Firefly

43: no light all darkness

Chapter 43: no light all darkness.

Justin

Securing her camera in her bag, I hand it to her as soon as she climbs down her door. Fluster and panic is evident on her face. She storms inside the hospital. I follow her, comprehending with every step that I'm losing hope. 

With every thud of my feet shadowing hers, I lose faith in walking out with her. Fear replaces confidence, vulnerability swaps with arrogance, and helplessness finally becomes my weakness. 

I knew I should've checked up on her father when she told me he drank whiskey at 6 pm. I knew I shouldn't have asked her to sneak out tonight, knowing Dylan was home. I knew I should've come up with some excuse before handing the phone to her with him on the other line. I acted on my instinct and now there are consequences for it. 

We reach the third floor at unimaginable speed. She runs, taking two steps at once. Faster to reach her dad, speeding farther away from me. 

I want to hold her back for a second. I want to kiss her once, hug her once, and just look at her properly. In case there is no later. But she doesn't slow down and I don't have the heart to hold her back. She barges through the doors, restlessly eyeing every corridor until she double-checks on one particular wing. 

I follow her steps. My gaze narrows down on Dylan sitting on the waiting chairs with his head hung low, and fingers clasping the bridge of his nose. Cece Reglin is standing in front of him, marking on her notepad. 

Cece recognizes Elena and takes her into a tight hug. She throws me a sweet smile from Elena's shoulders. I return the smile with a nod. 

"Please tell me he's okay," Elena asks pulling away from the hug. 

Cece smiles, giving an assuring nod. "Perfectly okay. It wasn't a heart attack. Just a gastric issue which stimulated a chest pain because of impulsive alcohol consumption." Both Elena and I sigh. She holds her head as her shoulders sink. "Daniel's body is not used to such huge amounts of alcohol in such abrupt quantities." 

Elena turns to me. "I shouldn't have given him the whiskey bottle when he asked for it." I do nothing but nod. I'm relieved that her father is okay but I see more severe problems on the radar. "Is he awake?" 

Cece shakes her head. "He was drunk when Dylan brought him in. We've sedated him for now. I need to ask him a few questions once he sobers up. After that, he's good to go." Cece checks off her notepad. "Is he stressed about something?" 

Elena's face flushes. "We took a trip down memory lane this evening." 

She doesn't need to say anything more. Cece completely understands and to my surprise, she even turns red. "I see. He probably needs to relax and not get so jittery." 

Elena hugs Cece again. I can't help but feel a little envious. Cece kisses Elena on her cheek. Come on, now. I look away as Elena thanks her for all her assistance. 

Cece chuckles. "Oh, please. It's my pleasure, Elena." 

"I'm sure it is." Dylan laughs so darkly, that I can sense the insult in my veins. 

The silence between the three of them tells me I'm missing something significant. Dylan drops his hand and looks at Cece with a challenging stare. While Cece turns a visible shade of red. Oh, I get it now. And because I get it, I all the more shouldn't be here. 

Elena shoots him a death glare before sending an apologetic look to Cece. Cece shrugs with a forced smile before storming off to the reception desk. 

Elena's glare returns when she faces her brother. "That was so disrespectful. What is wrong with you?"