Patchworked Hearts {SAMPLE}

Chapter 27

Gilligan was meowing obnoxiously several hours later, rubbing his hefty body against Pat's duffel bag as best he could while Helen watched on quietly.

You and me both, she thought sadly as Gill pawed at the bag, clearly smart enough to know that his master was leaving and not happy about the knowledge. Ginger, meanwhile, was further down the hall, scratching on Gill's hardly-used scratching post and entirely uncaring of the events unfolding by the front door.

Helen rocked on her heels, wrapping her arms around herself and trying not to think too much about how empty the house would be without Pat. Gill plopped down, his hind legs stretched out awkwardly to avoid his stomach, and shot Helen a look that screamed, Do something, human!

Her lips lifted in a meek grin. "Sorry, buddy, but he's got to leave." I don't want him to go either, she added mentally.

A thump came from behind her, and she whirled around to find Pat standing on the stairs with his computer bag in his hands and a sad smile on his now-cleanshaven face. "You alright, Helena?" he asked for the third time that morning. He'd asked after he'd woken up to find her still sitting at the kitchen table, her mind whirring from her conversation with Addy, and then again when she'd been washing their dishes from breakfast with a dazed look on her face.

"I'm okay," she returned, just as she'd told him the previous two times, even though they both knew she wasn't—not entirely, anyway. Pat nodded, though clearly unsatisfied, then took the remaining steps quickly, dropping his computer bag by Gilligan before turning his attention to Helen.

He stepped closer, until they were sharing the same air, and slowly pulled her arms from her body, replacing them around his waist. "There," he murmured, closing the distance and hugging her tightly, "that's better." He let his lips rest against her temple, not kissing, but reminding her that he was there and loved her dearly.

Helen melted into his warmth, snuggling her nose into his chest and breathing in his scent. "You'll be back in a week?" she asked, because she had to make sure.

It was stupid, especially after all the reassurances she'd given him about being just fine, but she was struggling to grasp the reality that she wouldn't see Pat for a whole week. It certainly didn't help that the whole mess with Georgia Gross and friends was going on either, and she wasn't sure how she was going to cope.

Pat blew out a weighted breath, stirring her hair. "Yes, sweetheart, I promise. I'll be back in a week. You'll be safe while I'm gone?"

She hummed. "Yeah, I'll be safe." She hoped she would be, anyway.

Pat pulled back just enough so he could eye her sternly. "Don't stay too late at work, and please don't walk in the pouring rain; I don't want you to get kidnapped or catch a cold."

"It's not actually possible to catch a cold from being in the rain, you know."

"Only if you don't overdo it," he fired back in reply, bending to catch her lips in a sweet kiss. "And I don't want you to overdo it. Now," he stroked his fingers over her cheek, his gaze tracing across her features as though committing them to memory, "I love you, sweetheart, and I'll see you in a week, alright?"

She nodded. "Alright." Even with the improvements she'd made and the support of her therapist, Helen couldn't help but feel her stomach hollow out at the thought of being without him for a full seven days. "I love you. I'll miss you. I love you." A sudden bout of tears pricked at her eyes, and she cursed inwardly; since when had she turned into such an absolute mess?

Who are you kidding? You've always been a mess.

Seeming to recognize the impending breakdown, Pat cupped her face in his palms and forced her eyes to his. "I love and will miss you too, Helena. But I'll call you tonight before bed, okay? And don't be afraid to call me before that if you need something, or just miss me. Sound good?"