Home Ice.

Chapter Twenty-Seven.

Avery

You know what's worse than waking up in a fit of tangible fear, where you're shaking and crying and even screaming sometimes? When you wake up stunned still with it. When you're so full of terror that your body seizes, where you can only open your eyes with your heart pounding so hard it feels like it could stop - when your partner who's watching you like a hawk can't wake you up because he doesn't know it's happening. Nothing shows that you're having a nightmare, but that's underselling the feeling you have when you're slipped into sleep.

My night was filled with that. I'm sure that Finn didn't sleep last night because every time I opened my eyes, he was watching over me like a guardian. He looked so exhausted but even when I tried to tell him to sleep, he would just shake his head once and hush me back down.

He stayed there all night, hell he hasn't left my side since I've woken up either. Being inside this hospital room is not great, but I can't even find it in me to care that I'm here. I don't really care where I am, as long as it's not in the attic of that house.

Finn is the only person who's been in here besides my doctor and a few nurses, and all I can think about now is how distraught Grace probably is. I wonder if she went home.

I look over at my boy, who's deep in thought as he looks off to the side and out the window. "Finn?"

His attention gets drawn back to me, blinking a few times to rid the haze in his mind before he gives me a small smile and a hum as a response.

"Is anyone else here?" I ask quietly, pushing my glasses up onto my face. His brows dip like he's surprised I'm asking. "Who do you want to see?"

I don't think I'm in any mood to keep up conversations, but I really need to see Grace.

"Grace," I respond meekly.

His lips purse subtly and I know that he's angry with her, I heard him yelling last night. I feel a little guilty that I didn't defend her to him when he came in, I just didn't have it in me.

He doesn't say anything, he just chews his lip and nods a little. He's still mad at her, I can tell.

"Don't be upset with her," I try, which now he just looks more surprised as if he wasn't making a big 'ol scene last right outside my door. "She was just doing what I asked."

He sighs really deeply, and puts his elbows on his knees as he leans forward and rubs at his eyes. "She should have told me anyway."

"Well I wanted to tell you," I respond, a little bit of shortness to my voice.

"Yeah, and what if-" he snips back, but then he stops himself. He doesn't need to finish the sentence for me to know the end of it. His expression morphs into a pained one as he looks at me, his eyes frowning with his lips. "Was she just never going to tell me then?"

I don't know the answer to that, but I really doubt she would keep it to herself forever.

"She sat there and comforted me knowing that I had a baby and didn't tell me," he says, his eyes welling up a little bit. He looks so broken and dare I say a little bit betrayed. "I don't understand how she could lie to my face like that."

I don't agree with him, not even a little bit. I understand he's upset and has been through a lot emotionally since I've been gone, but it's not her fault.

"So then be mad at me," I shrug, not really caring that I'm being a bit of a bitch with my tone. "I'm the one who told her not to tell you. I didn't want you to know, she was just doing what told her to do. You should be pissed at me."