I'll be There for You

Chapter 10: Time Flies: Part III

"Shit," Oliver groaned while Elijah's grip continued to tighten and the shorter man sunk to his knees.

"Elijah!" Hayley cried.

"Get off of him!" Jackson yelled, reaching for Elijah who grabbed him by the throat, without looking and causing Jack to gasp for breath.

"Elijah, stop it! I work here," Hayley protested.

"Hey, I'm going to call the police," Jane Anne called, placing her hands on her hips.

"Please do. Send them my regards," Elijah retorted with a smile that made Hayley's stomach sink. Who in the hell was he, really? All this time she had been thinking he was the good guy. Maybe she was wrong. "I will not ask again. Apologize."

"Yes. Okay. I'm sorry, Hayley," Oliver cried out.

That was all it took for Elijah to let go of Oliver's hand and to drop Jack. Adjusting his tie, he looked around him at the employees of the catering company. "Shall we leave?" Elijah asked Hayley who bit her lower lip.

"I think I can find my own way home. Thanks," Hayley snapped after a long pause. Shouldering her way past Elijah, she walked out of the store and all the way home. Ordinarily, she would have tried to avoid walking the streets of New Orleans with her little girl, at night, but she didn't feel like she had a choice.

When Hayley arrived home she called Jackson. He didn't pick up and the call went to voicemail. "Hey, this is Jackson. Leave a message and I'll get back to you when I'm not delivering gluten."

"Hey, Jack. I wanted to call and say how sorry I am about what happened at work. I don't know what got into Elijah. I've never seen him act that way... Well, I've never seen him act that way with anyone who didn't deserve to get their ass kicked. I just... I wanted to say I'm sorry. You were just trying to defend your brother and we all know Oliver can't help being an ass. So... I hope that you're okay. And that Ollie's okay. I guess I'll see you on Monday. Bye."

Hanging up her phone, Hayley ran a weary hand through her hair before looking at Hope who had gone to sleep on the couch. Hayley scooped her daughter up and carried her over to her bedroom. Hope rolled onto her side while Hayley covered her up. "I love you, baby girl," she whispered, kissing her daughter's cheek. Closing the door behind her, she walked back into the living room and flipped on the TV. It had been a long day. She would have a million and one things to do to satisfy Caroline's requirements for the perfect wedding and reception.

"What did I get myself into?" Hayley asked herself, staring at the ceiling.

When Hayley heard a light knock on the door, she worried that it was Elijah but when she peered through the peep hole, she found it was Cami. "Hey, I thought you were hosting a party?"

"Yeah. That was the plan. But after what happened with Mr. Tall, Dark and of the Bad-Boy Status, I thought you might need for the party to come to you," Cami held up a bottle of bourbon and the box of cupcakes.

"Thank you. I do need to relax," Hayley said. She moved aside for Cami to come inside and they plopped down on her couch.

"Nice place," Cami said, inspecting the cracks in the walls.

"Not so much," Hayley replied with a chuckle while Cami filled a paper cup with bourbon.

"You could come move in with me but my place is pretty small." Cami looked thoughtful. "Maybe my uncle, Kieren, could help you find something better. This is not the kind of place you want to raise a kid in."

"Tell me about it," Hayley replied, curling her legs underneath her and taking a sip of her drink. "So what does your uncle do that he could help me? Sell foreclosed houses?" she was half-joking, half-not due to everyone having an angle in a city like New Orleans.