the hell else am I supposed to think.
After pacing the living room for the better part of an hour, I decide to finally turn in for the night. Though I doubt I’ll get even an ounce of sleep.
As soon as my head hits the pillow, I roll to one side and then to the other, trying to find a comfortable position. Eventually I end up on my back, staring at the dark ceiling.
I run through everything that’s happened over the last few days. How happy I’ve been. How happy we both have been. I can’t see him throwing that all away.
And yet, isn’t that exactly what he did last time?
Have I been kidding myself into thinking he’s actually changed? Have I been seeing what I want to see because I am so desperate to hold onto this ridiculous idea of us in my head?
At some point I finally doze off, though by the time I do it’s well after three in the morning. I toss and turn for the next few hours, waking every few minutes to look at the clock.
When the sun starts to make its way through the blinds, I abandon any hopes of getting any real rest. Slipping on my robe and slippers, I peek in on Ellie, who’s still fast asleep, before quietly exiting out the back door.
I know he’s not home. I know it before I push the door open and am standing inside the empty, quiet space of the garage apartment.
“Where are you, Jace?” I say out loud, my worry over his whereabouts skyrocketing.
Heading back into the house, I decide to call the shop. I doubt anyone is there this early but it’s worth a shot. After looking up the number on the internet, I punch it into my phone and press my back against the kitchen island as it rings.
To my surprise after two rings, someone picks up.
“Vance’s Auto,” the deep male voice fills the line.
“Um, yeah, hi. I’m, um, I’m looking for Jace Matthews.”
“He’s not here. Can I take a message?”
“Um, no. Can you just, uh, can you just tell me if you’ve seen him?”
“Can I ask who’s calling?”
“Oh, sorry. This is Oakley. Oakley Pierson.”
“Oakley.” I hear the recognition in the man’s voice. “It’s Devin. We met at Tommy’s funeral.”
“Devin. Right.” I hadn’t recognized his voice, but now that I know who I’m talking to, it seems so obvious. “I’m sorry to call so early. It’s just… well, Jace never came home last night and I’m a little worried.”
A little? That’s the understatement of the century.
“He was here yesterday afternoon. Left around six, I think. I haven’t seen him since then.”
“Okay, well thanks anyway.”
“If you want to leave me your number, I’d be happy to give you a call if he turns up.”
“Actually, that would be great. Thank you,” I say, quickly rambling off my number.
I end the call a few seconds later, the nervous pit in my stomach twisting violently.
Before I even realize what I’m doing, I’ve punched in the number to the emergency room.
“Briar Memorial. This is Jane.”
“Jane, it’s Oakley,” I rush out, knowing she knows who I am. We’ve worked together for the better part of a year.
“Hey, Oakley. What’s up?”
“Have you been there all night?” I ask.
“I have. Just getting ready to head out. Why? What’s going on?”
“I was wondering if you could tell me if you had any male patients come in last night. Mid-twenties. Brown hair. Blue eyes. Around six foot one. Probably one-eighty or so. His name is Jace Matthews.”
“Um, not that I can recall. It was a pretty slow night. Hang on, I’ll check the system.” I hear her fingers clack against the keyboard as she checks the night’s records. “Nope,” she finally confirms. “We only had four patients come in. A thirty-six-year-old man. A forty-nine-year-old woman. A ten-year-old, and an infant. None of which are named Jace Matthews. Why? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Everything is fine. Thank you so much for checking.”
“Of course.”
I quickly wrap up the call, feeling slightly better yet worse at the same time. Just because he didn’t turn up in my hospital doesn’t mean he didn’t go to a hospital. Or worse, didn’t make it to a hospital at all.
I shake off the thought. I can’t think that way. And yet I can’t help it either. What else could explain why he never came home?
Deciding I can’t just sit here, I head down the hall and wake Ellie. After getting her dressed, and dressing myself, I feed her some breakfast