Over the next few days, Aiden did a lot of sleeping. We all spent a lot of time with him too. But it wasn't long before Imani returned to her usual self. Distant and indifferent. She was kind, sweet and brought a lot of supplies to the hospital. Coffee, sandwiches, the occasional muffin with either blueberries or chocolate chips. But there were no more hugs or hand holding and she came in once a day for a few hours instead of spending the entire night. That was what I did. Zoerina returned home, I assumed. She packed a few things for me and I hadn't left the hospital in three days.

Aiden and I talked. We avoided the big topics. Such as Hunapo. We did talk about Tammy and Ritz though. He apologised for keeping that truth from me. But I understood the motivation behind not wanting to tell me. When the nurses couldn't feed Aiden, I did. He couldn't sit up. It was too painful. So I had to spoon feed him his meals. Which I had no issue with. I cleaned him with hot cloths and soap. I shaved his face for him. I did whatever he needed.

Sometimes he would complain about being so useless. But I wouldn't hear him.

On the fourth day, I needed some more clean clothes. Maddie had offered to take them home and wash them. But I decided to go to the apartment and have a decent shower. Maddie was on shift when I left. It made me feel better to know that she was caring for him. Zoerina had informed us that Ritz had been caught. The police had contacted and said that he was found in the hospital in intensive care. She was questioned as a suspect for the sheer fact that she had motive. But Brian and Kyle provided her with an alibi, no questions asked. Plus there was a lack of evidence.

Aiden had a feeling that they probably wouldn't go too hard into the investigation and would write it off as a drug dispute.

When I walked into the apartment on Friday afternoon with a bag full of clothes and the two duffles that I'd had with me, one from the impromptu trip to Tampa and the other from Zoerina packing clothes for the hospital, I expected some sort of crime scene. Which was ridiculous because it had been almost a week since Aiden was shot. The kitchen wasn't bloodied how Imani had described. The floors were their usual glistening white. The countertop was clear of dishes. The living room sofa didn't have a cushion out of place.

Despite what had happened when I was here last, it still felt like coming home. A sense of ease washed over me. There was no discomfort or need to leave because I could no longer see myself living here. I had been concerned that perhaps I would feel off when I came back. But this is where I belonged. This was where Aiden lived. Like it had been at Mom and Dads, I could see him in every square inch of the apartment. But the difference was knowing that I could go to him and be with him and kiss him. That was the biggest relief of all.

When I walked into our bedroom, I saw Evin curled up on the bed. Her head lifted when I heaved my arm full of belongings onto the dresser and I quietly squealed as I jostled towards her. She watched me with confusion for a moment. Her small head tilted to the side and her ears lifted as she watched me sit beside her. But then she stood up and her excitement began to grow as she wagged her tail, sniffed, huffed and licked my face when I bundled her up.

"I missed you," I giggled as she turned in circles in my lap, loving the chin scratches and ear rubs. She was so sweet and adorable. I'd missed her more than I thought I could considering we'd had one afternoon to get to know each other. "Sorry I had to dash out cutie. But it won't happen again. I hope."

We spent a while having cuddles, pats and scratches but when she started to settle again, I popped her back onto the comforter and stood up. She had other plans though. She trotted around after me while I did the washing. Each time I picked a handful of clothes off the floor, she sat down and made a bed of what was left. She did that about three times until there were no clothes left. And while I was showering, she sat outside of the glass door and cleaned herself. It seemed that we washed together now too.

When I was dressed in a pair of boyfriend jeans and a loose cotton t shirt that tucked in at the front and hung over the edges, I put a pair of timberland boots on and decided to check the cabinets to find out what was needed for food. Aiden would still be in the hospital for a while but Zoerina was living here and I guess Hunapo was too. I still hadn't seen him at the hospital and I quietly felt a bit guilty that he probably hadn't come in to see Aiden because of me. Which is the reason I'd been clear to Zoerina that I would be gone for exactly two and a half hours. If he wanted to go in and see Aiden while I was gone, that gave him time. I still had forty five minutes to waste.

There were about three items on the little list that I began to write while I leaned on the kitchen countertop. There was no point in getting stuff that would go off fast. So I wrote freezer meals, bread - that could be frozen - and rice. I heard the elevator doors open, followed by frantic footsteps before Zoerina came into view with that same wild look she had worn the other night.

"Wha—"

"Arian come on," she grabbed my hand and began dragging me towards the corridor. My first thought was that something had happened with Aiden. But then she continued her rambling. "Hunapo has gone to turn himself in."

I couldn't help it. I paused. My entire body froze. But Zoerina was bigger and stronger than me, so I didn't have much choice when she pulled me into the elevator. "Wait, what?"

She spoke a million miles an hour. "Ari he just turned up at the hospital and he started telling us all goodbye! He told Aiden that he had to do it or some nonsense and Aiden wouldn't stop him, so you have to. You need to tell him that you forgive him. It's the only way that he'll forget about this insane idea."

My head was rushing as she jabbed the elevator buttons over and over again. The elevator could have been spinning for all it mattered. My head was a mess. The topic of Hunapo was one that we'd all danced around and avoided since I returned. It was always going to be something that we came back to. But I figured that while Aiden was in hospital and healing, it was better that we waited for a while.

Zoerina grabbed my hand again once the elevator doors opened in the basement. Her purple merc was still running, the engine rumbled and echoed around the large underground concrete lot. She spared me a glance once we were seated in the car, fastening our belts.

"I mean, I know that you needed time," she shifted into gear. "But this is insane. He's going to end up in jail. He was still at the hospital when I left. We can beat him there. I'm sure. I knew that you wouldn't want to let him ruin his life like this."

The entire time that we were driving was a blur. Zoerina never stopped talking. It was the same thing over and over again. You'll forgive him. He's sorry. He's paid for what he did. He loves you, ya know. You're friends.

My head and my heart had never been so at war. But I never once spoke a word. I couldn't. I didn't know what to tell her. What was I going to do when we got to the station? What if we were too late? How would I feel when we came face to face again? Buildings rolled into one as the car sped down the street. If we didn't make it to the station on our own, then we'd end up there in the back of a police car. Or an ambulance, I thought as Zoerina passed a car with the other side of the road which was barely cleared.

It wasn't surprising when we arrived at the station in less than ten minutes. Zoerina pushed her door open and I realised that I'd been staring out the windshield in a zombified state when she paused and tapped me on the shoulder. I startled and noted that she seemed a bit frustrated at the fact that I wasn't firing on all cylinders.

When we pushed open the double doors to the precinct, there wasn't a lot going on. But I still felt overwhelmed. My heart started pounding, the plastic rows of seats might as well have been filled with the worlds worst criminals for how nauseous and terrified I felt. But instead of dozens of people. There was just one. There was just Hunapo.

He was waiting beside the glass window that separated the reception from the waiting room. His head was bowed, his shoulders slouched. I wondered if he'd been seen or if he hadn't told the staff what he was here for.

"Oh thank God," Zoerina muttered. It was quiet, but Hunapo must have heard her because he glanced up with surprise that soon turned into despair.

"It's too late Zee," he slowly walked towards us. He looked at me for a minute. I could see the regret, the hurt. But I could also see my parents and the fact that his hands were responsible for taking my Mom and Dad. "An officer is about to see me."

"But have you told them what it's about?" She gripped his hand and her tone was desperate.

He hesitated. But then he shook his head.

"Good," she pulled me forward. "It's not too late then. Arian, tell him to stop being ridiculous. You don't want him to do this right."

"I have to do this," he told her. And then he turned to me and I couldn't even look at him. I was so conflicted, so hurt, so twisted with several different emotions that were fighting to win. "I have to do this."

I didn't argue. I couldn't. He said it with so much conviction. He needed this as much as I did. The longer that I kept quiet, the more Zoerina began to turn red in the face. She was watching me, her gaze large and expectant. I didn't want to come right out and tell Hunapo that he deserved to go to jail and rot. But I didn't want to stop him. It felt horrible.

"I will never forgive you," Zoerina threatened with a low quiet quiver. "Stop him from doing this or I will never forgive you."

"She can't Zee," Hunapo grazed her cheek. She wasn't looking at him, but he stared down at her, that same look of love and affection that I'd come to know over the last few months. His eyes glistened with the threat of tears. "I've made up my mind and this is the right thing to do."

"Hunapo," I said, needing a second to catch my breath. I'd made up my mind as well. "When you come back, there will be a place in our home for you again. . . I — I forgive you."

His smile wasn't full, it wasn't huge. But it was appreciative. He nodded with thanks but Zoerina was quick to pierce the moment with her disapproval. She shook her head and stepped in front of me. It was intimidating. She was taller, broader and wild with rage.

"How could you do this to him?!" She shouted. "He's black, Arian! That makes a difference in court. You wouldn't understand that though. You're a pretty white girl."

Hunapo shook his head. "Zee—"

"I thought you cared more than this," she snapped, ignoring Hunapo who was pleading with her to stop. "He doesn't deserve jail. You know that he doesn't!"

"What about Ritz," I said in a low voice. "Someone that you loved was almost killed. You wanted justice, right?"

She scoffed. "That was different. That wasn't an accident."

It hurt. All of it. It hurt. It hurt that I thought she understood me. Zoerina and I had a common ground. We'd shared experiences. We were friends. But the things that she said were cruel. It was like she'd disregarded what I'd been through, all of it. And I didn't even have the courage or the heart to bring it all up. She was hurting.

An officer came out of the reception area, the door remained half open as he wandered towards us, noting the tense situation. His salt and pepper hair was thinning, his round stomach pulled tight against his shirt buttons and he scratched his white stubble. He stopped beside our group and Zoerina flicked her head in his direction, shaking her head with panic.

"No."

"How can I help?" The officer questioned with confusion.

"No!"

"I'm here to confess a crime," Hunapo said. He ducked down and kissed Zoerina's cheek, murmuring a quiet goodbye and I love you. "I have to confess to a murder."

The officer seemed more aware now. No one had filled him in. But he wore a sad expression and took Hunapo by the elbow. "Come on then. Let's go and have a chat son."

"No no," Zoerina broke down. She burst into tears, holding his hand and clinging on with all that she had as the officer led Hunapo back towards the door that he came from. "No please don't. Please."

The officer allowed them to pause before they disappeared inside. Hunapo gave Zoerina one more kiss. It was then that I could taste the tears that were rolling down my cheeks and onto my lips. Was this for the best? Was it worth causing all of this pain? Because it was so painful. Watching their parting kiss, watching his enormous hands cup her pixie shaped face. Watching her tremble with sobs that shook her entire frame while she clung to him. It was devastating.

The door closed, it was a finalising thud that seemed far louder than it was. I'd been glued to the spot the entire time, witnessing the ordeal with a concoction of emotions. Zoerina sank to the floor. Her cries were the worst sort. The silent ones that made her entire body vibrate. The ones that were only audible by the sound of her gasping for air as she clutched her chest. The distress felt like it was too much. It was all too much.

_____

There's probably one or two chapters left. ♥️