Page 104 of Beyond the Bright Lights

Chapter 26 – Mylan

The car is silent as we head to the regional airport twenty miles outside Silo. Bruno drives, his hands tight on the steering wheel, turning his knuckles white. Eloise is in the back and every once in a while, she sniffles.

A phone rings and Eloise mumbles a hello upon answering. She gives a few “okay” answers, then hangs up.

“The plane will be ready in ten minutes. How much longer, Bruno?”

“GPS says fifteen minutes.”

“Okay,” Eloise whispers. More silence and I almost can’t take it. “What about our stuff?”

“I’ll send a courier to get it.”

By the time we’re pulling onto the tarmac to board my jet, the air of sadness in the car is near suffocating. Bruno barely puts Ginger’s Camry in park and I’m jumping out. I know Bruno and Eloise follow when two more car doors slam shut.

“I’m not going.” Eloise’s strained voice stops me halfway up the plane’s stairs. I turn to face her and she’s crying.

Shit.

“I can’t.”

“I understand. I’m sorry, Eloise.”

“Fuck you, Mylan.” Her words slap me. “How could you do this? Again? After I . . .”

I walk back down the stairs until I’m an arm’s length away from her.

“I saved your life.”

“I know.”

“You told me you’d stop. You promised me.”

“I know.”

“So why?”

“I don’t have an answer for you, Eloise. Other than I’m sick.”

She cries into her hands, and I step closer to pull her into a hug. I rub her back as she sobs into my shoulder. This is my fault. I let her down. I’m the reason for the worst day of her life. No one should ever be put into a position to play God. I’m only here because Eloise brought me back to life.

“This time will be different.”

“How?” Eloise demands. “Why should we believe you?”

“Because I’m going away for longer this time. Before I left Forest Ridge this last stint, they urged me to go to a year-long recovery program. I refused because of my pride. Because I thought it wouldn’t help, and I’d get better on my own.”

Eloise scoffs.

“I know. What a fool I was. Dummkopf.” Idiot. “But now I understand. Now I’m ready. Now I have this family who I constantly hurt, and I hate myself for repeatedly doing that.”

Bruno rubs the back of his neck. His eyes are shining with tears. I can’t remember ever seeing Bruno cry. “Now you have a family? You realize we have been your family for a long time, right? That we've cared about you as a friend and a brother for a very long time. You know that, right?”

I bite my lip because as much as I wanted that, I never let myself believe it. I didn’t think I deserved it.

“Mylan,” Bruno sighs and drops his arms to his sides. Mylan. He called me by my name. He never does that. “Yes, you are my boss, but protecting you stopped being a job the moment you treated me like family. You showed me your heart.”

“Cheesy,” Eloise snorts.

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