The words were everywhere. Laurence's face had been plastered all over the internet. A poster boy for a crime of passion that he did not commit. And if the headlines were not enough, a picture of Laurence in handcuffs was displayed like wallpaper on every social media platform, impossible to miss.
They had captured him looking down at his hands, eyes wide, clearly in a daze. Like he couldn't process the news that his own hands had done so much harm.
"I can't believe this," I said to my phone. "I knew those socks were trouble but this is insane."
Laliana had gone to check on Iz, leaving me to scour the internet for news of what happened while I sat in my hospital bed. There were dozens of articles about Laurence Royal, claiming he tried to kill me but not a single one mentioned our kiss.
I slumped back into the pillows, mind spinning madly.
I don't understand. If someone wanted to take me down, why wouldn't they post the picture? That would destroy my fashion line. Why keep it to yourself?
"I heard you were awake!" an elderly woman said, scurrying into my hospital room, arms full of bags. She had dark black hair pulled back into a wispy ponytail that was peppered with grey strands. She was several inches shorter than me and wore a blue blouse with jeans that hugged her natural curvy figure.
The woman dropped the bags on the small table in the corner of the room, completely comfortable in my room. "I'm Katherine," she said with a warm smile, like that would connect all the dots to a picture I had in my mind. Then she pulled several pillows out of a large bag. "The pillows here are terrible."
Katherine, who I now believed had completely forgotten who she was supposed to be visiting, walked over to the bed, and before I could do so much as blink, she yanked out the hospital pillows behind me, replacing them with her own, nearly sending me tumbling off the bed.
"Isn't that better?" Katherine asked, voice soothing as she helped me sit back up.
"Um... who are you?"
Katherine stared at me for a long moment and then suddenly, started laughing. "I must look crazy coming in here when my nephew has clearly never made the proper introductions."
"Nephew?" I repeated.
"Tate." She threw me a humored eye roll. "He never stops talking, so I assumed he had mentioned me while working with you." Katherine walked over to the small table, pulling out a container of food and motioned for me to take it.
Note to self: Making yourself comfortable with strangers runs in Tate's family.
"Why?" I asked, eyeing the food suspiciously.
"This place has terrible food," Kathrine said with a dismissive wave. "No sense in insulting your taste buds in the name of health."
"No..." I said looking down at the container, suddenly overwhelmed. It smelled like the food my mom used to make. The mouth-watering smell of garlic bread and pasta wafted through the room, making my chest ache. I was holding a piece of home and it hurt. I found it hard to breathe. "Why did you bring me food?"
Katherine handed me a fork and lowered herself into the chair beside my bed. "Why wouldn't I bring food to feed someone who's been hurt?"
I shoved a fork full of spaghetti into my mouth when she stared at me, waiting for me to challenge her food logic. I couldn't argue with her kindness and I didn't really want to.
The meal tasted even better than it smelled. Cheese and pasta sauce sinking into the meatballs and making it impossible to resist. My eyelids fluttered closed, enjoying a bite full of peace and heavenly flavors.
Oh my gosh. I don't even care if she is lying and is some random stranger, this is one of the best meals I've ever had.
"Thank you. It's really good," I said in between bites.
She beamed. "I'm so glad you like it. How are you feeling?"
"Tired."
"A loaded word for a loaded situation," she replied offering me a sad smile. "Do you need me to bring you in anything? Blankets? Chocolate? A candle to cover the horrendous smell of chlorine that seems to come with every room they have?"
I laughed, wincing at the sharp pain that pricked at my collar. "No thanks. The food is perfect."
We fell into silence as I ate. The food was still hot, leaving me marveling at the magic that some mothers seemed to possess.
"I can see why Tate likes you," Katherine said, timing it so I was mid-bite.
I nearly dropped a meatball onto my chest, but caught it back in the container at the last second, saving me from looking like I had gotten stabbed again.
"What?" I asked, face blooming bright red.
Oh my gosh. What did he tell his family?!?
Katherine stared at me, eyes taking me in, in what must have been the most unflattering mental picture of my life. My hair was matted, curls gone haywire after the Masquerade. My makeup looked like it was a face painting of a raccoon, and I wore a hospital gown that may or may not have had a bit of spaghetti sauce splattered on it.
"I don't know why you look so surprised. I've never seen him so happy."
"He's always happy," I replied, far more blunt than I intended. This is not how I planned to spend my hospital time... not that I planned any of this.
Katherine leaned back, assessing me again. "He said you were honest."
I put down the mostly empty container, needing something to do. It was one thing to talk to Laliana about Tate. It was another talking to his very direct Aunt.
"So... are you going to date him, or are you going to keep stringing him along until you can think of a good enough reason to let him go?"
My mouth fell open. She started off as a good cop with the pillows and food and had gone straight to bad cop, expecting a confession. She would give Delle a run for her money.
Katherine raised a brow at me. "You aren't the only honest one around here."
The room fell into a deafening silence, inspiring the hope for a sudden distraction.
A shadow suddenly filled the doorway. "Mom, you can't keep trying to feed every person you come across." Aiden looked at me, eyes hard. I stared back, unflinching.
Okay, I changed my mind. This distraction is worse. I'll take blunt Aunt any day.
"May I have a word with Ms. Winters?" Aiden asked coming into the room.
It took all of my patience not to roll my eyes at his formal use of my name.
Katherine hesitated, watching our staring match curiously. "Something tells me that is a terrible idea."
"I'll be fine," I insisted, eyes still trained on Aiden. "I'm not completely helpless," I said with a hard smile.
Katherine nodded, standing up. "Let me know if he misbehaves." She patted his arm, giving him a pointed look. "I've raised him better, but he often forgets."
Aiden looked at his mother as she left the room, looking somewhat betrayed by her siding with me. Then I was left alone with a very angry Aiden.
Great.
I crossed my arms. "Go ahead. Yell at me. I know you want to and frankly, if you had to pick anyone to be your verbal punching bag, I am the best target."
Aiden clenched and unclenched his fists. "I don't want to be this angry."
"I know," I replied softly, understanding that more than he could possibly know.
"Iz doesn't deserve to have more chaos in her life. She's just a kid and now she is going to be terrified. Scarred by something I didn't protect her from!" He swore loudly.
I remained silent, watching Aiden battle his grief, hidden demons of past decisions. "I know I can be cautious. But the moment I let myself get talked into taking it easy, this happens!"
He shoved his hands into his pockets. "As soon as you are free to leave this hospital, just leave my sister alone. Leave my fiancé alone, and for goodness sake leave Tate alone. He doesn't deserve to be in love with someone who doesn't love him back... Not again. I don't want to watch him pretend he's okay when he wants someone who doesn't want him."
My eyes went wide at his unspoken admittance. Somewhere along the way, he learned that Tate had liked Laliana. A secret that Tate had tried so hard to hide.
"I'm sorry Aiden." The words weren't enough. The entire night had been a disaster and now Aiden was on the verge of unraveling.
"Sorry doesn't fix anything Allie! They aren't even fully sure she will be okay! And my mom is out feeding everyone on this hospital floor to cope!"
The door burst open, and Delle walked inside, eyes ablaze, the spitting image of a wild Phoenix that had been pushed too far. "You have some nerve yelling at a sick patient. Let alone my sister," she growled stopping a foot away from Aiden, staring him in the eyes with so much venom I half expected him to drop dead.
"One more word out of you and I will kick your ass. I don't care if this is a hospital. At least there will be paramedics close by to fix that mug of yours after I pummel it into the ground."
My younger sister Misty popped her head through the door. "I wouldn't cross her," she advised shyly. "I've seen her do far worse. Threatening a Falls girl is a serious crime in my family."
Delle narrowed her eyes. "Well, Dalton Boy, what's it gonna be?"
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Thank you for reading chapter forty! I hope you are enjoying the story! Or are at least curious to see where it goes! Add this story to your reading list to know when the next chapter drops!
UPDATE DAYS - A NEW CHAPTER EVERY FRIDAY!
Ohhhhh man! Aiden VS. Delle! Will a screaming match come into play? Something bigger?
Will someone back down before things get ugly?
Does Aiden have a right to be angry at Allie and ask her to stay away from his family?
And where is Tate in all of this?!?
What do you think of Katherine?
Why aren't the pictures of Allie and Laurence out?
What will happen next?
CHAPTER QUESTION - During a crisis, are you the one keeping everyone calm, getting everyone things they need, do you zone out, try to pretend everything is fine, or freak out?