Page 166 of Meet Me at the Metro

41

HOMESICK

E L L I E

The warmth of Theo’s arms encases me as I stir awake to the sound of my phone vibrating against my nightstand. I slowly unravel from the entanglement of his body and the soft bedsheets, careful not to wake him, as I reach over to see who’s calling.

AFaceTimefrom Mom lights up the screen, illuminating the darkened room. I tip-toe out of bed and quietly step to the hallway outside before accepting her call.

“Hey, Mom,” I groggily answer, rubbing my tired eyes. I scan her warm and familiar face, immediately noticing the dark circles that have developed beneath her aged eyes as they assess me. It doesn’t take me a second to gather that she’s worried. “Everything alright?”

She smiles wanly. “That’s what I called to ask you. I couldn’t fall asleep. Needed to hear your voice.”

My heart aches at her honest confession, and I resonate with it more than I am willing to admit. I’ve missed home so much lately, and her voice is always a gentle reminder of why.

“So are you...alright?”

I don’t try to bullshit her by giving her a lie I know she’ll be able to detect, so I settle on answering with, “I’m doing okay.”

“And Harvey? How is he doing?”

“He’s doing better.”

It felt like such a relief to be able to say it out loud. After a month of timed, restricted visits to see him in the ICU, he’s finally showing someimprovement. We’ve taken rotations in visiting him and ensuring that at least one of us was always there at the hospital during visiting hours. I admire his strength in all this more than I could ever put into words. He’s pulling through, just as Theo said he would, and it felt good to finally see some light at the end of the dark tunnel I’ve felt trapped inside these past few weeks. It helped ease some of my uncertainty.

“They finally got him weaned off of the oxygen. They’re talking about moving him to a step-down unit and everything.”

“That’s so nice to hear,” Mom says, sighing a breath of repose. “Have there been any updates on—well,you know who?”

I try not to give any physical inclination to the anxiety suddenly working up my heart. “N-no.They still haven’t found him.”

Her calm disposition quickly crumbles. “Honey.”

“I’m fine, Mom. We’ve all been looking out for each other. None of us go out alone. We—”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better, Ellie. Knowing that you can’t even go out by yourself without the fear of—”

“I’m fine, okay? Just breathe, Mom.Please.”

I hated seeing her so torn up like this and hated even more that I couldn’t tell her that I knew exactly how she felt because doing so would only grow her concern.

“I’m afraid you’re trying to handle way more than you can bear alone.”

“I’m not bearing it alone. I have my friends here. I have Theo. He’s taking such good care of me.”

“I know he is. I know,but...” She turns her face away from the camera to hide the tears welling in her eyes, and the sight breaks my heart. “I can email your old University—see if you could transfer back and resume classes here.”

“Momma.”

“I want my baby girl home.Home and safe.”

“I know. I know...” I mutter, “But I want to stay in London.I want to be here for Harvey when he finally gets home, and I want to finish this final semester. I want—”

“To stay withhim,” Mom finishes for me, sniffling.

I rear my head to peek into the bedroom to the subject at hand. Theo’s long, ink-covered limbs ruffle the covers as he begins to stir, and I hope this phone call hasn’t woken him.

“You love him, don’t you?”

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