Her eyes stared in the direction of the window. As he sat down on the bed next to her, she didn’t even acknowledge his presence. He grabbed one of her hands and held it between both of his.
“Abbey?”
Her gaze remained fixated in the opposite direction. Had her eyes not been open, he would have assumed she was merely sleeping. Her body was limp, her breathing slow and deep.
“Please talk to me.” It was a simple request, he thought. But one that he was still unsure would be answered. She lay perfectly still, lost in the plethora of thoughts that plagued her mind. The room was quiet; too quiet. JC found himself listening carefully to each faint tick from his watch as the seconds passed. He let out a deep sigh, somehow comforting himself with the slight noise.
“Tell me a story,” she spoke softly. For a moment, he thought he had imagined it. She hadn’t moved and the window still drew her attention.
“About what?”
“The life I’m missing.”
“What do you want to know? I mean, uhh, like something specific?”
She didn’t give a response, so JC just began talking.
“Well, ya know, you were living in California and all. And then you got the job offer for the paper, so you moved here to Orlando. Do you remember any of this? I don’t know what-- I am, I mean, I’m not sure where to start.”
She turned her head towards him, staring emotionless into his eyes for a moment before returning her gaze to the window.
“Okay, so ya know, you moved down here and the job wasn’t everything you’d thought it would be. That’s when you decided to start doing the freelance photography thing. You found your niche, you were doing your thing. I think you use more film on the guys and I than anything though.”
He smiled slightly to himself thinking of the hundreds of photos she had. She caught them at their best, worst, most embarrassing moments. There were definitely more than a few blackmail pictures in the bunch.
“I was certainly glad to have you around. It’s always nice to have an ‘old-school’ friend around to remind you of your humble beginnings. And the guys just love ya to bits, Steph too. And Lynn,” he chuckled. “She acts as if you’re already a part of the family.”
“I don’t. . .”
The thought was left incomplete, but JC knew what she was thinking. “Stephanie. She’s Chris’s girlfriend. You two have hung out a lot lately, especially with us being gone on tour. And Lynn, well, Mrs. Harless. She’s Justin’s mom. Ya know, uhh, you and Justin have been really close lately and all. I’m not sure where all that’s going, but he definitely loves you.”
She shifted her weight slightly, turning to look at him. “Do I love him?”
JC just smiled and nodded, unsure of how exactly to explain it all.
Sadness filled her eyes, bringing her to the brink of tears. JC felt a small tingle of relief to see some emotion, any emotion, replace the emptiness that covered her face before.
“I’m really tired,” she said as she turned her face away from him in hopes of hiding the tears she knew were about to fall.
He released his hold on her hand as he stood up. “If you should need anything. . .”
He walked somberly out to the waiting room, her plaintive eyes leaving a burning memory in his head.
Chapter 6: Remnants of Hope
Take Me Home!
