Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“How dare you!” She stands and steps toward me until my dad stands in between us.
“I think you need to cool off, Brenda,” Dad says. “I get that you’re worried about Ben. We all are. But arguing with Elle, when all she’s done is make sure he’s being taken care of, isn’t going to make him heal any faster. I assure you, everything that can be done, is being done.”
“He should’ve stayed in California.”
Dad nods. “And maybe that’s true, but we’re in Beaumont now and this is where Ben wants to be. Now, I suggest you go in and see your son or sit down. Regardless, you’re done speaking to my daughter this way. Ben loves her and it’s about time you respect his feelings.”
Brenda leans to the side and looks at me. I expect her to sit down but she reaches for her suitcase and walks down the hall. I don’t know where she’s going or where she’s staying, and part of me doesn’t care. When Ben wakes up, I’ll tell him she’s here or was here and he can decide if she wants to see him.
Dad sits back down and reaches for my hand. “She’s incredibly jealous of you.”
“I don’t understand why.”
“Because you have money and are able to provide Ben with a lifestyle and family. Two things she couldn’t ever give him. She knows, deep down, he’ll choose you over her every single time whether he’s in your life or not.”
“I don’t know about that.”
Dad chuckles. “Elle, that man loves you. Whether you end up together or not. He’s never going to love another woman the way he loves you. In fact, I feel sorry for anyone who comes along if you two aren’t together. The next woman, if there is one, will have to compete with the ghost of you, and that’s wholly unfair to her.”
“You’re silly and just trying to make me feel better.”
“No, I’m telling you the truth. He looks at you the same way I look at your mother. There’s no one else in this world for me, but her. I’m willing to bet Ben feels the same way.”
“Thank you for always standing up for me and knowing just the right words to say.” I lean into my dad and give him a hug. He squeezes me back, showing me how much he loves me. “As if I’d let anyone talk down to you. You definitely don’t deserve the way she treats you.”
“Yeah, I know. Still, I appreciate it. I’m going to go check on him. If she comes back, shoot me a text. I don’t want you to be alone with her. I don’t trust her.”
Dad laughs again. “I can take care of myself.” I raise my eyebrow at him, and he shakes his head. “Fine, I’ll text you.”
After another hug, I head back to the ICU. I stand in this doorway and look at Ben’s sleeping form. The thought has crossed my mind to start poking and prodding at him to get him to wake up, but I know his body needs the time to heal. I sit down next to Ben and sigh.
“You sigh a lot,” his groggily, scratchy voice says.
I jump out of my seat and get right up close to him. “Are you awake?”
He nods slowly.
“Oh, Ben! Oh, God I’m so happy you’re awake.”
“Me too,” he says with a smile. “Dog? What happened?”
I roll my eyes. “Of course, you’d ask about the dog.”
He smiles again.
26
BEN
The last thing I remember is playing with a puppy and telling the store clerk I wanted to buy him. Now, though, as I look around, I know I’m not in the pet store anymore, or at home, but in the hospital and I don’t have a clue as to how I ended up here. What I do know is that Elle’s by my side, right where she said she would be. I reach for her hand, and she gives it to me freely, but not before kissing the back of mine.
“I was so scared,” she says with tears streaming down her face. I want to brush them away, but my body is stiff. I ache and my brain is fuzzy, except for images of her and I sitting side by side in white rocking chairs and looking off into the sunset. It’s nothing we’ve ever done, even sitting at her parents or on our balcony, and the dog I remember holding isn’t in the picture. But I hear voices. They sound young, and there’s a lot of laughter.
“Where am I?” I ask as I move my head from side to side, trying to see my surroundings. Behind me, there’s a large window, but there isn’t any sunlight coming through. Is it raining? Evening? I hate the fog in my brain right now. I feel lost and hopeless.