“This wasn’t your first panic attack, was it?” Dylan asked as Emmy suddenly felt tired, but a lot calmer than she had moments before.
Emmy shook her head, confirming that it wasn’t. Panic attacks were something she used to have on a regular basis. They started shortly after her mother was killed, and they would happen even sometimes without warning.
But that had been in the past. The last couple of years they had become fewer and fewer. She couldn’t even remember the last one she had. Well, until today.
“They started after the shooting,” Dylan continued, with a smile but Emmy knew he was afraid to push her. “Am I right?”
“Yes,” She confirmed, as she glanced over at Finn. “But it’s been a long time since I’ve had one. Maybe over a year.”
“Is this because of the accident?” Finn asked, and Emmy’s heart almost broken from the sadness that was in his voice. She knew he already knew the answer to his question. She could see it in his eyes.
“Maybe,” Dylan replied as he looked up at his brother giving him a look that Emmy didn’t understand. He stood up and walked to the bottom of the bed to update her chart once more. “But probably unlikely.”
“So I did this?” Finn asked as once more her heart broke from the sadness in his voice. He looked down at her and gave her hand a squeeze. “I’m so sorry, Emmy. I never meant to upset you; I never meant for any of this.”
“I know,” Emmy replied as she gave him a sad smile. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Shelby. If I’m honest, I think that deep down I was scared if I did, you wouldn’t want to be my friend anymore.”
“Forget about her,” Finn said as he sat down next to her on the bed. “All I care about is you, and getting you well enough to come home, where I can take proper care of you.”
“So you still want to be with me?” Emmy asked, and she could see from the look on Finn’s face that he was surprised by her question.
“I think I will give you both some privacy,” Dylan quickly announced before Finn could respond to her. He then turned and headed for the door, leaving them both alone.
“If you don’t want to be with me anymore,” Emmy continued once they were alone. “I mean, I get it, but…I just need for you to tell me.”
“Of course I want to be with you,” Finn said as he sat down on the edge of her bed. Emmy pushed up on the bed too, as she lifted the mask from her face. “Why would you think I wouldn’t?”
“But I thought?” She asked as tears danced in her eyes. “Even after what Shelby did…”
“What she did, doesn’t change how I feel about you,” Finn assured her with a smile. “Nothing could ever change how I feel about you. Emmy, I know things are a mess right now, but nothing else matters to me as long as I have you.”
“You’ll always have me,” Emmy replied as she reached up, softly caressing his face.
Finn leaned forward and kissed her, just as there was a soft tap on the door.
“I’m sorry for interrupting,” Dylan said as he put his head around the door. “But I have some people here who want to see you.”
He opened the door further as Nell, Sean, Landen, and Amelia appeared in the doorway.
“Hey!” Sean exclaimed as they all filed into the room. “Look who’s awake.”
“Hey,” Emmy said with a broad smile.
“What are you guys you doing here?” Finn said as he too turned to look at his family.
“Well,” Nell said as she walked further into the room, kissing her son on the cheek before she leaned down and kissed Emmy on the cheek too. “Dylan called to tell us that Emmy was awake, so we thought we would come down and see how she was doing.”
“Thank you,” Emmy replied with a smile, stunned that this family would have done something so sweet. “I’m very grateful.”
“They’ve all been here, sitting with you and me at some point over the last few days,” Finn explained to Emmy as he too smiled brightly. “They have all been so amazing.”
“It’s what family does,” Amelia said as she made her way closer to the bed too, as she too kissed Finn, then Emmy. “And what this family does well.”
“How are you feeling, Sweetie?” Nell asked as she took hold of Emmy’s hand.
“Like I have been hit by a steamroller,” Emmy replied honestly. “But I’m alive.”
“And that’s the main thing,” Landen said from where he was standing next to the door. “How about you little brother, you feeling any better today?”
“I am,” Finn said, giving his brother a nod that said more that Emmy didn’t quite understand. “My girl is going to be okay. That’s the only thing I care about right now.”
“Good,” Landen replied, giving Finn a reassuring smile.
“I hate to be the party pooper,” Dylan said from the doorway. “But we need to take Emmy for another CT scan, then she is getting moved out of the I.C.U. If you want to go grab some coffee, I can call you once she’s back.”
“Can’t I go with her?” Finn asked, and Emmy smiled at how protective he was of her.
“Go and get some food,” Emmy told him, knowing he needed to take care of himself too. “I’m sure Dylan will look after me, besides I’ll be back before you know it.”
“But I don’t want to leave you alone,” Finn protested.
“I won’t be alone,” she promised him.
“Come on, Son,” Sean said as he placed his hand on Finn’s shoulder. “We won’t be long.”
Finn leaned down and tenderly pressed his lips to Emmy’s once more.
“I will be right back,” he assured her before he kissed her once again. He then stepped back slowly, and reluctantly followed his mom and dad out the door, followed closely by Landen and Amelia.
Emmy blew out a long, tired breath as she closed her eyes, slumping back down onto her pillows once they had all disappeared out the door.
“Are you okay?” Dylan asked as he began to unhook her from some of her machines, preparing her for her trip to the CT scanner.
“Yep,” she replied with a smile, as she opened her eyes once more, blushing. She had forgotten for a moment the Dylan was still there with her.
“Why don’t I believe you?” Dylan asked as he continued with what he was doing. “You’re worried about Finn.”
“Yes,” she replied as she looked at Dylan, giving him a sad smile.
Her mind was working overtime, trying to think of how she could help Finn, but her head was pounding, so some of her thoughts still seem somewhat fuzzy, making it harder. She hated that she felt so weak and vulnerable. Ever since the day Liam saved her life, she had promised herself that she would never allow herself to become so broken or beaten down by another person, as she had been because of her father.
But Shelby had worn her down over the weeks in school, and now she was using Finn to break her completely. She watched Dylan as he continued to get her ready for her scan, and she wondered if he could help her.
“Dylan,” she said unsure of what it was she wanted to say. “Is Finn telling me everything?”
“Everything about what?” Dylan asked as he looked up, letting his eyes meet hers.
“This thing with Shelby,” she replied nervously.
“You don’t think that Finn and her…” Dylan asked, giving her a worried look.
“NO!” She exclaimed, surprised that he would even think that. “She is lying about Finn. That much I do know. What I need to know is, how much trouble is Finn really in.”
“I honestly don’t know,” Dylan sighed. “Landen said that he would take care of it. I know they argued.”
“They argued?” Emmy asked, surprised by this. While she didn’t know Landen that well, she knew that Finn and he were very close. Whenever he talked about Landen, it was with so much love; she couldn’t imagine them ever arguing. “What were they arguing about?”
“Landen wanted Finn to tell the Dean where he was that night,” Dylan explained. “But Finn refused. He said there was no way he
was ever going to do that.”
“But if he told the truth, then Finn could lose his job anyway, right,” Emmy asked, surprised that Landen would want him to do that.
“Finn has tenure,” Dylan explained. “They can’t fire him.”
“Then I don’t understand,” Emmy replied, feeling even more confused than she already was. “Why wouldn’t he tell the Dean the truth?”
“They can’t fire Finn,” Dylan said but hesitated before he continued. “But if they find out about you and him, you will be kicked out of college.”
“I see,” Emmy replied.
She felt a sickening knot in her stomach.
“I’m sure Landen will sort it all out,” Dylan tried to reassure her. “I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.”
“And what if he doesn’t?” Emmy asked as she gave Dylan a sad smile. “What happens then?”
Chapter 24
It was eight days since Emmy woke from her coma, and so far, the doctors were very happy with her recovery. Dylan said she should be able to go home in a day or two.
Finn wanted to bring Emmy home to his house, so he could take care of her until she was completely back on her feet and back to normal. However, Nell pointed out that given the ongoing investigation in the college, maybe Emmy going to Finn’s house to recuperate wasn’t the best idea in the world. Instead, she suggested that Emmy come and stay with her and Sean, that way Finn could visit whenever he wanted to, then if anyone asked any questions, Nell could say she was simply taking care of her friend’s daughter.
As much as Finn hated to admit it, he knew his mother was right.
He was also due back to work that day, much to Nell’s displeasure. She felt he needed more time off, and while Finn wished that he could take off more time to take care of Emmy, a broken wrist wasn’t enough to keep him out of work, especially as it wasn’t even the hand he wrote with.
He called Emmy on her phone that morning, before he headed back to college, and back to the daily grind of classes once more.
As he arrived at his class, he found he instantly glanced at Emmy’s seat. He hated that she wasn’t there, he hated it even more that he couldn’t be with her at the hospital.
As he sat at his desk, waiting for the remainder of his students to arrive, he couldn’t help but notice some of the students that were already there, were whispering and watching him. He glanced up at them, and the moment he did, they stopped talking, trying to appear like they were busy.
By the time class got underway, Finn wished that he was a million miles away from this classroom, and from this entire University.
While he sat at the desk supervising his class as they worked on an assignment he had given them, he thought about Emmy; or more precisely, his future with her.
This thing with Shelby was more than a little irritating, but he knew that the girl had no proof that what she claimed happened, had actually happened. While he knew it would leave questions in some people’s minds, there really was no option for the college, other than to clear him of all accusation, as it was simply a case of her word against his. Finn hoped that his previously untarnished character would be measured up to a girl, who had already proven herself to be a person of low morals; the Dean and the rest of the board would come to the right conclusions.
But none of this changed the fact that his relationship with Emmy was breaking every rule there was about student and professor conduct.
Giving her up wasn’t an option, and if Finn was totally honest, he really didn’t want to keep their relationship a secret either. He didn’t want Emmy to feel like she was his dirty little secret. She was so much more than that, and he wanted the whole world to know it.
When the class was finally over, Finn pulled out his phone, searching through his contacts for the name of a professor he had when he was studying at Stanford himself.
Professor Morgan Harris had been Finn’s favourite lecturer and his mentor. He had supervised Finn for his dissertation when he was doing his Ph.D. Morgan had since taken a job as head of the English department in Berkeley. Finn had decided that if being a professor in Stanford meant he couldn’t be with Emmy, then he maybe he needed to move on from Stanford.
Finn brought up Morgan’s number and hit the call button.
“Professor Finlay Murphy,” Morgan’s deep southern accent came down through the phone. Finn instantly smiled when he heard his old mentor’s voice. “How the hell are you, Son?”
“I’m good, Professor,” Finn said, instantly feeling that he had made the right decision to make the call.
“It sure is good to hear your voice,” Morgan replied. “What is it that I can do for you? Am I finally going to be able to steal you away from that place, and get you to join my team here in Berkeley?”
“Maybe,” Finn replied with a laugh before he took a deep breath as he began to tell the professor everything.
Finn wasn’t sure how much he should tell Morgan, but he knew if he were to make a fresh start, there could be no secrets between him and the man he considered to be more like another father, than simply a teacher. So Finn told Morgan everything, praying to God he wasn’t making the biggest mistake of his life.
“Well,” Morgan said when Finn finished telling him everything there was to tell. “You sure have got yourself in quite a pickle.”
“I guess I have,” Finn admitted, smiling once more.
“She must be some little lady to get my most dedicated student to risk it all,” Morgan continued, and Finn could hear the smile in his voice.
“I love her, Morgan,” Finn replied honestly. “And if I have to give up everything for her, then that’s what I’m prepared to do…”
“Let’s not be too hasty, Son,” Morgan quickly cut in. “You know I’m not about to stand by and watch one of the greatest minds I have ever had the privilege to meet, throw it all away because of some arbitrary set of rules. Rules which I know for a fact Dean Webber himself has broken on more than one occasion.”
“But it’s not me I’m worried about, it’s Emmy,” Finn replied with a sigh.
“I know Emmy Warner very well myself as it happens,” Morgan said, surprising Finn. “Pretty little thing, smart as a whip.”
“Yes, she is,” Finn replied with his face lighting up as thoughts of Emmy filled his mind.
“That girl’s has had it pretty rough the last few years,” Morgan continued, and Finn could hear the sadness in his voice. “I’m glad she found someone like you, Son. You’re a good man, and that little girl could use a good man.”
“Thank you, Morgan,” Finn said, grateful for his friend’s kind words. “But can you help me?”
“As it so happens, I can,” Morgan replied, and Finn instantly could feel a wave of relief wash over him.
Ten minutes later, a much happier Finn hung up the phone, and for the first time since all of this began, he felt a little bit of hope.
He set his phone down on the table, opening his books for his second class of the day. As much as he hadn’t really wanted to come back to work that morning, now that he was there, he was happy to be back in the classroom.
“Professor Murphy,” A girl called from the doorway. Finn looked up, smiling as she made her way across the classroom. “The Dean asked me to give you this message.”
“Thank you,” Finn replied as he took the piece of paper the girl was holding out to him, before she quickly turned, hurrying out of the classroom. Finn opened the note, and the moment he saw it, his heart sank once more.
It said that new evidence had been discovered in relation to Ms. Cooper Smith’s allegation, and that the Dean wished to speak to him immediately.
Finn picked up his phone and called Landen straight away.
“That sneaky little bastard,” Landen hissed the moment Finn told him what had happened. “Like he only found new evidence today.”
“Why would he lie?” Finn asked, not seeing things as Landen did.
“Because if he called you last week, as
king you to come in,” Landen explained. “He knew you would have turned up with me. But by sending for you while you are on campus, it gives him a chance to talk to you before I get there.”
“What should I do?” Finn asked, feeling more than a little bit sick.
“You’ll have to go to the office,” Landen replied, as Finn could hear an elevator ping open in the background. “But do not say a word till I get there, do you understand me.”
“I understand,” Finn confirmed.
“I’m on my way, Little Brother,” Landen said before he hung up the phone.
Finn stood up slowly, slipping his phone into his pocket, then grabbed his bag from his desk before heading for the door.
As he walked along the corridor, Finn felt like everyone was staring at him. He knew most likely that it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but he couldn’t shake the feeling, and for the first time he understood why Emmy seemed determine to keep her past a secret.
His mind raced with so many thoughts about what this new piece of evidence was. He couldn’t see that there would be any because Shelby was blatantly lying about him, so he had no clue what it could be.
Suddenly a sickening feeling wrapped itself around Finn’s heart.
They knew about him and Emmy. That had to be it. There was nothing else that it could be.
Finn’s stomach heaved, and he was sure he was going to be sick. He stopped at a water cooler, taking a long sip of water from the tap before he splashed some water on his face.
Just breathe! He chanted in his head over and over again, as he continued on down the corridor towards the Dean’s office; each step he took, his feet felt more and more like lead.
When he finally reached the Office, he took a deep, steadying breath before he pushed open the door to the outer office. The moment he stepped through the door, the Dean’s assistant looked up at him, giving him a smile.
“The Dean wants to see me,” he said as his heart hammered in his ears.
“Certainly,” Professor,” the assistant said as she reached for the phone on her desk. “I will let Dean Webber know that you’re here.
Finn (The Murphy Boys Book 2) Page 21
