10. Chapter Nine
Chapter Nine
Rory
W hen my phone vibrates, notifying me that my shift is finally over, I tuck the thin blanket around Jaylen's sleeping form, ensuring he's comfortable and warm, then creep silently out of his room, hoping not to disturb him.
I carry the paperback under my arm and stroll through the quiet corridors, smiling sweetly at the few other nurses I pass on the way to the staff room, adamant on getting everything from my locker before starting the long trek home to the small one-bedroom apartment that Chrissie managed to sort out for me.
When I reach my locker, I wrench it open, pull out my jacket, and set it on the bench behind me, then grab my bag and shove my book inside of it.
As I'm about to close the metal door, I see a small square piece of paper sitting at the bottom of my locker and I frown at it as my heart picks up it's pace inside my chest, beating loudly.
You're just being paranoid, Aurora.
It's not from him.
He doesn't know where you are.
I reach a clammy hand forward and pluck the paper from my locker, slowly unfolding it until I can see the words scrawled across it .
Didn't want to disturb you before I left, so I've emailed over your time sheet with your shifts for the remainder of the week. Will try and catch you at some point tomorrow to discuss if you're happy with it!
— Markus
My shoulders slump and I take a heaving breath as I wipe my sweaty palms along my trouser legs, shaking my head at myself.
"Stupid idiot," I mutter, berating myself for getting so panicked about a note in my locker.
Of course it wouldn't have been anything to worry about.
I'm just being paranoid.
I press my back against the metal locker and squeeze my eyes shut, forcing myself to take some calming breaths.
He can't find you.
You're safe here.
My breathing slowly evens out and I wrench my eyes open, glancing around the empty changing room.
"You're safe," I whisper, trying to force conviction into my voice as I pick up my coat and slide it on. "Everything's okay. You need to stop worrying."
I pick up my bag, sling it over my shoulder and walk out of the room, leaving my paranoid thoughts behind.
With a smile painted on my face, I walk down the corridor, enter the elevator, and take a few more deep, calming breaths as I descend to the ground floor of the hospital .
I walk outside into the crisp air and my gaze darts around the darkened streets, taking note of all the people still bustling about in the city.
Holding on to the strap of my handbag, I walk down the steps at the front of the hospital and then rush across the road towards the bus stop and sit beside a sweet looking old lady who's sitting on the bench, waiting for a bus.
After a thirty-minute bus ride through London, I hop off the bus, thank the driver, and then start walking down a much quieter street that leads to my apartment building.
The bus pulls away from the curb and drives off, and once it disappears from my view, my shoulders tense up again and I take quick glances at everything surrounding me.
The dimly lit houses beside me as I hurriedly shuffle along the pavement make me realise how late it currently is.
The flickering lamppost across the street sends an eerie shiver down my spine.
A rustling sound behind me has my heart jumping into my throat, and I whirl around to see a fox creeping out of a bush and running across the road.
I take a shaky breath and pull my phone out of my pocket, quickly pressing on Chrissie's contact and putting the phone up to my ear as I listen to it ring and fasten my pace .
"Hey, hey!" she shouts in a cheery tone as she answers the phone. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I've just got off the bus and I'm walking home, so I thought I'd call you and check in," I tell her, nervously glancing at the man on the opposite side of the street to me, walking in the shadows.
"What you mean to say is that you're anxious and you need to talk to me to convince yourself that you're safe and won't be kidnapped?"
"Chrissie!" I hiss, shaking my head. "Don't say things like that right now."
"Well, it's the truth, isn't it?" she asks.
"Yes, it is, but you don't need to point it out."
"Why not? It's not like it's anything to be embarrassed about, girl.
The world is a scary place. Besides, you know me, I walk around with my key between my knuckles, heavy tins of food in my handbag and I always call Nathan whenever I'm out alone somewhere and it's late.
Pretty sure it's a common thing for us all, so don't sweat it. "
"It's embarrassing. I never used to be like this," I mutter, frowning as I think about when everything changed for me and I became this constantly paranoid and anxious mess of a woman.
"Everyone is fearful, Aurora. It's perfectly normal. Stop being so hard on yourself and let yourself feel things. You can't always be this strong, independent woman who isn't scared of anything."
"I can if I try to be."
"No, babe, you can't. It's exhausting to watch, so I can only imagine how tiring it must be for you.
You're allowed to have a breakdown every now and then," she says, her tone soft and caring.
"Anyone in your situation would be freaking out, so it's okay if you feel like you need to as well, and you know I'll be here for you every time you need to freak out about things.
I will always try my hardest to help calm you down and make sure you're okay. "
"Yeah, I know, and I appreciate you because of that," I tell her as I round the corner, the gated entrance of my apartment building coming into view.
"How was the rest of your shift?" she asks, changing the subject.
"It was actually okay. I managed to read a few chapters of Forget-Me-Not Bombshell . I also met Jaylen's cousin, and she seems sweet."
"Are you on about Sophia King?" she asks, her words laced with excitement.
"Yeah, she was—"
"Oh my God! You lucky bitch!" she screeches, cutting me off. "I'm so jealous of you right now!"
"Am I missing something?" I ask, confused as to why she's fangirling over the woman.
"She's Sophia King! She's an absolute icon!"
I shake my head as I tap in the pin on the keypad beside the gates and they click open, letting me in.
"Are you going to explain why she's supposedly an icon?"
"Honestly, Aurora, you need to get out more and learn about the world.
How do you not know about Sophia being married to Jericho Rossi and then ending up with his much hotter, much younger brother, Kaleb?
Plus, everyone assumes that she's part of the reason that Alessandro Rossi is no longer here with us, and that's reason enough to love her. "
"Still not really seeing where she's an icon," I mutter, walking up the flights of stairs that lead up to the floor my apartment is on.
"She's the reason that I sent you to London in all honesty because if she's truly part of the reason Alessandro is dead, along with everyone he was associated with, then she made London a better and safer place.
Add in the fact that she has a psychotic man wrapped around her finger, that makes her pretty iconic to me. "
"Fair point, I guess."
I twist my key in the door, unlocking it and push into the little hallway at the entrance of my apartment.
"He literally has a tattoo covering his whole arm dedicated to Sophia. Rumour has it that Kaleb's also going to take her name when they get married. Like, how romantic is that?"
"So romantic," I sarcastically drawl, chuckling at how in awe she sounds when talking about the woman I met earlier.
"Anyway, I'm home now, safe and sound, and as much as I love talking to you, I don't want to spend another hour talking about the people I've already spent most of my day with, so I'm going to go and read some more before conking out and doing this all over again tomorrow. "
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'll let you go and relax, but seriously, consider doing some research on the family that you're going to be spending a lot of time with, okay?"
"Okay, Chrissie."
"Bye, sweetie! Love you!"
"Love you too."
I end the call and place my phone down on the little wooden table beside my door and then I chuck my bag beside it and take off my coat, hanging it up.
As I kick my shoes off, I pluck the paperback out of my bag and walk into the cosy living room, placing the book on the sleek coffee table in front of the sofa.
I rub my hand along the back of my neck, trying to ease the stiffness in my muscles as I walk through the small open doorway that leads into the connected kitchen.
Flicking the kettle on, I grab my favourite large mug out of the cupboard and go about making myself a coffee before cosying up on the sofa beneath a fluffy throw blanket and picking up my book, continuing from where I left off when I finished work.