Chapter 93: Giving Toni A Call
The clock on the wall ticked past midnight, then half past, then crawled toward one a.m. It felt like the hospital itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to shift, but nothing did. The same fluorescent light flickered above them every so often, buzzing softly in the stillness. A cleaning staff member passed once with a squeaky cart, humming some song under her breath before disappearing down the corridor again.
Isabella had yawned twice in five minutes, trying to disguise it each time with a sip of her awful vending machine coffee. She did that thing where she scrunched up her nose and pretended it was the taste that made her eyes water, but Alex noticed, of course.
They had yet to speak, ignoring the oversized elephant in the room, letting silence settle and reshape itself again and again. Every so often, Isabella’s foot would tap the floor lightly, restless, before she’d catch herself and stop. Alex would look over, about to say something, then decide against it, leaning back in the hard plastic chair, his elbows on his knees, staring down at the cup in his hands.
They stayed like that until the silence became unbearable.
"Alright," Alex said, finally standing up and dusting off his coat, brushing off a few invisible crumbs from the sleeve, "come on. Time to get you home."
"What? No, I’m fine-"
"You look like you lost a fight with a couch cushion. Come on."
She narrowed her eyes, her lips pressing into a thin line, but she didn’t resist when he offered his hand. Her fingers were cold, but she gripped his hand firmly as he pulled her up.
"Bossy," she muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes as she took one last sip of the bitter coffee.
"Managerial instinct," he shot back, a small grin pulling at his lips.
They walked down the quiet hallway together, passing darkened rooms and closed doors, the only sound their shoes squeaking softly against the linoleum floor. A nurse at the front desk lifted her head and gave them a small nod, which Alex returned before pushing open the heavy front doors of the hospital.