The Apartment: The Complete Affair (24 page)

“That’s what I figured,” Lily sighed.

“Hey, that’s no reason not to still come to me now. I don’t have any immediate plans to leave, and there’s still so much for us to share together. It could be months yet.” Panic filled him at the thought of never seeing her again. He couldn’t leave her just yet, that much he knew, but he was no fool. He knew that he was already too attached to her as it was; once she got married he would have to let her go.

As much as he enjoyed her company, he didn’t want to destroy her life.

Ethan knew that she was just a young girl having a sexual awakening. She loved the thrill of it at the moment, but she would never want to leave everything she knew behind. If she did, he knew she would hate him the second she realized that she had given up love for nothing more than a good fuck.

Tucking her head back down into the crook of his neck, he kissed the top of her hair quickly. “We can just have as much fun together as time will allow, and when all is said and done we will have these unbelievable memories to cherish. How does that sound?” He was trying his best to sound positive, but the thought of leaving her ripped him apart inside, and for some strange reason his eyes were stinging.

“Okay, yeah,” Lily whispered. “That sounds good.” She was thankful that he had hugged her closer when he did, that way he couldn’t see as she blinked away the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

They lay together like that for a few minutes in total silence. Suddenly Ethan’s phone chirped in the other room, breaking the melancholy feeling that had settled over them both.

“I should grab that,” he sighed, hating the coldness he felt the moment he let her out of his arms. “If someone’s calling this early it might be important.”

“Of course,” Lily smiled at him. As soon as he left the room she sat up and wiped her eyes violently, cursing herself for her stupidity.

Forget it. Just forget it all. Have your fun and move along, idiot. You can’t keep him
.

In the front room, Ethan was surprised to see his mother’s cell number on his display.

“Hello?”

“Ethan? Dear, are you awake?” Barbara’s voice sounded thick and raw, as if she had been crying all night.

“Mom, is something wrong? Is someone hurt?” He wasn’t used to getting calls from his mother very often over the last few years, and hearing her sound so obviously upset had him instantly on alert.

“I’m sorry to bother you so early, sweetheart. I just thought you should know that Maggie lost her baby late last night. She’s finally resting now, but your brother is more than a bit broken up over it.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” He had known Maggie since he was a teenager, and even though they’d never had the chance to get really close, she had always been sweet to him.

“Usually when this happens, Brandon is here for him to sort of lean on for emotional support, but he took your sister out of town for a long Valentine’s weekend.”

“Where is Eric?”

“We’re all still here at the hospital. They are going to keep her here until tomorrow for observation.”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“Thank you. And Ethan?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re a good brother.”

“Uh… thanks.”
Click
.

He didn’t want to dwell on what she’d just said for too long; he knew it wasn’t true. If it were true, he would have been there for him before now. If it were true, this wouldn’t be the first he’d ever heard about them having multiple losses. Hell, he barely even remembered that she had been pregnant.

Lily couldn’t help listening from the bedroom as she tried to find all of her clothes, but only hearing half of the conversation was more frustrating than not hearing any of it at all. She was surprised to hear that he actually had a mother: a real, flesh and bone mother. Until then she could have just as easily have believed that he had sprung full-grown from the head of Zeus.

When he returned he had a somber look on his face. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. There’s a bit of a family situation.”

“That’s alright,” she returned, pulling her shirt on over her head. “I really need to grab a shower and a change of clothes before work. I wasn’t paying attention to the time.” When she saw how stricken he looked she went to him and hugged him tightly. “I hope that it’s nothing too serious.”

“Well, the worst is done, but thank you. I’m just going to see if I can be of any help.” He leaned down and kissed her softly one last time. As he pulled away he couldn’t help raking his eyes down her body, appreciating the uniform she was wearing once again. “It’s too bad we were interrupted,” he said with a leer. “I would have enjoyed playing doctor.”

“Really?” she said, astonished. “The scrubs do something for you?”

“Hell yes,” he chuckled. “Now all I can think about is having you be my naughty nurse and giving me a sponge bath.”

“Alright, wow. I’m going to get the hell out of here before I take you up on that and we’re both late.” She pulled out of his arms and walked to the door. Before closing it behind her she turned and called to him over her shoulder. “Hey, Stranger?”

“Yes, beautiful?”

“Next time, you bring the sponge and the bubble bath and I’ll bring the scrubs.”

His eyes began to smolder again. “Oh, it’s a fucking date.”

With that, his beautiful goddess smiled and closed the door.

Ethan arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes later to find his mother standing outside the room speaking quietly on her cell phone. Her eyes lit up when she saw him and she held up a finger, letting him know that she was almost done. He could see the dark circles under her eyes and hear the quiver in her voice as she spoke, giving him a fairly good idea of just how long the night had been for her.

“Darling, I’ve got to go, your brother just arrived.” She listened for another moment. “Yes, sweetheart, I will. Give my love to Brandon. Let him know that we’re all going to be alright. There’s no need for him to drag you back here and cut your trip short.”

She said goodbye and ended the call, turning her full attention on Ethan as he closed the distance between them and pulled her into a tight hug. Neither one of them said anything for almost a minute as he held her, slowly rocking back and forth.

Barbara broke the silence first, mumbling into his shirt. “Thank you so much for coming. I know it’s terribly early.”

“Shh,” he scolded, patting her back lightly. “Don’t be silly. I would have come in the middle of the night if you had called me.” While Ethan would have hated to cut his amazing night with his goddess short, he knew that he was telling his mother the truth.

“Well, there was nothing you could have done at that point,” she said, pulling back to wipe away the beginning of tears from her eyes. “I think Eric will be the one who needs you now, and he was too busy sitting with Maggie all night. He wouldn’t have even known you were here.”

“What can I do?”

“Just be there for him, dear. She’s finally asleep—see if you can get him out of this damn hospital room for a while, even if it’s just the cafeteria. He won’t let himself relax while he’s with her like this. He’s always on alert.” She sighed loudly, running her fingers through her hair in a gesture that was all too familiar to him. “Talk to him. Listen to him. Don’t think that you need to cheer him up or make him laugh, that will just piss him off. If he wants to be distracted, he’ll let you know.”

Ethan hadn’t really been there for anyone in so long that he felt completely out of sorts, but he knew that he owed it to his family to give it a try. “Alright. Is he inside?”

“Of course. He hasn’t left her side since he got here. He’s been napping lightly for the last few hours since they gave Maggie something to help her sleep, but that’s the most I could get him to do. Let’s go see if he’s awake yet.”

They walked quietly into the large private room. Once Ethan’s eyes adjusted to the darker lighting, he could see his brother sleeping on a couch in the corner and his sister-in-law resting in the large bed, hooked up to a few different machines. Her face looked sweaty and her always-perfect hair was matted to her head, but something about her appearance touched Ethan deeply in that instant. For the first time since he’d met her, Maggie’s guard was down. Unable to hide behind her makeup and clothes, he could see how vulnerable and fragile she could be. Strangely, she had never looked stronger to him, or lovelier.

As if she somehow sensed his presence in the room, her eyes fluttered open. When her hazy gaze met his, the tiniest smile touched her lips.

“Hey kid,” she whispered.

“Hey yourself,” he smiled back. It was the same greeting they had exchanged since he’d been sixteen years old.

Maggie slowly raised a hand with IV tubes sticking out of it and held it out to him, motioning with her fingers for him to come closer. When he was at her side, Ethan gently took those same fingers in his hand and squeezed them before leaning over and kissing the backs of them, barely avoiding the looped tube that was taped in place.

“Such pleasantries,” she teased.

“But of course. I’m ever the gallant gentleman.” His smile faded as he looked at her. “I’m so sorry, Maggie. This whole situation is just bullshit.”

“Tell me about it,” she rasped back.

“Are you going to be okay?”

“Of course I will.” She waved him off before glancing away. “Eventually.” She met his eyes again. “I’m sort of used to it, you know? It’s a shit thing to have to get used to, but it is what it is.” Her voice dropped even lower as she angled her head toward the couch. “I’m more worried about him, though.”

Ethan looked over at his brother, curled up in a ridiculous ball on what looked to be the world’s most uncomfortable couch. “Taking it pretty hard?”

“You’d never know by talking to him, but I can see it in his eyes. Plus he’s always so damn worried about me that he never lets himself grieve properly.”

“Well that’s why I’m here, actually. I was going to try to drag his lazy ass out of here for a bit while you rested.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful!” Her sleepy eyes lit up more than he thought possible in her medicated state. “Get him the hell out of here. And don’t let him stay in the building, either. He needs a little fresh air.”

“Alright, Maggie. Get some rest.” Ethan smiled back at her and patted her hand before finally letting go. He crossed the room quietly until he was standing in front of Eric’s balled-up form. After regarding his sleeping face for a minute, he lifted his foot and gently kicked at his shoe, which was sticking out over the arm of the couch. “Hey.” He continued tapping. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty, get the fuck up.”

“Fuck you,” Eric mumbled, batting at the air before trying to roll over. When he realized that he couldn’t move away from whatever the hell was annoying him because the couch was too damn small, he finally opened his eyes and looked around. Groaning, his gaze settled on Ethan.

“What the—? Is Maggie okay?” He sat straight up, his tone instantly panicked.

“Hey, calm down. She’s fine. See, she’s—” When he turned to allow Eric a view of her, he was surprised to find that she was already fast asleep. “Sleeping.”

“Thank God,” Eric sighed, leaning over and rubbing his face with his large hands. “She was up all damn night.” When he looked up to meet Ethan’s eyes again, it was with a look of suspicion. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“I’ve come to kidnap you.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” he sighed again. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Oh come on, stop being a douche. You can’t do anything for her while she’s sleeping, and Mom is tired of not being able to sit on the couch. Let’s go get something to eat. I haven’t had breakfast yet.”

“But who will sit with Maggie? What if she wakes up and I’m not here?” The worry in his voice was unmistakable.

“Mom’s still here. Let’s go and let them have some girl time. If anything major happens she can call us, alright?”

The battle of emotions that played across Eric’s face was almost heartbreaking to watch. “Yeah… I suppose I can run downstairs for a bite to eat.”

“Not happening, man. I’m not eating the nasty shit they try to pass for food here. I was thinking we could maybe go to the diner. I haven’t had their pancakes in years. What do you say? My treat.”

He looked at Maggie one more time before Barbara’s voice rang out in the room. “Eric, go with your brother. I want to sit and read my book in peace.”

Remembering his mother’s presence for the first time, Eric nodded sheepishly and stood up, stopping to stretch and twist, which sent a loud round of pops and cracks echoing through the room. “Alright,” he groaned, “you guys win.” Grabbing his jacket and throwing it on, Eric crossed the room and hugged Barbara, kissing her cheek as he pulled away. “Thanks for sitting with her. Do you want us to bring you anything?”

“No, your father is going to bring me something in a little while. We’re going to eat together. Thank you for asking, though.” She reached up and patted his cheek, doing her best to hide her sadness when she felt the coarse stubble that had grown in overnight and saw how strained his features were.

“Alright, we’ll be back soon. Call me if anything happens, okay?”

“I will, darling, but you really need to relax. They are only keeping her for observation now, Eric. The worst is over.”

“I know. It’s just hard to leave her.” He looked over at Maggie one last time before turning and leaving the room. Ethan kissed his mother goodbye as well, and when he glanced at Maggie he could have sworn that he saw her close her eyes again quickly, as if she had been peeking under her lashes when Eric left the room. The little faker.

“What’s so funny?” Eric asked as they walked outside, wondering why Ethan was chuckling to himself.

“Oh, nothing,” he lied. “My mind’s just wandering. Here, my car’s over this way.” He led him across the lot to the Audi, and once they were both buckled in he drove off to the local diner on the other side of town.

Grabbing a booth in the corner, they smiled politely at the young waitress who brought them their menus, who also couldn’t seem to stop ogling the both of them as if she couldn’t decide which one was hotter. Once they’d gotten her to stop drooling long enough to take their order, they settled in over coffee to have a nice talk.