Chapter Two
"Pru!" Alex exclaimed happily, throwing his arms around her.
"Alex." Pru giggled, hugging him back. Besides Alex and Bea, Pru had been the only other one to survive what had happened in Brazil and, even though she hadn't known the two siblings prior to the trip, she had found herself caring deeply about what happened to them during those dark days. Of course, that was bound to happen, given what they had gone through. "It's so good to see you again!"
"What are you doing here?" Alex wondered, keeping his hands on her shoulders as they separated. "How come you didn't tell Bea or I that you were coming?"
"I wanted to surprise you." Pru shrugged, "Besides, I didn't really know if I was ready to start traveling again quite yet and I didn't want to disappoint you if I..."
"Yeah." Alex nodded; understand how their ordeal would turn someone off leaving their home country for a while.
"Want to get some coffee?" Pru suggested, trying to lighten the mood.
"Okay." Alex said, nodding his head again.
"Alex?" Bea called as she still lay in the bed that same morning. The house was far too quiet, even with her parents gone on vacation. Stretching her arms out above her head, the young, brown-haired woman slowly sat up before heading downstairs. She looked around the house for any sign of her brother. "Alex? You home?" As she reached the kitchen, she found a rushed note scribbled on the fridge. "Bea, went out surfing with the guys. Be back this afternoon. Party tonight." Taking the note off of the fridge, she smiled sadly as she crumpled the note in her hand. "Alex."
"Thanks." Alex smiled up at the waitress as she set two cups of coffee down on the table he and Pru shared before hurrying off.
"So, please tell me that you surf better than that." Pru giggled, getting his attention. "In Brazil, you made it sound like you were pretty amazing."
"Yeah," Alex chuckled, blushing slightly. "Yeah, I'm usually pretty good." Sighing heavily, he turned his gaze out of the window at the ocean. "It's just that Bea had a nightmare last night and I..."
"A nightmare?" a concerned Pru asked, leaning forward in interest. "What about?"
"Brazil." Alex replied, causing Pru to wince and shake her head slowly. "She's been seeing a therapist ever since we got back and I thought that she was doing well, but..."
"Well, we are coming up on the first anniversary." Pru pointed out.
"Yeah." Alex nodded, running a slow hand through his hair.
"I guess that's partly why I wanted to come here." Pru said, putting her hand on Alex's free one. " I can't explain it, but it just felt right to be with you and Bea again."
"Well, not many people can say that they've lived through what we did." Alex said, shrugging his shoulders. His brown eyes studied the woman in front of him. "How have you been coping with all of this?"
"I've been doing all right." Pru replied, "You?"
"Was seeing the same therapist as Bea for a few months." Alex shrugged again before clenching and relaxing his left hand. While they were running away from the bad guys, he had taken a bullet there. "Of course, I had to see a doctor about this."
"Looks as good as new." Pru commented.
"Still hurts from time to time." Alex admitted.
"I did make a stop on my trip here." Pru said, changing the subject and turning her gaze out the nearby window. Her eyes suddenly focusing on the waves crashing against the rocks. "I went to England and laid flowers on Finn and Liam's graves."
"Flowers?" Alex teased, trying to lighten the mood. "Wherever he is, I'm sure that Finn's probably complaining about you not leaving a bottle of scotch."
"Didn't think that his family would think it appropriate." Pru giggled, remembering the two British men they had met and their fondness for alcohol. "Besides, perhaps while I'm here, you, me and Bea can go get a drink in their memory?"
"Good idea." Alex nodded, feeling the attraction he had had to the Australian beauty while in Brazil start to come back. Something about the way she laughed just brought a smile to his face. "So, where are you staying?"
"Oh, I got a hotel room down..." Pru started to answer.
"A room?" Alex interrupted before shaking his head. "No. Why don't you stay at my place? My parents are gone on vacation and I know that Bea would love to have company."
"And the fact that I would only be a couple of doors away at most..." Pru started, realizing that the brown-haired man had ulterior motives. The giggles came back to her. "God, Alex! You are such a guy!"
"It was kind of obvious, huh?" an embarrassed Alex chuckled.
"So, you want to go back to your place?" Pru suggested after the pair both finished their coffees. "I can't wait to see Bea again!"
"Yeah." Alex nodded, getting up from his seat. "Hopefully, seeing you again will cheer her up a little bit."
"Seems to have done the job where you're concerned." Pru noticed.
"Yeah?" Alex said, taking her empty cup from her. "Well, like you said, I am a guy." A sly grin appeared on his face and he winked at her. "Can't help it if a beautiful woman makes me happy."
"I'm confused." a playful Pru replied, getting up from her seat. "Did you want me to stay at your house or in your bedroom?"
"I could go for option B." Alex admitted as a giggling Pru took his hand.
"Bea, I'm home!" Alex announced as he and Pru walked into the front door of the Hamilton residence. Upon not hearing a response from his sister, the tall, brown-haired and brown-eyed surfer decided to call her name again. "Bea? Hello?"
"Maybe she's not home?" Pru offered with a shrug.
"Possibly." Alex said, setting his car keys down on a nearby table. "But her car's still here and I'm pretty sure that she would have called me if she was going out somewhere." He headed towards the kitchen. "Maybe she left a note on the fridge."
"Want me to check if she's in the shower?" Pru asked, remaining in the entranceway.
"Yeah." Alex nodded, pausing in his tracks. "Bathroom's the second door on the left and Bea's room is across the hall from that." Taking a moment to stare after Pru as she ran up the stairs, he wandered into the kitchen and checked the fridge. His note was gone and there was none from his sister to be seen. "Damn it, Bea. You could have left a note."
"Bea!" he heard Pru shout from the second floor and the sound of her footsteps moving from the bathroom to Bea's room across the hall. "Bea!" There was a brief moment of silence before Pru screamed in terror. "Oh, my God! Alex!"
"Bea." Alex heard himself say, feeling his heart start to pound in his chest and his body started, in slow motion, to run to and up the steps. He could see a tearful Pru standing in the doorway to Bea's room.
"Bea..." Pru started to say as Alex looked inside the room. When he caught sight of Bea lying motionless across her bed with an empty pill bottle in hand, he could no longer pay attention to anything Pru was saying.
"Oh, my God." he managed to choke out, racing to his sister's side. "BEA!"
To be continued...