While I Was Away(90)

“Two Reins brothers for the price of one – I think I'm gonna be sick,” Adele laughed.

“Hey, not all of us were destined to have soulmates.”

He was just teasing her, and his voice was full of laughter, but it just reminded her that her soulmate wasn't there.

Here they were, all meeting in Ocean's apartment for an impromptu party. All the people she loved most in the world were around her, and yet such a large piece of her was missing from the moment.

August was smiling, and she almost believed it. River was practically glowing, and it was beautiful. Ocean was laughing, really laughing, and Zoey was smirking back him, hiding her laughter in her eyes. They hadn't all been together like this in a while, so it didn't feel right. Not without Jones. Not without her other half.

But then her eyes picked up on something, and she pushed her melancholy away.

“Maybe Ocean already found his,” Adele perked up when she realized how nervous her older brother suddenly looked. He kept checking his watch, as well as the large clock on the wall. “Charlie, did you ever think to ask him why he wanted to have this party?”

“No. I didn't even think about it, but it is kinda weird. Usually it's me or you hosting the dinner parties. I don't think he ever has,” Charlie perked up, too.

“Yeah, and then suddenly three days ago, we all get phone calls telling us to be here, and he's got all his cop friends here, and Zoey's work friends, and oh my god,” Adele gasped as she realized exactly what was going on.

“What? What?” Charlie asked, glancing around. She waved her hand at him.

“Shhhh! Just watch!” she hissed, and as if on cue, Ocean cleared his throat loudly.

“I had a surprise for tonight,” he announced. “But it looks like it's not gonna be here on time. I'm sorry, Zoey.”

His girlfriend of one year glanced around, looking a little bewildered.

“Why? I didn't know anything about it, so it doesn't really affect me,” she laughed.

“That's the thing,” Ocean sighed, and he nervously rubbed at the back of his neck. “The surprise was ...”

Oh my god, my older brother is going to propose. He's going to propose to the only woman he's ever loved, my best friend. He's going to propose in front of their friends and his family, and it's going to be beautiful. A beautiful moment, a joining of souls, and I'm missing half of mine. I hate being here without him, it's like a bad dream.

Jones should be there. She clenched her hands together in frustration, feeling guilty for thinking of herself in that moment, but unable to help it. After the year they'd all had, starting with the accident, Ocean and Zoey learning to live together, August dealing with his injury, River discovering himself, Charlie and Tabitha growing closer, all culminating in this beautiful moment – Jones deserved to be apart of it.

He should be here.

“I'm here!”

The door burst open, and then there he was, as if being delivered upon request, straight from heaven.

Just in time, thank you, god. It felt like he was gone forever.

Adele gasped in surprise, then let out a squeal of delight and jumped up from the table.

“Finally!” she shouted as she ran to Jones. He had a heavy duffle bag hanging from one shoulder, and he just barely managed to drop it before she launched herself into his arms.

“I'm sorry,” he was panting as he wrapped his arms around her. When she pulled her head back, though, he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Ocean. “We got fogged in at San Francisco for hours, so once we landed here, I just came straight from the airport. I'm so sorry.”

Oh. Oh. Jones knew about the proposal.

Of course.

When the doctors had told Adele that as a result of the head trauma sustained during their car accident, Jones was in a coma, she'd been prepared for the long haul. He'd been by her side during her four month coma – she would stay by his for four months. For eight. For forever. For however long it took.

Which turned out to be only two weeks.

I always did tend to overreact.

Despite just being out for two weeks, though, Jones' damage had been much more severe than hers. Adele had basically walked out of the hospital unscathed. Very skinny and very weak, but otherwise fine. Jones, on the other hand, had basically had to relearn how to walk. He still went to physical therapy once a week. He liked to joke that he'd spent all his coma time running through his dreams and hers, and that was probably why he was having so much trouble walking. His legs were worn out enough for two lifetimes.

When he'd opened his eyes after those two weeks, Adele had cried. Out of happiness, out of disbelief, out of fear. But then he'd looked at her, and he'd smiled while squeezing the hand she had wrapped around his. Then he'd whispered to her, and hearing his voice again had been like hearing an angel.

“I knew you'd be here.”

“Where else would I be?”

“In one of my better dreams.”

“I'll always be there, too.”

A year later and sometimes it was easy to forget they'd ever been in a life changing accident. He had a nasty scar on the left side of his skull, but she kinda liked it – it gave him an edgy look, especially when he had his hair shaved down like he did right then. But that was it, the only remnant of those horrible two weeks.