Naveen drove the car back to the cabin before parking it on the cobbled drive, the engine shutting off with a quick flick of his key. Still caught in an awkward silence as heavy as the rain clouds above, the trio padded back towards the cabin. Ethan watched Becca out of the corner of his eye, holding a few paces back with Naveen to let her approach the porch first. In the doorway, Sienna was waiting with two bath towels draped over her arms. A wave of relief washed over her petite form as she saw them; her big eyes softening and bottom lip quivering with all the emotions she saved for the worst of outcomes.
"Becca!" Sienna called as she closed the distance between her and Becca, wrapping her soaking wet friend in a hug around a large, plush towel. "Are you okay? What happened?"
For someone who's life nearly drifted away with the current earlier, Becca seemed strangely quiet and calm. She didn't even look at Sienna; darkened eyes trained on her peripheral, towards the unrelenting waters. "I'm fine, Si. Just went for a little swim."
Sienna looked at her with critical eyes, not believing a single word coming out of her friend's mouth. She would have said something in any other circumstances, but she was too thankful that Becca was breathing at the minute. This conversation would have to wait. She turned her attention to the other rogue swimmer now coming up behind them, handing him the other towel still draped on her arm.
"Ethan, are you okay?" she asked the attending, her trained doctor's eyes scanning him for obvious injuries.
He took the offered towel gratefully. "Please, there is no need to worry about me." He wiped his face first then draped the burgundy fabric over his shoulders, shivering as the cold wind caught his wet clothes, "Where's Jenner?"
Sienna nodded towards the ajar door, her arms still wrapped securely around her best friend. "In with Elijah."
Ethan nodded and went inside to his dog, sparing one last glance towards a despondent Becca on his way.
With a small, resigned sigh, Sienna turned her full attention back towards her friend and guided her to the door. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."
Sienna led Becca inside and up to her room. Elijah didn't notice the girls as he was in deep conversation with Ethan in the archway to the den. For that, Becca was thankful; they could just slip upstairs and rest.
As soon as the girls reached the threshold of the master suite, Sienna closed the door softly behind them and reached for her friend, her eyes severe now that they were blessed with the privacy they didn't have earlier. "You okay?" She asked with a concerned hand gripping Becca's forearm; her tone of voice emitting a firm warning that she would accept the truth and nothing else.
Becca shrugged Sienna off, taking a step back to shed her wet clothes and throwing on her pajamas. Biting her tongue this round, Sienna gathered up the strewn garments into a pile and wrung them out in the bathroom, making a mental note to wash them once the power came back on. Becca didn't waste a single second before immediately crawling under the covers while Sienna watched with a very careful eye.
Sensing the stare, Becca sighed heavily. "Si, I'm fine. Truly."
Her friend wasn't convinced. "That's what you say, but you were literally being ripped down stream, you could have died."
"But I didn't."
Light pads of sock-clad feet walked to the bed with private determination and sat on the edge of the mattress, her eyes begging. "Talk to me, please." - a hand reaching for the top of Becca's thigh - "What's going on in that head of yours?"
But Becca wasn't waving, keeping her gaze on the darkwood bedpost in front of her to avoid Sienna's concerned one. "That I really need to sleep. I'm exhausted."
"Bec-"
There was a knock at the door, making both ladies tense in place. Sienna reluctantly moved to open it and was met with Dr. Banerji's warm smile, his medical bag cradled against his hip.
Ever in dire situations like this one, the senior doctor never seemed to run out of positive energy. He stepped in the room and glided closer to the bed, a comforting smile decorating his lips. "I've come to take your temperature and listen to your lungs," he informed them. "And I'm not taking no for an answer."
Becca rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. She swung her legs off the bed and sat on the edge, letting Naveen inspect her. Thankfully, she only had a few cuts on her hands that were in need of bandaging, most likely inflicted while she fought to hold herself against the current earlier
"How are you feeling?" he asked as he applied ointment and bandages to her palms.
"Tired."
"As expected," he nodded. She wasn't forthcoming, so he made sure to update her on what has been going on downstairs; "Ethan has a gash on his leg. Dr. Greene is stitching him up." The gossiper in him carefully gauged her reaction while his more romantic side hoped to see something pass along her features, possibly akin to relief, but he was disappointed there was nothing but the tired eyes of a woman who's been through hell that afternoon.
She felt his critical gaze searching her. The third one silently scrutinizing the last hour; and it made her blood begin to boil.
"I didn't need rescuing. I know how to combat a riptide. What he did was stupid," she clarified, indifferent to his comment.
Naveen chuckled and offered her a kind smile, although one that hid a hint of seriousness in it. "We both know exactly why he did it, Becca."
Becca scoffed and shook her head, looking away.
The older doctor sighed and put away his medical tools. He obviously wasn't going to get anything out of her tonight, and he'd been around this kind of temperament long enough to know when to resign. It was almost comical just how similar she was to his protégé, especially when it came to their ironclad stubbornness. "You've been through a lot today, dear. I'm prescribing you some much-needed rest."
Becca rolled her eyes.
With a taut smile, Naveen gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder before taking his medical bag and leaving the room.
While Naveen was with Becca, Sienna had excused herself to make some tea. The petite resident was now staring at the kettle, transfixed, but not actually watching the steam spill out into the shadows of night. The worry for her friend still ever present in her mind and the creases on her forehead. In a daze Sienna poured two two mugs full.
She was just setting the kettle back down on the hob when a gruff sound had her jumping out of her trance and turning on the balls of her feet.
"Let me," Ethan said quietly.
The two shared the same despondent look, though one of them had a deeper reason for it.
Sienna's eyes expertly roved over him. He'd changed into clean pajamas, his hair wild and partially dry from drying it in a towel. His weight being carried on one side of his body, no doubt from his injury. His eyes were dark, and there were prominent purple circles under his eyes. And his large hand was extended towards her, waiting with all the patience of a dying man.
With a small smile, she hands the mug over without a single reservation.
And Sienna watches intently as Ethan gingerly makes his way through the cabin and up to Becca.
*
In the few short minutes she was left alone Becca snuggled deeper into the blankets. Rolled onto her side so her back was to the door and her face buried in a pillow begging her to spill everything all over.
Over her tormenting thoughts she recognized the patter of footsteps against the hardwood of the hallway and sniffled all the emotion back. If Sienna saw her crying it'd become a much bigger thing than Becca ever wanted it to be. She'll save her tears for later.
When the steps grew louder, crossing the threshold, Becca muttered, "You should just sleep here tonight instead of going up and down to check on me."
"Do you think that's wise?"
Even in the minimal light of the candle on the dresser Ethan could see her stiffen. Could hear the discontented sigh that escaped her when his words met her ears.
He stood suspended in the doorway, questioning every instinct he thought he knew.
Becca shifted under the sheets, moving to sit up in bed.
"Thought you were Sienna." Her tone was still and level and wildly indifferent as she chanced a look at him.
"Sorry to disappoint," he muttered back. Crossing the distance Ethan held out a mug to her; "Are you okay?"
She took the offering, a forced smile on her lips. "Peachy."
"Becca..."
"I'm fine, Ethan." She groans, deflating. "What do you want me to say?"
"You can start with why you've been upset with me all day."
Becca couldn't help the absolutely indecent chortle that erupted from her.
"I'm not upset with you. I'm mad at myself."
Ethan made a garble akin to Huh?
And that just fueled the fire that's begun to rage within her the last day and rivals the treacherous storm this hurricane caused.
"Why did you come after me?" She all but spat the accusation. "It was so reckless and stupid. You could have been hurt. You have stitches for Christ's sake!"
"You could have drowned. I wasn't going to let that happen."
The audacity in his unbridled poise had her stirring under the sheets and gripping the mug tighter.
"Superman Complex already belongs to someone else. Why, Ethan."
It was a standoff between them. Him in his dry clothes - white tee and gray sweatpants, standing at the side of her bed. Becca was shielded by the blankets but still sitting tall and commanding for someone of her stature. He couldn't read her ever-telling body language in the dim light of the master bedroom. All he could make out was her silhouette, rigid and doing all she could to cloak herself behind an unsuccessful curtain of hair.
Holding onto the sliver of revelation he had earlier, Ethan spoke truthfully.
"Because I care about you. You have such a fulfilling life ahead an-"
It certainly didn't have the intended impact. For she cut him off with a resoundingly offended;
"Can you stop."
His darkened azure eyes were wide with panic. "What -"
"I'm sick of these mind games."
Her tone was flat, and that scared Ethan Ramsey more than anything. It would be better if she was yelling. He found himself wishing she was yelling even if he had no inkling as to what this argument is actually about.
"I know you care about me, Ethan. But is that all this is?"
She finally looked him in his eyes. The darkness of the room complimented the depths of her darkened irises, and he couldn't see a single emotion in them. All he could see was all of his failures.
"I - I'm in too deep with you. I may have almost drowned this afternoon, but it was nothing compared to this choking feeling of swimming in all this doubt and uncertainty."
He moved towards her. Placing his mug on the bedside. This close he could just begin to make out the hurt in the creases of her frown.
"Becca," he reached for her. His hand suspended in midair, waiting for her permission to cup her cheek.
Instead, she looked down at her fingers tracing the Edenbrook logo on the pristine white ceramic mug between her palms.
Ethan waited.
And waited.
Frozen in place until she said something, anything.
"Be honest with me," the words came out on an exhale. "No one else is around. Just me." Her voice so frail as she turned her whole form towards him. "Tell me."
The outstretched fingers on his hand curled inwards. His fist raised – once, twice punching against an invisible opponent as his inner self weighed all his options.
He could tell her - he could finally be truly honest.
He could do what's right.
He could lay everything out there and let her take the reins.
More realistically, he could continue to hold onto the values he'd had all his life.
The longer the silence hung between them, and the pattering of the storm echoed throughout the bedroom walls, the more a reality without her became apparent.
Rebecca Lao is a strong woman - he knows this. And Ethan is ever so aware that she won't wait for him forever. If her stint today told him anything it'd be that it is he who couldn't survive a life without her.
Every millisecond that passed, every slight turn of her head and stroke of her finger against the mug, he knew he was losing her. And for once, Ethan Ramsey - renowned doctor, known for his belligerent voice and affluent vocabulary - couldn't find the words.
Just as she let out a disquieting breath, he took the leap. Knees pressed flush against the side of the mattress. Long, deft fingers grazing the quilt at the side of her hip. His eyes never leave her. Becca was looking down as if all hope was lost. As if his silence spoke for him.
It didn't -
"I want to be with you."
Becca felt like the air had been stolen from her lungs. How long had she been waiting to hear them? How long has she been hoping Ethan Ramsey would commit to only her with a promise of forever? Far longer than she'd care to admit, that's for sure.
Ethan watched her lips part, her jaw slacken. Every pretty feature he adored more than life itself stunned stiff.
In true fashion Becca schooled her features as soon as his words rang through the mahogany room. Bitter words formed on her tongue, accompanied by a desolate huff,
"You sure about that?"
Not a single hesitation as Ethan responded, "Yes."
"You sure have some fucked up way of showing it." She watched him from the corner of her eye, shifting in his place and a rueful tug at the corners of his mouth.
Ethan kneeled down beside the bed, coming to her level, "I know."
This is never how Becca imagined getting Ethan Ramsey down on his knees. All those fantasies didn't join a near death experience or a fight.
His palms spread out on the quilt. All of him itching to touch her. If he could touch her, everything would be okay.
A beat forced itself between them. Ethan staring at his fingers inching towards her above the horrid colored quilt, and Becca looking blankly at the top of his head.
And then she murmured;
"I can't be with you if you're going to treat me like shit all the time."
"It was never my intention. I just want what's bes-"
"Best for me, I know. But you don't get to dictate that. It's my life, I'm a big girl. I can make my own decisions."
He was listening. He was guilty and listening.
"I want you, Ethan."
Those words were like music to his ears - to know she really, truly shared the sentiment. His deep blue gaze flickered up to her; staring at her from under long lashes and hanging on to her every word. This was everything they've both wanted - a proper admission of devotion. Then why did she look so sad?
"But not if you're going to keep pulling away from me."
Ah. There it was. All his faults coming back - his one mistake at abandoning her after she needed him most digging deep.
"I'm sorry. All of this was to protect you. I'll always, always protect you."
Becca's heart skipped a beat at the unbridled conviction in his tone against her better judgment.
"I don't need a hero, Ethan." Becca shook her head in kind admonishment. "I want a partner. Someone who will let me make mistakes and just hold me through it at the end of the day."
A bolt of lightning cracked in the distance. Their stare on one another so strong, devoted, that she couldn't see through the clear blue of his irises and deep into his soul the moment the fleeting lightness peered in.
"Okay," was all he said.
He responded quickly and with such fortitude that she couldn't help but be skeptical.
Becca rose a brow.
Ethan moved closer and grabbed her hand, adding a squeeze.
In a low voice she said, "I want to make the most of the time we have left. If I get a job elsewhere... I don't want to regret anything."
His brows pulled together as this little known fact wormed its way into his rationality. "You're thinking of leaving Edenbrook?" He held onto her hand just a bit tighter.
"I don't know," she half shrugged. "If..."
He finished the question for her. "Of course you'll have a job. The spot on my team is yours."
"Yeah, I know. But if..." Becca didn't know how to accurately explain her fears. If they didn't work out after all this would she still be able to work with him? Would he be able to? What if she received an amazing offer elsewhere. What happens to them if she takes it?
"Can we not think about this right now."
Taking both her cold hands in his, Ethan simply nodded.
He could feel the scary stirring in the pit of his stomach. Every pang of it subsiding the longer her warmth was within reach. The last of his fears overtaken by the most adorable sound as she stifled a yawn.
Ethan let go of her hand just long enough to brush some strands back from her face. Un-showered and salty from the day's events her cheek was still soft under his touch. He leaned up to press the lightest of pecks to her forehead.
Ethan was less than a few centimeters away from where she wanted him most. One movement and it could all be right and well. Becca brushed her nose against the stubble of his chin, coaxing him downwards. She could feel his grin against her skin as his stubble marked her nose. Every second he didn't succumb, the tip grew redder and redder.
Ethan pulled back - too far for a quick descend down to her lips - and Becca almost threw a tempered fist into the mattress. Almost.
He was looking at her with such reverence it made her whole entire body tingle. Like his stares were the hand of Da Vinci trying to capture her image - immortalize it for the rest of time. Trying desperately to paint this to memory - this moment where everything for them seemed to change for the better. This was the moment Ethan Ramsey knew.
Becca was mere inches away. One more movement and she would know - know that he is irrevocably her. One more movement and he'd seal their fate.
Her eyes flickered down to his chapped lips, and this time she didn't look away. This time there was no enchanting classic playing on the television, just the person before them. This time Ethan was thankful for her focus. He let out the breath he was holding in. Watched her eyelids flutter as the warm gust met her lashes. Leaned in and listened. Listened to the erratic thumping. Thumping of his heart or hers or the hurricane, he didn't know.
Didn't care. Couldn't give a damn about anything other than her.
Their lips met. Softly, tenderly. The shortest, most endearing kiss they've ever had. Neither wanting to ruin this with overzealous lust.
They pulled back, unencumbered smiles gracing their features; and then she yawned again.
Light with strange happiness, Ethan gently pressed her back into pillows. Pulled the covers around her to tuck her in.
He kissed her chastely once more. Then pulled away.
Every step he took from her side of the bed had her chiding herself for being so stupid for believing him this time. She wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.
Ethan moved through the darkness. The raging winds of reality jolted through them, pounding on the expansive windows. Getting louder and more unruly the further he got.
But then he did something so unexpected. So surprisingly unlike the man she thought she knew.
He pulled back the covers of the other side of the bed and slipped in. Ethan shifted closer and closer atop the king sized bed until his arm wrapped around her waist, the other snaking under her neck. Becca welcomed him without a single hesitation or ill thought. This is exactly what she hoped for yesterday.
Ethan had that smile - that one smile reserved only for her - as he dove into the covers with her, never intending to come back up. Their sweet embrace was all the sustenance he needed to survive. In this moment - and all of them to come, he's sure - he and Becca were the only two people in the universe.
The storm outside was moving miles and miles away.