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CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Eleanora Hadley stood outside the Seattle hospital, the moment too familiar of standing outside the Phoenix hospital last year, not knowing if Bella was going to be in a stable condition or not. It was eerily familiar as she stepped into the hospital, asking for Elijah Hadley at the front desk, before getting lost in the winding halls. The only difference that there wasn't anyone waiting at the other end apart from Elijah to support her.
Ellie sighed, resting her head against the cold hospital door for a moment before opening the door, her eyes soon falling to Elijah's still form. He was okay, that must she could see. The beeping heart rate monitor and slight movement of his chest were confirmation of that. He was sporting a black eye on the right side of his face, a few stitches just above his right eyebrow. But the worst of it was the huge bulky cast that added to the size and most likely weight of his left leg.
"You got a Sharpie?" Ellie asked, Elijah's eyes popping open at the sound of his sister.
"Not on me, but I'm sure I can arrange one for you. But I promise you'll be the first to sign, okay?"
"I'll take it." Ellie smiled softly, sitting down in the scratchy chair that was placed beside the hospital bed. "I hate this question so much but I have to ask you. How are you feeling, Elijah?"
"I've been better, El," Elijah replied honestly. "I'm in pain, grateful that I got a second chance but still feel like this is all my fault. If I hadn't fallen asleep, I would have kept Harry from falling asleep at the wheel."
"It's not your fault, Elijah," Ellie answered. "Sure there were a few questionable decision-making skills but you can't put all the blame on yourself, you weren't behind the wheel."
"He's fighting for life, two rooms down, El! How can you say to me that that wasn't my fault?"
"Because I know you, I've known you my entire life, whether you wanted me to or not. I also know that you can't take every blame in the world onto your own shoulders, you can't live that way."
"Thank you for coming, Ellie. I know that you must be so close to graduation, that this is more a hassle than anything but-" Elijah changed the topic but was soon interrupted.
"Elijah, I would drop everything and come up here to check on you in an instant, graduation or not. Besides you already know that I was days away from doing so anyway for college tours and everything. Mum will be up in a few days too, and we'll all be together again."
"You sure it isn't too much, El? I don't want you to stress yourself out too much. Mum told me about the cataplexy attack yesterday because of me."
"It wasn't because of you, there was a lot of other things that were on my mind that caused it."
"Like what?" Elijah.
"Oh, lots of things. School, graduation, I also got into a fight with Jasper although that's resolved now."
"Jasper?" Elijah questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"You remember Jasper, right?" Ellie asked. "The family of freaks if I remember correctly."
Elijah winced. "So you two are. .?"
"Dating, yes," Ellie confirmed. "I'd rather not have the interrogation if you can spare me it."
"I just want to ask one question, El," Elijah asked. "Does he make you happy?"
"Yeah, he really does." Ellie smiled.
"Then that's all I need to know."
Ellie Hadley had taken the afternoon away from Elijah to give him some personal space as she set out for University of Seattle, the same one that Elijah attended, to start her first college tour. She had enjoyed her time with Elijah, it was nice for the siblings to have the chance to catch up despite the mounting pressure of the situation, the visual reminders too much for Ellie to stomach at times but had managed to ignore them and focus on the conversation.
Elijah didn't want to discuss the accident after his brief outburst earlier, although it was obvious that Ellie's words had done little to soothe him completely. He still carried part of the blame himself, and Ellie knew that there wasn't much she could do apart from be there for him, he needed to come to the realisation himself.
So, Elijah settled for recounting old childhood memories that had Ellie in stitches, although he was careful not to push her too far that it would end up in another attack. The occasional nurse joined the siblings to check in on Elijah, and they would soon join in on the laughter as Elijah vibrantly told another story, straying away from the few tough years following their move to Forks, there weren't many sibling memories either of them really wanted to remember.
Ellie chuckled at herself at a few memories, as the walked down the near-empty halls of the University of Seattle. The occasional student passed her, grinning happily but briefly at her as they rushed past. It was practically the end of the semester, many students having already returned home but even in the near-empty campus, Ellie couldn't stop the grin from creeping onto her face.
Not too long ago, college had been a distant imagination, a wish she would never quite reach. Her friends had all exclaimed their dream colleges over the years, and when they would turn to Ellie and ask what her's was, she would simply shrug, claiming that she didn't know yet and she truly didn't.
She had been lost amongst a sea of school, classes and homework with no end in sight until she was pulled out, taught to walk again and set on her way. School, learning and concentration was always going to be hard for her, no matter where she ended up, but the most important thing was the ability to hope and to try again despite how many times she was knocked down.
"How didn't I do this earlier?" Ellie muttered to herself before completing a brief happy jump despite the chance of any lingering students nearby.
