Without Her

chapter 28 - and it begins

Hardin's POV:

I wake up in the middle of the night, interrupted by cries and sniffles that I realize are coming from Tessa. I sit up straight and scoot closer to her. She is awake and crying, even though she tries to stifle her sobs, I could here them clear enough.

"Tess" I place my hand on her shoulder, and she flinches, clearly didn't expect me to come from behind her.

When she turns her face to me, my heart sinks looking at her. Her face is soaked in tears, and her eyes are still completely pooled.

"What's wrong?" I whisper in my softest voice and bring my palm to hold the side of her face.

"Nothing" she looks away. I start recollecting everything I did or talked about with her today. And I am pretty sure I did nothing to make her angry.

"Are you upset about the last of the ice-cream I ate?" I stoke her arm. I wouldn't be surprised if she did, the other day she shed crocodile tears just because I ate the last of her favorite chips. She didn't talk to me the whole day until I brought her a new pack.

She shakes her head no and I take a long breath.

"Is it because I forgot to pick up the books you wanted from my office?" she nods no again and I stress every brain cell to recollect what could I have done. "Because I refused to watch the harry potter movie with you?"

"No" she whispers.

"Are you hurting somewhere?" I snake my hand to her stomach and she says no again, removing my hand from her belly. "What is it then?" I tuck the lose strands of hair behind her ear and gently stroke her warm damp cheek.

"You don't love me anymore!" She whines like a child, and begins to sob uncontrollably.

"What?" I half laugh at her accusation but then realize that she's being serious. "W-what made you think that, huh?" I turn her over to face me and she doesn't look me in the eye. "Tessa" I wipe her tears and try to calm her down because she is full on crying and it's making me worry now.

"I saw the thing between you and Dr. Elliott" she says in between her sobs and my shoulders relax down knowing it's only a misunderstanding and being the hormonal creature she is right now, she is making it a big deal.

"What?" I chuckle and she shoves my chest away.

"She is beautiful, she is BRITISH. She won't need oxygen support during sex. And you- you are you. Why wouldn't you get attracted to each other?" she says and I get a rush of guilt. She is still holding onto that thing, I did get a little upset but I didn't know it would hurt her the way it is.

"I can't believe I got caught" I play along and she stops crying, her squinted eyes widening in surprise.

"I knew it" her voice breaks.

"Yeah, what do we do now? Are you leaving the house or should I?" I turn the light on and get up from the bed.

She seems to have caught my sarcasm and makes the weird look she does when she's feeling stupidly guilty.

"Oh look, Elliott is calling. She is waiting for me to join her and her husband in bed" I say waving my hands in the air and she looks away, trying to hide her smile.

"Go then" she sniffles and I climb back up, slowly making my way beside her.

"Penny for your stupid thoughts?" I whisper near her ear.

"She was acting weird today, you were acting weird and I even saw you hugging her! You're not a random doctor hugger"

"No I am not" I bite my lips together and pull of a serious look. "I was- hugging her because she told me something"