However Long the Night

Chapter Twenty-Five

Will scrubbed his body until it burned. Arms wrapped around his torso, eyes squeezed shut, he rocked back and forth as a sheet of hot water flowed down his limbs. 

Breathe, Will. Breathe.

Slowly, his shoulders stopped shaking, his fists unclenched, and he exhaled.

You saved her life. That should be enough.

Stepping out of the shower, he avoided his profile in the fogged-up mirror.

Don't look. Not yet. Keep moving. It's okay.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, he opened the door and stepped into the hallway, followed by a cloud of steam swirling out of the bathroom door behind him.

Toby was lying on the rug by his bed. Whining, tail thumping, he nudged his favorite toy toward Will's feet and snuffled doggy kisses into his palm.

"Hey, buddy."  Running tired fingers through Toby's fur, he sighed.  He changed into shorts and a T-shirt, flopped onto his bed, and stared at the ceiling as Toby nuzzled up beside him.

His phone buzzed and Will picked it up like his arm was on autopilot.      

Josh: WTF. The police called us at the cottage. Shelby and her

         parents are at the hospital now and I'm back home. Are you ok???

Will: I'm fine. Have you heard anything? I'm not family so the hospital

          won't release information about Skye or her mom.

Josh: Bridget's in critical condition, but stable. Skye has a concussion and some broken

          ribs. She's on pain meds and sleeping. Shel's been texting me all morning.   

          She's freaking out.

Will closed his eyes and exhaled. Skye's new 1 had shone bright before she was taken to Reese Memorial Hospital, so he'd been optimistic about her condition, but it still hurt to imagine her lying in a hospital bed. He was relieved the doctors were able to stabilize Bridget, too; her bullet wound had been a grizzly mess, and she'd been so pale.

Will: Thank God they're ok.

Josh:  Thank God YOU'RE ok. I can't lose you, Will. I can't.

Will: You think you can get rid of me that easily? Who else is going to look after your 

         irresponsible ass? ;)

Josh: Screw you Brody. Just tell me when you're ready to see me, ok? I'm here for you.

Will: I know. Maybe tomorrow. I'll be in touch. Let me know if  

               you hear any more updates from Shel, ok?

Josh: You got it.

Placing his phone on the bedside table, Will slipped under his quilt. His skin was still warm from the hot water, his limbs were soft as putty, and his eyelids drooped. He'd only gotten out of bed a short time ago, but exhaustion pulled him down into a dreamless sleep.  

He vaguely remembered his mother coming in to kiss his forehead. He heard the click of the door and his father's plodding steps as he placed a tray of food on the desk. His eyelids fluttered open when Toby hopped off the bed and wandered out the door. Still, he slept.

An excited shriek dragged him back to consciousness. His room was dark. Peering out the window, Will's eyes scanned the inky sky and drank in the pregnant moon.

Another shriek morphed into words he recognized. The voice was his mother's.

"Will! Will, come downstairs!"

Sitting up, he grasped his head and coughed. Sleep clung to him like a hangover.

"I'm coming." His voice was hoarse.

Padding down the hallway in a T-shirt and shorts, light bloomed from the bottom of the stairs. Rubbing his eyes, he started down the steps. A conversation was bubbling below; his mother spoke quickly, and his father's voice mingled with another man's low tenor.  The voice sounded familiar, but Will wasn't sure why.

He passed the framed photos on the wall, his dad's dimly-lit study and the kitchen doorway before stepping into the bright living room. His mother was perched on the couch, smiling beside a sandy-haired figure with broad shoulders, while Will's dad sat by the picture window in a wingback chair, with Toby at his feet. 

His mother's eyes widened in excitement when she spotted him. "Will! Look who's here! Uncle Matt has a conference in New York this week, so he came by to surprise us! Can you believe it?" Her face was flushed.

Turning around, his uncle's face came into view: cheekbones covered in blond scruff, a patrician nose, left eyebrow split from an old scar.

"Wow. Look at you. You're practically all grown up, buddy." Uncle Matt's canine teeth were prominent when he smiled. "I've been thinking about you a lot lately, Will ... well, all of you, of course. It's been too long." Standing up, he extended his hand to his nephew. When their hands met, his 4 blazed and Will did a double take.

But ... I thought he was a 3? Will wracked his brain to track the memory, but he wasn't 100 per cent sure. He hadn't seen Uncle Matt for years and, aside from Tom's recent erratic display, he'd never seen a number do anything but decline.

My mistake, I guess.

"Your mom wants me to cancel my hotel and commute into the city from here instead,"
his uncle shrugged. "My schedule's pretty sporadic this week. Might be fun to catch up. And hey, maybe you'll be surprised how much we have in common, huh?"

He knows. Something about Matt's tone, his manner, his inflection made it clear. Oh my God, I'm not alone. Sucking in a breath, Will dug his fingernails into his palms as he struggled to appear calm.

"Come on, Matt. You know you'll be more comfortable here. After all, I'm totally prepared to spoil you." His mom's 2 danced when she spoke. "There's just so much catching up to do! Please stay, for me." 

Cocking his scarred eyebrow, Uncle Matt grinned at Will. "Well, what do you say to that, Will? Want to hang out with me for a bit?" His 4 was so bright it appeared etched in gold.

Will's heart skipped a beat. "Yeah. I think I'd like that a lot."

***

Author's note: THANK YOU for reading However Long the Night! This version (originally entitled "Countdown"), was edited as part of the original WattPairsMentorship Contest, working with the fantastic squirrelg as my writing mentor. I hope you've enjoyed the book and would love to hear your thoughts on favourite characters, questions you may have had, or parts of the book you really enjoyed. AND ... what your thoughts might be for BOOK 2. If you'd like to spend more time with Will, Skye and the gang, let me know. THANKS FOR READING, commenting, voting and sharing!