Rory's heart almost jumped into her chest, being able to hear his voice.
"Honey?"
"I'm right here, Logan."
And she was. Standing still, barely breathing, thinking that at any moment, his voice would go away, and she would be left alone again. He gave her the directions to where they had been flown, and then, he asked the question that made her heart sink again.
"So how are you and Ellie?"
She paused, thinking should she really tell him now, or wait, until they see each other again.
"Rory, what's wrong?"
"Ellie's in Texas. She left about a week ago. She thinks she's pretty much killed Finn. She thinks she was the one that drove him away."
She could hear him sigh, almost like he had feared this would happen. They hanged up the phone, promising to see each other in just a couple of hours.
Logan couldn't wait to see his wife, but at the same time, he didn't want to face Finn, and let him know that Ellie wasn't coming. He peeked into the room where his buddy was just putting on his shirt, after his exam, and smiled, letting him know that they were finally going back home.
"Hey, Heinz 57!" Logan cringed at his attempt at a nickname, but let it slide. Finn must have noticed the sadness in Logan's eyes, because he had to ask,
"What's the deal?"
"Rory's coming, but uh, Ellie..."
"What, is she alright?" Finn hopped off the exam table, one shoe on, shirt haphazardly hanging on his body, trying to get out the door. Logan stopped him, trying to get him to listen.
"She's in Texas, mate. She went home about a week ago. She thinks she drove you away, and you almost died, and that's a lot for her to handle." Finn's eyes lowered, thinking of how he was ever going to make this right, and get her back.
"When's Rory get here?" Logan looked down at his watch.
"About an hour."
"And how long does it take to get to Texas from here?"
"It's at least a sixteen hour drive."
"Can we?" He wanted a road trip. No one wanted to fly, not after this little issue, but he had to get to her.
"I guess. We have changes of clothes. We can go to a store to get Rory some clothes to change into. We'll get her back, Finn, don't worry."
Finn's color returned, just a little bit, but he still looked doubtful. A lot had been said, a lot had been done. He asked Logan for his cell phone, and called Mr. Lewis, Ellie's dad, letting him know what was going on, but please not tell her until they got there. Mr. Lewis said things were looking down, and that Ellie was just super sad all the time. Finn apologized, knowing he didn't help matters. And he told the older man that they would be there sometime tomorrow.
Rory arrived, and seeing an arm she knew to be Logan's, she immediately teared up. She stood in the hallway, just watching him and Finn. He was dressed in one of those outfits; the kind of outfit that would make any girl melt. Black polo shirt, dark wash jeans, black Converse. She watched his smile, his eyes, tired, yet expectant. And then, there it was, the laugh, as he finally saw her there.
"Rory." He choked out, as they flew to meet each other's embrace. His hands were wrapped tightly around her, as she was memorizing every curve of his body.
"I missed you."
What more could he really say? There were really no more words that could express what they felt, and what they had gone through. Barely letting go of him , she said hello to Finn, as they discussed the drive to Texas to see Ellie. Could they convince her to come back? Would she ever really be the same? Only one way to find out.
The drive back to the Lewis house was pretty somber. They were worried about what was going to happen when they saw Ellie. She had no idea that anyone knew where Finn and Logan were, much less that they were on their way to her house to see her. Right now, she was sitting in her room, like she usually was these days. Her hair had fallen into her eyes, and she had on a pair of old jean overalls and a black shirt. Her parents and Hope were gone, off to a softball game. They had left early in the morning, and probably wouldn't be back until late that night. The people that were in Hope's softball league were always great friends to her family. She just didn't want to be around people right now.
It was about one in the afternoon when Ellie heard the crunch of gravel in her driveway. She peeked out the window, noticing it was Rory's car. Something must be up, for her to have driven all the way to Texas. But, she turned away from the window before she could see her fiancé and Rory's husband. She walked downstairs, with baited breath, preparing for her to come in and tell her that Finn had died. She heard the knock at the door, and said, just loud enough, so she knew she'd be heard,
"Door's open."
But when the door opened, she saw the one thing she thought she'd never see again. Those black Nike shoes. Those long legs. That tan skin, smiling with a hint of sadness.
"Love."
She wanted to faint, but instead, she stood there, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. He went over, loosely wrapping his arms around her, letting her determine what came next. And even he was shocked when she fell into him, crying her eyes out. So did he. He hugged her tightly, spinning her around the living room.
"How..." He looked at her, pushing the blonde strands out of her puffy, damp eyes.
"We were found late the other night. Rory called and told us you were here, and we drove all last night to get here." She leaned into his chest, taking in the scent of him that she loved.
"Love, will you come back with me?"
She sniffled, and nodded. They sat, talking and watching TV, Finn never letting go of Ellie. They began to plan their wedding, set for that winter. Though it would be cold, Ellie wanted to be married in the snow.
"What if it doesn't snow?"
"Then I'll still have a perfect wedding, because I'll be getting married to you." He smiled, kissing her forehead. They were going to be okay.