oliver catches up to me. He sits down beside me without a word and wraps an arm around my shoulders, steady and familiar, letting me fall apart.
“Ollie, what do I do?” I ask between sobs, my chest aching.
“First,” he says gently, “you breathe.” He waits until my breathing slows, even just a little.
“And then we’ll figure it out-together. You don’t have to decide anything right now.
” He cups my cheek, brushing away a tear with his thumb.
“You’ve got Liam. You’ve got me. You’ve got Liv and Noah.
You’re not alone in this, Isabel. Not even close. ”
And for the first time all day, I almost believed him.
I’m still sitting there, crying into Ollie’s chest, when Liam and Sydney step outside-with Noah close behind them.
“I thought you left,” Noah says, surprised when he sees me.
“I was going to, but I-” My voice breaks before I can finish.
“You’re numb,” he says quietly, sitting down in the empty seat beside me. “And you don’t know what to do.”
I nod, tears blurring everything. “I don’t know what to do,” I admit. “I can’t see him like this”.
“But if you don’t,” his voice cracks, “and something happens…”
“I’ll never forgive myself,” I say quietly. “Did you see him?”
He shakes his head. “No,” he admits, his voice breaking.
I take a breath and stand. “Then we have to. Eventually.”
Liam steps closer immediately. “Are you sure?” he asks, his hand sliding to my lower back, grounding but firm. “You don’t have to do this right now. I don’t want you putting yourself through something you can’t handle.”
“I have to be,” I say, steadying myself. I turn to Noah. “We have to. He’s been our best friend since we were toddlers.”
Liam’s jaw tightens, but he nods. “Fine. Go,” he says, eyes flicking to Noah before settling back on me. “But I’m right here. Don’t disappear on me.”
He looks at Oliver and Sydney. “We’ll be here when they get back.”
Noah and I walk inside, the elevator doors sliding shut, leaving Liam watching until the very last second, the doors of the elevator closing behind us, sealing us in with the fear neither of us is ready to name.
Twelve floors. Just Noah and me.
“I’m sorry for how I was this morning,” Noah says quietly, staring straight ahead.
“Now isn’t the time to talk about us,” I reply, my voice flat. “But I meant what I said-Liam is telling Cori. It’s not fair to me.”
He swallows. “He already did.” His voice drops. “I’m going to have a lot to explain to Sydney.”
“You have a lot to explain to me too,” I say, exhaustion creeping in, “but not today. I can’t take it today.”
I reach for his hand, needing warmth-whether it’s for him or for me, I’m not sure anymore.
The elevator dings softly.
Twelfth floor.
The doors slide open.
“Hey, there you two are!” Olivia chirps as soon as we step out.
Noah and I exchanged a look, both of us caught off guard by the sound of her voice. She’s smiling. Actually smiling. What the hell happened in the ten minutes we were gone?
“Sorry, I just needed a minute to get some air,” I say, pulling her into a hug.
“I get it. Today has been… a lot.” She pulls back, her eyes shining. Then she looks between Noah and me, barely able to contain herself. “But-” she pauses, grinning, “he’s awake.”
The words hit me all at once.
Noah freezes beside me. “He’s- what?”
“Awake,” she repeats, nodding, almost laughing through it.
Tony steps forward, wrapping an arm around all three of us.
“Alright, guys. I think it’s best if you head home for now.
They’re running more tests, and we’ll let everyone know as soon as we hear anything.
His brain needs rest. If his spleen stays stable, they’re thinking he could be home in a few days. ”
Noah lets out a breath I didn’t realize he’d been holding. “You’re the boss,” he says quietly. “Just… tell him we love him.”
Tony nods.
And with that, we turn and walk out, lighter than we were when we came in, but still carrying the weight of the day with us.
Another twelve floors with just him.
“We need to talk about your relationship, Bella. I don’t think Liam is the guy you think he is. Something about him sets off alarms for me. I don’t want to see you get hurt,” he said, his eyes fixed on the wall, voice tight.
“Well,” I snapped, my chest tightening, “you weren’t exactly the guy I thought you were either, and you ended up breaking me. So if you’re right, I guess nothing’s really new, huh?”
Noah turned to me, his jaw tight. “No, Bella… this is different. I’m serious. He’s… almost dangerous in the way he manipulates people. I just don’t want you blind to it”.
Just then, the door opened and I stepped out.
“How’d it go?” Oliver asked, his eyes scanning me like he wanted to make sure I was okay.
“We didn’t see him, but he’s awake now,” I said, wrapping my arms around Liam’s waist.
“That’s great news, babe,” Liam said, pressing a possessive kiss to the top of my head, his hand tightening slightly around my waist as if to claim me.
Oliver and Noah exchanged pained glances, their concern obvious.
Noah and Liam went to grab the car, leaving me standing there, lost in thought.
“Hey, Isabel?” Oliver’s voice pulled me back.
“Yeah?” I replied.
“I really missed you,” he said, stepping closer so I could feel his presence, protective almost in the way he subtly blocked Liam from moving too far from me. “I wish it were under better circumstances, but it meant a lot to have you here. I care about you, and I want to make sure you’re safe.”
“It was good seeing you too, Ollie,” I said, brushing my hand along his arm, comforted by his warmth. “Thank you for this. It really meant a lot to me that you were here.”
Liam’s hand tightened on my waist again, leaning slightly closer, murmuring in a low tone just for me, “You’re mine, remember that.”
I forgot how much I missed having him around.
“So when is orientation?” Oliver asked, sensing the tension.
“It’s in a few weeks, like the first week of August, and then I move in the first weekend of September. Why?”
“We should get the crew together for orientation, make it a whole thing. You can go to orientation and the rest of us can explore and go to the beach”
“That’s a great idea. I’m in. We can use Liam’s beach house that week!” Sydney chimed in.
Honestly, the thought of a weekend with Sydney and Noah sounded like the absolute worst thing I could imagine.
It felt like the last hoorah before we all went our separate ways.
The idea made me ache a little. Olivia, Noah, and Brad had been my friends for as long as I could remember-we’d grown up just blocks apart.
And now, soon, we’d all be scattered across different parts of the state.
It was surreal, and a little bittersweet, but at least that was still a few weeks away.
“Babe, you getting in the car?” Liam shouts from the window of Oliver's car, breaking my train of thought.
“Oh, shit. Yeah,” I slide in the back, laying my head onto Liam’s shoulder
I tried to push the thought away, focusing instead on Sydney’s excitement and the plan she was laying out. But I couldn’t shake the pit forming in my stomach. Noah. Sydney. All weekend. In the same house. The same beach house Liam and I were supposed to be settling down in, together.
I loved Liam, I really did, but the idea of pretending everything was fine around Noah made my chest tighten. And Sydney… I didn’t even know what to expect from her. She didn’t know about me and Noah , and I had no idea how she would react if she found out.
Liam’s hand found mine, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Hey, you’ll be fine,” he whispered. His confidence was comforting, but part of me bristled at the possessive tone in his voice, as if he already claimed my reactions and my time.
I wasn’t just worried about the weekend-I was bracing myself for a minefield of emotions I didn’t know I could handle.
I forced a smile. “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I lied, hoping he didn’t see the storm already raging in my chest.