Page 71 of Salvation
“Go ahead and ask, Hayes,” I say, taunting him. “You know you want to.”
The words are no sooner out of my mouth than he’s grabbing a chair, flipping it around backwards, and straddling it. “Okay,” he says, bracing his elbow on the back of the chair and putting his chin in his hand. “Now, I’m ready. Tell me everything.”
I snort, unfamiliar with this side of Hayes. “There isn’t much to tell. I asked her to go with me. She said yes. End of story.”
Hayes glares at me. “That’s not the end of the story, Campbell,” he says, pointing at me. “Now give me the good stuff.”
I glare back at him half-heartedly, but eventually I break. “You’re turning into Silas. Do you know that?”
He shrugs. “Yes, now spill.”
With a soft chuckle, I do. “Ivy is no longer engaged, and I’m going to do everything I can to get her back.”
Hayes’s mouth opens and closes, clearly in shock. For someone who wanted to know everything, he clearly wasn’t ready for this.
After a few seconds of him looking like a fish out of water, I start to worry I’ve broken him. Snapping my finger in front of his face, I say, “Earth to Hayes. Are you still with me?”
He shakes his head, clearing the confused look from his eyes. “Sorry, but Ivy was engaged?”
My laugh is full and deep. Leaning back in my chair, I hold my stomach and wipe a small tear from the corner of my eye. “You really are bad at this gossip thing. I guess I should have known that, though, seeing as that’s how MJ managed to break your nose with that tire iron last year.”
His eyes narrow into slits. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
Lifting one shoulder, I pretend to think about it and then give him the honest answer. “Never.”
“I hate you.”
I don’t even pretend to think that’s true. It’s not. He’s been too good of a friend, and whether he realizes it or not, he’s had a hand in saving my life. “No, you don’t.”
“You’re right,” he says with a smile. “I don’t, but let’s go back to the doctor. We got sidetracked for a minute.”
“Yougot sidetracked, Hayes.”
He waves his hand. “Potato, tomato.”
“You do know that’s not how the saying goes, right?” I ask.
“What are you, my English teacher? Stop procrastinating and tell me about the doctor.”
I sober. It feels good to joke around with Hayes again—for those jokes not to be forced—but I want him to know I’m taking this seriously.
“I went to see MJ’s dad. He’s not taking a lot of new patients anymore because he’s semi-retired, but he made an exception for me when I called and explained everything.”
Hayes rubs the scruff on his chin. “He’s a good doctor.”
“Yeah, he is. He recommended a therapist, and he put me on medicine.”
“And how do you feel about all of that?” Hayes’s eyes pierce through me, waiting for my answer.
“I won’t lie and say I’m completely over struggling with the idea of seeing a doctor and taking medication, but it’s not as hard as it used to be—and I think that’s what I need. One better day until they are all better days.”
The hope of one day having days like that makes me tear up. I’ve spent so long in the dark, I forgot how much I’ve missed the light. Swiping the tears away, I look back at Hayes. Tears brim in his eyes, too.
“I’m proud of you, Campbell.”
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Chaos is ensuing in my parents’ home as I walk through the door. My mom is yelling from somewhere in the back of the house, and just as the door closes behind me, my niece and nephews go darting by, looking as if they are on the run.
