MISSING TIME.

OUR HEARTS

CHAPTER TWO: OUR HEARTS.

Gina stood behind the door to Miguel's room but couldn't get the courage to go in.

Her cheeks still stung from the slap given to her by her sister-in-law, Valentina. Val for short.

She had thought of different scenarios of how this would go down when she got caught. The affair was like an itch that she couldn't stop scratching.

And she was well aware of the consequences, The pain her action would inflict on her family.

Her eyes lost their light as she stood there and watched the door.

In the hospital room, Miguel's frightened expression as he looked at his little sister and Grayson's lazy gaze created an ambiguous silence.

Val looked at Grayson with a complicated look, before turning to her elder brother,

"Really? If I hadn't heard from Grayson, where you planning to loop me in on this whatchamacallit." Val began.

Grayson let out a small chuckle to hide the nerve that Val's look plucked when she looked at him.

They had a strange encounter in the city. One he wanted to forget but her presence was a reminder that he could never outrun his past.

Grayson stood up and nodded to Val before flashing a smile at Miguel who got the last few seconds had been trying to signal him for help.

Val took another look at Grayson before turning to Miguel, the silence deafening.

Grayson shrugged and stepped out of the room ignoring Miguel's silent pleas for help.

Grayson had to stop himself from bumping into Gina, who stood there like a wooden doll out of place.

"You can go in you know, you can predict what would happen until you try," Grayson said with a small smile then walked away.

Grayson remembered Gina, after all, he went to high school with him, and when he was arrested, she even testified against him.

Grayson walked to the vending machine at the end of the hall and stood there, wondering why he came back. He could have refused to come back to this town that had turned into his nightmare.

He sighed and rustled around his pocket for some coins as his mouth was getting dry.

His search turned futile as it turns out he had no changes as he was about to head out to his truck and check for changes a soothing voice perked up at that moment.

"Let me help you, I have some to spare." An older lady in nurse scrubs walked into Grayson's line of sight.

She flashed Grayson a small smile and walked to the machine to put in the coins.

"You look like my eldest son, just more handsome. Family or friend?" The lady asked as she handed him a drink from the vending machine.

Grayson's face was stoic as he looked at the lady his expression unreadable.

He looked at the drink being handed to him, then at the lady.

"Thank you, I'm alright," Grayson said as he turned and walked away wishing he never come to this town.

He walked by Gina who was still mustering what little confidence she had left, opened the door to the arguing siblings, and took a sit like he never left.

His entrance and expression were enough for Miguel to know something was wrong.

Miguel looked at Val with a rare serious expression which prompted her to hold her tongue lashing.

"Are you okay?" Miguel asked Grayson but got no response from him.

"Grayson!" Miguel shouted and Grayson looked at him in askance.

"Are you alright?" Miguel repeated his question.

"Just saw my mother, She handed me a drink," Grayson said softly as his eyes glazed In pain.

"That's messed up man?" Miguel added.

"She didn't recognize me. Said I looked like her eldest son." Grayson continued.

"Ok, man if you have to leave, leave. I won't hold it on you. After what happened, well you know my thoughts on that." Miguel said with frustration tinting his voice.

"I need a drive, clear my head," Grayson said as he left the room.

Val who had been silent all this while spoke up, filled with curiosity she asked,

"What's going on? Explain it to me."

Miguel looked at her for a while before asking a question of his,

"How did you two meet?"

Val pondered for a while and came to a compromise.

"I'll tell you then you spill everything. Deal?"

"Absolutely," came Miguel's reply.

Val stood from the bed walked to the seat previously occupied by Grayson and sat. She shivered when she felt the warmth still left from his body.

"You know I interned at the D.A.'s office. I made a friend there an older gentleman. Dan works as a probation officer and always invites me for Sunday dinner with his family.

It was just another dinner when I met Grayson and Dan's wife tried to set me up with him. I didn't know who he was till I heard Dan and him sharing an insensitive joke and Dan's wives rebuked both of them and called him by his previous name.

You know that case was serious back then and In town infamous. So I confronted him to which he relented and told me who he was, you can imagine my disgust. Then when he asked me how I knew it was him I told him about being in the same school and being your sister.

Since then we rarely talked."

Val said as Miguel watched her his expression unreadable.

"You were being set up with Grayson? Man that's messed up, thank God you dodged that bullet." Miguel as said in Relief.

"Do you think I'm crazy? Why would I go out with a r****t? I'm not stupid." Val scoffed.

Miguel weirdly looked at her then sighed,

"I didn't mean that, I meant it would be weird to have my sister dating my best friend. Not that he is a rapist." He explained.

"So you think him being a r****t is inconsequential?" Val asked.

Miguel didn't respond but brought his hands to his forehead and rubbed them To relieve stress.

"Never peg you for such a good friend seeing how you normally ripped them off. My brother an honorable man at last." Val teased Miguel who just smiled lightly.

"Not that I'm not honorable but you and everyone have it all wrong. Grayson didn't r**e anyone. He was framed." Miguel said as he looked out the window as if a screen was there showing a playback of the past.

Val's brows scrunched up in confusion,

"What do you mean? He was framed." She spoke after Letting the information sink in.

Miguel continued,

"It's a sad story, but yes he was framed. He even has proof of it.

But the i***t still won't clear his name."

Val looked at Miguel in annoyance,

"Don't start that with me, tell it to me straight. None of that vague rabble." Val said.

Miguel looked at Val in disgust at her lack of appreciation of the arts.

"I need to build it up, so just calm down sheesh, woman," Miguel spoke.

He cleared his throat and prepared to begin his yarn. When the door to the room opened a nurse came in.

One that both Miguel and Val knew. And together they said,

"Mrs. Craymore!"