Bound in Love

Chapter 33

Chris didn't move from the bench in front of the lake. He cried most of the time, feeling completely broken and lost. He had never imagined life without Ellie and he could not envision one. She was everything to him. Her news had devastated him in an unimaginable way. He stayed outside with the cover she had taken him rolled around his shoulders so he wouldn't freeze. Chris saw the sky change from tad dark to a scale of blues that changed as it turned lighter and lighter. He saw the night turn into day. Dawn had brought some sense of quietness to his wrenched heart as the sun painted the sky in tones of light pink and adorned the water of the lake with golden stripes. The sun was up and the sky was completely blue when he knew exactly what he had to do and so, he got up and looked at his sacred waterfront one more time and took a deep breath. If he was going to go back inside the house, he could not look distressed for Ellie could not perceive a hint of fear in him. He knew he had to be her rock and that is why he didn't come back the entire night, because he kept breaking into deep crying every half an hour.

When he entered his front door, he knew she was still sleeping for the house was extremely quiet and that served his purposes even better. He needed a bit more of time to pick up his pieces and lick his wounds. As he climbed the stairs, he confirmed his suspicions, the door of their bedroom was not entirely closed and from the gap between the door and the door's frame only darkness emanated from inside the bedroom. Chris span on his heels and went downstairs once more, going to the laundry space. In there, he opened the drawers where the clean clothes were kept after washing and began to grab some of the clothes he had at his disposition. Luckily, there were clean boxers and socks. He also grabbed his pair of green jeans and a black sweater. Then, he went to their living room and rested the pile of clean clothes on the brand-new black leather couch they had bought and he grabbed the phone from the coffee table. The clock read 9 am when he passed by the kitchen, so he knew it would be a good time to call. Chris dialed the number with shaking hands and then rested the phone on his ear, hearing her voice picking up the call in the next few seconds.

"Susan?" He called her name. "Good morning." Chris greeted her.

"Chris?" Susan blurted on the other end, finding it odd that he was calling so early in the morning after a show. "Is everything alright?" She asked right away. That was an unusual call for certain.

"Can you please set up a meeting with the guys for..." He looked at the time again. "... in about two hours?" Chris asked for he still had to cross the canal in a ferry.

"Now?" Susan curled an eyebrow completely surprised with his request but confirming her first suspicions.

"Yes." Chris whispered. "I know this is an odd request..." He stuttered a bit. "... it's important though."

"Chris..." Susan breathed. "You sound worried. What's going on?"

"Just..." He paused, taking the rubber band of his hair, and letting it fall down. "... just call them and tell them it's an emergency."

"Ok." She agreed, knowing it was unlike him to call for a meeting in such a short deadline. "I'll try to get them here in two hours or so."

"Thanks." Chris told her and after a last goodbye, he hung up, just to dial another number right after. This time it took a while longer for someone to pick up his call, but that was not an office, it was a house.

"Hello." He heard Millie gasping a bit on the phone and he concluded she must have been in the garden.

"Millie..." Chris called.

"Good morning, sweetheart." She greeted her son in law tenderly, as usual.

"I need a favor." He started, trying to sound as normal as possible for he knew that Ellie hadn't shared the news with anyone yet.