ELIJAH
When I opened my eyes, she was there.
Standing in the doorway, her eyes filled with tears. "Red?"
"Elijah," her voice melted my heart. God, it felt so good to hear her voice again. "I thought I would never hear your voice again."
"Shh, don't talk too much. You're still hurt," she said, rushing to my bedside.
"How— how are you here? I thought— I thought your plane crashed?" I whispered, my head spinning. The last thing I remembered was my sister calling out my name.
"I never got on the plane. I took an Uber back. I just... I couldn't," she said, her hand trembling in mine.
"Are you serious?" And she nodded. "I realized I couldn't live without you, Elijah Grey. Last night was living proof of our feelings and I couldn't leave after that."
"Please tell me this is real. Tell me I'm not dreaming and that you're really here."
"Nadia?"
"NADIA? NADIA, WHERE ARE YOU!" My body jolted upright, the bright lights snapping me back into reality.
"Calm down, brother. You just had a dream," Vicky said, her hands on my shoulders.
"What? No. I— I saw her, Vee. I saw her."
My sister shook her head, her eyes glassy. "You were delirious because of the meds, Elijah. It's normal."
I closed my eyes. This couldn't possibly be happening to me.
"The doctor said this was normal after something so traumatic, but you'll be alright."
"How long have I been lying here?"
Silence fell.
"For about a week," she whispered.
"What?"
"What about Nadia? What happened to her?"
"You don't remember? Her plane crashed."
"No, dammit, I know that. But I mean— where is she right now? Is she back? Is there any news on her?"
Again, silence fell. The sound was deafening.
"Answer me."
"Elijah, uhm—"
"What is it, Vicky?"
"Elijah, they, uhm... they weren't able to find her remains. And there weren't any survivors. The team confirmed it." Vicky began tearing up. "They confirmed that she was on the plane, Elijah."
"No. That can't be true, Vic. No."
"One of Ezekiel's men said there was a bomb on the plane. There was nothing that the pilot could have done."
"No," I shook my head, ripping the IV out and swinging my legs off the bed.
"Where are you going, Elijah? Can't you see? There's nothing you can do?"
All of a sudden, I felt the urge to destroy everything in sight.
And that's what I did.
I broke the vases. The frames. Everything. It all shattered onto the floor.
"Elijah, stop it. Snap out of it!"
"There has to be something wrong with this. Maybe they're mistaken. What if it's the wrong plane? What if—"
"ELIJAH!" Vicky yelled. "Don't make this harder than it already is."
"No, but she can't be gone. She just can't." I collapsed, and I felt the pain in my chest — but it was nothing in comparison to what I was feeling in my heart right now.
"Shh, it's okay."
"I thought I hated her, and she thought I did too. But I was just lying to myself. I was hurt. I just felt so betrayed by her."
"I know, I know," my sister said, her arms wrapped around me as my body shook with pain and anger.
I was angry at myself. For letting it get this far. For hurting her. For destroying her life because of some stupid rivalry. If it wasn't for my family name, nothing would've happened to her. She would be living the life she wants right now.
"If only I could turn back time, Vic. If only I had killed Vincent sooner. From the first day he laid his hands on you and Mom, I should've done it."
"Shh, it's not your fault. You were just a kid."
"Still, I should've had the guts. What's the use of having the desire if you can't act on it? It's because of him that all of this happened. Our lives turned out to be a mess because of him. And Nadia... I had her so close but so far away. I don't think I can live life the same without her, Vics. She was too precious. She had my whole heart and now she took it away. For the first time in my life Vic, I was happy,"
I got up and shuffled to my dresser. My hands found the cold metal.
"Elijah, what the hell are you doing?"
"Ending my life."
Vicky's eyes widened.
"What? No. Are you insane?"
"Yes. I've gone crazy. I've lost my mind, Victoria. Don't you get it? I can't live without her. Her memory is not enough. I need her. In my arms. I need to touch her, to feel that she's real. To smell her. To hear her voice. I need to see her eyes. I need to be the one that tucks her hair behind her ear. I want to be the one there, with her. What part of that don't you understand?"
"No, Elijah. What you're not understanding is that you're being selfish. You're all I have left. Literally all I have left. Mom couldn't give two craps about me and you know that. I'm suffering too. You're not the only one going through this. I've had to deal with it for a week. Dealing with news of my very first friend's death, school, business, and taking care of you while trying not to fall apart and give up. I knew I had to be there for you once you woke up and I'm not planning to give up right now even though I'm this close to giving up, Elijah. So you have no right to be selfish and leave me to deal with all of this. You've always reminded me that we're in this together and that you'll never leave my side. I can't lose you too, Elijah. I don't think I'd be able to take it if I did."
My tears were now streaming down my face as I let her words sink in.
She was right.
And I was being selfish.
"I'm sorry," I muttered.
For the first time, I really looked at her. I could see the dark circles under her eyes. She looked so tired.
I pulled her into a hug, and then she let it all out. I felt her body shake against my chest and felt her tears fall onto my t-shirt.
And I cried with her, as we laid our hearts bare.