Red Alert

Chapter 16: Teddy Bear

Ella's Pov

I was in a rush so without thinking I ran as fast as I could to my sibling's house. Lara had texted me to come over and bring a present since it was April's birthday. I was ashamed of myself for forgetting my younger sister's birthday but was happy that Lara invited me. I changed from my casual home wear into a white t-shirt with jeans and since it was cold outside, I tied a knitted scarf around my neck and picked up a jean jacket, which Dylan had so kindly bought for me.

If I wasn't so happy and overjoyed then I would have remembered to take a bus or call a taxi but since I wasn't, I forgot. I ran all the way and enjoyed the cool winter air against my face. After I arrived at their door, I took a moment to catch my breath and compose myself. Lara had invited me only because of April and none of them knew I was coming so I was excited to see their reactions. I know that Hayden, Jayden, and Lara hate me a lot but I hope we can put everything aside for today. I took a deep breath before ringing the bell as I waited.

"Come in," Lara stated as the door opened.

I stepped inside the living room as all eyes turned to me, making me feel very nervous. April was standing near the dining table, staring at me wide-eyed as she was surprised. She was wearing a floral printed frock, her hair had been straightened and she looked like a princess. Meanwhile, Hayden and Jayden both looked shocked as they looked at me for a moment before sending secret looks to Lara.

"Hi..." I managed to say mutter something between the silent tension.

"I couldn't think of something better to get you, so..." Lara said as she closed the door behind me and looked at everyone as they all looked at her for an explanation. "Here's your birthday gift."  She said, pushing me forward as I smiled.

"Lara, you..." I wasn't sure how April felt about me coming but by the small smile on her face, I was hoping she was happy.

"Let's cut the cake," Lara spoke as she and the others took a seat at the table. I sat on the chair opposite to Jayden. I was glad to be here and I was feeling like my heart would explode but somehow they all seemed so far away from me. Hayden and Jayden wouldn't even look my way without scowling and Lara looked like she was forcing herself to not cry while April seemed like the only one who was truly happy to see me. 

Lara walked over to the light and switched it off as Jayden lit the sparklers on the cake along with the candles. We started singing the happy birthday song as April smiled at me, tears in her eyes. She closed her eyes and made a wish before blowing out the candles as we all clapped. I looked at the table, recognizing the various dishes Lara had prepared. There was lasagna, salad, spaghetti meatballs, chicken tenders, chocolate cake pops, cupcakes, and cookies. I was proud of Lara and it made me happy to see everyone celebrating April's birthday so joyously.

Lara proceeded to cut the cake as she distributed pieces to everyone as the silence took over. They were all feeling awkward with me here and I could tell by their expressions. I filled my plate with a little bit of everything even though wanted to gobble everything up. I hadn't eaten anything the whole day including breakfast since I had fallen asleep, so I was starving.

"Where are my gifts?" April spoke to ease as she looked towards her brother. Hayden chuckled as he leaned down and picked up a box, handing it to April. She opened it and took out a new phone as she grinned. "Jayden," April said as Jayden handed her a bag. She opened it and gasped as she took out a pair of crystal blue wireless beat headphones. The reason how I knew what those headphones were because Aiden and Emma had them. "Thank you! Thank you! How did you know I wanted these?" She said, practically jumping in her seat.

"You think I didn't notice you drooling over them the other day," Jayden replied with a smirk as April grinned.

"Ella? What did you get me?" April asked as she held her hand forward. I smiled as I handed her the box I had prepared her present in. Seeing the gifts Hayden and Jayden had got for her made me feel a bit out of place. I didn't even think about getting her something as expensive as a phone but I wished I had. April took the lid off the box as she looked surprised, taking out the pictures in the box.

"I'm sorry...I couldn't think of anything else to get you. I took these pictures when you were a baby. This has all the pictures I took of you from when you were 1 year old to 6. They're the original photos." I said as I tried to read April's face for a reaction. She was looking at the pictures, going through each one of them and I thought she didn't like them until she got up from her chair and came over to me, engulfing me in a hug.

"Thank you, Ella. This is the best gift ever!" April exclaimed as she pulled back from the hug, wiping her eyes. "I always wanted to see what I looked like when I was little. I never had any pictures of myself when I was younger. Everyone was too busy so I thought I would never get to see how cute I was. Thank you, Ella. I am really happy you showed up." She said as she walked back to her seat and sat down. Hayden, Jayden, and Lara all looked at April with light smiles but a look of sadness lingered on their expressions.

"What happened to your hands?" Lara asked, her eyes on me. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion before looking down at my hands, noticing the bandage. 

I remembered what happened in the morning and couldn't help but smile as the image of Dylan dressing my wounds, flashed in my mind. Somehow, the memory made my heart flutter but I didn't know why. I would have to thank Dylan for treating my hands as well as apologize for breaking that glass. It was an expensive one and I could tell that by the fancy design. 

"Oh, this. I slipped on the freshly mopped floor with a glass in my hand and it was just my luck that when I slipped, my hand ended up landing on the shattered glass." I informed as I looked at my hands. Dylan had dressed my hands very neatly and it was quite comfortable for me to move my hands without feeling any pain.

"That must've hurt," April said as I simply shrugged. I'm not sure if it hurt or not because, at that time, I was fighting off the urge to close my eyes. "I hope you get better soon." She said as I smiled at her. After that silence followed us as everyone ate but it was starting to get uncomfortable. I wanted them all to be at ease not on guard with my presence here but I think that will take some time.

"I can't take this anymore," Hayden spoke up as he put his spoon down and turned to me. "Why are you here? Why did you come back when you left us to starve?" He asked, his eyes flaring with anger as I looked down at my lap.

"Hayden, don't!" Lara warned, glaring at her brother.

"I'm sorry April but I need answers. We all do." He said, glancing at April before looking at me. "Why did you leave? Don't lie and tell us the truth. Get it out in the open once and for all." I guess the others also got interested as they all turned to look at me with a questionable look. They wanted answers, the one thing I couldn't give them. They wanted the truth, the thing I could never give them.

"I---I murdered someone," I said it, finally letting it all out in the open. The truth was that Hayden had killed someone by pure mistake and I didn't want any harm to come to him so I took the blame. Till today I never regretted it and I was never going to let anyone find out that it was Hayden. It was my secret, a secret I couldn't trust a single soul with. Even if the word gets out and I have to go to prison, I will still keep on playing.

"You what?!" Lara shouted, slamming her hand on the table. Everyone's reaction was different yet the same since they all look utterly surprised. 

"You're lying, aren't you? You didn't...you couldn't have..." Jayden muttered as he looked at me wide-eyed as if trying to piece everything together. "Ella, tell us the truth. Stop playing games." He looked stern as he glared at me, making me cower a bit.

"I-It is the truth," I mumbled, fiddling with my fingers. "It was an accident. I didn't mean to kill him but it just sort of happened. He was going to hurt Hayden so without thinking, I hit him with a stick and ran away. I didn't want you guys to find out and I was too scared of the consequences, so I left." I explained it to them while lying my ass off.

"You..." Hayden trailed off as he looked at me, confused.

"I never meant to leave you guys. I thought about you every day after I left and I thought about what to tell you. I'm sorry. I never should have done that and then..." I was going to continue rumbling but I could feel the blood starting to drip down my nose.

"Ella! Your nose!" April exclaimed as she got up but I held my hand up.

"Where's the bathroom?" I asked, holding a tissue to my nose. Lara pointed towards the door outside the room and by the staircase as I nodded and walked away. I entered the bathroom, locking the door behind me as I went over to the sink and rinsed out my nose. The bleeding stopped in under a minute as I sighed and headed for the door. I reached for the lock but stopped as I felt my eyes watering up. 

My legs give out as immediately the tears came streaming out. I held my hand to my mouth to prevent the sobs from escaping so that my siblings wouldn't know that I was crying. I had told them half the story and even thought about telling the truth but I didn't want Hayden to go through any pain. I couldn't stop the tears because I was just so sad, my heart was about to shatter and it was so hard to bear with this. It was so hard to keep everything bottled up but I had no choice, I never had any choice, to begin with. 

I got up and went to the sink as I washed my face and wiped it. My nose was a bit red but other than that all the evidence of me crying was removed. I unlocked the door and headed back tot he living room as I sat down and waited for someone to say something but no one said anything.

"It's late. I should get going." I said as I looked at the watch on my wrist.

"Now! It's pretty late. You never know what sort of dangers are lurking around at this time. You can stay here for tonight. Can she?" April asked as she looked towards Lara for an answer. I looked at everyone faces except April and it was clear that after what I told them just now, they didn't want to be anywhere near me.

"It's alright. There's no need. I got to have dinner with you and celebrate your birthday. That's more than enough." I got up as I picked up my bag and smiled. "I'm sorry for ruining your birthday...just like last time," I whispered the last part to myself but I think they all heard me. I waved one last time before heading for the door and exiting.

Ten years ago, when I left to take Hayden's place, it had been April's birthday that day and I hadn't even wished her properly. I don't know what happened but I'm pretty sure the birthday dinner I prepared went to waste when Lara and the twins figured out I had left. I felt resentful towards April that she had to put up with me leaving ten years ago on her birthday and messing up her birthday today.

Luckily, I arrived home safely and messaged April so that she wouldn't worry. I headed to my room and dropped my bag on the bed. I took a nice long shower, pushing away the thoughts that were bothering me. I changed into a nightgown and laid down on my bed as I started playing a game I had downloaded on my phone. Come to think of it, Dylan was the one who had bought me this phone and now he was my husband. Talk about a coincidence. This is much more huge than any coincidence.

Time flew by and since I slept so much in the morning I wasn't ready to sleep now. The twins were spending the night at their grandparent's house so I didn't have to worry about tucking them in. I didn't know if Dylan was asleep or not but I was going to find out soon enough. I planned on going to check on him since he still mustn't be feeling very well. Getting drenched in the rain could lead to serious health issues and the doctor told me to make sure he took his pills as prescribed. I didn't know that much about Dylan but I did know him and I was sure that he hadn't taken his pills.

I got up and put my phone by the bedside table as I made my way to Dylan's room. I knocked on the door once and got no answer. I knocked on the door twice but still got no answer. Being me, I instantly starting brewing up the worst scenarios in my head. I started to feel the worry building up and I couldn't wait any longer so without knocking again, I just opened the door. The lampstand by the bed was still on and Dylan was sleeping with a book on his chest.

The only thing was that even though Dylan was asleep, he looked like he was uncomfortable. I convinced myself that nothing was wrong and turned to leave but just then, I heard the sound of groaning. I turned back to face Dylan and stepped closer, only then noticing that he was not at all alright. He was sweating profusely and just as I was about to check to see if he had a fever, he started thrashing around, making me jump back in sudden surprise.

"Andy, no...I didn't mean to...I'm sorry...I didn't do it on purpose...I didn't know..." Dylan seemed to be muttering incoherent things as he seemed to be having a hard time breathing. "No! Andy...Susan! Don't go there! Why won't you listen to me?! Don't go there! Please...Don't.." He went from muttering to shouting very quickly. I spoke from experience as I realized he was having a nightmare.

"Dylan! Dylan, wake up!" I shook him as I semi-yelled his name. 

The good thing about living on the outskirts of the city was that there were no neighbors so we could yell and shout as much as we want but if a murderer or burglar broke in, then not having neighbors would suck. I hit myself on the head, reminding myself now was not the time to be thinking of random stuff. 

As I looked at Dyan, it was clear that he was in agony as he kept on thrashing around, the book on his chest falling and beads of sweat gathered on his forehead. He kept on muttering and his breathing grew more rapid by every passing minute. It pained me to see him like this and I had to wake him from this nightmare, so I did the one thing I never thought I would never do. 

"Wake up!" I said a bit louder than before as I slapped the guy. I wasn't very strong but when I wanted to be strong, I could be and I used my strength right now. The slap made a very loud sound and I knew that it would've hurt but it also snapped Dylan awake from his sleep so it was worth it.

"What the---Ella?" Dylan spoke in a hoarse sound as he sat up. His breathing was still shallow and he looked like he was trying to hide it but he was shaking with violent tremors. Tears filled his eyes and he looked vulnerable.

"Are you alright?" I asked as I didn't bother to hide my worry.

"I--don't--I can't--the bathroom--" Dylan seemed to be struggling to say whatever he was trying to say. "Ella--The bathroom cupboard...the pills---please get them with...water..." Dylan spoke is blanks, taking deep breaths between every word. 

I for once decided to be smart and useful so put together his words and went to his bathroom. I opened the mirror cupboard above the sink and found two pill bottles. I went back to his room and handed him the bottles as I poured him a glass of water. He gulped down one pill from each bottle and only then did his breathing start to calm down.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"I must look so pathetic right now," Dylan whispered as he put his head in his hands. He looked distraught and I didn't know what to do to make him feel better. He looked calmer than before but it seemed like he was still trying to get his breathing to return to normal. 

"Don't say that. You don't look pathetic." I said, trying to boost him. I liked him better when he didn't look so down or feel so down. I wonder what his nightmare was about but whatever it was had to be something serious since it had him panicking so much. I looked at the tablets that Dylan had just taken but all I was able to read was the name, for what they were was not mentioned and my curiosity was at his highest.

"You don't have to lie to make me feel better," Dylan replied, glancing at me before turning to look at the alarm by on the side table. "What are you doing here anyway?" He asked, glaring at me even though I just helped him.

"I just came to see if you were alright," I replied.

"Did you...slap me?" He asked as I froze in my place. Instead of answering him I simply smiled and shrugged. "You did...didn't you?" He asked but unlike I thought, rather than being angry, Dylan was smiling.

"I should leave now. Goodnight and...sweet dreams." I smiled as I turned to the door and took just a step forward when a hand grabbed my wrist. I turned my face slowly around as I looked at my wrist that Dylan was holding. He was looking rather gloomy and looked like he was deciding on something.

"If it's not much to ask of you...could stay with me for tonight," Dylan spoke, looking as red as a tomato, even his ears were blaring bright. 

I didn't know if I would be comfortable with spending the night here but the look on Dylan's face mad em change my mind. I don't how to put it but Dylan just looked heartbroken and it was like something was bothering him. His stormy gray eyes still held so many unsaid emotions but I was able to decipher one emotion that I knew too well. Pain. Unsaid pain that eats at you every night and whatever the reason was, I knew it probably had something to do with his brother.

"Um...sure?" I muttered with a small smile.

"Don't worry about anything. You can have the left side to yourself. I'll stay on the right. If I cross over then don't hesitate to slap me again." Dylan said as he scooted over to the other end edge of the bed. I picked up the book that Dylan had been reading and got into bed, sitting up as I looked at the book.

"Harry Potter. Classic." I said, trying to make conversation. I was far from sleepy and I wanted Dylan to forget about his nightmare so I thought that talking would do us both good. I turned to Dylan, who was laying down, propped up on one arm as he leaned over to see the book. I could tell by the expression on his face that he was worried about something and I knew just what it was. "Don't worry. I won't ask you any questions. So relax." I spoke as I placed the book down and got under the warm covers.

"It's not that...tomorrow is Andy's and Susan's death anniversary." He suddenly came out as my eyes widened in shock. No wonder the guy looked so stressed and sleep-deprived. 

"Oh, I didn't know that. I'm sorry." I didn't know what to say to that so I said what anybody would say in this kind of a situation. "Were you having a nightmare about..." My curiosity got the best of me as I spoke out of context.

"Let's go to sleep. Goodnight." Dylan immediately changed the subject as I mentally sighed. The lamp was switched off as Dylan and I turned to face each other, not purposely. I wanted to stop myself but I couldn't as he stared into my brown eyes and I stared at his gray eyes. There was no light in the room and it was just about reaching midnight so if anything is was nightly dark but I could still clearly see his eyes. "Thank you...for tonight and yesterday," Dylan whispered as I smiled, feeling my cheeks heat up.

••••••••••

An hour passed but I was still awake. Dylan had immediately fallen asleep after twenty seconds but I was unable to even close my eyes for a second. Dylan had indeed moved over to my side but since he was sleeping so peacefully, I didn't feel like disturbing him. He did start to thrash and mutter again but I didn't think that waking him again would be useful so instead, I grabbed his hand. Sometimes, all you need for your nightmare to go away is the warm touch of somebody you love. Dylan didn't love me and I didn't love him but since I didn't know what else to do, I did what I used to do to Lara when she had nightmares, and held Dylan's hand.

Surprisingly Dylan seemed to have calmed down as he went back to sleeping peacefully. He honestly, looked way too peaceful while sleeping and don't mention this to anyone but he looked sort of cute. Just watching him sleep made me giggle. Yes, I know, creepy but he just looked so cute that I couldn't help myself.

I decided that it was about time for me to go to sleep, so I slowly let go of Dylan's hand and started to get comfy. Imagine my surprise when Dylan started to shuffle and move, only for his arm to wrap around my waist. I tried shuffling myself away but the guy was strong and persistent as he only held on tighter, snuggling up to me. In simple words, he was using me instead of a teddy bear as he hugged me, still sound asleep. 

I could have slapped him like he had told me to do earlier, but he was sleeping so peacefully. I didn't want to be the one to ruin his sleep so instead of doing anything, I just let it be.

In no time, my eyes started to close by themselves and I started growing more comfortable. Even though Dylan was hugging me and I wasn't that content with it, I started to feel kind of relaxed. Soon I let myself loosen up and fell into a deep sleep, as I cuddled up to the huge teddy bear next to me.