“She’s here,” Sydney said quietly into the phone. “Why is she here?”
“Because she’s worried sick about you, quite literally actually. The two of you in the cumulative sense, but also you in the singular. She seems to believe you may still be in danger.” Sydney watched out the window as she listened.
“Listen, she’s been a mess since yesterday. She’s refusing to take the pain medication and hasn’t been resting. The last place she needs to be right now is sitting in a damn car trying to stay alert,” Tiffany said. “I know what happened yesterday, and I think you may have misinterpreted a thing or two. Maybe you can reserve judgment for the night just to get Alex out of her truck? I promise we can talk tomorrow and maybe I can shed a little more light on this.”
Sydney replied after only a brief pause, the decision having been made in her mind long before the end of Tiffany’s plea.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll get her inside and get her to bed.”
“Syd, get her to take the pain medication and the antibiotics, they should be in her bag,” Tiffany added. “And she just needs to stop and rest.”
“I’ll take care of it. We’ll talk tomorrow? You’ll tell me whatever it is that’s going on with her and this woman?”
“Yes,” Tiffany said. “How about I come over tomorrow morning before I go to work, maybe around seven-thirty? I’ll check on our patient and you and I can talk.”
“I’d like that,” Sydney said quietly. “I’ll see you then.” Sydney turned as she hung up the phone and finally noticed Tyler standing at the door, jacket on, ready to depart.
“You knew about this, didn’t you?” she said.
“Alex insisted I not leave until she got here. She didn’t want you left alone. She had just texted me that she’d arrived as your phone rang.”
“Hmph,” Sydney mumbled. “So what exactly was she planning on doing? Freezing to death on my driveway?” Sydney shook her head as she opened the door and moved out onto the front patio. She paused at the top of the steps leading to the driveway. Tyler gave her a quick hug.
“I’m outta here,” he said. “Call me if you need anything.” Sydney nodded. “And for what it’s worth, Syd, I think she’s sincere. I’m not sure what happened at the hospital yesterday, but I get the feeling it isn’t entirely what you saw, or think you saw.” He shrugged. “That’s just my gut feeling.”
Sydney watched Tyler walk past the front of Alex’s truck to his car parked beside it. He gave a wave to Sydney on the porch then backed out of the driveway. Sydney took a deep breath and then made her way down the stairs toward the truck.
The windows were somewhat foggy and she couldn’t see clearly into the cab, but as she came within a few feet the door was pushed open and she could make out Alex’s figure sitting in the darkness.
“I know you’re mad, Syd,” Alex said. “And I know I’m the last person you want to see right now. But I just can’t get rid of the feeling this isn’t over. I think we’ve missed something.” She paused, then looked into Sydney’s eyes.
“I want so badly to try and explain what you saw. What you think you saw. I hope one day soon you let me. But I understand if you’re angry and have no interest in me being in your life. That’s the last thing in the world I want, but I’ll respect your wishes. But I would never forgive myself if something happened to you, even if you do hate me. So I’m gonna stay here just in case. I won’t bother you. I’ll make some calls tomorrow and figure something else out for your protection.”
Alex reached out to pull the truck door closed, her face partially illuminated by the front porch light.
Sydney saw the wince and heard the slight gasp as Alex stretched to reach for the open door. Alex’s face was drawn and pale, with dark circles beneath her eyes. She was obviously exhausted and appeared to be in considerable pain, though Sydney could see she was making a valiant effort to conceal that.
“Alex, wait,” Sydney said and reached out to stop the door from closing. “This is ridiculous, Alex. Just come inside.”
“Are you sure?”
Sydney nodded without hesitation. “You’re going to freeze out here, and Tiffany made me promise to keep you alive at least until tomorrow morning. Come on.”
Alex slowly climbed from the raised truck cab, confirming for Sydney just how much discomfort she was experiencing. Remembering Tiffany’s admonition about the medication, Sydney was prompted to ask about it.
“Where’s your bag with your medication?”
THE SENSE OF RELIEF was almost overwhelming for Alex as she climbed from the cab of her truck. Sydney was at least speaking to her. There were no guarantees, but they were starting to communicate. When Sydney asked about her medication she reached for her bag, the movement sending agonizing pain radiating through her body. She gasped in pain. Sheer will power kept her from falling to her knees on the pavement. Instead she fell toward the truck, leaning into the open doorway and folding her upper body across the driver’s seat in an effort to at least stay on her feet. The pain was closely followed by an overwhelming sensation of dizziness and nausea.
Sydney moved quickly to her side. “Alex!”
“I’m good,” Alex said, trying to sound sure as she attempted to breathe and clear her head. “I should know better than to move like that.” She made another effort to reach for the bag, which seemed so close yet so far away.
“Let me get it,” Sydney said. “Just move over here a bit.” Alex felt a supporting hand on her arm and she looked up into Sydney’s face and found eyes full of concern. She reached for Sydney’s hand, grasping it gently.
“Syd, please, can we talk? Please let me explain what happened.” Sydney squeezed back reassuringly.
“Don’t worry, we’ll talk,” she said quietly, then reached to grab the bag and closed the truck door. “Come on.”
Alex didn’t resist when Sydney took her arm and looped it over her shoulder, then grasped Alex gently around the midsection. She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other as they made their way into the house.
“Can you make it up the stairs to the bedroom?” Alex only nodded in response and they slowly took the steps. By the time they reached the top, Alex was coated in sweat from the effort and accompanying pain.
Alex wasn’t sure where they were going or what she could expect. Was she even welcome in Sydney’s bedroom any longer? She paused briefly at the top of the stairs, unsure which way they would turn. Was she to be relegated to a guest bedroom? She gave an inner sigh of relief and joy when Sydney didn’t hesitate to turn her gently to the right toward the master bedroom. They entered and Sydney led her to the bed, helping her to sit down. She dropped the duffle bag then kneeled in front of Alex and began unlacing her shoes.
“How do you feel? Are you okay?” Sydney asked as she looked up into Alex’s face.
“I’m good,” Alex said. “Much better now than I was yesterday at this time,” she added with a slight smile.
“Don’t downplay it. I can tell you’re hurting.” Sydney reached up and brushed a lock of hair off Alex’s forehead. The familiar and tender motion always sent Alex’s heart skipping.
“It’s nothing. I was stupid and twisted when I shouldn’t have. I should know better.”
Sydney gave her a skeptical look. “And that’s all?” she asked as she removed Alex’s second shoe and placed a hand on her knee. “Alex, you can barely see straight, much less walk straight.”
“It’s just a little bit of a headache as well,” Alex replied. “The doctor warned me I may have them for a little while. Maybe a little too much activity too soon.” She gave Sydney’s hand a gentle squeeze and they had several moments of companionable silence, just looking at one another.
“Bed,” Sydney finally said. “We need to get you into bed. Let’s get those pants off.”
Even through the discomfort and dizziness, Alex couldn’t help the smile that crossed her lips when she heard those words. She slowly stood up and put her hands on
Sydney’s shoulders as Sydney unbuttoned her jeans. Alex leaned down and kissed Sydney, until Sydney pulled away.
“Stop it,” Sydney said. “That’s certainly not what we’re here for. We still have a lot to talk about, you and I.”
Alex sat down on the edge of the bed again once the jeans were moved down over her hips.
Sydney pulled Alex’s pants over each foot and off, then reached for her shirt, pulling it gently over Alex’s head. Her eyes paused momentarily on the bandages that remained prominent around Alex’s torso.
Alex remained silent as Sydney removed a loose t-shirt from her duffle bag and helped her put it on. Alex’s gaze no longer met Sydney’s as she accepted Sydney’s assistance and silently followed her directions. Warring sensations of doubt and hope flooded her mind, further complicated by an overwhelming sense of pain induced exhaustion.
Alex couldn’t get a read on Sydney and was unsure exactly what she was feeling. Hurt? Disappointment? Alex just knew she needed very badly to make Sydney understand what had happened with the kiss with Regina.
“Stand up for a second,” Sydney said, then helped Alex to her feet. She pulled the bed covers down then moved back to Alex’s side. “Come on, get into bed.”
Alex complied without comment or resistance, wincing as she lay down and stretched out. Sydney pulled the covers over Alex then disappeared into the bathroom, returning a moment later with a glass of water. She sat down on the edge of the bed and put the water down on the bedside table, then reached for the pill vials she had removed from Alex’s bag earlier.
“I spoke to Tiffany this evening,” she said as she shook out the pills from the two vials of prescription medication. “If you’re not careful you’re going to end up back in the hospital. Come on, take these.”
“I don’t need two of the pain pills,” Alex said. “Two of them knock me on my ass. I don’t need that.” Sydney simply looked at her as she resealed the pill bottle.
“Uh-huh,” was all she said. The two prescription strength pain pills remained in her hand. She held the pills out to Alex and then handed her the glass of water. Alex looked into Sydney’s eyes and saw the determination there. She surrendered after only a moment’s hesitation, accepting both pills.
When Alex finished and handed the glass back she finally found the courage to ask once again, “Can we talk, please? About what happened at the hospital. What you saw.”
“Okay,” Sydney said quietly as she placed the glass on the bedside table. She sat and waited quietly for what Alex would say next.
Finally confronted with the opportunity she’d been hoping for over the past twenty-four hours, Alex suddenly found she was nervous and unsure of herself. She realized how much she feared losing Sydney and could only hope that her explanation rang true.
“The woman you saw with me,” she began. “Regina. She’s my ex. We were together for over a year and it ended a little over a year ago.” Alex looked at Sydney and couldn’t gauge her reaction. She simply sat on the edge of the bed listening. She was close enough for Alex to reach out and take her hand, but Alex didn’t, fearing Sydney would pull away. “I broke it off when she insisted we take our relationship to the next level. She wanted to move in together, I wasn’t ready for it. She set the ultimatum and I wouldn’t budge. So that was it.” Sydney continued listening silently, so Alex drove on.
“Sometimes I think maybe she expected me to come back to her, to change my mind. But I never did. I guess in a way I loved her, but I know I made the right decision. Living with her wasn’t what I wanted. It wasn’t what I was ready for. Somewhere deep inside me I knew we weren’t meant to spend the rest of our lives together. But in her mind I guess it was what she really wanted and so it hurt her when I wouldn’t give her that commitment.” Alex paused again, realizing she was rambling. Part of her was hoping Sydney would respond, react somehow, ask a question, and say something. But Sydney just sat there, waiting for Alex to continue.
“I called her a little while ago, right after you got the flower delivery.” This finally got a reaction from Sydney. Alex saw her stiffen noticeably and her eyes got a little wider. “It was the first time I’d spoken to her in almost a year. She’s a social worker and has contacts within the Department of Children and Family Services. I thought she could maybe get me some information on Sinclair’s background. After the flowers got delivered I just couldn’t let go of my belief we were missing something about him. She was the only one I could think of who might be able to help with his history.
“Evidently she heard what had happened and showed up at the hospital. I swear to you I didn’t call her, didn’t ask her to come. I haven’t spoken to her except for that one phone conversation about Sinclair. She just showed up. I think...” Alex leaned her head back against the pillow and took a deep breath again. “Shit, I don’t know what to think. A part of me thinks she was looking to get back together, to see if I was open to...” Alex let the thought hang as she paused once again, now looking down at her own hands resting in her lap as her mind tried to understand what had happened. “I don’t understand why she would have thought there was any way. I mean, when I called her before I pretty much told her about us.” Alex glanced up at Sydney and then quickly looked back down at her hands.
“I don’t know how she ended up kissing me. She just suddenly was there and I stopped her and started to push her away. I was going to explain to her how there was no chance, but then I saw you in the doorway. Then you ran and I tried to chase after you but...God, Syd, I’m so sorry I hurt you. I know it sounds unbelievable but I swear I didn’t kiss her. I didn’t do anything to invite it, not purposely at least. Maybe I shouldn’t have called her before, but I couldn’t think of anyone else who could help with the foster system information. Maybe I gave her the wrong idea somehow. I just don’t know how. All I know is I’m scared to death I messed this up. Messed us up. Messed up what we have here, or what we could have.”
Alex found it increasingly difficult to focus as the pain pills started to kick in. She tried to get everything out, feeling compelled to make Sydney understand before the drowsiness overcame her. Her head fell back against the pillows once again, but she found the strength to look up once more when she felt Sydney take her hand. “I swear to you there’s no one in my life right now except you, Syd.”
“No one else?” Sydney asked quietly.
“No one but you.”
“And you didn’t kiss her back?”
“Not at all, I swear.” Alex was whispering now, concentrating on trying to stay awake and hoping her honesty was reassurance enough to convince Sydney.
“And you think we could have something here? Between us?” Sydney asked as she once again reached out and brushed the errant lock of hair from Alex’s forehead.
“God, yes. You’re almost all I can think about,” Alex said, her eyes half closed. She heard Sydney take a deep, relaxing breath.
“Go to sleep,” Sydney said. She adjusted the pillows behind Alex so she could lie down. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
Alex was comforted by Sydney’s continued presence, seated beside her on the bed. When Sydney started to stand up, Alex’s reached for her hand.
“Please don’t leave.”
Sydney said nothing for several seconds, then kicked off her shoes and carefully lay down next to Alex.
“Does this mean you forgive me?” Alex asked as she felt Sydney’s head rest gently on her shoulder.
“I don’t know,” Sydney said. She rested her hand on Alex’s stomach. “You may need to grovel a little bit more.”
“I’m not above a little groveling.” Alex turned her head and kissed Sydney’s forehead, silently grateful the empty feeling that had been hanging over her for the last twenty-four hours was finally gone. “This whole day, ever since yesterday, I’ve hated it. I hated being without you. I hated knowing I’d been the cause of your hurt.” Alex moved her left hand to her stomach, finding Sydney’s hand there and interlacing their fingers.
“I started to feel a little crazy thinking you might be gone from my life, out of reach.”
Alex’s entire body tensed as she thought about it again. Sydney reached up to her chin, gently turning Alex’s face to meet hers. The kiss Sydney initiated was tender and Alex felt it full of regret and forgiveness. When Sydney pulled away she placed her finger to Alex’s lips to keep her from speaking.
“Shh. We can talk more in the morning. You need to get some sleep,” Sydney whispered. Alex released a very contented sigh and she finally allowed her body to relax as her eyes closed.
SYDNEY AWOKE THE next morning and carefully got out of bed, hoping not to wake Alex. The night before, after she was sure Alex was sleeping soundly, she had gotten up briefly and changed into her own pajamas. Then she’d gone downstairs and made herself some hot cocoa, sitting in the den and thinking about all that had happened. She couldn’t deny the relief she felt having Alex nearby again. They may need to talk a little more, but Sydney was convinced they were well on their way to getting over this recent incident and moving on with their relationship. She returned to bed shortly afterwards and snuggled against Alex’s larger body. To Sydney’s knowledge Alex had never stirred, but when she woke Alex’s arm was firmly wrapped around her pulling them together as they slumbered.
Sydney put on some comfortable sweats and made her way to the kitchen, leaving Alex to sleep as long as possible. She had just finished making coffee when there was a soft knock on the door.
“Good morning,” Tiffany said when Sydney opened the door.
“Hi. Come on into the kitchen,” Sydney said. “Can I get you some coffee?”
“I’d love some.” Tiffany put down her purse and seated herself in the kitchen nook area. “You have a beautiful home,” she said after glancing at her surroundings. “What smells so good?” she asked.
Sydney smiled a little bit as she placed two mugs on the counter, poured coffee, then slid one mug toward Tiffany. She placed the sugar bowl and a carton of creamer on the counter before replying.
White Roses Calling Page 28
