She turned to me, her whole face brightening, and she reached out and cupped the side of my face. “Please tell me you’re really here?”
Placing my hand over top of hers, I nodded. “I’m really here. Miss me?”
She leaped into my arms, hugging me tighter than I thought possible.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Oh, please tell me you’re getting me out of here today.”
She looked so happy all of a sudden. “I was hoping to.” The moment I said those four words, the smile on her face died.
“Was is past tense,” She replied, brushing her hair behind her ears. “Meaning you no longer want to?”
Squeezing her hand, I held it tightly. “I want to, Felicity. I really do, but your doctor doesn’t think you’re ready.”
“He’ll never think I’m ready.” She groaned, annoyed. “Theo, I can’t stay here any longer. I can’t. I feel like I’m dying and no one can hear me. I’ve taken my medicine. Mark and Cleo are gone! I’m not crazy, and this place isn’t for me. Every part of me is telling me to leave. Please don’t make me stay. Please.”
I wanted to trust her. I wanted to believe she was ready. But I kept remembering how broken she’d been in my arms, sobbing in front of her storage closet.
“Felicity—”
“I’m leaving today. Should I get a taxi?”
I shook my head. “Pack up. We’ll leave when you’re ready.”
She grinned, getting off the bed and pointing to the bag beside her. “I have everything I need already. I’ve been waiting for you.”
God, I hoped we were making the right choice.
Felicity
11:25 a.m.
Dr. Butler was not pleased in the slightest with us leaving after I got my medication and prescription. He kept trying to talk me out of it up to the moment I signed my release. It felt like déjà vu.
“Mark, I swear, move over!” Cleo hissed.
“There is nowhere to move to!” he hollered as they both tried to squeeze into the front seat, Cleo on his lap.
I did my best not to respond. Part of me hoped they would just go away. But the more I ignored them, the dumber they seemed to become, like they were trying anything at this point to get me to notice them.
“Felicity. Felicity?”
“Huh? Yes?” I faced Theo, who was watching me carefully. “Sorry, I’m just happy to be free now. What were you saying?”
“I asked where would you like to go. Back to your condo—”
“No,” I replied. Going there would make me remember everything all at once, how I used to talk to myself, thinking it was to them. Drinking wine and laughing by myself in front of the television. It was too depressing. I had somewhere else in mind. “Do you mind if we stop at the beach?”
“Nolan,” he said, and the car turned left toward the waterfront. Winding down the window, I stuck my hand out. “I missed the ocean so much, and the funniest thing is I didn’t even go that often.”
“There was a beach at Crossroads. Why didn’t you go then?”
“I was on suicide watch my first week there. The second week I could barely get out of bed because of how the drugs made me feel. The third week it was counseling, and someone was always hovering. No matter how nice the rooms are, or how great the view, a prison is still a prison,” I replied. I didn’t want to talk about Crossroads, but I guess I couldn’t just have a breakdown and come back like it had never happened.
“I don’t know why they wanted to keep you longer. You’re perfectly rational to me,” Mark said up front.
“You really hated it,” Theo whispered, and the tone of his voice got me to face him. He was looking at me with a blank expression on his face, as if he wasn’t sure how he felt.