Don't Let Go

Blessing

ELLIOT POV

"Anything else, Milly?" I asked, rejoining her in the basement of her parents house while we finished getting all their belongings packed up.

Everything was official so I was exciting to help them move to the estate.  Cordy has their suite set up and is making plans for a movie night soon so all of us can just relax after so much stress.

She grinned, "I think we're good.  My parents were happy to keep this furniture for company and we were going to get new stuff at our new apartment in January so we should be set.  We are still going to visit, too, so it's not like I won't be back."

Josh peeked into the room with a grin and held up a set of car keys.  "Okay, so, all 3 of us have full vehicles and you're going to grab a grocery order on the way back, right, Elliot?"

"Yeah, Janet and Ethan had a few things they needed for our pasta dinner and we ran out of Oatmeal Cream Pies yesterday."

"Good thing you can get such essential items," Milly said with wide eyes and a fake somber expression.

We laughed and finished taking the last boxes to the cars.  I shook hands with Milly's parents and headed out before them so I could grab our order at the store.

Cordy and I slept most of yesterday after such a stressful trip then a Post Mortem that took more out of everyone than we anticipated.  We were told to lay low but it felt good to move around a bit.  It was a cooler day but Cordy suggested a walk through the garden which was the perfect way to get some movement in while also keeping calm.

It was nice to take our time getting back into the swing of things.  I helped with checking the perimeter and watching the control room yesterday for awhile but George stressed he wanted me to take it easy.  The rest of the team quickly rallied to give Aidan and Hector more support, as well, so I was encouraged by how the Townsend generosity mindset filtered through everyone a the estate.

While I loved all the time I had with Cordelia, it was nice to get out for a bit.  I decided to make a short detour and stopped downtown, parking Cordy's truck in front of Elite Espresso.

Lionel was at the counter organizing mugs when I walked inside and hid a grin when his eyes went wide as I approached the counter.  "Elliot... hello.  How are you doing?"

"Hey, Lionel.  Doing okay, considering.  I was hoping to get some of the espresso beans you sell here.  George loves the coffee and they have a nice espresso machine at the estate so I figured it would be a nice surprise. Gotta keep on top of my latte skills."

He smiled while grabbing two bags from a shelf behind the counter.  "Hey, I saw on the news what happened.  You did a wonderful job, Elliot.  I have no clue what I'd do in that position."

I offered a smile and sighed, "Yeah, I was thrown into the deep end thanks to everything that has been going on, but it's good that Cordy is okay."

"Is she healing okay?  They said she needed medical attention once you were back at the estate so I assumed that meant you didn't go to the hospital."  Lionel was usually a preppy snob that fell all over himself for anyone above him then treated the rest of us like shit.  His genuine concern showed me a new side to the twerp.

"It was too dangerous.  My job was to get her out of there and as far away as possible without being followed.  We stopped about 2 hours away at a hotel for the night and used skin glue on the cut but it was really bad.  The car we drove has blood stains we can't get out but will keep trying.  We're just glad it wasn't any worse."

Lionel studied me then asked, "Hey, I heard you knew something was going to happen but showed up anyway..."

I chuckled while nodding then looked around the café.  It felt so much smaller since I left about a month ago.  The warm wood alongside fresh white dishes still looked nice but I am now accustomed to the more modern style at the estate.  "Yeah, there had been threats but we were prepared with a getaway car so she felt like it was a calculated risk.  I mean, if she hadn't been there they would have attacked someone else... maybe even George."