Part 24 (1/2)

”Well that was convincing.” Naomi gathered up the last of her things and moved around the table. ”Seriously, Damien. Go home. I don't need you.”

I grabbed her arm and halted her progress before bending down and whispering, ”I'm not leaving you. I don't care what you do or say. I'm. Not. Leaving.” The last words came out harsh as I leaned back and took her hand. She resisted until she saw me reach into my pocket and pull out her necklace. Naomi froze as her wide eyes bored into it. Opening her palm, I gently placed the piece of jewelry into it and closed her fingers around it.

”You may not need your mother... and you may not need me. But we need you. Think about that.”

I slumped down next to Gabe, both of us looking at the three girls down the hall. Alara and a newcomer-Sherry, I learned-were trying to distract Naomi as we waited for the doctor. Derek and Mark were both standing off on their own.

”I've never...” Gabe trailed off as his gaze moved to the wall across from us.

”What?” I asked, my eyes still on Naomi. She hadn't looked over once, and she hadn't spoken to me since we left the cafeteria an hour ago.

”I haven't known her long, less than a year. But she's one of those people that reel you in, ya know? Makes you feel like you've been friends forever, like you know everything about her.” I knew exactly what he meant. I knew she was special. ”It's easy to forget that you don't,” he finished.

”I know her,” I said roughly.

I could practically feel his smirk. ”Well I'm sure our relations.h.i.+ps with her are a tad different.”

”Our relations.h.i.+ps better d.a.m.n well be more than a tad different.” I looked over and threw him a smile to soften my words. Gabe laughed and sunk further into his chair. He looked around and quickly sobered up.

”My point is, I've never seen her like this. She has an opinion on everything. I've never seen her numb to anything.”

”She's just scared.”

”That doesn't make it easier to watch, in fact... I think it might make it harder.” I set my eyes on the girl in question and while yes, it was hard to watch, I didn't feel discouraged by it.

”Derek?” a soft voice said from my left.

I looked over to find a brunette moving quickly down the hallway. Her brown hair was tied into a tight ponytail on top of her head and she wore black capris and a simple white T-s.h.i.+rt. The cla.s.sic style was topped off with black flats.

Naomi's brother looked her way, his face flooding with relief. ”Sam,” he murmured. As soon as she was close enough, they melded against one another. I couldn't even tell who reached for who first. They just came together like that was what they were meant to do.

A few seconds pa.s.sed before they pulled away, still standing close and still connected by her hand on his upper arm and his hand on her waist.

”His girlfriend?” I asked Gabe, who had been s.h.i.+fting around.

”Not yet,” he muttered. I gave him a strange look. ”She's my sister.”

Brows raised, I said, ”Ahhh... and he's not good enough for her?”

Gabe shook his head. ”No, it's not that. He's my best friend-besides Alara, of course-and he's a good guy. I'm always gonna worry about her, but I trust him. I've told him as much so I'm not really sure what's stopping them, they've been dancing around this for a while.”

I opened my mouth to respond when- ”The family of Julie Donahue?”

An echoed ”yes” resounded throughout the room as Mark, Derek, and Naomi acknowledged the approaching doctor. Gabe and I stood up and walked toward them.

”I'm Dr. Sinclair, I've been attending to Ms. Donahue this evening.”

”Is she all right?” Mark asked, not even feigning a calm demeanor.

With a solemn nod, the doctor responded, ”Yes. We had to pump her stomach due to the alcohol poisoning. But barring any complications, she should be fine.” Another collective reaction, a sigh, went through the group as if we were feeling everything at once.

”Any drugs?” Mark gulped as he voiced the barely audible question.

Dr. Sinclair's brows furrowed as she looked down at her clipboard, flipping a few pages before tucking it under her arm and looking at Mark. ”Ms. Donahue's tox screens came back completely clear.”

”What...” Derek cleared his throat before stepping forward, his hand wrapped tightly around one of Sam's. ”What are you saying?”

”Ms. Donahue didn't have any drugs present in her system.”

We were all silent as we stared at the doctor. Derek was the first to break into a relieved smile, and everyone else followed quickly. But Naomi merely stared, like she was waiting for the punch line to a joke or for the rug to be pulled out from beneath her.

”None?” she asked, a hard edge to her voice. ”No drugs of any kind, at all?”

”That is correct, ma'am. Now if you'll excuse me I have other patients to attend to. If you have any more questions feel free to ask the nurses, or have them page me.” With a quick nod, the doctor turned and briskly walked down the hall. Everyone began hugging and talking as Derek noticed Naomi's still detached mood.

”This is a good thing, Naomi. She didn't use,” Derek said as he squeezed her shoulder.

”I know.”

”Then why do you look like someone just used the word 'affect' incorrectly?”

She gave him an incredulous look. ”I saw the drugs there.”

”And obviously she didn't take them,” he said slowly, like he failed to see the problem.

”Why the h.e.l.l would she even have them in the first place if she hadn't considered using them?” she asked.

”Naomi-”

She held up her hand to cut her brother off. ”You know what, don't bother. I have stuff to finish.” She shouldered her bag and stalked toward the exit. In a few quick strides, I was shoving through the door and calling her name.

d.a.m.n, she walks fast.

She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk but stayed looking forward. I placed my hand gently on her shoulder before turning her around until she was chest to chest with me. I framed her face with my hands and dropped featherlight kisses on her lips. One. Two. Three. All of them went unreturned.

”I'm sorry about your mother.”

”I don't want to talk about her.” Naomi pulled back completely until we were no longer touching before starting toward her car.

”Where are we going?” I asked as I came up beside her.

”I'm going home. I have no idea where you're going.”

I shrugged and shoved my hands in my pockets. ”Well, that's easy. I'm going wherever you're going.”

Her glare would have made lesser men shrivel. ”No, you're not.” I said nothing as we continued across the parking lot and to her car. She paused next to it, abandoning her fob in favor of manually opening only her door.

”Naomi,” I warned with a growl. I could see her calculating how much abandoning me in this parking lot would p.i.s.s me off. But that contemplative look only lasted a second before she yanked open her door and threw her stuff into the backseat. I was glaring at her through the pa.s.senger side window as the engine rumbled to life. But she didn't see it, because she never looked my way. And a minute later I was left standing alone in the parking lot, watching her taillights fade into the distance.