Atonement

•17•

•3 days later•

"Are you excited to come home?!" I ask Eli as he signs the discharge papers
"Very. I just want to sleep in my own bed." He mutters, handing the nurse the clipboard.
"Remember, stay off that leg for a week." The nurse says as Eli stands up with his crutches.
"You got it." He nods with a smile.
He's quite the charmer when it comes to older women. They just love him. I carry his stuff down to the car, opening the door for him so he can get in. It'll be so nice having him home again, I missed him.
"So how's the love triangle going?" He asks as I pull out of the parking lot.
"Scuse' me?" I laugh.
"Oh you know. Haz liking you, you liking Tom, Tom liking you." He mumbles and my brows scrunch together.
"First of all, what makes you think I like Tom?" I ask.
"Aurie I've known you for a long time now. I know when you like someone."
"I don't like Tom." I defend myself.
"You keep telling yourself that but you walked into a room that could have resulted in you dying for him." He says.
"I was doing my job!" I exclaim.
"Whatever you say." He shrugs.
We get to the house and I help Eli inside. I can tell he missed it here, he's never been in a hospital before and I know he hates doctors. We go into the kitchen, and grab some drinks and chill out.
Haz walks into the room as I lean against the kitchen counter, making his way over to me.
"I've got a deal to go make in a few hours, want to come with me?" He asks, his hand places on my arm, his thumb stroking my skin.
"Sure." I nod.
"Great." He smiles, looking over to Eli. "Good to have you back."
As Haz walks out Eli raises his brow at me, amused.
"See? He likes you." He says.
Then someone else walks into the room, I look up to see the bruised face Tom, and give him a small smile.
"Feeling any better?" I ask.
"Eh well, where she stabbed me is healing pretty good." He shrugs, grabbing a beer from the fridge. "Guess I'm feeling great that I didn't die. Thanks to you. You're amazing, Aurie."
He gives me a smile, before leaving the room. Eli lets out a laugh and I roll my eyes.
"I really don't think they could make it any more obvious." He says and I glare at him.
"Careful, I can push you down the stairs." I warn jokingly.
"Haz is the one with all the money, go for him." He says.
"You say that as if I need money." I laugh.
Eli has always been like this with me. He analyzes every aspect of my life and has to plan out exactly how things will turn out. It makes for a good tech person, but a very annoying best friend. I love him anyways though.
"I just don't want to see you getting your heart broken. That's all." He says. "Not to mention i can't beat my boss up if he hurts you."
___
I get ready to go make a deal with Haz. I don't know why he wants me to go with him, he really doesn't need my help.
After slipping on my shoes, I go downstairs to Haz's office to see if he's ready to go. I pass Toms room, peeking in through the wide open door to see him struggling to change the bandaging on his stab wound.
"Need some help?" I ask.
"Yes please." He says, looking relieved it's just me.
I walk into the room, taking notice of the messy state it's in. Tom isn't very put together but neither am I so it's okay.
"We're lucky she didn't hit any organs." I sigh, bandaging his wound on his side. "How'd she even get you down there anyways?"
This may be a slightly invasive question but I just can't figure out how she managed to overpower him.
"She told me that you let her out, said to go with her because you needed me. I don't know why I believed it.. I just did. Then she stabbed me and tied me up." He explains.
"I'm sorry Tom." I say, finishing up his bandage and handing him the shirt on his bed.
I watch his muscles flex as he puts his shirt on, and look away to calm my brain. He is attractive but I'm not allowed to think that.
"It's not your fault sweetheart." He says, finger curling under my chin to tilt my head up and look at him. My heart beat quickens from his action, and his gaze. Why am I feeling like this?..

•Harrison's pov•

Aurie should have been ready by now. I get up from my desk, and leave my office to go hunt her down. We can't be late for this meeting.
I walk down the hallway, looking in her room and seeing shes not in there. I see Toms door is open, maybe he knows where she is.
When I reach the door, the sight I see isn't what I was expecting at all. They're close, he's talking to her with his hand under her chin, they look like they're about to kiss...
"Hey." I interrupt, making Tom drop his hand and Aurie look back to me. "You ready to head out?"
"Yeah." She smiles.
"Meet you out at the car." I say to her, handing her the keys.
"Okay." She nods, leaving the room.
After she's gone and I know she can't hear, I turn to Tom and shake my head at him.
"Is there something going on that I should know about?" I ask.
"Nah man" he shrugs. "Just needed some help with my bandaging is all."
"You two were pretty close there." I comment.
"Mate she's hot, you have to expect that I'm gonna flirt a bit once in a while." He laughs.
"That's all it was?" I ask.
"Course. God you really think I'd want a girl as screwed up as her?"
Those words made my blood boil. The way she just risked her own life to save his, and now he's talking about her like that? If he wasn't my best friend I'd fucking kill him right here right now. I take a deep breath, attempting to leave without starting anything.
"Alright, I'm gonna head out. See you later."
I walk out to the car, seeing Aurie sitting in the passengers seat typing on her phone. Something about seeing her in my car, waiting for me, it just feels comforting. I've never worked with someone so great before. She has this way of making what I do feel like ecstasy in a different way.
I use to wake up every morning, excited to hurt someone, excited to kill someone.
Now I wake up every morning excited to work alongside her..