I was exhausted. Furthermore, I was annoyed because I had to cancel dinner with Cassidy. I wanted to take her to one of my favorite places in the city, but there was another emergency board meeting called. If I'd known that being on the board of the company would give me this much extra work, I would have told Hayes he was fucking nuts for asking me to be on it.
Nothing was solved. Everything was just going back and forth between Hayes's people and his father's stragglers. So basically I had cancelled for nothing.
It's only eleven so there's a chance she's still awake, but I don't want to wake her up. Then again if she's sleeping, she won't answer. I press on her contact number and it rings a few times. I almost think she isn't going to answer, but when she does, I almost can't hear her because of all the background noise. "Cass? Where are you?"
"Hey, I'm sorry I can't really hear you."
I look in my fridge for a beer, repeating my original question, "Where are you?"
"I covered Jupiter's shift so she could go out with Alex tonight." She explains, quickly getting sidetracked, "I'm sorry, did you say you wanted a gin and tonic or a rum and coke?"
"I don't think I said either of those things, but it sounds like you're pretty busy." I joke and she pauses.
"Shit, I'm sorry Maddox. I get off in an hour if you want me to stop by then? Totally understandable if it's too late but-"
"I'll leave the door unlocked." Wouldn't have to leave it unlocked if we had gotten dinner because then I could have given her my surprise.
There's a long pause before she responds, "I'll see you then. I'm so sorry, but I have to go or I think customers might jump the bar to get their own drinks-actually I'll just tell you later. Love you bye!" Cassidy rambles, before abruptly hanging up. I shake my head chuckling before heading to the couch.
I'm sure that she'll have plenty to rant about before she crashes. I flip the channel to the news to let it play in the background. I lean back to close my eyes, and then I'm being shaken awake. "Hey there, I didn't think you would want to sleep on the couch."
I stretch slowly, "It wouldn't be the first time, but I'm glad you're here. Before you sit down, there's something for you on the counter that I set out earlier."
A smile forms on her face as she walks curiously towards the island. She holds it up with a puzzled look, "A key?"
"Don't worry, I'm not asking you to move in. It's just so you can get in and out without problems since you're here enough anyway. I also thought I could clear out a drawer for you to make it easier when you stay the night." I'm trying not to make it sound like a big deal because in the long run, giving Cassidy a key to my condo is pretty low on the list in the scheme of things.
"That's really thoughtful of you," She says, sitting down and kissing my cheek. "Thank you."
"I know that you're enjoying living on your own, and I'd never try to take any of your freedom away from you. I think we'll get there at some point, just not quite yet."
I wish I'd been able to give it to her over dinner like I'd planned, but this is a close second.
"Thank you for taking the way I'm feeling into the equation. It really does mean a lot to me. I'm sure it will be put to good use." Cass winks before something reminds her of something," You would not believe how crazy it was tonight. There was a bachelorette and a bachelor party tonight. John accidentally double booked them so we were slammed."
"That explains why it sounded more like a rave instead of the low-key bar I've been in." I joke, and she groans.
"I don't think my head has ever pounded this much," Cassidy says, and I open my arms for her to lay in them. "You don't even want to know how many people puked in the bathroom tonight. It wasn't even midnight. They were that shit faced." She shudders, closing her eyes.
"Gross." Not really sure why she felt the need to tell me that, but okay. "If you had listened to the meeting tonight, you would have thought we were five year olds from the way everyone argued. It was ridiculous."
"Why doesn't Hayes just get rid of all the problem people?"
I readjust so she's resting more comfortably on my chest, "It's not that simple. A lot of them own shares of the company worth millions. They're not all bad, it's just the ones that are still loyal to my uncle that make it difficult. If he could have gotten rid of them by now, it would have made all of our lives simpler." I explain, almost wishing that Hayes could just get rid of them. However, I understand why he can't.
Cassidy's lack of response causes me to glance down at her to realize that she's already fallen asleep. I brush some of her hair out of her face. Despite being completely exhausted, Cassidy is beautiful without even trying to be. She has the same natural beauty that Paige had, and while I'm not quite used to her blonde hair, I do think it was a good decision. It suits her and the person she's trying to be.
If you'd asked me eight months ago if this is where I thought I would be, I'd have said you were crazy.
And I guess we are sleeping on the couch tonight, even though the whole reason she woke me up was so I didn't have to sleep on the couch? I chuckle, getting ready to close my eyes to go to sleep when I realize the television is still on. I move to grab the remote to turn it off when a breaking story appears on the screen. Instead of turning it off, I turn it up.
"We received notice a few minutes ago that the United States Marines were successful in retrieving an American prisoner of war from Iraq. The identity of the individual has not been released, but the government has released the body cam footage showing the horrible conditions they were kept in."
My heart stops beating for a few moments. There's no chance it could be her. It's been almost a year since they identified remains as hers.
The video starts to play and while I don't know the person, I recognize the honey eyes when the flashlight goes over her face. I'd recognize them anywhere.
I pause the television, watching for any other sign that it's Paige. The hair is a tangled mess, and there's dirt covering her, masking the identity. I can't see her build, but I would bet everything I own that if they look on her ribs, they'll see the stick and poke heart tattoo she got her freshman year.
And then I'm snapped back to reality when Cassidy shifts on me. I feel like I'm going to be sick. I hate to wake her, but I'd rather wake her up than throw up on her.
She's more surprised when I move her than anything, "Did I fall asleep?" She asks sleepily, rubbing her eyes. I ignore her question and make a break for the bathroom, emptying what little dinner I ate tonight into the toilet. That was Paige.
I can hear Cassidy walk down the hallway, and it does nothing to help the churning in my stomach. That was Paige on the television. Paige who I buried and have spent almost four years moving on from.
Her small hands rub my back as I grip the toilet tightly. It's only a matter of time before the Marines are at my door. What do I do? "Are you okay?" She asks hesitantly.
"I'll be out in a few. I-I just need a second." I say, refusing to lift my head to look at her. Cassidy isn't stupid. I left the television paused so there is no way that she missed seeing Paige on the screen. I flush the toilet, wiping my mouth on a piece of toilet paper. If that's Paige then who did we bury? Why did they have Paige's dog tags?
Looking in the mirror, I barely even recognize who I am. I should be happy to finally know that she's alive. But the terrible part of me that lingers in the back of my mind can't help but think it would have been better for her to die. I have no idea if she has anything left of the person she was when she left. Paige looked afraid.
I brush my teeth, quickly trying to push those thoughts out of my mind. I can't hide in here forever though.
When I walk out into the living room, I wish I could say I'm shocked to see two men in uniform. They're different than the ones that were here last time. This feels almost identical to when I was told that she was gone.
"Maddox Benson?" The shorter one asks, and I nod dumbly. "We're here to take you to Fort Hamilton. It's regarding-Ma'am, I'm sorry, but this is classified information." He pauses to look at Cassidy who is standing in the background with her arms crossed over her chest.
Cassidy.
She smiles hesitantly with her eyes shining, "I think it's best if I go home. You look like you guys have a lot to talk about. I'll talk to you later." Cassidy says, quickly gathering her stuff and I want to tell her to stay. But before I can even think to say something-anything would have been better than nothing-the front door is already shutting behind her.
Satisfied that she had left, he continues, "As I was saying, this is regarding the classified mission to retrieve Paige Sebel where she was spotted a month ago by an informant. She's waiting for you at the base. Her family is already on their way there."
They're staring at me waiting for a response, but I don't have one. A month ago?
Everything was normal an hour ago.
*********
It took an hour for Charlie and her parents to get here. I hadn't seen Paige yet, and I wasn't sure what to bring for her since I packed her stuff up weeks ago. They had me sitting in a waiting area, and I had no idea what to expect.
Charlie immediately hugs me, and everything that happened between us seemed to disappear. "Maddy, she came back," She whispers like she can't believe it. I can't believe it.
"I know. I think they're checking her out or something back there. I haven't been able to see her yet." There's a level of happiness on her face that I haven't seen in years. Charlie is lacking the nervousness I'm feeling. "Where are Nick and Owen?"
"They stayed in Boston. Nick is going to drive down tomorrow and leave Owen with his parents."
The doctor comes out and grabs Paige's parents first. They said it's because they don't want to overwhelm her. I'm perfectly fine with putting this off because I am terrified of what I'm going to see.
Charlie is anxiously bouncing her knee, and it's taking everything in me to keep from snapping at her to stay still. It feels like they've been back there forever before they both come out crying. Char doesn't wait for me to move before she's already moving through the still shutting door.
My hands are clenched so tightly I have white indents from my fingernails on my palm. I want to run and be anywhere but here. What is wrong with me?
My fingers are twitching to move, to do something. I've never been good at the sitting and waiting part. I'm running on no sleep, and I have so many fucking questions. How did she slip through the cracks? Who the fuck did we bury if it wasn't Paige?
When it's finally my turn to go into the room, I think of my odds of getting out of here. But when I see her, everything changes. Her curly hair is cut short and she does a double take upon seeing me.
"Maddox?" Paige asks, her voice hoarser than I remember. Her eyes fill with tears, and she starts to walk towards me. She looks so thin and frail. I nod slowly, taking everything in from the new scar on her forehead to the limp when she steps.
I take a step closer to her, and a small smile forms on her face. Paige walks straight into my arms and starts to cry. "No, please don't cry," I say, folding my arms around her. I rest my chin on the top of her head, recalling how tall she used to be.
"I never thought I'd see you again," She's trembling, and I feel the lump in my throat grow.
"I'm here. I'm not going anywhere," I promise as my own tears slide down my cheeks.