Home > While I Was Away(14)

While I Was Away(14)
Author: Stylo Fantome

While Zoey crawled off him, Ocean fumbled with a lamp. By the time he got it turned on, she was back on her feet, her clothing all put to rights. Like nothing had ever happened.

“I was being serious before,” she said.

“Serious ...?” Ocean asked, racking his brain to remember everything they'd said to each other. Nothing came to mind, though; all he could recall was the way her mouth tasted.

“I'm leaving, I just came in here to give you a kick in the ass and say goodbye. Goodbye,” she said, then she turned and headed for the door.

Nonchalant wasn't a strong enough word to describe Zoey, and it was a couple moments before Ocean collected himself enough to dash after her. He caught up with her at the top of the stairs.

“At least let me walk you out,” he offered in an awkward voice.

“Ooohhh, such a gentleman. Who knew you had it in you,” she teased, and he scowled at her.

While she searched for her jacket amongst the pile by the door, he glanced around the living room. Something odd caught his eye and he did a double-look. A mop of light red hair, standing near the kitchen doorway. The girl, whatshername – Adele's coworker. He'd only met her once, when she'd been at the hospital dropping of a large bouquet from Adele's boss. Why was she at River's birthday? Who had invited her?

She was standing with Charlie Kassen, and they looked like they were having some sort of intense conversation.

“It's annoying, right?” Zoey asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“What's annoying?” he asked back. She rolled her eyes and yanked open the front door.

“Tabitha and Charlie.”

“Them talking annoys you?”

“No – how good they look together annoys me.”

“What do you mean, 'together'?” he asked. Zoey shrugged and led the way down the porch steps.

“He hasn't said it to me – Charlie's never been a big fan of me – but I think he likes her.”

Ocean grabbed Zoey's coat sleeve and pulled her to a stop.

“You think Charlie's fucking someone else while Adele's in a coma?” he demanded.

“I doubt it,” she replied, tugging free from him. “Charlie's not that insensitive. But I do think Tabitha likes him.”

“Why does everything have to be so complicated?” Ocean groaned and rubbed his hands down his face.

“Well, this was fun, but I gotta get going before it gets really awkward,” she sighed as they came to a stop next to an old VW Beetle. He frowned, suddenly realizing she'd been trying to get away from him since Charlie had interrupted their kiss. He didn't want her to think he was gonna make things weird between them. He cleared his throat and tried to act casual.

“Got a hot date?”

It slipped out before he could stop himself, and he'd only meant it as a joke. Said in his voice, though, it came out flat, as if he were bothered by the idea. She laughed anyway, thankfully.

“Oh yeah, really early in the morning. It's with this super sexy brunette. Kinda lazy, though, she's always just laying around,” she joked. He laughed, as well.

“Well then. Say hi to my sister for me.”

“See you later, Ocean.”

“Bye, Zoey.”

Ocean headed back towards the house. He was just starting to jog up the porch steps when he heard a sharp whistle from behind him. When he looked back, Zoey was waving.

“Hey, Ocean!”

“What?”

“It was a really good kiss!”

He laughed and didn't stop till she was in her car and driving away.

12

“... it really was a good kiss,” Zoey sighed as she leaned over Adele, brushing her hair carefully. “Pity he's got a jumbo sized flag pole shoved up his ass. Why's he so grumpy, Adele? What happened to him?”

Of course, Adele didn't answer. Though really, it wasn't much of a change – she'd always been pretty tight lipped about her oldest brother. The other two she'd talked about a lot, but it had been obvious her relationship with Ocean was special.

So Ocean had always been sort of an enigma. The lead Reins sibling, the eldest. Hard working and career oriented, he hadn't visited often, and even when he had, he'd almost never spoken to Zoey. She'd never paid much attention to him, either. He'd just been some guy, just her best friend's solemn older brother.

But now, though ...

“So tell me, Adele. When was Ocean's last girlfriend?” she mumbled, moving around the bed to brush out the rest of Adele's hair.

Zoey was guessing it had been a long time. He'd kissed her like he'd wanted to suck the oxygen out of her lungs. Like he'd been practicing on an air hose, and it had paid off – she was still a little breathless. And his hands, pushing and scratching. Arms tight around her.

She usually intimidated men. Not that she set out to, but it just wasn't in her nature to be sweet and demure. Or even particularly nice. So it was kind of a novel experience to be with a man who didn't seem like he was afraid of her.

Noooo, I bet there isn't much Detective Reins is afraid of.

“Tell me I'm being stupid,” she whispered, finally dropping into a chair next to the bed. She put aside the brush and crossed her arms on top of the mattress. “Explain to me that a good kiss is nothing more than nerve endings and endorphins. Remind me that your brother has no interest in anything outside of his job.”

Zoey stared at her friend. Could imagine her responses. Adele was a romantic. She believed in fairy tales and happy endings, and she only ever wanted the absolute best for everyone around her.

And she would tell Zoey she wasn't being stupid at all, and then she'd explain to her that all the best stories started out with a good kiss, and to cap it all off, she'd remind her that maybe, just maybe, it was high time her brother found something better than his job to take an interest in.

“Awful, Adele Reins,” Zoey chuckled. “You give awful advice. Even when you're sleeping.”

“She's not sleeping.”

Startled, Zoey jerked upright. One of Adele's regular nurses, Nurse Lund, was striding into the room.

“I'm sorry ... what?” Zoey was caught off guard.

“There's a big difference between being in a coma and being asleep. If she was just sleeping, we could pinch her, or yell her name, and she'd wake up. She'd have normal wake cycles,” the nurse explained while at the same time looking over Adele's chart, checking numbers against all the machines in the room.

“Wake cycles, huh. So where she is ... she can't dream? She's just in blackness?” Zoey asked, staring down at her friend.

“I wouldn't say that. I've been working with Adele for a while now, and I can tell she's special. There's definitely something going on in that brain of hers. I'm very excited to meet her.”

Zoey laughed, but when she lifted her head, the nurse was already walking out of the room.

“Even unconscious,” she sighed. “Even in a frickin' coma, you still have an easier time making friends than I do. Grossly unfair, Adele.”

13

Days.

Or an eternity.

Since Adele had no sense of time, she couldn't be sure how long Jones was gone for; it certainly felt like forever. And no amount of crying brought him back this time.

Without him, she became hyper aware of just how strange her life had become; it was even a little scary. Old Town seemed darker. The endless ocean intimidating. And the field – she couldn't get back to their poppy field. No matter how many times she tried, no matter how vividly she tried to picture it, she couldn't quite get it right in her mind's eye. All she could see was that huge magnolia tree, with its dozens of pink blossoms and its roots reaching for the ground.

More than ever, she became convinced she must be dead. She spent hours and hours wandering around her parents' house. Going through drawers, flipping through scrapbooks. It got so she was scared to go out the front door. She didn't want to brave the fog alone. She also stayed away from the edge of the stairs, scared to fall. If she couldn't see Jones, she didn't want to go anywhere.

So she spent a lifetime in that house. Multiple lifetimes. She screamed sometimes, cried others. Or huddled in a corner and laughed at herself.

I'm dead, and I'm going crazy. Man, heaven is not what it was cracked up to be.

She slept a lot. Or at least, Adele thought she slept. She never dreamed anymore. She'd curl up in her parents' bed, hugging her mom's favorite robe. Then she'd wake up in her own bed. Lay down on the couch in the living room, then open her eyes and find herself staring at the ceiling in her room. It finally got so she just never left her room. She had no idea how much time passed between eyes closing and eyes opening, and she began to not even care.

If this is it, for the rest of eternity, then I hope I do go insane.

Then it finally happened.

After laying in bed for hours and days and weeks, her eyes drifted shut. She let out a deep breath and instantly felt calmer. Almost ... happier. When she opened her eyes, a sob immediately escaped from her mouth. She was under a blue sky. Red poppies were all around her. And in the distance, she knew he'd be waiting for her.

Adele heaved a sigh and wiped at her face. Only a tear or two had escaped, nothing noticeable in comparison to the eons she'd spent crying over him.

When she finally sat up, she saw him right away. Jones was sitting near the edge of the cliff, a couple yards out from the tree. The stunning magnolia, which had grown even bigger since she'd last seen it. As she slowly approached the cliff's edge, she couldn't help but be a little in awe of the tree.

“Where have you been?” she called out when she was still a few feet behind Jones. He didn't move a muscle, just continued staring straight ahead.

Adele frowned and wrapped her arms around herself. It was windy out, which was odd. The weather never changed, anywhere. Old Town was always dark and dreary, her parents' house was always foggy and hazy, the field was always sunny and warm.

   
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