Chapter Twenty-Five
Endgame
Aria
I felt so awkward as I connected my Bluetooth earpiece to my phone and hit the button to Skype Ezra. I didn't realize how ridiculous this would feel, video chatting with him on the way to all of my classes. I got it. Really, I did. I understood completely. Ezra had just publicly called out everyone who was threatening us. And he needed to know I was safe while I was here at school. I knew it had probably taken everything in him not to insist on coming here with me. This was an acceptable compromise. But I'd turned into that person. The person who walked around talking to someone no one else could see.
"Hey," he answered.
"Hey," I said. "I'm still alive."
He laughed a little. "Good. But you're only one class into your first day back at school."
"Yeah, I know. Becca's here with me though. We're in history together."
"Hey, Ezra," she said.
"Hi, Becca," he chuckled.
"He says hi," I told her, then turned back to the screen. "I'm on Bluetooth. I don't want to be the person who lets the entire world hear her Skype conversation."
"You mean you're actually a considerate human being? Who'd have thought?" he teased.
"Hey," I laughed. "Watch it."
"You kind of walked into that."
"Yeah, I know. Well, anyway, my next class is literally right down the hall. I'm already here, so I'll talk to you soon," I said, stopping outside the door of my math class.
"Okay," he sighed. "Thank you for doing this. I know it's a little extreme."
"No, it's not," I told him. "I get it. And I'm good with it. Really. But I have to go before I'm late. I don't have long between these two classes."
He smiled. "Okay. I love you."
"I love you too," I said, then disconnected and walked into my class.
I made it through the day, going home for lunch just like I'd promised I would, and got back home in one piece. Ezra looked like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders when I walked in the door. And there was a very excited puppy there to greet me too.
"Hey," I said, bending down to pet Belle. "You look like you've been sitting here wringing your hands together for the entire day."
"No, only for half of it," Ezra chuckled as he walked up and gave me a kiss. "Hi."
"Look, if tomorrow goes okay, can we maybe downgrade to a phone call?" I asked as I walked into the living room and sat on the couch. "I feel like such a jerk walking around staring at my phone all day."
"I suggested a phone call in the first place," he reminded me. "Skype was your idea."
"Oh, yeah," I giggled.
"So, how much homework do you have?"
"A ton," I sighed. "I'm going to start a pot of coffee and get started on it in a minute."
Ezra kissed me again, and I just leaned back against him. Today had been stressful. Skyping with him between classes had kept the fact that we were on the defensive from a group of pedophiles and rapists who were threatening us so they could keep their identities hidden at the forefront of my mind. Not exactly helpful for trying to relax.
"You okay?" he asked me after a minute or so.
"Oh, you know, trying to keep myself from getting hurt by a bunch of psychos. Must be Tuesday," I said.
"You know, it's times like now when I wish we could just move somewhere else," he sighed. "But I know that's not an option. For a lot of reasons."
"I've never been the type to run away," I reminded him. "And we've started to build a life for ourselves here. We have friends here. You have a job here. And we own a house here. Well, you own a house here. My name's not on the deed."
"Actually, it is," he chuckled. "And I wouldn't be worried about selling it if it weren't for the other things you mentioned. Mainly our friends. Or, more specifically, your friends. I'd be fine trying to get a job somewhere else, but I don't want to make you leave your friends. Not to mention that it's usually pretty hard to get credits from a liberal arts college transferred anywhere else. Or a scholarship."
"Do you ever think of yourself?"
"Nope. Not since you came into my life. You're the most important thing in the world to me. And I'll always do what's best for you, no matter what that means for me."
"I'm not sure if that's sweet or obsessive," I teased.
He laughed. "Maybe it's a little obsessive."
"Okay, let me up," I said. "I really do need to get started on my homework if I want to get to bed before midnight tonight."
"I'll start the coffee," he said, kissing my head before letting go of me.
Over the weekend, Ezra and I went to Alexis's house to bring Belle back home and see Bailey, since she had been released on Friday.
"Thank you guys again for taking care of Belle. So, I hear they're closing the school for an extra week," Alexis said.
"Yes, they are," Ezra sighed. "I'm not sure whether or not to be glad about that. I mean, I'm glad they're implementing new security measures, but we've gone a week with radio silence from A and now this just gives whoever is involved in that more time to come up with something else to hurt us."
"What else could they possibly do?" Jacob asked.
"I hate to say this, but they didn't accomplish their goal," I pointed out. "If they had, we'd be dead right now. So what's to keep them from trying again? Especially after Ezra called them out on the five o'clock news?"
"And Aria still has to go to school. I can't be there to protect her. She's been Skyping with me between classes and coming home for lunch, but that's really not going to stop anyone from hurting her if they were so inclined," Ezra pointed out.
"Yeah, it just means you know about it right away and can call the police immediately if it does happen," Alexis sighed. "Short of having the police escort her to and from school, there's really not a lot that can be done."
"We actually talked to the chief about that," I told them. "And unfortunately, they just don't have the manpower for it. He felt horrible about it given what Ezra did for his daughter, but his hands were tied."
"That's horrible," Jacob said. "But understandable, I guess. He only has so much power."
"Well, at least the extra week means Bailey won't miss too much school," Alexis said. "She's on doctor's orders to rest for another two weeks, so she should only miss a week if things keep going well for her."
"That's good news," Ezra agreed. "Especially this time of year. She'll have to do quite a bit of catching up. Everyone's piling on the work since there's only a month left."
"Which is why I can't afford to miss school right now either," I sighed.
"This would be a whole lot easier if you could," Jacob agreed. "It scares me thinking of someone just going onto that campus and no one realizing that he doesn't belong until it's too late."
I realized he was right. Savannah College of Art and Design wasn't exactly Fort Knox. Matter of fact, it wasn't secure at all. Anyone could just mosey onto campus and no one would be the wiser. Yeah, if someone thought a person didn't belong, they could always ask to see the person's school ID (which both students and faculty had) and call campus police if the person didn't produce one, but what good would that really do? By the time campus police got there, the trespasser would probably be long gone.
I was on Skype with Ezra the next Wednesday when Jacob's fear was realized. I saw someone being stopped by a professor and being asked to produce their school identification. The person didn't have an ID, and the teacher pulled out his cell phone to call campus police. Before the call could even be made, the person who was trespassing on school property jabbed the professor in the throat and ran away.
"Ezra, I think someone's on campus," I said quietly. "Someone who shouldn't be here. A professor just asked a guy I've never seen before to show his school ID and he didn't have one. Guy jabbed the professor in the throat before he could call campus police."
"Get into the nearest building," he said urgently. "Now. The more people there are around you, the better. I'm on my way there. Can you tell me anything about what this person looked like?"
"Um, he was probably in his mid-forties. About your height. White. Dark hair. That's all I could tell from where I was," I told him as I walked towards the practical arts building. "Look, Mr. Sawyer's classroom isn't too far from me. I'll head there. I trust him."
"I have to put the phone down so I can drive, but I want you to keep talking to me," Ezra said. "Please."
"What do you want me to say?" I teased.
He chuckled tensely. "Anything. I just need to know you're still there."
"I'm here. I'm almost to the practical arts building."
And then someone grabbed me from behind and took my phone from me.
"Ezra, call the police!" I yelled as the person was dropping my phone on the ground and stepping on it.
"Your precious Ezra will never find you in time," I heard a man say right into my ear. "You're not getting away so easily this time. You fought Kevin, but you can fight off all six of us."
"Watch me," I said, trying to keep my voice even, not to show any fear.
"Noel told me you were a feisty one," he said, chuckling sinisterly.
I thought about fighting this guy. But even not being able to see him, I could tell he was a lot bigger and stronger than Mr. Thomas had been. It had taken everything in me to fight Mr. Thomas. There was no way I could win a fight with this guy. Not like this.
Also, I realized, he'd said I couldn't fight off all six of them. Which meant everyone who was involved in this had decided to band together to hurt me. Now it was my turn to do something dangerous that Ezra could yell at me later for. If I went with him, if I let them take me, the police could catch all of them committing a crime. I could end this and stop them from hurting any more young girls. Once we got to wherever we were going, I would put up the fight of a lifetime. I'd hold them off until Ezra and the police found us. And then they would all go down for kidnapping and attempted rape. So I made the stupidest decision I could possibly make. I decided to go with him willingly.
"Apparently that's a common consensus among men who make unwanted advances towards me," I said as the man held my arms behind me and forced me to walk forward. "How do you know Noel?"
"You don't get to ask the questions, you little bitch," the man spat, literally spitting in my hair.
"I'm going with you. I'm not fighting you. And I'm guessing I'm not going to make it out of this alive. So the least you can do is answer a simple question for me. How do you know one of my classmates from Pennsylvania?" I said, impressed that I was able to keep my terror out of my voice.
"Fine. Noel is my nephew," the man said.
I realized this must be Roger Kahn. The one who had switched out Chloe Johnson's meds. And probably the ringleader of this whole operation.
"Well, Mr. Kahn, I'm going to guess that Noel had absolutely no idea what you were planning when he told you about me and Ezra," I said, my voice catching for the first time. "Noel likes to cause trouble, but he doesn't have the stomach for any real violence."
"Oh, he has no idea what I'm going to do to you," Mr. Kahn said. "What we're going to do to you. We're going to send that fiancé of yours a message he'll never forget. And that starts with shutting you up so you don't scream."
And then there was a piece of duct tape over my mouth. The man continued to walk me forward and forced me into a black van with tinted windows. There were four other men in the back of the van, and one person was driving. And as the chemicals made their way into my damaged lungs, I started getting lightheaded. I was going to pass out soon. Maybe that was for the best. I wouldn't know what was happening to me. Maybe I'd just never wake up. If I had to die today, that seemed like the best way.
"Okay, we've got the bitch," I vaguely heard Mr. Kahn saying.
"So should we start on her now or wait until we get there?" someone else asked.
"Oh, what does it matter? We're going to send Fitz a message he'll never forget," I heard, but it sounded like it was far away.
"So who gets to do her first?" someone else asked, sounding even farther away.
Someone unzipped their pants. And then I passed out with fire in my lungs.
#######################
"There's nothing to do but wait at this point, Mr. Fitz," I heard someone saying. "Your fiancée shouldn't even be alive right now. Her lungs were so badly damaged from the smoke she was exposed to last year that the duct tape chemicals should have killed her. But she's breathing on her own and her brain scan showed activity. She was responding to stimuli. Which means she's not a vegetable."
"How long until she'll wake up?" Ezra asked. He was obviously crying.
"There's no way to know," the other man (probably a doctor, I realized) told him. "It could be a couple of days, a couple of weeks, months, or years. If ever. And if she does wake up, there's no telling what kind of damage her brain might have suffered. She might have memory loss, or loss of motor functions, or any other number of things. She may or may not remember you. You should be prepared for that."
I'd never forget him. Ever. No matter what. I couldn't forget the man I loved more than life itself. He had to know that.
"I'm not going anywhere," Ezra said, his voice breaking.
"Talk to her," the doctor said. "It's true what they say. Hearing loved ones' voices is often what brings people back to consciousness. If the girl you love is still in there, hearing your voice might help her come back."
I tried to open my eyes, but it was like there were weights attached to them. They wouldn't open. I felt Ezra's hands holding mine, and I tried to squeeze my hand or even move a finger, do something to let him know that I was still in here and that I knew he was here with me, but everything was just so…heavy. I couldn't move a muscle. And then I was out again.
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"Wake up, babe," I heard Ezra sniffling. "Please wake up. Come back to me. Don't leave me. Not like this."
I tried to come back to him. I tried so hard. I tried to squeeze his hand, to open my eyes, to move a finger, to say something. But I still couldn't. Everything was still too heavy.
#######################
"Can she hear us?" Becca was asking.
"I like to think so," Ezra said hoarsely. He wasn't crying anymore. He was probably out of tears to cry.
"Come back to us, Aria," Jordan sniffled. She was touching my other hand. The one Ezra wasn't holding. "I know you can hear me. I know you're still in there. We're all here. And we're not going anywhere. No matter how long it takes."
No. They couldn't sacrifice their grades for me. Ezra couldn't sacrifice his job. How long had I even been in this limbo between consciousness and unconsciousness? I had no idea. It felt like forever and only a second at the same time. Again, I tried to come back to them. To let them know I'd never left them. But I still couldn't do it.
#######################
"God, I hope I'm not just talking to a shell," Ezra muttered. "Aria, I have to believe you're still in there somewhere. I have to believe you still know me. And I have to believe you'll come back to me. Because I can't do this alone. I can't spend the rest of my life without you. Maybe this is stupid and pointless, but I'm all out of ideas right now. And this is what brought you to me in the first place. Maybe it'll bring you back to me now."
I felt him put something on my head. Headphones, I realized. And a second later, I heard an all-too-familiar sound. I heard the guitar chords of "Happiness." Our song. He was playing our song for me. I wanted to wake up. I wanted to show him that I could hear it. But I couldn't move a muscle. Not even a finger. This was torture. I felt moisture on my cheek and I realized I was crying, despite my eyes being closed. I hoped he could see that.
"Aria," he breathed, wiping the tears from my face. "You're still in there. Thank God. Please wake up. Please. I love you."
I love you too, Ezra, I thought. More than you know. I'm still here. I'm trying. Don't give up on me.
#######################
"Mr. Fitz? Do you know how long she would want to be kept on the feeding tube?" the doctor was asking.
"I can't make that decision," he said hoarsely. "I can't let you do that. Not when she's still showing brain activity and breathing on her own. And yesterday I saw her cry when I played a song that means something to her. She's still in there, doctor. It's still her. I have to believe that she'll wake up."
Jesus Christ. How long had I been like this? If they were talking about pulling the plug, it had to be at least a week or more. I tried to open my eyes, and it felt like I was going to be able to, but then I still couldn't do it. I tried to squeeze the hand Ezra was still holding, and while I couldn't do that, I did manage to move a finger.
"Aria," Ezra gasped. "Thank God."
"What happened?" the doctor asked.
"She moved a finger. And I could have sworn I saw her eyelids flutter," he said. "But I can't be sure."
"Aria?" the doctor asked. "Can you hear us?"
I tried to open my eyes again, but nothing. I tried to squeeze Ezra's hand, but I couldn't do it.
"Talk to her," the doctor instructed. "Maybe it would help if she hears your voice again."
"Babe, can you hear me?" Ezra said, his voice breaking. "If you can hear me, do something. Open your eyes. Squeeze my hand."
I had to do it again. I had to show him I was still here with him. I mustered up every last ounce of strength I had trying to squeeze Ezra's hand. But once again, all I managed to do was move one finger.
"She did it again," he told the doctor. "Aria, I know it's hard, but I need you to do that one more time. Please. Show me that wasn't just an involuntary reflex."
One more time, I mustered up all the strength I had in me and moved my finger. I heard Ezra laugh a little and felt him kiss my hand.
"She's responding to you," the doctor said. He sounded happy. "She can hear you. It looks like she's trying to wake up. Give her time."
#######################
"Ezra, go home," my dad was saying. "Get some rest. I promise you we'll call if there's any change."
This must be really bad. My parents had flown in from Pennsylvania. And probably my brother too, if it was as serious as the doctors were making it sound.
"I'm not going anywhere," Ezra said stubbornly.
"You know there's nothing you could have done to stop this, Ezra," my mom said. "Stop beating yourself up over this."
"I passed beating myself up about five days ago," he sighed. "Now I'm just praying she'll wake up. I'm trying to be patient, but this is torture."
"You're no good to anyone like this, Ezra," Mike said. "At least go grab a coffee from the cafeteria. You know Aria wouldn't want you to kill yourself over her."
Well, that was true. It killed me that Ezra wasn't leaving my side. Probably not even to go home or shower or sleep or eat. It killed me that anyone had to make sacrifices for me. I tried again to open my eyes, but I still couldn't quite do it. I tried for a hand squeeze again, and I almost got it, but not quite. More finger movement, though. At least I could finally let them know I was still in here somehow.
#######################
"Aria, please wake up," Ezra said desperately. "Please. I know you're tired. I know it's hard. But I need you to come back to me. I love you."
I struggled, and I finally managed to open my eyes. His head was down, resting on his hands, which were holding one of mine. Well, I'd opened my eyes. That was something. So maybe…yes! I could squeeze his hand. Gently, but it was at least enough to let him know I was really here. Really awake. He immediately looked up and right into my eyes.
"Oh, my God," he sighed, standing up and kissing my forehead. "Aria."
"Ezra," I said weakly. I sounded like I was heavily drugged. I was sure I was. No wonder it had been so hard for me to wake up.
He hit the button to call for the nurse. I was sure they'd told him to do that the second I woke up.
"How…long?" I managed to ask. I still couldn't quite form a complete sentence.
"Almost two weeks," he said, tears coming to his eyes.
"I…heard…you," I told him. "Whole…time. I…tried."
He smiled and kissed my hand.
"I know," he said. "I love you."
"I…love…you," I said. It was getting a little easier to talk now, but it was still work.
"Shh," he said, full on crying now. But at least it was tears of joy this time. "Don't talk if it's hard."
God, I'd been such an idiot. I'd told him not to be a hero. Not to do anything that would take him from me. And what had I done? I'd almost died trying to do exactly what I'd told him not to do. And I'd put him through (apparently) almost two weeks of pure hell. What in the hell had I been thinking?
"I'm…sorry," I told him. I started to cry too.
"It's okay," Ezra said softly, wiping the tears from my cheeks. "You're awake. And you're still you. That's all that matters."
I tried to smile, but it was too much work. So I just squeezed his hand again. And then the nurse came in.
"Oh, my gosh," she gasped. "She's awake."
"Yeah," Ezra said, half laughing.
"Hey there, Aria," the nurse said. "Welcome back. I'm going to go call for the doctor."
Ezra kissed my hand again, then sighed. The nurse walked out of the room, I guessed to call the doctor.
"Is it okay if I call your parents?" Ezra asked me. "Or do you want me to wait a little bit?"
"It's okay," I told him. "Don't make…them wait."
He nodded and pulled out his phone with one hand, keeping a hold of my hand with the other one.
"Byron," he breathed. "She's awake."
There was a pause.
"Yes, I'm serious," he chuckled. "She's having a hard time talking. Otherwise I'd let you talk to her. But she's awake and lucid. Okay, we'll see you soon."
"Don't know…how long," I told him. I was still exhausted. "Still…tired. I'll try…stay awake."
"Don't worry about it," Ezra told me. "I'm sure they'll understand if you need to go back to sleep. Just maybe wake up sooner than two weeks from now."
I managed a small smile. If anyone needed proof of how well we knew each other, here it was. He apparently could speak heavily drugged Aria. He was able to figure out what I was trying to say even though I was barely able to get out two words at a time.
"Never…again," I tried. "I'm…sorry. Should have…fought more."
"No," he said. "Don't think like that. This isn't your fault."
"Did they…catch them?" I asked.
"Yes, they did. They arrested all of them. It's not even going to trial. Much as Crawford tried to get a trial date, they all pled down," he told me. "But they're still going away for a long time."
"Good," I sighed.
This was so frustrating. There was so much I wanted to say to him. So much I had to apologize for. But I couldn't even get a full sentence out.
The doctor walked in right then.
"Hi, Aria," he said. "I'm Dr. Green. Do you know where you are?"
Really? Was this necessary?
"I'm in…the hospital," I said.
"And do you know him?" Dr. Green asked, looking at Ezra.
I managed another smile. "Fiancé. Ezra."
Ezra chuckled and kissed my hand. It was obvious all was forgiven. I was awake and I still knew him. And that was all he cared about.
"Good," the doctor said. "How are you feeling?"
"Still…tired," I told him. "Hard…to talk."
"The sedation is still wearing off," he explained. "It'll get easier to talk. But we're going to keep you on some painkillers for a little while, okay?"
I suddenly realized I had absolutely no idea what had happened to me, besides the obvious.
"How bad?" I asked him.
"You were out for almost two weeks. And with the previous damage to your lungs, we weren't sure how much damage was done to your brain with the duct tape making you lose consciousness. How long you'd gone without oxygen. Other than that…I think I should let your fiancé tell you the rest."
Well, that wasn't good. Given what I'd heard the men saying before I passed out, I had a feeling I knew what else had happened to me. And all I could think was how glad I was that I hadn't been conscious for it. Because now I wasn't traumatized from it.
I sighed. "Okay."
Ezra looked like his heart was broken even thinking about it. This wasn't good at all.
"Later," I told Ezra. "Need to…sleep more."
He nodded. "We'll talk when you wake back up. I promise."
I tried to nod, but that was a little too much muscle movement right now. And that was the moment at which my parents and brother walked into the room.
"Aria," my mom said, walking up and hugging me gently. "You're awake."
"Mom," I said, trying to let her know that I still knew who she was. "Not…for long. Still…tired."
"At least you came back to us," Mike said as he walked up and squeezed my shoulder.
"Never…left…Mike," I said. "Heard you…whole time. Tried to…wake up."
My dad chuckled. "Let's let her go back to sleep. See if she can sleep off the sedation so she can form a complete sentence."
"Thank…you…Dad," I said. "Need…sleep. Love…you…all."
"We love you too," my mom said. "Go on back to sleep. We'll be back later."
My family walked out of the room, but Ezra stayed put.
"Ezra…sleep," I said. "Come…back…later."
"Not a chance," he told me. "I'm not going anywhere. And I have some phone calls to make to some very worried friends."
I managed another small smile. "At least…sleep here. Please."
"Maybe," he chuckled. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Just rest."
I closed my eyes and almost immediately drifted back to sleep. When I woke back up, my friends were all standing around the bed.
"Hey, guys," I said. It was much easier to talk now, though I was still dog tired. "Miss me?"
My friends laughed and cried at the same time.
"You have no idea," Jordan said, squeezing my hand. "We were so worried."
"Yeah, you gave us all a good scare for sure," Aiden chuckled. "You have no idea how good it is to see you awake."
"I know," I sighed. "I'm sorry. I heard you. The whole time. I tried to wake up."
"Don't be sorry, sweetie," Becca said as she squeezed my shoulder. "You're back with us now. That's what matters."
"I never left," I told them.
Ezra kissed my hand. Of course he was still here.
"We knew you were still in there somewhere," Alexis chuckled, putting a hand on my leg. "I wish Bee could be here right now. She's been so worried. But she's taking her finals right now. And Jake had to go back to Afghanistan a couple days ago. But he was here with us every day until he left. If you're up to it, maybe I can try to get him on the phone next time I come by. He'll be so relieved to hear you're awake."
"Yes," I said. "And bring Bailey by when you can."
"I will," she said, wiping tears from her eyes.
"I think you need some time alone with your man, though," Kendra said, squeezing the hand Jordan had been holding. "We'll come back later, okay?"
I nodded. Holy crap. I could nod. This was good. This was improvement.
"Okay," I said. "Thank you. Please come back though."
"We will," Becca promised.
"I get the feeling they won't let you out of here any time soon," Jordan said. "Maybe when you're feeling up to it, I'll bring Cards Against Humanity one day."
"I really want to know what we'll find out about her while she's on heavy duty painkillers and playing that game," Kendra laughed. "She's already so truthful when she's playing it."
We all laughed. That was work, but much needed. Laughter really was the best medicine.
"Okay, let's let our girl get some rest," Becca said. "Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow," I agreed.
As soon as my friends left, I turned to Ezra.
"I thought I told you to get some sleep," I said.
"And I thought I told you there wasn't a snowflake's chance in hell that was happening," he chuckled. "Seems like it's easier for you to talk now."
"Much," I told him. "I think the sedation's wearing off. I'm still tired, though."
"It's okay," he said. "I'm just…relieved isn't the right word. I don't even know what I am."
"I know," I told him, then sighed. "I'm so sorry. I should have fought harder. I shouldn't have let them take me."
"There were six of them and one of you," he reminded me. "I'd say the odds were stacked against you."
I needed to know what had happened to me. And I knew I was going to have to drag it out of him. He wasn't going to volunteer the information.
"Ezra, I need to know," I started. "I need you to tell me the truth. They raped me, didn't they?"
He didn't say anything. He just nodded and looked like he was going to cry again.
"Hey," I said, squeezing his hand. "I don't remember any of it. I passed out before it happened. I just heard them talking about it right before I passed out."
"Is it wrong if I say I'm glad?" he asked, his voice breaking.
"No. So am I. Makes it easier. Though I'm sure I'll feel it when I'm not on IV painkillers."
"I hope it's healed by then, but probably," he sighed, kissing my hand. "I'm not going to lie, it was bad."
"Thank you for telling me the truth," I sighed.
"Always," he said, trying to smile.
"Will you please get some sleep?" I asked. "For me. And maybe go home and take a shower. I get the feeling it's been a while since you've done that."
He chuckled. "Yeah, it has."
"I promise you, I'm not going to slip back into another coma," I told him. "I can't promise I'll be awake when you get back, but I promise I'll wake back up."
"How about if I go home and shower and change my clothes and then come back? I can sleep here."
"I guess that's acceptable. Though I'm sure the bed at home would be much more comfortable."
"Nope," Ezra said. "Where I'm comfortable is with you."
I shook my head. He was so stubborn. But I loved him more than I could even wrap my head around.
"I love you so much," I told him.
"I love you too," he said, standing up. "I'll be back soon."
He seemed to hesitate for a few seconds, but then bent over and gave me the first real kiss I'd gotten since I woke up. It was work, but I reached up and touched his face as we kissed, and it seemed to last forever and only a second at the same time. But suddenly all was right in the world.
It took another two weeks for the doctors to let me go home. They poked and prodded at me, put me in machines, and just generally frustrated me. Couldn't they tell that I was awake and alert and that my brain wasn't permanently damaged? And it didn't help that Ezra kept laughing at me when I said how frustrated I was with the process. Or maybe he was laughing with me. Or just laughing because he was so relieved that I was back to my old self. Back to the girl he loved. I doubted even he knew for sure.
At least Ezra and my friends and family kept me entertained whenever the doctors weren't treating me like a lab rat or helping me get my muscle strength back. We played Cards Against Humanity a couple of times (which I'd thought would be embarrassing with Ezra participating, but he thoroughly enjoyed himself), watched movies, and just hung out like we used to before all of this insanity started happening. I did get to talk to Jacob on the phone a couple of times, and he sounded so relieved to hear my voice.
I went through a whole gamut of emotions when we finally pulled back up to the house. I was completely healed from the injuries from the rape, but still just tired. I didn't know what kind of drugs they'd given me, but they made me super groggy and they were still wearing off. And I was still working on getting my muscle strength back. I still had a couple weeks of physical therapy to go. Ezra didn't let me do anything for myself, not even open my car door.
"I have told you the old-fashioned romantic in you is a little annoying at times, right?" I teased as he helped me out of the car.
"Deal with it. You're not lifting a finger for a while," he chuckled.
"You do remember the doctor giving me the all clear, right? Oh, and the fact that I'm supposed to be trying to do as much as I can to get my strength back?"
"Yes. But this isn't about that," he sighed.
"Ezra, I'm fine," I told him. "Really. I can't be traumatized from something I don't remember. And I'm healed from that part of it. I'm not saying I'm perfect yet, but I'm getting there."
He smiled. "You'll always be perfect to me. No matter what."
I chuckled a little and felt myself blush.
"Back at you," I said. "Is it weird that I'm a little nervous to go back in?"
"No. You haven't been here in a month."
A month. When he said it like that, suddenly a horrifying thought came to mind. Something I hadn't even thought to ask until now.
"Don't laugh at me when I ask you this," I requested.
"I can't promise that, but I'll try," he teased. "What?"
"What happened with school? Obviously life and classes went on without me."
"Well, you'll have to retake a couple of classes, but some of the professors were lenient and gave you a grade based on the assignments you'd done. Like your photography professor. He actually came by a couple of times while you were unconscious. He was genuinely concerned," he said. "And the school agreed to let you keep your scholarship and take the classes online over the summer."
"So I don't have to stay here and do the summer school thing?" I clarified.
"Nope," he said, smiling. "We're still headed to Rosewood next month. You and I have a date with a minister. And then a flight to Europe to catch."
I chuckled. "Good. Please tell me I don't have a welcoming party waiting for me inside."
"You don't. I promise. Your friends wanted to do that, but I convinced them to come by tomorrow instead."
"Thank God," I sighed. "Because what I really want today is just to be with you."
"I'm not going anywhere," he promised me as he opened the door. "You'll probably get sick of me."
"That's not going to happen," I laughed. "And if it did, that wouldn't bode well for our future as a married couple."
Ezra chuckled and led me upstairs without another word. And we literally just laid in bed all day. Not even watching TV or reading or anything. We spent the whole day just lying there wrapped in each other's embrace, talking a little, sleeping a lot (at least on my part), and just enjoying finally being back home and together and alone. It was a little surreal to believe that it was really over. Everything was over. A was gone, the creeps who had done this to me were behind bars, and we could finally just live our lives in peace.
The next day, our house was overrun with people. My parents and brother were still in town, and they were actually a little overbearing. Not horrible, but it was almost like they resented Ezra for being here and being the one who got to take care of me. At least my parents were like that. Mike was just grateful he was here. And he tried to remind my parents that Ezra and I were getting married soon. That I wasn't a little girl anymore.
But more than wanting to see my parents, I wanted to see my friends. And they didn't disappoint. Alexis, Bailey, Becca, Kendra, Jordan, and Aiden all came over at various points during the day. Alexis and Bailey even brought Belle with them.
When the Whites came by, of course Mr. White and Ezra had to talk business for a little bit. Ezra had taken an FMLA leave of absence so he could be at the hospital with me. That guaranteed him a job when he came back to work next year, but what job was still kind of up in the air.
"Ezra, I have a proposition for you," Mr. White told him. "You're of course welcome to your old job when you get back from your honeymoon if you want it, but I happen to have a vacancy in the administration department. I seem to find myself without a dean of attendance now. And I would love it if you would fill the slot."
"Are you sure about that?" Ezra asked. "I'm honored, but I'm sure there are much more qualified people out there who would love that job."
"Look, I've been doing a lot of thinking and soul-searching. And right now, in the wake of what's happened, I need people I can trust in the administration at that school. You're one of the few people I trust. You don't have to give me an answer right now, but I do need to know before you leave for Rosewood."
"I'll think about it," Ezra sighed. "I promise, I will. But I love teaching. I don't know if I'm ready to give it up yet."
"I understand that, believe me. But you have a chance to make a difference in that school. To help me make sure nothing like this ever happens again," Mr. White said.
"Okay, guys, how about we save the shop talk for later?" Tracy teased. "Today is about Aria, not about the school."
"No, they can keep talking," I chuckled. "I'm actually enjoying the distraction."
Ezra chuckled and kissed my head, but didn't say anything else about it. And the rest of the visit was great. It wasn't a visit with my fiancé's boss and his wife. It was just a visit with two people who had become pretty incredible friends to us.
It took a while for me to work up the nerve to even try anything in the bedroom again. It wasn't that I was traumatized from what I'd been through. I didn't remember it. It was more that I knew Ezra was. And I didn't want our first time in God knew how long to have baggage attached. I was just waiting for the right time. When it felt right. When it was natural, not forced. When we were just…us again.
The right time came the night before we left for Rosewood. We had our bags packed and we were ready to leave the next morning. Whenever. We were driving, so it wasn't like we had to be walking out the door at a specific time. And we were just lying in bed kissing. I wouldn't have quite called it making out, because making out would imply that more was going on, that it was more…carnal in nature. And it wasn't like that at all. This was more just romance. Just us saying "I love you" without words. At some point, his hand slipped under my shirt. It wasn't conscious, but he didn't freeze and stop it like he had all the other times before since I'd been home. That was how I knew. This was it. This was right. There was no baggage tonight. Tonight, right now, it was just us.
I slipped my hand under Ezra's shirt as I pulled him closer by his lower back. He exhaled quietly and ran his hand up my back under my shirt, seeming like he was trying to re-memorize every curve. I stopped kissing him just long enough to take his shirt off, and he responded by pulling mine off. As we rolled over so he was above me, he stopped to look at me.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked.
I nodded and kissed him again.
"You're the only person I'm thinking about right now," I told him. "It's just us. I love you."
Ezra's smile lit up the whole room.
"I love you," he said quietly. "More than anything."