Talk to Me
| Chappter 14 The following weekend Nick returned from Marathon only to find not much had changed as far as Evie was concerned. She was still refusing to eat and heaven help who ever tried to get her to even take as much as a bite. She was barely talking, and then only when the doctor’s or nurses forced her to answer a question or two. She was sinking into a deep depression and shutting herself off from everyone, including Kristyne. AJ had dug his heels in and was determined to bring Evie around, and thus became almost as much of a permanent occupant of the hospital as Kristyne. Kristyne didn’t seem to be faring much better. She was frustrated at her inability to help her friend. Nick took one look at her and saw a glimpse the unfathomable depths of her exhaustion and sorrow. Her emerald eyes were dull and lifeless and framed by dark circles from lack of sleep. He sighed to himself wishing he could have stayed in Marathon, wishing none of this would have happened, wishing he could turn back the clock and change fate, make things right, but knowing all along that he couldn’t do any of those things and that his place was here with his friends. That had he stayed in Marathon his mind would have been here, just as it had been the entire time he was down there for Thanksgiving. He sighed again, thinking back to that night on the beach and wondered just how she managed to wiggle her way into his world and set up camp. She didn’t even realize all the times he thought of her. He wondered many times if she was ever thinking of him. After Evie’s accident, after Kristyne came to him, they finally seemed to be able to get past that horrible argument and move forward. Actually, it was as if they had come full circle and had started all over again from the beginning, tentative and unsure. He couldn’t blame her really, she was testing the waters to see if they were safe for entry, if he was safe to be around, if she could trust him again. But she had more important things on her mind than rebuilding a friendship. Taking care of Evie was first in foremost in her mind. Unfortunately, taking care of herself was the absolute furthest thing from her mind. She slept at the hospital or squad house. Most of her clothes were in her car or at the squad house. She only went home during the day to grab a few things here and there that she needed, but she ran in and out as quickly as she could. It just wasn’t home without her friend there. She couldn’t look around and see all the pictures of them laughing and having a good time and then return to the hospital and see Evie quiet and brooding in a hospital bed. It just wasn’t fair. Part of her unconsciously felt that if Evie couldn’t sleep comfortably in her own bed in her own home then neither should she. It was an irrational thought, completely invalidated, but one she couldn’t help but feel just the same. On this particular December afternoon AJ had once again convinced Kristyne that he needed to spend some time alone with Evie, even if he did wind up wearing her lunch again. He tried every tactic he could think of to coerce her into going home to get some sleep to no avail. Kris said she would go get some fresh air and come back later before she had to go to work. Neither Nick nor AJ could understand how she was managing to continue working as tired as she looked and had to be. Nick realized that something had to give, and soon. Not sure exactly what to do he grabbed his keys and headed out the door. Please don’t let this turn out like the last time I opened my mouth and pushed too hard, he silently prayed. He had a good idea where to find her and as he drove over the Bay Bridge and saw her mustang parked on the side he smiled to himself.
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