The Fire Between High & Lo (Elements 2)

“Nervous?” I asked.

“Nervous,” she replied.

I shrugged.

She shrugged.

I laughed.

She laughed.

I parted my lips.

She parted her lips.

I leaned in.

She leaned in.

And I was reminded of the yesterdays that set my world on fire. We kissed for a long time in that booth, making up for all of the mistakes of our past and forgiving one another for all of the mistakes of our future.

It was beautiful. It was right. It was ours.

But of course with all the highs, always came the lows.

Alyssa’s phone rang, and we pulled away from one another. When she answered, I could tell something was wrong. “What’s up, Erika?”

Pause.

“Is he okay?”

My gut tightened as I sat up straight.

“We’ll be there soon. Okay. Bye.”

“What is it?” I asked as she hung up.

“It’s Kellan. He’s in the hospital. We have to go. Now.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Logan

“What happened?” I asked, rushing into Kellan’s hospital room. Kellan was lying in his bed, IVs hooked up to his arms. “Kel, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I don’t know why she called you guys. There’s nothing wrong.”

“He was walking to the bathroom and he passed out in the hallway,” Erika said, sitting in a chair, rocking back and forth slightly, with her hands tucked under her thighs.

“I came to, right away,” he argued. “I’m fine.”

“Kellan, you couldn’t walk, and you forgot my name.”

Kellan opened his mouth to speak, but a sigh left him instead. He closed his eyes. He was tired. Breaking down more and more each day, and I couldn’t help but wonder when the chemotherapy would start fixing him. It seemed as if it was only breaking him down.

Erika stood up, taking Alyssa and me to the side of the room to talk while Kellan fell asleep. She wrapped her arms around her body, and leaned against the closest wall. “The doctors are running a few more tests. He’s just so tired and weak. The nurse said they can send us home with a wheelchair and it might help him get around, but he said he didn’t want it. He’s being so prideful. But, he needs…” She wiped her hands over her eyes, before resting them on top of her head. “We just need to help him. He’s not the type to ever say he needs help. He’s always been the one who helped others. But he needs our help. Even if he tries to push us away.”

“Anything you need, I’m there,” I said. “Anything he needs.” Erika gave me a tight smile. Her eyes were heavy, too. Sleep deprived. I was almost certain whenever Kellan closed his eyes at night, hers stayed wide awake. “You need help too, Erika. You don’t have to do everything. That’s why I’m here.”