Point Of View 2 [*Do not read until you've read the same chapter of ATW]

Chapter 32 Fine Line

"Oh." A sad look falls on Kendall's face. She is sensitive like Julia and feels bad all around that this is happening. "Yeah, of course I can take you. I'll wait in the lobby with Maggie."

***

When the nurse leads me to Julia's room, Both Paul and Jeremy are talking outside. I pay no attention to Donovan. I'm pretty sure he knows I want to punch him in the face. Multiple times. But I also know he is a smart doctor and right now, helping Julia through this.

"She's in rough shape." Paul mumbles. I nod and open the door.  

There she is. Curled up in her bed in this tiny room, sobbing into her pillow. It breaks me down right asway. Seeing Julia in this place, in this room, all alone like this, it's an awful feeling that I can't help her the way she needs.

"Julia..."

"James!" Julia bolts up out of bed and within seconds she's in my arms and I'm comforting her. "What are you doing here??"  She sobs with her face buried in my chest while I'm sitting on the edge of her bed. She looks so small right now. So small and so broken.

"Nate called me. Well....Nate called Kendall, knowing I'd be with one of them. I guess Paul has been updating him and was worried about you. Listen, sweetie..." I start to explain myself but Julia cuts right in

"You don't want me around you? Or in your house anymore? I'm too much?" She looks up at me with her big sad brown eyes.

"Julia, you're overthinking it. Of course I want you around me. I want you with me 24/7. You know that. I want your clothes in my dresser and toothbrush next to mine. That's not what this is. I need you to focus on your detox. The only real way for you to do that is to focus on YOU. Not me, not Nate. No one but you. Babe, you ARE a lot. You know that. I can handle "a lot." What I can't handle is seeing you giving up and not taking care of yourself. I can't handle it when you spiral out of control. And that's what's happening right now. You stopped taking care of you, you got another UTI, which is throwing your moods off just like it does with my mom with her dementia."

I kiss her lips before she can respond, and I don't stop. Pecking her lips over and over again before whispering to her. "You know I won't be able to back away first. You know I won't be the one to stop."

She throws her arms around me and continues kissing me, and it's all I've ever wanted. The real Julia is here right now in this moment.

"I don't think that's what Hollan meant when he called you to come here, Gallo." Paul grumbles as he comes into the room. I smile into our kiss, and Julia backs away.

"Are we good?"  I ask Julia.

"Yeah, we're good."

********

*Trisha*

"Even miles and miles away, you have a way of sending her right into Gallo's arms, huh?" Jonah teases Nate as we eat a late lunch. I took him and Casey out for the morning to sight see around Munich, and now we are in some authentic German restaurant Nate, being so fucking high maintenance ordered a damn salad. He's so God damn picky.

"I rather her in Gallo's arms than Donovan's. And anyway, I needed to make sure she knew this wasn't something personal. I don't want her to think she lost her best friend. That happened once before, and it wasn't pretty." I'll do anything to make sure Julia is happy.

"So before everything went down, I had booked a spa day the first day in Milan for all of us. A couples one for you and Jonah," I turn to Casey and then Nate. "And I did a couples one for you and Julia... Do you want me to cancel yours or .. what do you want me to do?" I feel awkward asking this, but I need to know if I have to cancel.