The Road Ahead (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 4 of The Hardships Saga)

Chapter Thirty-Four

"So you think it'll be over soon?"

"I think it'll be over today."

"Today?"

"We'll meet her today. And even if I can't, I have a feeling Pa knows more than he's letting on."

"What do you mean?"

"He's just... he knows. He'll know when it's really her."

He nodded slightly. "Right. Do you promise, though, if it's her today, you'll tell him?"

"I-"

"Elle, I'm not going to risk losing you," he said sharply. "Pinky promise."

She took a deep breath. "I pinky promise, then. I pinky promise I'll tell him tonight."

"Good girl." He smiled. "I love you, darling. Take care, okay? Go back to bed. You'll be tired."

"Alright. I love you, too."

"I'll see you soon." He hung up, and sighed, looking at his phone. Elle was only getting sicker. He just prayed it wasn't too late.

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The moment Elle woke up the next morning, she knew she couldn't go on like this. Her body ached. Her makeup only did so much to hide how sallow her skin was, and she could sense that her fever was high. Her head was aching, but what could she do? One more day, she just had to stick it out one more day.

She walked into the kitchen of the bus, where her tea was waiting for her. Hunter was on his laptop, scrolling through his emails and news. He mumbled a good morning to her, and she responded the same way, taking a sip of her tea and trying not to clue him into the fact that she was shaking terribly.

It had been a month since she had found the first bruise, and sure enough, there were more. She was more than afraid- she was dreading the hospital, dreading the chemotherapy she had endured for so long. It had been so degrading, so painful... she wasn't ready to go back.

"So, we're meeting Eva Porter today?"

"Most likely. As far as I can tell from her Twitter and Facebook, she always goes to this cafe for lunch with her friends on Sunday afternoon."

Hunter frowned. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she said quickly, taking a sip of her tea. "I've never been better."

"Right." He looked back at his laptop, and Elle quietly sighed in relief.

They left the bus and began driving. "Right, so we're just-"

"Gonna have a peaceful lunch," said Hunter. "She'll probably notice us. And if she doesn't..."

"She will. She's a fan of yours. And even if she's not, her friend, Dani, is."

"Dani?"

"She's got a Tumblr dedicated to you, she's got a link to it on her Facebook page. She and Eva tag each other in stuff all the time, and she's at the cafe the same day Eva is. So, I'm hoping this works out."

"If it doesn't?"

"We'll have another competition for her and a friend. She'll win, and then she'll meet us. I dunno. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Okay."

They ventured into the cafe, and Hunter ordered a coffee and a milkshake, for Elle. She could sense that her whole world was spinning, and she breathed deeply. Just a small while longer, just a small while longer.