Page 104 of Intertwined Souls

“Oh, yes. I have a very big family. Lots of siblings who all love me and my parents, Tia, my parents are the best ever. Probably not as amazing as yours, but they are up there.” She winks at her, and I have to turn away, trying to blink back tears as Oakley pushes her pain away to give Tia some comfort in leaving and going on to heal and be happy.

“You really are going home too?” Tia asks eagerly.

“Yes. We are both going to go home to our families and get all the love we need to heal. So don't worry about me. I’ll always remember you, but now it’s time for you to move on from this horrid situation and let your parents help you.”

“Okay. Thank you for taking care of us. For braiding my hair when I was sad,” Tia cries.

“It was my greatest honor. Now, go hug your parents tight and never let them go, okay?” Oakley says, giving her a pointed look.

Tia nods and hugs her once more before getting up. Grayson places his hand on my back and whispers in my ear, “I’ll take her down. I think you’re needed here.”

I nod, and he kisses my cheek before leading Tia out. Raven, who had been the person sitting in here, stands from her chair and says she’s going to step out into the hall.

The second the door shuts, sobs that break my heart come from Oakley. She grips her chest and lets out a blood-curdling scream.

Moving back to the bed, I climb on and sit in front of her. “Let it out, Oakley. Share your pain with me. I have you.” I say to her what I would’ve wanted someone to say to me. Oakley leans forward, resting her forehead on my shoulder as she continues to sob.

I rub her back and remind her she is in a safe space and not alone.

Her head snaps up to look at my face. “I need the pills. Please.” She grips my arm hard enough to make me wince. “I need them. I can’t handle this.”

“Oakley, you don’t want them. I promise. Feeling this pain is good. You have to grieve it all. Feel it. I promise you, I swear to you, it won’t always feel this way,” I say as tears fall down my cheeks.

“I can’t—” she gasps. “My heart hurts. It hurts so bad, I want to rip it out. I don’t want to feel it anymore.”

“I know. I know, Oakley. It feels like someone is stabbing you in the chest over and over again, but the only way to move forward is by going through it. Burying it inside of you, burying it with drugs or alcohol, that will not truly help you move forward. You are so strong and have survived the impossible. You are selfless and kind. You deserve the world, and we are going to help you get it.”

Oakley slowly curls up on her side with her head resting on my crossed legs. She mumbles incoherently about drugs but seems to calm as the tears silently continue to fall. I run my hand through her hair and just stay a silent companion for her.

Sometime later, the door slowly cracks open, and Raven pops her head in. I smile at her, and she walks over to us looking down at a now sleeping Oakley. “How is she? How are you?” she whispers.

“She’s exhausted. I really hope the rehab place is going to be able to help her get on the right track. She has such a good heart,” I say as I continue to run my fingers through her long white hair.

“I think she really does want to change. Anytime she has asked for pills, she seems resigned to it. Like it’s a tumor you can’t shake without help.” She sighs and sits in the chair across from the bed. “And you?” She raises a brow at me.

“I feel… I honestly feel lucky. I mean, I went through horrible things, but when I got to the other side and pushed myself to move forward and go through everything, I had this whole team of people waiting to cheer me on. She doesn’t have anyone.”

“Harley, you thought you didn’t have anyone either for a long time. You didn’t even think you could trust any of us. I mean, you thought Presley and I were being forced to stay here.” She chuckles. “She has us. And as she keeps going and healing, she may discover she has a team too.”

Raven pulls out her phone, glances at it, and then looks at me.

“They are going to have a meeting. You’ll probably want to go down for it. I’ll stay with Oakley,” she says quietly, trying not to wake Oakley.

“Okay.” Gently moving her head off my lap and onto a pillow, I get up and leave the room, taking a deep breath.

Ryker

“Do you think we can do it? Soon?” I ask Sugar where we sit at a table in the main room with Atlas, Linc, Noah, Axe, and Cade.

“I don’t see why not. I think it’s a good idea.” Sugar nods at me.

I came to him first since I know Rage is currently dealing with a lot regarding Nerds. And I wanted to ask about the girls who died. We’ve found Sammy’s family, and Rage is going to talk to them, but we can’t find anything on Angel.

“You know, I wasn’t too sure about you at first,” Atlas says as he leans back in his chair and watches me with a critical eye.

Linc, who is next to him sighs in exasperation but doesn’t say anything as Atlas continues.

“But you're not too bad. The way you care for all the victims, living and dead, says a lot about you,” he continues, tilting his head in thought.

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