Page 112 of Theirs

“I saw the car coming and I swear it's been playing over and over again in my head,” she shuddered.

“You’re safe,” I said. “I've got you.”

“We’ve got you ladies,” Luke said, as Camila came in with a doctor.

It was a flurry of activity as the doctors checked on Cheryl. As much as I wanted her home with me, the doctors needed to watch her for the next day or two to make sure her head injury didn’t cause any additional problems. Luke and Camila stayed with us either together or one at a time. We took shifts to sleep and shower, but I wouldn’t feel at ease until Cheryl was home with me.

It was finally the day that she was going to be released and I was a mess, worried that something might go wrong. She had been at the hospital for almost a week, her Traumatic Brain Injury was interfering with her memory and day-to-day function. The doctor was confident she was going to make a full recovery, but it would take time and a lot of therapy.

Cheryl and I were waiting for her discharge papers, getting more and more antsy.

“I see you made up with them,” Cheryl said with her eyes closed, it had been an eventful morning, and I knew she was probably exhausted.

“I did…” I debated if I should tell her, but I felt like I needed to tell someone. “I… love them.”

I thought saying it out loud would be scary, but it felt freeing, like a weight had been taken off my shoulders.

“Oh, thank god, Genny,” she groaned. “I thought I was going to have to spell it out for you or make up a cheer.”

“A cheer?” I looked at Cheryl, wondering if she was confused again.

“Yeah, give me a D. D! Give me an U. U! Give me a M. M! Give me a B. B!”

“Ok, I know I was being dumb,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Nah, I was going for dumbass, but dumb works too,” she chuckled, wincing from the pain in her ribs. “But I’m glad you aren't going to let her win.”

“Let who win?” I stood up standing next to her bed.

“Our mother,” she said softly. “She’s taken so much from us already, don’t let her take your happiness, Genevieve. You deserve them and they deserve you. You guys are in love, anyone can see that. I almost don’t want to go home with you.”

“They haven’t said they love me,” I said.

“You don’t need the word to see it on their faces every day, and their actions tell me they would move mountains for you.” She opened her eyes. “I will admit I was worried their love wouldn’t be the same as their love for each other, but Genevieve, you’d have to be blind not to see that they look at you the same way they look at each other. You might not all have started the relationship at the same time, but that doesn’t mean you weren’t always supposed to be theirs.”

“I think a part of me always knew, but I was too scared to see it,” I said.

“Don’t let her win, be obnoxiously happy,” she sniffled. “Live the life she always wanted but do it in a healthy way. Break the cycle.”

Her last words broke me, and we held each other as we cried. I was tired of holding back and not just in my love life, but in allaspects of life. I kept people at arm’s length because I was always afraid of being disappointed.

The nurse came in and picked up Cheryl in a wheelchair. Camila and Luke were waiting for us in his big truck that I worried Cheryl wouldn’t be able to get into, until he lifted her like she weighed nothing. I think she also fell in love with Luke.

The drive to my house was quiet, so I ordered dinner to be delivered from our favorite sushi spot. The elevator made Cheryl feel a little queasy, but the moment we entered my home, I felt so much better.

“Where should I sit you down?” Luke walked into the living room with Cheryl still in his arms.

“I’m fine here,” Cheryl said, leaning against Luke’s shoulder as Camila laughed.

He laughed. “If you wanna be in these arms, I’m gonna need to sit down, darlin’.”

“God, that southern twang is so sexy,” Cheryl sighed. “I guess you can take me to my room, I think I need a nap before dinner.”

“Am I going to have to deal with you flirting with him?” I led the way to the room she usually slept in.

When I reached the door, I stopped in my tracks.

“What the hell is this?”

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