Willa bends to hug Ember from behind. "I had no idea—I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit on a sore spot."
Ember pats Willa's forearms where they're wrapped around her shoulders. "Of course you didn't." She sighs. "Okay. Let's go."
Cole and Riley brought my truck to the hospital yesterday, and now it's idling in the pickup-dropoff line of the main entrance. I follow behind Willa and Ember as we make our way from Ember's room to the elevator; Ember makes Willa stop at several rooms on the way so she can say goodbye to her new friends. We reach the automatic sliding doors to find the whole crew waiting with cards, flowers, oversized teddy bears, and, in Nyx's case, a small handbell.
Ember covers her face with her hands, shoulders shaking; she bends at the waist, putting her face to her knees for a moment. Everyone here—Cole, Nyx, Riley, Bear, Noelle, and the Cartwright sisters—have visited her just about every day since the accident, and I know she's gotten particularly close with Noelle and the sisters.
"You guys," Ember whispers, voice shaky and eyes streaming tears. "This is ridiculous. Too much fuss."
Cole is the first to approach her, handing her a bouquet of colorful flowers. He kneels in front of her wheelchair, presses the flowers into her hands, and leans forward to whisper in her ear for a moment. Ember nods, sniffling, and kisses his cheek.
The bastard has the gall to go and blush like a fourteen-year-old virgin.
Riley is the one with the giant teddy bear—it obscures him as he holds it. He peeks his head around the side of the absurd thing, grinning at Ember. Playfully, he sets it on her lap, but it's so huge its arms and legs trail on the ground.
"Riley, you're such a fucking goofball," Ember laughs. "What am I supposed to do with this thing?"
"I dunno, snuggle it when my brother's being an obnoxious bitch-cake?" Riley answers.
"Bitch-cake," Ember echoes, snickering. "I'm stealing that one."
Lainey and Layla give her a gift certificate to their cafe—instead of a dollar amount, however, the certificate only bears a sideways 8…the infinity symbol.
Ember hugs them both at the same time. "You guys—what? I got in a wreck, I didn't, like, cure world hunger. Good grief."
Nyx is next, handing her the handbell, the handle of which he's tied a red ribbon. "So you can summon Felix whenever you need something."
I fake a glare. "Wow, Nyxie, thanks. Super helpful.”
He flips me off. "It's not foryou…bitch-cake."
I glare at my brother next. "Look what you started, asshole."
Bear and Noelle approach next, each bending to hug her.
"We didn't get you anything," Noelle says, "but I'm gonna be bringing by dinners for you guys, since according to Riley, Felix can't cook for shit."
I tip my head back, sighing. "How did this become a make-fun-of-Felix contest?”
Riley shoots me double finger guns. "I mean, every day is a make-fun-of-Felix contest—you just make it so easy."
Nyx leans in again, stage-whispering. "The bell is just for funsies, by the way. Your real gift is waiting in Felix's driveway."
Ember's eyes widen. "Pumpkin?" Her voice is filled with excited hope.
"Yeah, I fixed 'er up for you," he answers, grinning at her. “You know, I've been wrenching since I was old enough to hold a wrench, and that bus of yours is probably the most incredibly well-maintained vehicle I've ever seen."
Ember grips his hand. "I can't thank you enough, Nyx."
He rolls his eyes and clears his throat. “Yeah, well, it's selfish. I'm hoping you'll stick around once you're healed, mostly because when you're around, my boy Fee is less of a bitch-cake."
"Hear, hear!" Riley says, amid the laughter of everyone else.
"My god," I sigh. "Really? What the fuck evenisa bitch-cake?"
"You," Nyx, Riley, and Cole all say in perfect unison.
More raucous laughter greets this. But when I glance at Ember, I can tell she's getting overwhelmed and emotional and wants to escape.
