When Zach and Austin finally returned to Elijah's hospital room, Liza had shifted to sit on the edge of Elijah's bed (per his insistent requests), and she'd warmed up enough to move the blanket until it was only covering her lap. Milo's chin was settled on her knees, and Elijah had a firm grip on her waist. The same nurse had come in briefly to give Elijah a scheduled pain medicine, but—other than that—Liza was remaining relatively unbothered.
Still, she could feel that it was nearly time for her to request that Austin bring her back to her condo. Although the interruptions from nurses and doctors had been minimal (no doubt due to Austin and perhaps Elijah's requests), she knew from experience that such peace would not last. She was certain that the following morning would see a team of doctors, physical and occupational therapists, a case worker, and nurses descending upon Elijah's room, and Liza knew she could not stand in the way of that. She also would not be able to handle such activity.
Austin and Zach took up posts on the loveseat on the opposite side of the room, further from the door, giving Liza plenty of space, which she appreciated. Upon sitting, Zach leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together as he found Liza's eyes with his own.
Interestingly enough, he didn't look all that much like Elijah. His hair was darker, his frame stockier, and his skin darker. But what he did share with Elijah was a pair of dark, chocolate brown eyes, and she was grateful for the similarity, if only so she could reassure herself that he wasn't a total stranger, not really.
"Liza, I want to apologize. I'm sorry for scaring you; I shouldn't have reacted that way, and I hope you'll forgive me."
No, he shouldn't have, but Liza supposed she could understand his reaction. If she put herself in his position, as Whitney had taught her to do, then she would have been upset and taken aback by the sight of a random person standing over her loved one, too.
"I forgive you," she told him without hesitation, Elijah's fingers tracing over her knuckles lovingly as she spoke. "It is nice to meet you. Elijah's told me some stories."
"Oh, God," Zach groaned comically, throwing his head back and eyeing the ceiling miserably. "That's never good. I swear that I was the well-behaved brother. Any trouble I got into was Eli's fault."
At his brother's words, Elijah shifted his head to Zach and narrowed his eyes. "Lying is not the trait of a 'well-behaved' brother."
"You can't say anything," Zach argued. "You're the younger brother, so I automatically have seniority."
"Well, you are looking pretty old these days . . ." Elijah sighed, as though saddened by this realization, and Zach snorted.
"You haven't changed a bit." It was clear, even while they were teasing, that Zach was the more mature of the two. He seemed far calmer than Elijah, and Liza imagined that he likely had played a significant role in keeping Elijah out of trouble when her boyfriend had been younger.
Elijah passed his brother a bright grin. "Not a bit," he echoed. "Only, I have a freaking stunning girlfriend now," he passed Liza a cheeky wink, and she rolled her eyes with fond amusement. "She's the best."
Great, now she was blushing.
Zach smiled at them, and Liza noticed that his grin was also similar to Elijah's in the way that his left lip lifted just a bit higher than his right. "It's nice to see," he mused. "Does Mom know?"
This brought Liza up short. She'd never considered it, but did Elijah's stepmother know about her? If Zach wasn't even aware of her existence, then she doubted his mom knew, but, of course, he was very close with the woman . . .
Elijah smiled rather sheepishly. "Yeah, she knows."
Liza's head reeled back as though she'd been smacked. "Wait, what?" Even to her own ears, her voice sounded tinny with surprise.
Elijah widened his dark brown eyes and stuck his lower lip out comically, like a child about to beg for extra candy. "Babe, don't hate me, but Mom knew something was up like, literally the day after I met you that first time. You know how moms are with their super freaky mom-senses, right?"
She quirked a single eyebrow, unimpressed, and crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't mind, really. It was almost flattering, that he had told his mom about her so soon after they'd met, and it didn't freak her out like she thought it would, though a nagging voice in the back of her mind whispered, God, the woman must think you're a total psychopath.
The turn her thoughts took must have been obvious on her face, because Elijah was touching the underside of her jaw in the next moment, ensuring her gaze stayed on his. "Hey, Mom is stupid excited for me. I haven't gone into much detail, because it's not my place, but she knows your not in the position to meet her, and she understands. She's just happy for me, like all moms are, and she'll be thrilled to meet you someday, regardless of when that is."
Liza nodded, even though part of her still felt ashamed that she couldn't meet Morgan right away.
She supposed that, on the positive side, it also meant she didn't have to meet his father, who sounded like a total ass from everything she'd heard about the man.
So, there was that.
"How's the restaurant, Zach?" Elijah asked suddenly, but Liza suspected he had realized that she no longer wanted to be the center of attention in the room.
Elijah's brother smiled giddily as Elijah shifted himself into a more comfortable position in the hospital bed. "Doing really well, thanks. You've got to come check it out still, you know. You'd love it. We've got so many different cuts of steaks that they have their own menu."
"Oh, I look forward to becoming acquainted with each one individually, don't worry too much." Elijah joked, and they all chuckled. Austin continued asking questions about Zach's work, but Liza tuned him out, her focus taken by the feel of a cold, leathery dog nose pressing against her wrist.
Shifting, she looked down to find Milo's snout pressed against her arm. She wasn't sure why, at first, until she noted the red marks on the inside of her wrist and realized she must have been scratching at her skin in an effort to soothe herself. She must have started itching when Elijah released her hand to adjust himself in the bed.
As comfortable as she thought she was, there was no doubting that she was running out of time. Soon, she would need to get back to her condo; she had less time than she'd first believed, if Milo was warning her.
Holding back a sad sigh, she decided to wait just a bit longer. She just wanted a few more minutes with Elijah . . .
As if he was privy to her thoughts, Elijah's open palm appeared in her line of sight a moment later, and she looked up to find him watching her with a sweet smile on his face. "Don't let my hand get cold," he chided, his voice low enough that she was the only who heard it.
"Okay," she murmured just as softly, gripping his fingers in hers and squeezing three times, in the same pattern as their knock. Elijah's grin widened, and he returned the action, then lifted her hand and pressed it against his lips. It wasn't a kiss—not really—but the skin-to-skin contact was just as meaningful.
A phone ringing had both her and Elijah startling, turning to look at Zach, who was pulling out his cell phone and pressing it to his ear with a rushed, "Mom?"
Liza's fingers tightened over Elijah's.
"Hey," Zach continued. "No, yeah, he's doing alright." His dark eyes cut to Elijah and Liza, and he passed them a quick flash of a smile. "He's up and talking, yeah. Hurt, but he'll heal." He paused as he listened to Morgan, before saying, "Yeah, that's fine . . . An hour? Okay, sounds good. I'll let him know. Thanks. Be safe. Love you."
He pulled the phone from his ear and tapped on the button to end the call, but he didn't have a chance to say anything before Elijah was guessing the conversation: "So, I take it that the parental unit will be descending in roughly an hour?"
Zach nodded. "Yeah. They're grabbing an Uber, but they'll be here."
Liza gulped audibly at what that meant.
She knew she couldn't handle anyone else. She was barely at ease with Austin, and Zach's presence made the hospital room—which was already uninviting and a reminder of horrible, horrible memories—feel like it contained only inches of space.
She could not handle anything else.
Facing Elijah, she was prepared to say as much, but he—as she should have anticipated—was far ahead of her. "I know, doll," he soothed, his fingers rubbing circles over her knuckles again. "I know. It's alright, remember? I get it." His eyes moved over her shoulder, and he said, "Austin, you good to bring Liza home?"
There was a brief moment of silence as the two communicated through only their gazes, before Austin spoke. "Yeah, man, ain't a problem with that. Whenever you're ready, Tiny."
"Thank you, Austin," she told him sincerely, though she was unable to turn from Elijah, who seemed to be tracing over her every feature with those dark brown eyes of his.
"Yeah, thanks," Elijah echoed, not looking away from her, either, even as he said, "now, please leave unless you want to see some hot making out."
"Elijah!" Liza gasped, trying in vain to tug her hand from his.
"I'm kidding, babe," he chuckled. Even if he had been (which she doubted), the sound of the door opening and closing, preceded by Austin's grumble of, "I miss my bumper buddy," was an indication that they had been left alone.
"I'm too injured to do anything scandalous."
Although his tone was still lighthearted, she knew the words were more accurate than he would like anyone to realize. She could tell by the sluggish way he moved and his occasional shifting that he was in pain and exhausted. Liza could only hope that he would be able to sleep some before his parents arrived.
Which, now that she thought about it, "Are you going to be okay with your dad here?"
Elijah huffed. "Yeah, with Morgan and Zach to referee, it shouldn't be a problem. Plus, the man's a bastard, but even he's above attacking an injured guy in a hospital bed."
"If you're sure," she relented.
"I'm sure," he insisted, before he tugged at her fingers clasped in his. "Will you tell Austin to buy some Oreos? I'll need some real food once I'm out of here, and I've told you Zach's feelings on them."
Liza snorted. "Oreos aren't real food."
Elijah feigned a gasp. "Doll, how could you? I give you my love and devotion, and you come at me with that?"
Trying not to appear too flustered by how easily he threw out the word 'love,' Liza rolled her eyes. "So sorry," she said, sounding not all that sorry. "I'll tell Austin."
"Thank you, babe, you're a true hero."
"I know."
"May I get a kiss from my hero?" He dropped her hand and reached up to pull at a strand of her hair. "Please?"
"You may," she replied loftily, even as she dipped her head down, since he couldn't move all that much. Their kiss was sweet and chaste, but it still did wonders on soothing her, and she dropped her forehead against his after they broke apart, eye shut as she soaked in the peaceful silence that had surrounded them.
"I know you have to leave," he murmured, his breaths tickling her neck, "but I'm going to miss the hell out of you, gorgeous."
Liza knew he wasn't saying the words to make her feel guilty, so she pushed aside the immediate feeling of shame that had formed with his statement, and instead said honestly, "I'll miss you, too."
"I don't know how long my parents and Zach are going to be staying," he continued, his voice low, and her fingers tightened where they were clutching his blankets at what he was implying.
Would it be weeks before she got to see him in-person again? Once he was discharged home, he still probably wouldn't be able to visit her right away, since he would need to recuperate further. So, if he wasn't able to visit her at her condo, and his family was in his . . .
Liza shook her head with dismay. "That sucks," was all she could say.
"I'll say," Elijah sighed. "Think I'll be able to kick them out?"
"Don't do that," she scolded immediately. As much as she would miss seeing him, the last thing she needed was for him to kick out his family on her behalf. Maybe his mom didn't have a negative opinion of her at the moment, but Liza doubted the woman's view would remain the same if she was pushed away from Elijah just so he could see Liza. Hell, the family would probably start to believe she was some uptight, snobby woman who couldn't care less about anyone she considered 'below her,' or some shit.
Not the impression she wanted to give.
"I'm kidding," he soothed her. "I know you don't want that. Can I call you?" Before he'd even finished asking the question, she had pulled back several inches and nodded her head almost frantically.
"Yeah. Yes, you can call me."
His smile was nothing short of blinding. "Then I'll call you, gorgeous. I'll call you so much you'll want Milo to pee on your phone battery."
Liza pulled her head back further, eyeing him flatly. "That's disgusting."
"It sure is," Elijah agreed, his smile not fading in the slightest.
A knock had him sighing and glaring at the door. "Come back in," he called, and Austin and Zach emerged through the door. Austin stayed near the door, and Liza imagined he was just waiting for her to tell him that she was ready to leave. Zach, meanwhile, dropped back down onto the loveseat with something in his hands.
Elijah must have noticed it as well. "Did you find some treasure out there?"
Zach laughed before revealing a lumpy blue wallet and wiggling it in Elijah's direction. "I'd say 'yes,' but I don't actually know how much money you have in here."
"Nothing but gold, baby," Elijah joked with a cheeky smirk.
"Would you stand by that sentence if I showed Liza your driver's license picture?" Zach sassed, showing a playful side that Liza had originally thought he was lacking.
Zach began to dig through the wallet. "Where is it, anyway?"
"Wait, hold on—" Elijah faltered suddenly, his eyes widening, and Liza was stunned to realize he looked . . . well, embarrassed. And Elijah Harris was not one to ever appear embarrassed; it happened so rarely that Liza couldn't help but stare at him with her mouth agape, unsure of what had caused the change in emotion.
"Oh, hold up," Zach stopped, "Here's the clear folder part—hey, that's not your license!" His eyes slid to Liza, and she frowned when she spied his smirk. "Nice, brother."
Elijah blushed to the roots of his hair, sinking down in the bed with a scowl as he pointedly avoided Liza's gaze, only furthering her confusion.
"What?" She asked, her gaze swinging between the siblings. "What is it?"
Zach was still gazing at the wallet, and Liza jolted when Elijah snapped, "Stop looking, dickwad."
"Okay, okay," Zach held up his free hand, chuckling before he dug through the wallet once more, finally coming up with Elijah's license a moment later. "Got it. Here, look," he said, and she laughed at the sight of a younger Elijah, braces on his teeth, too-big glasses on his face, and acne on his chin. The image was far different from what Elijah had painted himself to be in high school, and Liza absolutely loved how dorky he looked. Zach was chuckling too, even as he set the license down.
"This one's for you," he added, tossing the wallet to an unsuspecting Liza. She barely managed to catch it, her brows furrowed with bewilderment as she looked to Elijah and asked quietly, "Can I look?" She understood better than anyone how awful it was for others to invade one's privacy, and she wasn't about to betray the trust he had in her.
Elijah seemed to debate his options for a moment, before nodding once. "Sure, babe," he spared her a small smile, "just don't hate me after, okay?"
"Okay . . ." she trailed off, opening the wallet with careful fingers. It fit Elijah's personality well—a bright blue color that housed crumpled cash, several credit cards, and a multitude of rewards cards. In the clear folder designed for a driver's license, there was no license, but rather, a picture of a woman with dirty blonde hair and hazel orbs—
Oh.
It was a picture of her.
More specifically, a picture of her sitting on the couch in her living room, bending over and smiling sweetly at Milo, who had his front paws on her knees and his face only inches from hers.
She had no clue when he had the time to take it, or how she hadn't noticed, but she wasn't angry at him like he feared. Rather, she was flattered that he'd placed her in his wallet, where he would see her features every time he opened the object.
Her heart agreed with a fervent slam-skip-slam!
Praying her cheeks weren't as red as they felt, Liza handed the wallet back to Elijah, who took it with fingers that grazed over hers comfortingly. "Sorry," he murmured, his eyes showing his genuine remorse. "I can take it out if it bothers you."
"Oh, uh," God, she was probably redder than a damn cherry, "no, Elijah, it's fine." To support her statement, she reached over and grabbed his free hand, squeezing it gently, pleased when his expression brightened considerably.
He appeared much more like himself when he shot his brother a smug grin. "Hear that? It's fine, and now I have a beautiful woman in my wallet to remind me of how lucky I am, and all you can do is include pictures of the food you make." He stuck out his tongue, and Liza snickered under her breath.
Gah, how she adored her man-child.
Zach, to his credit, returned Elijah's gesture with a roll of his eyes and a single finger held above his chest. "Maybe I'll make a copy when you're sleeping and stick it in my wallet, too."
Liza stiffened at even the thought of someone she didn't know well carrying around a picture of her. She had to remind herself fervently that he's just joking—calm down. Swallowing heavily, she spared the other man a smile, glancing at Elijah and passing him a reassuring look when he opened his mouth to scold his brother.
"I'll tell mom you have syphilis if you so much as try." Was all he grumbled, and she had to bite her lip to stop a laugh from escaping.
Zach's mouth fell open with something like horror. "You wouldn't."
"Wouldn't I?"
"Alright, caveman, Jesus." He turned to Liza with pleading eyes. "I don't have syphilis, by the way. But, if I did—which I don't!—Mom would force me to retake sex-ed with her as my tutor, or some other mortifying consequence."
Yeah, that did not sound like fun for anyone to suffer through—grown adult or otherwise.
"Definitely want to avoid that," she agreed, though her voice was a little shaky.
Elijah tapped at her thigh to get her attention. "You need to go home, pretty girl." It wasn't a demand; more of an observation, and Liza was fully aware that he was correct.
"Let's get gone, Tiny," Austin urged as well, and Liza pushed off the bed to stand on trembling legs. Milo popped up right away, nuzzling at her knee with his nose in silent encouragement.
"Think I can get one more kiss, gorgeous?" Elijah asked, shooting her a wink when she turned to him once more. Liza cut nervous eyes over to Zach, but Elijah's brother had thankfully taken a sudden interest in the pattern on the loveseat's cushions. Quickly, before he or Austin could begin looking at Liza again, she swooped down and pressed a short kiss to Elijah's lips.
When she straightened, her boyfriend had his eyes closed and his mouth tilted into a dazed grin. "Ah, I love you," he sighed. After a beat, his eyes popped open and he told her, "Save some more of those for me, okay, sweetness? Those will heal me up real quick."
"Sure, Elijah," she promised, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet anxiously. "I need to leave now." And she truly did. The thought of exiting the hospital was beginning to grow more and more daunting, and she feared that, if she waited too long, she wouldn't be able to get out without a panic attack.
Elijah bobbed his head up and down in understanding, his eyes soft. "I got it. Be safe, babe. Love you."
Still uncomfortable with an audience, Liza crouched down slightly and knocked on the hospital frame: Knock, pause, knock, wait, wait, wait, knock.
There, that would do it.
And, judging by Elijah's toothy smile, she had conveyed the message perfectly.
***
A/N:
Gah! It's too sweet! I've got cavities!
(Please note: Author not responsible for cavities due to overwhelming sugary sweetness, but she does apologize lol oops sorry not sorry)
Stay cool,
A.R.