Page 40 of Intern

Had his cancer come back?

Unsure of when Amanda left my office, I lock up. When I step outside my door, she’s gone from her desk with her computer shut down. It was wise for her to get out before something happened, and I asked her to stay late.

I’m on autopilot as I make my way home. I think about trying to call Ty but decide against it. I don’t want him to leave if he finds out I’m coming home early.

God, what if he’s done with me?

Even with everything that’s been swirling in my head on the drive home, I’m shocked to see Tyson’s SUV where we left it yesterday. Parking inside the garage, I know that Tyson will know I’m home. No matter where you are in the house you can always hear it when the garage opens. It’s not loud, but it’s no sneak attack either.

Once inside, I quietly look around the first floor, but there’s no sign of Tyson, or that he’s been downstairs. Usually he leaves a coffee cup on the counter or a bowl from his granola in the sink, but there’s nothing. Taking off my heels, I silently make my way upstairs. My office is the first room I come to, but as I peer in its empty except for a few boxes of Tyson’s things he has yet to unpack.

My jaw drops open when I find Tyson asleep on top of the bed in only his underwear. It’s now a little past two o’clock, meaning I’ve been gone for seven hours. Had he been in bed this whole time? Obviously, he was up when I left and at some point called in to work.

I’m not sure what to do. Do I wake him up and try to talk to him? After this morning I’m less inclined to try, afraid of what might come out of his mouth.

“Sadie?” Ty questions quietly, bringing me out of my musings. “Is it…” he trails off, turning to look out the windows to see its still daylight and early in the afternoon. “What are you doing home?”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I stay standing in the doorway. “I could ask you the same question.”

He yawns and rolls onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. He’s quiet for so long that I start to think he’s not going to answer me.

“Sadie, I’m sorry about this morning and hurting you. I… you’re right that I’m afraid of what this could mean. If its… I might…” He takes a deep breath all the while still not meeting my eye.

“Oh, Ty,” I make my way across my plush carpet needing to be by his side, fighting back tears.

It’s not until I curl up against his side and wrap my arms around him that Ty turns toward me, burying his face in my hair.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you. Even though it’s no excuse, I was so exhausted. When I saw the hurt in your eyes, I hated myself which only further escalated matters,” he murmurs into the side of my head.

“Are you feeling better now?” I tighten my hold on him.

His only response is to shrug his big body.

“Did you sleep the whole day?”

“No, after I came out of the bathroom and realized that you’d left, I knew what I needed to do,” he answers, his voice sad and quiet.

“What did you need to do?”

“I called my doctor and made an appointment. After that I went back to bed to hope and pray… and mope,” he admits.

“No matter what the result, I’ll always be here for you.”

Pulling out of my arms, Ty looks down at me with furrowed brows. “I can’t ask you to do that. If I… if I’m sick. You don’t know what you’re promising until you’re in the thick of things. If you think I’ve been tired this week, you haven’t seen anything yet. For you to see me like that…” he trails off staring down at the bed.

“Hey,” I place a hand on his firm chest. “We don’t know anything yet. When’s your appointment? I want to be there when you go.”

“That’s okay,” he shakes his head. “You’d have to miss work.”

“You’re more important to me than work, Ty.”

“Why are you home early?” he ignores my statement, and I let it slide. For now.

“Amanda informed me that you called in sick, and it wasn’t like I was getting any work done after this morning. I literally stared at my computer screen all day,” I shrug acting as if it was no big deal. “Plus, I wasn’t sure if you called in so you could move out while I was at work.”

His face softens even as his brows furrow. “You really thought I’d move out while you were at work?” he questions, not hiding the hurt in his tone.

Shaking my head, I shrug. “After this morning, I didn’t know what to think. I thought that if you were going to call in sick, I’d be the first to know about it and not the last.”

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