The Conversion

Chapter Fourteen

No one fall over now. (If any of you are actually still reading this...) I took a little break from my other novel for a day or two and this magically popped out of the sky :D Hah, I wish. Just goes to show it's impossible for me to not write. Life's boring without writing. And art. And sugar. I think I've had a little bit too much of that last one there. xP I'll shut up now. ENJOY =D

Dedicated to an awesome reader who motivated my butt into gear ;D

Chapter Fourteen

“How is she?” I whispered as I stood outside of the labs, wringing my hands together and shuffling my feet. Sean lifted his head from his hands and looked at me for a long moment.

“I don’t know, Harls.” My heart clenched as tears I didn’t have tried to spring forth. From the past few weeks I doubted I had any left in me at all.

“Sean, I’m so so—”

“So am I,” he cut me off. “I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

“No, you were right. That’s why we go out in pairs. We’re partners, we’re supposed to have each other’s backs and I didn’t have hers.”

“You were surrounded.” I gave him a curious look. “Aaron came to check on her a little while ago,” he explained. “You want to sit?” He gestured to one of the empty blue plastic chair beside him.

And just like that, we were okay. A chair was our peace offering, and I sat down with relief leaving me in a deep exhale. Worry still gnawed at my gut as I hoped and prayed Aysh was going to be okay.

I was shaken awake by Sean after falling asleep with my head resting on his shoulder.

“Harls, she’s awake,” he said, laughter in his voice.

“What?” My voice was incoherent to say the least, but I managed to pry open my eyes and look at his smiling face long enough to realise what was going on. “Where is she?” I blurted out, jumping upright.

“You can visit, but not for long. She needs rest,” Liz warned, holding the door open and stepping aside.

Sean and I were already in the room before she finished speaking.

“Wow, you two look like hell,” Aysh rasped with a weak smile, her eyes barely even open. Sean was at her side in an instant, carefully hugging her as though he were afraid of breaking her.

“It’s all your fault,” I snipped weakly with a small grin. Her face turned towards me and my heart clenched painfully again. “We okay?” I mouthed to her as Sean fussed around the bed she was set on. She nodded with a crooked, pain induced smile and the pressure on my chest released.

“Harlow?”

I turned towards Liz in the doorway. She couldn’t be kicking me out already.

“Aaron would like a word.”

I guess she was.

With a forlorn look in Ayesha’s direction, I nodded my head and gave them a quick goodbye before making my way to Aaron’s office.

“Go on in.” Jo opened the door without even knocking.

Oh this couldn’t be good...

“Harlow,” Aaron said without lifting his head as Jo pulled the door shut behind me. Paul was standing next to his desk with his arms behind his back, and Tal was leaning against the opposite wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Both of their faces had been wiped clean of emotion, which wasn’t anything unusual.