Dark Secret || Ace Merrill

Say Something

At daybreak, the kitchen phone rang with a sharp brring-brring, stirring Elise from a restless sleep. She sat up, feeling more exhausted than she did before she laid down and crawled out of bed. It was no surprise to her that the space beside her was empty; she even doubted that Ace had come home. He normally crashed at the Emporium, much to his uncle's dismay when they had an intense disagreement.

After he left yesterday, Elise sat for hours thinking about their argument. She pushed him, she knew, but her fear got the best of her. It was hard enough for her to balance the majority of the bills on her own; the house was in such disrepair that she couldn't keep up with the payments. All the money Ace earned went to making sure the utilities stayed on. When he told her he quit, she felt overwhelmed, like she was the glue holding their relationship together, a relationship he wasn't all there for.

The idea that she was overthinking things crossed her mind, but perhaps she wasn't. Perhaps Ace did think she was a nag, a thought Elise put aside as she reached for the phone, lifting the pale blue receiver to her ear. Whoever was on the other line was persistent.

"Hello," Elise uttered, horsely. She stifled a yawn and pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Hey, doll. It's Pop."

At least she knew where Ace was now. But why was he calling her? A rolling pain turned her stomach.

"Mornin'. Is Ace sleeping off a hangover?" Elise asked. She honestly hoped.

"Now listen." Her heart began to race. Oh goodness. What happened to Ace? "I don't want you to panic or hear it from someone else but John had a seizure last night and was taken to Stephens Memorial in Norway."

A seizure. Elise slid her hand over her mouth and leaned her arm against the wall in sadness. There were so many questions running through her mind. Was he alone? Or behind the wheel? Her thoughts were so jumbled that Pop's voice almost didn't reach her.

"...you there...doll."

"D-did they say anything?"

Pop hummed.

"A business partner of mine called. They wouldn't tell him anything on account he isn't family."

Of course, they wouldn't. For fucks sake.

No. It isn't their fault.

The hospital was only doing its job.

"All right...um, I'm gonna go up to the hospital and check on him. Thank you, Pop," Elise uttered.

"Catch me up," Pop insisted.

Ace was the last thing on his mind, but Elise agreed. She ended the call and raced up the stairs to the bedroom, changing her lavender nightie out with a pair of jeans and a button-down. In her haste, she forgot her keys and cussed as she had to go back into the house to get them.

Norway was northeast of Castle Rock, a thirty-minute drive, give or take. Being so early, there was not much traffic to deter her, so Elise sped on the backroads. She reached the hospital in record time and parked like someone she would consider an asshole, then rushed through the emergency room doors.

By the time she reached Ace, she learned that his seizure had ceased before he reached the hospital; and that Pop's contact left him shortly before his EEG. At the current time, he was asleep, attached to a computer via sensors connected to his head and body. In a sleep study, a nurse named Thurber told her to monitor his brain waves.

There was not much she could tell her without the EEG results, but so far, Ace was fine, other than some bruising on his chest from the seatbelt. Or so he appeared to be. He honestly looked like he was part machine lying there, an image that turned Elise's stomach. Something wasn't right; she could feel it.