SWNOVELS Chapter 74 EPILOGUE
“Can you not make me any nervous than I already am.” Scarlet took in a deep breath and went to where her son sat cradling his sister.
“SJ I need to tell you something.”
“I already know, you aren’t coming with us. Super hearing, remember.” SJ flicked his ears.
“Alright, so I guess you understand?”
“I will never understand what grown-ups do and the decisions they make. Here take her.” He handed Chrissie over to her.
“Oh, my baby. I’m going to miss you so much.” She squashed Chrissie to her chest and showered her with kisses.
“Hey, what about me?” SJ complained.
“I’m going to miss you too.” She used her free arm to hug him and gave him a peck. “Be good and watch out for your sister. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“Promise.”
“Promise.”
Scarlet walked them to the check-in counter and handed the baby to Stephan once their flight number was called. It took a second for Chrissie to understand what was going on and once she did she began to cry.
Scarlet held back, forcing herself not to run to her crying child. She turned around and ran out of the airport. She sat in her car for a while and waited for the plane to take off. Once she heard the roaring of the engines and saw the plane pierce into the night sky she went to the rental service and handed in the car then to the sales office to get herself a ticket.
She was headed to Washington and although her family was headed in the same direction she didn’t want anything to derail her. She waited for about two hours before the next flight to Washington was about to board.
She picked a window seat and watched the lights disappear as they rose higher and higher further away from the sky. Scarlet was probably the only passenger awake on the midnight flight. She missed being able to sleep but appreciated the fact that she could never get tired.
***
“Let me guess she is still soul searching,” Kayla remarked once Stephan and the children got to the house and she noticed Scarlet wasn’t with them.
“You could say that. She drove us to the airport and after that, I don’t know where she went. We tried calling her to tell her we had arrived, but she wasn’t picking up.”
“I’ll call her later. You better put that one to bed. Here, I’ll take her for you.” Kayla eased Chrissie into her arms careful not to wake her.
“Before I forget, Scarlet saw your mother at the cemetery. She wants you to call her.”
“I will, soon. Come on SJ you are falling asleep on your feet.”
“Mmph,” SJ replied.
“So what happened?” Solara asked once Kayla took the children to their rooms to sleep.
“I thought that we were past it all and she was coming home with me. We had a wonderful time at the beach and honestly believed the gap between us was closed.” Stephan lamented.
“You need to give this time.”
“Time, that’s what she asked for and I promised to give it to her. But being without her for an unknown amount of time is torturing me.” Stephan dropped into the sofa.
“You’ll live.”
Stephan looked around and noticed how quiet the house was, which was very unusual considering the number of people who lived there.
“Where is everybody?”
“Eric is asleep and Jade and the twins went hunting.”
“You let her go out without you?” Stephan was stunned.
“She is with the boys, besides when I got her she was already an independent teenager used to doing what she wants.” Solara chuckled.
“It doesn’t matter how old or tall Chrissie will be, she will never go out hunting without me.”
“That’s different Stephan, your children have the habit of being abducted.” He teased.
Solara stopped laughing when Stephan’s stern looked burned through him. “Sorry.” He raised his hands in surrender.
“Now all I have to do is wait.” Stephan exhaled and sank deeper into the seat.
***
Scarlet smiled as she listed to the message SJ had left for her. She could hear Chrissie’s jabbering in the background and it made her even more elated. She had listened to the message three times already, her children’s voice had a calming effect on her and she needed it more now than ever.
The George Washington Hospital stood before her in all its might. She had been there for a couple of minutes and was still gathering the courage to walk through its doors.
The memory of Archie walking through that door bombarded her mind, so did the memory of his death. She felt guilty walking into the place that he had loved so much. She felt even guiltier knowing she was going to interact with the people that loved him and who she had taken him from.
“Ok, Scarlet it’s now or never.”
She took a step of faith and walked to the automatic doors, which opened as soon as she stepped onto the mat. She walked into the hospital and immediately recognized the busy atmosphere and the sterilized smell it had always possessed. This was to be her second home but somehow she had managed to mess it all up.
“Scarlet! How are you?” The receptionist recognized her immediately.
Scarlet returned her beaming smile with one of her own. She wasn’t exactly sure of how convincing she was but it would have to do. She noticed that the redhead hadn’t changed at all, she was still her dorky, quirky self.
“Hey, how are you.”
“I’m fine and how are you. We were all so sad when you had to leave because of your difficult pregnancy.”
“So was I but I’ alright now.”
“How is the baby?”
“I had a son and he is growing every day, he already has a little sister.”
“Gosh, you don’t slow down.”
“It took me by surprise but I’m glad it happened. Besides I have closed shop.”
“That is great. You should bring them by one of these days.”
She decided to get to the reason that she was there, “Is Dr. Shee around? I would like to see him.”
“Sure, why don’t you go up to psych, then I’ll let him know you are waiting for him.”
She walked up to the elevators and forced herself not to look in the direction of the emergency room, Archie’s kingdom. When the elevator door opened she rushed in, knocking shoulders of those getting off it.
“I’m sorry.” She pressed the third-floor button and watched the numbers as the bell went off announcing each floor they had passed.
Tensed she walked to the doctor’s office, taking in an unnecessary breath before she knocked on the door.
“Come in.” A deep voice called out from the other side of the door.
“Scarlet, what brings you around this neighborhood.”
“Hello, Dr. Shee.”
Once Scarlet sat down, she began discussing with him her intentions of going back to work. She asked him whether he would mind writing her a recommendation letter.
Although she had only been there a couple of days, he was glad to be her referee based only on the work she did with the little traumatized girl.
Scarlet was ecstatic, things were finally beginning to fall into place. Her happiness was annihilated when Dr. Shee asked her if she wanted to take a look at the memorial wall they had in honor of Archie.
“Sure.” Was her response.