THE BILLIONAIRE'S CRYBABY
Chapter 36: EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER

Chapter 36: EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER

"Lei—Leighton?" Fay called in a hushed tone.

"Fay Landon. Fay!" She hurried forward and was about to jump into her body, when Alexander pulled her back.

"Leighton?" He spoke to her with his eyes, and a nudge of his head.

"Oh My God," she turned. "Silly me, I was about to jump on your body. How are you? Why are you here? How have you been?" She reached out a hand, withdrew it, turned to Alexander, and turned back to Fay.

Fay smiled weakly. "I can’t believe it’s actually you," she said, her speech clearer than it was before.

Leighton’s eyes moistened, as she stared at the girl she was once inseparable with. "I can’t believe it’s you either," she moved forward, and sat beside her. "My beautiful Fay," she said, placing her hands in hers.

Tears dripped from Fay’s eyes, and intensified by the second. Leighton had been her solace as a kid. Her safe place against her aunt’s extremities. They had done everything together, up until she suddenly disappeared.

"I’m so happy to see you Leigh. So happy." She sniffled, her nose puffing up.

"Me too. Can I hug her, Xan? Can I?" She asked in a pleading voice.

"Go ahead." He nodded.

She pulled her into a hug. "I missed you so much, my darling. So much!" The hug intensified, as they laughed and cried in-between.

Behind them, Alexander watched with a smile on his face. He had met Leighton many years ago in the UK. She was always talking about her friend, but she called her, "Red." Who would have thought the girl she was so fond of would turn out to be Fay, or they’d be reunited this way.

But as much as he’d like to give them all the time to let their emotions out, Fay was still too vulnerable to be so bombarded by these feelings.

"Hey, that’s enough. We still don’t know if she’s strong enough for these emotions." He touched Leighton’s shoulders.

She sniffled, and nodded. "What’s the details?" She directed at Alexander, as she pulled away.

"Almost drowned in the tub. If she wasn’t brought out the time she was, it would have been a different story."

"Fay!" She jutted her head forward. "What happened? Is it your Aunt? Did she do this to you?" She asked, her voice crippled from worry.

"No." She shook her head.

"Then what happened?"

"I—" her lip began to quiver. She couldn’t bring herself to explain a situation she didn’t understand herself. In the moment she conceived the idea of dying, she had been so sure it was the best possible outcome for everyone to finally be at peace. But in hindsight, she saw how foolish her decision was.

"You don’t have to say anything until you’re ready," Alexander said.

"That’s true. We’ll get you to feel better, for now. You’re going to be fine. I promise."

The door suddenly opened, and the Chief stepped into the room.

"I came as soon as I heard the patient was up," he said, shutting the door behind him.

He paused his approach when he saw Leighton sitting on the bed. "What’s happening here?" He looked from one face to the other.

Leighton wiped her face, and rose to her feet. "Turns out I know the patient sir. She was my best friend as a child."

His brow creased. "I thought you grew up in the UK with Alexander?"

"I actually grew up in the US sir," she answered, and smiled weakly.

"Oh," his lip pursed. "Anyway, sorry for interrupting, but I had questions, and Alexander wasn’t in his office to give me answers. But since I’m here, I’ll just ask the patient. I can do that, right?"

"Definitely Sir," Alexander said.

He drew closer to Fay, and gave her a genuine, fatherly smile. "I won’t ask how you feel, because I know you don’t feel good. I’d rather ask if you’re in a better place, you know, mentally?"

"I am."

"Great. I saw your husband at the waiting area. He was making a call. I promised he could come see you when he’s done. He has been so worried about you."

"Your husband? You’re married?" Leighton’s eyes budged.

"You sure do have lots to catch up on. I understand how crazy it can be. You know, when I was in medical school," Leighton and Alexander shared a look. It was typical of the chief. There was always a story to share, as far as he was concerned. "On the very first day, I met a brother I never knew I had. My dad was, let’s just say, not a very faithful man. Do you know how crazy it is to find a sibling you never imagined you’d ever have? It was crazy I tell you!"

Fay already adored the man. She loved people who unashamedly shared their experiences. If only she could remember her parents, their faces, or the time she had with them, she’d never shut up about it.

"I’m glad you got to reconnect with your brother," she said.

"Look! Her speech is even clearer, and steadier!" He gesticulated with his hands.

They laughed at his unexpected outburst.

"I hope she’s strong enough to eat," Alexander turned his attention to her.

"I never really turn down food, but I’ll pass for now. I still feel wobbly inside."

"Hey, if it hurts a lot, don’t hesitate to tell me," he said with so much emotion in his voice, both the chief and Leighton took notice.

The chief knew something was weird with how invested he was in this case, but he also believed he had enough sense not to cross his boundaries.

However for Leighton, she felt weird. A feeling she couldn’t describe swirled inside of her, but she decided to push it to the side, and focus on the joy she felt for reuniting with Fay.

"I’m fine, Ale—doctor." She bit her lip at the near slip.

Before anyone could react, a soft rap sounded on the door.

"Come in!" The chief quickly called, hoping to cast away the awkwardness that had suddenly formed.

Ace stepped into the room, and his eyes went straight to Fay. Her head rose at the same time, as their gazes met.

Despite her effort to be demure, a smile escaped her face. She expected his eyes to be hardened, and filled with reproach for her. Never did she expect the look of relief in his eyes.

"Let’s leave the couple alone. We’ll come back to do a proper check later," the chief announced.

"Sure." Alexander nodded. He patted Fay’s hands, but she was too caught up in staring at her husband to notice. With an internal resigned sigh, he walked ahead first.

"Let’s speak later okay?" Leighton asked, but she was also met with silence, and an unreturned stare.

Smiling, she turned around, and followed Alexander.

"Come son," the chief called as he also turned around. "Go closer to your wife. She needs you."

Alexander passed by Ace, and they acknowledged each other with a slight nudge of their heads. Leighton couldn’t stop staring. She had seen him before, but couldn’t for the life of her remember where. All she knew was her beautiful friend had gone from that troublesome Gabriel, to this handsome specimen of a man.

"Good for you. Fay," she muttered in her mind, as they walked past him, out of the room.

The chief followed next. When he walked by Ace, he gave him an encouraging tap on the shoulder, before walking out.

Left alone with Fay, Ace moved his feet forward until he was standing in front of her.

He couldn’t describe his emotions. His chest felt constricted, and free at the same time.

"You’re here," she spoke first, overwhelmingly happy at his presence.

"I am," he said. Bending down, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

She didn’t feel all that cold anymore. There was some sort of warmth on her body.

As he straightened up, he found her smiling.

"How do you feel?" He asked, sitting beside her.

"Better now that you’re here. I’m so sor—" she began when he shushed her.

"Don’t you dare apologize for anything."

She flinched at his words, and he noticed.

"No," he placed his hand on hers. "I didn’t mean it that way. You don’t have to apologize for thinking the only way to make things better was permanently disappearing. You’d be surprised how many people have those thoughts."

She couldn’t bear how nice he was being. It’d be much better if he got mad at her. A tear fell down her face, and before long, she was crying all over again.

"Fay." He gently pulled her closer, and brought her into a warm embrace.

Her very sensitive nose instantly sniffed it out. Maybe because she knew fragrance more than anything in life, but in a split second, she picked apart the most dominant scent. The same scent at the wedding, at the restaurant, and not too long ago, in this room.

He had been with her; Reign King. For longer than the time she spent in the room, or even when he dragged her away.

For the scent to be that heavy, they must have embraced, or done more than that.

"Did she comfort you the way you’re comforting me now? Is that why you’re so calm?" The question popped up in her head, and as his hold on her tightened, so did the volume of her tears increase.