Breaking Cycles

Chapter 3

Ella

Striding through the hospital, I gulp down the familiar lump in my throat, reminding myself why I'm here. Making my way to his room, I force a smile and murmur my greetings, hoping to make it past most of the staff without being stopped.

"Ella! Ella, wait," a familiar deep voice calls out, concern lacing his voice. "What are you doing here?"

I grimace and halt my footsteps. Slowly spinning on my heel, I face Nathan and offer him a polite smile. "Hi Nate."

Stepping closer to me, he reaches for my chin and tilts my face up to meet his. I take a step back, attempting to put some distance between us, but hit the cold wall behind me instead. Not only do I have nowhere to go, but my hands are occupied with a tray of baked treats for the nursing staff. "Are you alright? You look a little pale," he observes.

I grimace and deadpan, "Gee, thanks."

Narrowing his eyes, he gives me a warning with only my name, "Gabriella."

"I'm fine!" I insist. He leans in closer looking deep into my eyes as if searching for the truth. "I'm just tired," I emphasize.

"Then, what are you doing here?" he reiterates. He leans in close, so close I feel his warm breath on my cheek.

Taking a deep breath, I narrow my eyes and retort, "Although it's none of your business, I'm here visiting someone."

I watch as his shoulders visibly relax and he finally takes a step back, giving me some much-needed space to breathe. "Who are you visiting? Is everything okay?" he probes.

"Like I said, it's none of your business," I repeat emphatically.

He heaves a sigh and looks away, biting his bottom lip in thought. "It's not that easy to just forget and that wasn't my choice," he mumbles.

"Maybe not, but..." trailing off I shake my head in annoyance. "I'm not having this conversation right now, Nathan."

"Ella, please," he begs, his hands falling to my waist. His pager goes off and he glances down, grinding his jaw in irritation.

"You have to go," I state the obvious.

"We're not finished," he claims. He leans back in and I turn my head to the side, his lips falling to my cheek. I feel him tense, just before he lets out a harsh breath. "We'll talk later, Gabriella," he grumbles in frustration. Without waiting for a response, he turns on his heel and picks up his pace down the hall without looking back.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, I attempt to push Nathan out of my thoughts and reclaim my positive attitude. I don't want to walk into his room with any negativity after his accident. Stopping at the nurse's station, I smile seeing Julie's pale arm adorned with freckles sticking out from underneath her scrubs as she types into a computer. I place the tray of goodies on top of the desk. "Hi, Julie," I call softly, trying to get the beautiful redhead's attention.

Looking up from her paperwork, she smiles, before her eyebrows draw down in concern. I love her, but I hate that look. "Ella," she begins.

"I'm fine," I interrupt before she has a chance to say anything. "I'm here to see someone," I inform her.

Tanya, a gorgeous woman three years older than me with smooth chocolate brown skin walks around the desk and sits down next to Julie, joining the conversation. "Oh, are you and Dr. Hull back together? I saw you two down the hallway," she enlightens me, wiggling her eyebrows. "You seemed to be pretty cozy," she teases.

Grimacing, I emphasize, "No, we are not back together. He saw me here and I guess he was worried about me for no reason because I'm fine," I retort bitterly. They both look at me with wide eyes and I shake my head lightly. "Sorry," I instantly apologize. "I didn't get much sleep the last few nights. I've been staying with Declan for a few days," I state as way of explanation. They both nod in understanding. I happily add, "I'm going back to my place today."