a place we know| ✓

seventy three

"And find a place where every single thing you see tells you to stay."
S E E K E R
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March 22nd
9:30 AM
Los Angeles
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No matter how prepared Audrey made herself out to be, she was petrified of walking into Gunner's hospital room.

She had stood outside with Leah and paced in front of the door. Doctors and nurses had their bewilderment on full display–Audrey wouldn't have been surprised if they decided to check her into the hospital under the diagnosis of mental illness. Now that the thought crossed her mind, therapy might not be a far fetched possibility. She always put her emotions last, and they came back to bite when she least expected it.

"Are we gonna go see daddy now?" Leah questioned, her brows furrowed in bafflement. "You said he was waiting inside for us."

Audrey stood still and firmly gripped her daughter's hand. Breathe, she needed to breathe. "Just give me a minute to think, Leah."

Her husband was safe, he was alive, and he was waiting for them; he always promised to wait regardless of the hardships she put him through. Through their ordeal with CPS, through her experience with Tucker, through her miscarriage. Gunner was patient, she wasn't. She realized it was a quality she lacked. At the first sign of trouble, she fled. But he was the only constant in her life. He would welcome her back and seal up the parts of his heart she tore. That was the kind of man he was–when he loved, he loved completely.

Audrey didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve this sort of unfailing love from her husband, the one she hurt time and time again.

There's nothing to be afraid of.

She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs to the capacity, then let out the tension in her shoulders. "Ready to go see your daddy?"

Her daughter nodded her head exuberantly and glowed with an excited grin. "Yup! We've been waiting for so long. I hope he's all better now. I missed us playing princess."

"Well, you're his princess," Audrey nuzzled a featherlight kiss in her hair. "I'm sure he's missed you too."

She was ready run back into the infinitely loving arms of her husband. The wedding ring on her finger caught the fluorescent hospital light, a reminder of why and who she was doing this for–the person her crippled heart belonged to.

Audrey laid a hand on the door handle and using gentle force, slowly pushed the door open. Silence hovered in the artificially cool air only to be interrupted by the familiar whirring of machines Gunner had been hooked to all the while he was unconscious.

The heart monitor beeped in slow, steady succession, unlike Audrey's thumping heart, and gave a firm indication of her husband's presence. She and her daughter entered inside his room, scared to make a noise. Gunner's tall frame was highlighted beneath the bedsheet, his head resting comfortably on a pillow. He looked... peaceful. It had been years since she'd seen him sleep so soundly, the worry lining his face completely vanished.

"I thought you said he was awake!" Leah complained, cheeks painted red with annoyance.

"Lower your voice, Leah," Audrey urged. "He probably just dozed off."

The colour in her skin receded and expression softened. "Oh, daddy's taking a nap?"

"Yeah, he's napping. Let's wait for him to wake up on his own."

Audrey walked further into the room and let the door swing closed behind them. True to her observation, Gunner was fast asleep, so characteristic of him to emit those gentle snores. She scanned him for any new physical abrasions, but the only wounds he sported were the remnants of what Ace bestowed on him. Although she wanted nothing more than to make his injuries fade and curl up next to him, she took his injuries into account.