Page 191 of Chasing Infinity

I smile to myself and rest my forehead against hers. She closes her eyes and takes in a few deep breaths. Making a snap decision, I push out of my chair and slide into the bed next to her. Addison glances up at me, startled at first, but then quickly relaxes into my embrace as soon as my arms are around her.

The moment she’s in my arms again, my chest lightens, and I feel like I can breathe, the weight that was pressing on my lungs easing significantly as Addison presses closer to me. I do my best to focus on the here and now, letting her weight in my arms be my anchor so I don’t spiral away at the thought of how badly everything could have gone last night. Slowly, the stress ebbs from my body, and my breath changes from shallow to deep, refreshing inhales.

“Knock, knock,” someone says, rapping lightly on something hard as the curtain surrounding Addison’s bed is pulled back. We turn around to see who is interrupting, but I don’t dare release her from my hold. Addison’s doctor stands there, a sheepish grin on his face as he eyes the two of us crowding the bed. “Sorry to interrupt, just wanted to check-in. How are you feeling, Ms. Parks?”

I look back to Addison to see her shrug against her pillows. “I don’t know. I have a terrible headache, and I feel sore all over.”

The doctor comes closer into our bay and looks over her chart. “That’s totally normal with everything you went through last night. We’ve got you on fluids right now, and I can put an order in for some light painkillers for you to take the edge off if you need them.”

Addison shakes her head rapidly. “No, I don’t need any of those. I’ll be okay.”

He gives an understanding smile. “Of course. We’ll monitor you for a bit longer as soon as we’re through this IV, but you should be ready to get out of here soon.”

Addison cuddles back tight into my chest, looking relieved. I thank the doctor as he leaves our bay, and then I focus again on Addison. She’s got her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling rhythmically.

“Are you sleeping?” I whisper. She peeks open one eyelid at me, and I chuckle. “I’ll take that as ano.”

“I just want to go home.”

“Soon, sweetheart,” I tell her. I can’t fight off the feeling of helplessness that blooms in my chest again.

Addison settles into me, dozing off and on until a nurse comes by with her discharge papers. We gather up her things and leave the hospital without looking back.

She’s mostly quiet on our drive home, lost in thought. I wish I knew what she was thinking so I could say the right thing. Instead, I opt for silence. We’ll have plenty of time to talk later. I figure it’s best to let her work through her trauma on her own right now. She’ll talk to me as soon as she’s ready.

Addison gasps as soon as we pull up in front of the diner. Her three best friends are sitting on the front stairs. They hop up and wait impatiently when they spot our car. Addison exits the car and falls into the arms of Charlie, Eli, and Grace. They hug her tightly, each relieved to see her up and well.

I exit the car, too, circling the vehicle and then leaning on the side as I watch them reunite. Addison pulls away from her friends, wiping her cheeks. I hear Grace sniffle and then blow her nose. Addison turns to Eli first, placing her hand on his arm and giving him a grateful smile.

“Eli, I don’t even know how to thank you,” she says to him. “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up.”

His cheeks turn bright red under her gratitude. With an awkward shrug of his shoulders and a rub to the back of his neck, he says, “I would do it all over again. I’m just glad you’re safe, Addie.”

Satisfied, Addison turns to Charlie and wraps him in another hug. “And you, thank you so much for everything.”

“Of course,” Charlie replies before releasing her. “We just wanted to stop by and welcome you home.”

Addison laughs breathily. “Thank you. I’m glad to be back, but I’m exhausted.”

“We’ll let you two get some rest then,” Eli chimes in, shooting me an uncomfortable glance.

“And don’t worry about the diner. Take as much time as you need,” Grace says, pushing her way past Eli. “Me and this loser will make sure it stays up and running. Jack says he’ll be right at it again, too, as soon as he’s feeling better.”

“Really? Guys, that’s sweet of you, but–”

“Thank you, both,” I cut her off, resting my arm against Addison’s shoulders as I steer her toward our home. “It means a lot to know you have our backs.”

I dip my chin at Eli, and he returns the gesture. I don’t foresee Eli Montgomery and I becoming buddies anytime soon. Still, I sure am glad he was around in the nick of time.

Addison says her goodbyes to her friends, and then we make our way upstairs to our apartment. As soon as we’re inside, Addison seems to collapse in on herself.

She shrugs off her coat, letting it fall on the floor, not bothered enough to pick it up. I watch warily as she pads into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water. She downs it in a few deep gulps and then sets the cup on the counter. Then, with tired eyes, she looks over at me.

“Are you going to come to bed with me? I feel like I could sleep for an eternity.”

I nod and walk over to where she’s standing by the counter. “I can’t imagine a better way to spend the day.” I’ve got her scooped up into my arms in a smooth motion, bridal style. Addison laughs though it doesn’t reach her eyes. She rests her head against my chest as I walk us to the bedroom.

I set her on the side of the bed as I pull back the duvet and the sheets. Addison sets to work unbuttoning her jeans and pulling off her t-shirt until she’s left in her bra and panties. Then wordlessly, she crawls underneath the sheets, settling herself on her side of the bed.

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