Hidebound

Chapter ThirtyFour

*

"He's what!" Harley exclaims as she stands at our front door.

"He's coming with us!" I whisper-shout, so that Hex doesn't hear us talking about him. "Don't mention it, don't make it weird and don't question him" I warn her, scared the slightest inconvenience will scare him off.

"What are you two talking about?" Both of us jump at the sound of Hex's voice behind us. I spin around to face him. His hair is still wet from his shower but he looks clean now and dressed nicely.

"Nothing!" Both of us sing in sync. Hex's face settles into a look of knowing.

"Let's go" I shuffle out the door, pushing past Harley. Hex follows me as I lock up the door and we all get into Harley's car.

I breathe a silent breath of relief once Harley pulls out of our driveway before Hex can change his mind. It was step closer to Hex seeing Wyonna and a step away from him backpedaling.

And the worry of Hex backpedaling depletes almost completely when we walk through the automatic doors of the hospice.

I watch him from the side of my eye as I hold his hand. He seems relatively calm but I know better. His emotions can be felt and their anything but calm. He's anxious and worried, almost fearful.

While I keep one eye on Hex, the other was keeping an eye out for Alex Pollar. And I had yet to see him. Thankfully.

I have no doubt that thought is also running through Hex's mind as he looks around. I look at the back of Harley's head as she leads us. Does she know Alex Pollar is a patient here too? Had Hex told her? Had she seen him with her own eyes and just hadn't told us? She hadn't mentioned anything about him but I fear her reaction if she were to run into him, if she hasn't already. After all, he had put her in a terrifying situation.

We stop behind Harley as she knocks on Wyonna's door. I hadn't been here since it was full of boxes but Harley had mentioned that she had done her best at making it look as similar to Wyonna's room at the care home as she could.

"Come in!" A woman's voice calls out.

Hex squeezes my hand before we walk in. A nurse is standing by Wyonna as she lays in her bed.

"Oh hello! Look who it is Wyonna!" She says cheerfully. Wyonna looks in the direction the nurse points and sees us, there's no recognition in her gaze.

"How are you, Martha?" Harley greets the nurse as she places her bag down on a seat at the small round table Wyonna keeps.

"I'm good, Harley. She's just had her afternoon tea and was about to nap so if she falls asleep do not fret. I'll leave you to it now" the kind lady grabs a few of her belongings before heading towards the door. "Bye Wyonna!" She waves over her shoulder and throws Hex and I a smile on her way out.

Harley pulls a chair up to Wyonna's bedside. Hex and I step further into the room and grab our own chairs.

"You like her mum? She's kind, isn't she?" Harley talks to Wyonna, asking questions even though she knows she won't get an answer.

I sit on the chair just behind Harley as to not get in the way and Hex takes the spot next to me.

He seems wary and rubs his knee with his good hand. I grab it and hold it in my lap.

Wyonna seems more alert then she had been previously and I thank whatever god had made that happen. Of all days I'm just handful it was today that she looks better then usual. Who knows how Hex would have reacted if she wasn't.

Her curly hair is surrounding her face and she looks small in the bed. The bone structure of her face is too prominent and one look at her hands shows how delicate she is.

"Hex is here mum, look" Harley pints at Hex, drawing Wyonna's eyes to him. I hold my breath as her eyes roam over his body, stopping briefly on his wrapped hand but once again there's nothing behind them and when she looks away Hex deflates slightly in his chair. Whether it was due to relief or sadness, I don't know.

I swallow harshly.

I zone out of the one sided conversation Harley is having with Wyonna. Wyonna's room looks as close to her old room as it could possibly get. Even the baby photos of Harley and Hex remain seated in the corner.

Harley is the only one that talks to Wyonna during the time she was awake. She holds it together well, sounding strong and determined.

I kept quiet because I felt rude talking over Harley as she conversed with her mother. There's also the fact that if Wyonna doesn't recognise her own children then she definitely won't recognise me either.

Hex kept quiet also and sat incredible still beside me for the entire visit, like he was scared to draw his mothers eyes to him. Although, he kept his gaze glued to Wyonna and watched as she looked around in confusion for some of Harley's questions and looked directly at her for others. It seemed like she was there for a moment and then gone the next.

"It was a good day today" Harley exclaims as she closes the door behind us. Wyonna had fallen asleep mid conversation and we had decided it would be best to leave as to not scare her when she woke.

"Good day?" Hex scoffs. I tense, feeling his lingering emotions towards Wyonna through our bond. "That was shit, she doesn't know what day of the week it is, let alone where she is". I hold my breath as I wait for Harley to reply. I can almost see the anger bubbling up inside her.

"Yes, it was a good day. You would know that if you would see your mother once in a while" I feel my heart drop at her words and I pray in my mind that Hex doesn't say anything to push the two siblings further apart.

"Fuck off Harley" Hex shoulders past his sister in the direction of the front entrance. I can almost see the steam rolling out of his ears and fists clench by his side. I feel torn between them.

I watch as Hex stops in his way, only ten meters in front of us.

Harley notices too. "No, fuck y-" she stops abruptly causing me to look in her direction. She has turned a concerning shade of white and looks like she might collapse to the floor.

I follow her gaze and feel my own skin paling when I set eyes on what had caused it.

Alex Pollar.

He's being wheeled by a nurse, his eyes don't move and there's nothing behind them. He doesn't acknowledge either Hex or Harley and the confirmation that he doesn't know who they are makes me feel mixed emotions.

The sound a body hitting the floor brings my attention back to Harley.