Compass (35 page)

“I’ve missed you, too,” Cora whispered. “It’s been lonely without you.”

Alexis pulled back, looking into her sister’s deep brown eyes. “Wait? If you’re here, does that mean I’m…”

A chirp of laughter burst from Cora. “Don’t be silly. You’re not dead.”

“Whew, that’s a relief,” Alexis mused. Cora withdrew herself from Alexis’ hold, dancing about the empty space around them. Alexis furrowed her brows, a little confused by the whole situation. “Okay, if I’m not dead, then what are you doing here?”

Cora stopped dead in her tracks. She approached Alexis and directed her back to the couch she’d been lying on. Cora dropped her gaze to Alexis’ now closed fist. Alexis followed Cora’s eyes to her hand. Slowly, she flexed her fingers open to find a small red compass in the palm of her hand. Something touched the recesses of her thoughts. The fuzziness felt as if it was fading and her mind conjured up the face she’d been searching for. Then, like a flood, memories of the accident invaded her mind. “Ryan!” she gasped, trying to stand up. “I have to find Ryan.”

“Sit down, Alexis,” Cora commanded with such authority she had no choice but to obey.

Tears spilled down her cheeks, adding more pressure to her already aching eyes. “It’s not Ryan, is it?” she pleaded. “Ryan’s not dead, is he?”

Without a word, Cora took the compass from Alexis’ hand. She examined the face, flipped it over, and rubbed her thumb over the worn red plastic.

Alexis tilted her head, her face scrunched in confusion. “Cora, please. If you know anything about Ryan…”

“Funny things, compasses,” Cora noted, ignoring Alexis’ pleas.

“It’s just an old, broken toy.”

“This,” Cora held the compass up in the air, allowing the light to shine around it, “is more than a toy, and it’s far from broken.”

Alexis lifted her eyes to look at the compass. It was spinning out of control, just as it had been when she entered the morgue. “I dropped it earlier and that must’ve busted the mechanism in it. See.” She pointed to the spinning hand. “It doesn’t point north anymore.”

“That’s because you’re lost.”

“I don’t understand. Aren’t compasses supposed to help people find their way? Make the lost, found?”

Cora shook the toy, watching it spin. “This compass is a reflection of you. As long as you knew Ryan was safe, it pointed north. Ryan has always been the other piece of your soul.” Cora let out a little sigh. “I was always jealous of the connection you had with him.”

Alexis furrowed her brow. “Jealous? Because you had a crush on him?”

“No, silly! Because he’s your soulmate.”

“Hold on. Are you trying to tell me that soulmates are real? They’re not some crap made up by writers to sell some shitty books?”

Cora tsked at her sister. “How can you be so obtuse? Soulmates are a rare but wonderful thing. Even now, don’t you feel the pull for him? The connection? You must.” She rolled the compass between her fingertips.

Alexis closed her eyes, her heart sinking in her chest. She did feel the pull for him. It was that very need that drove her, pushed her to find him. She couldn’t live without him. That much she was certain of.

Cora took Alexis by the hand and placed the compass into her open palm. “This compass only points to your one true north when you believe in him. The moment you lost faith that he was okay was the moment this compass stopped pointing north.”

Alexis closed her hand around the compass, her eyes welling with tears. “I don’t know what to do. I’m so scared.”

Cora pulled Alexis into her warm embrace, holding her tight. “Alexis, you do know what to do.”

“I do?” she whispered through her tears.

“Yes. Follow the compass. Follow your heart.”

Alexis pulled back, wiping the tears from her eyes. She looked down at the compass; its hand was spinning wildly. It looked how she felt - lost and out of control. Alexis slid her thumb over the scratched and faded plastic.

“My heart is lost,” she admitted.

“Just believe,” Cora whispered. “And remember, you’re not alone.”

Alexis lifted her eyes, a smile bright on her face, but instead of finding Cora looking back at her, she was stunned to find Ryan had replaced her sister.

Alexis reached up with her free hand and brushed back the bangs that had fallen against his forehead. She marveled at how handsome he looked in his uniform. The bright glow of the fluorescent lamp highlighted the midnight blue tones of his soft black hair. His piercing green eyes twinkled with love.

She threw herself into his arms and cried. “I’ve been searching for you everywhere. I thought you were dead.”

Ryan pulled her back, cupping her face in his hands. “I’m always right here.” He placed a hand over her heart.

“I love you so much. I can’t live without you. You have to know that.”

Ryan took her hand in his, pressing the compass into their palms. Leaning forward, he placed his forehead to hers and whispered, “In those moments you feel lost, alone, or confused, pull it out and let yourself remember. Let this compass lead you back home. Let it lead you back to me. Forever and always, okay?”

Her lips flattened as the tears began to once again flow. Ryan smiled, so tender and sweet, a beacon of hope and love. Two souls, once lost in the darkest of nights, found in the sunlight of true love and friendship.

“Okay,” she breathed.

Ryan placed his hands on her shoulders, and started to shake her. “It’s time. You have to wake up now.”

“No. Ryan. Don’t leave me.”

“I’m not. I’ve always been here. I’m simply waiting on you. Now, Alexis, wake up.”

“Ryan,” she wept. “No. I want to stay with you.”

The harder he shook her, the darker his figure became. The peace she’d felt evaporated like air being sucked through a vacuum. All of the buried emotions came pouring forward. The dam had broken, and everything that was being held back, crashed over her. She was suffocating.

“Alexis!”

“I can’t lose you. You can’t leave me.”

“Wake up, Lex,” Ryan demanded.

Her eyes flew open and she jumped straight up into a sitting position. Someone stepped backward, giving her space. “Calm down. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” He knelt down in front of her, placing his hands on her knees. “Hey, you,” Declan said, a tender smile creasing the corners of his mouth. “You okay?”

“Where am I?”

“You’re in Dale’s office. Remember, I brought you up here to rest.”

Alexis shook her head, recalling the memory. “Sorry. I only meant to rest my eyes. How long have I been asleep?”

“About two hours.”

Alexis bounded off the seat, pushing Declan backward. He barely caught himself before hitting the floor. “Two hours. Jesus! Why would you allow me to sleep that long? I have to find Ryan.”

Declan leaped up and grabbed her by the shoulders. “That’s what we came to tell you.” He motioned toward Mary, who was standing next to the door. A bright but exhausted smile lit her face.

“We’ve found him,” Mary announced.

“He’s alive?”

“Yes!”

Opening her hand, Alexis glanced down at the compass that had left an imprint in her skin. No longer was it spinning in wild circles. It had stopped and was pointing north. “Let it lead you back to me.”

“I’m sorry?” Declan asked; his eyes narrowed on the toy in her hand.

“He’s alive!” Alexis squealed.

“Yes! He’s alive.”

Joy poured from her as she threw her arms around the unsuspecting pilot. Declan picked her up off the floor and twirled her around in circles. They laughed and cried; holding to one another like two siblings would in a time of joy and relief. There was something magical in the air; love found, hearts reunited and hope renewed.

Declan placed her back on her feet, a huge smile on his face. “You want to see him?”

“What kind of a question is that? Of course!” she exclaimed.

Taking his hand, Alexis slipped the compass into her pocket and exited the office. As they walked out the door, she grabbed Mary by the hand, pulling her close. In her heart, she whispered a word of thanks to Cora. Because of her sister, she’d found her heart, and she was going home, to Ryan, where she belonged.

Fear knotted in Ryan’s chest. The flashing lights of the ambulance and the high-pitched siren pierced his ears. There was so much pressure on his chest that it was almost impossible for him to breathe. He tried to speak. He wanted to scream, but the mask the medics had over his mouth prevented such a thing.

Alexis!
He cried out in his mind.
I have to get back to her!

All his life he’d loved only one woman. Now, more than ever, he realized that. Alexis York was meant for him. They’d always been connected, even when they were separated.

His eyes fluttered closed. They were heavy and it felt better to close them. He heard someone shout in his ear to open his eyes. He obeyed, but not without some hesitation. Behind those closed eyelids he could see the one person who drove him to survive. Alexis pushed him to not give up. It was the sound of her voice that enabled him to rip out his own seat restraints and pull Kix from the burning cockpit. Without her whispering in his mind, he wouldn’t have been able to push forward and help other passengers get out of the wreckage.

Through blurry eyes, Ryan managed to take in his surroundings. Now, somehow, he was being rushed through hospital doors. The gurney bounced, jerking him when they turned a corner. He rasped out in pain, the tightness in his chest muffling his voice.

“We have a male, early thirties, possible broken ribs,” a man yelled out.

Who are they talking about?
Ryan wondered.

The accident flashed inside his mind. Images of fire, the smell of smoke, the screams of people expanded in his head. It was him who was hurt. But how? He hadn’t been hurt before, other than a sharp ache in his leg. Nothing was making sense to him. Everything came in scrambled little pieces.

He pressed his mind to remember. While he could feel it on the edge of his brain, all that came to mind was Alexis. Her tender smile, the sound she made when she giggled, her sweet scent syphoned the smell of smoke and the terror of screams from his mind.

It was no use.

All he could feel was Alexis.

I feel her!
he realized.

His body jolted to life. She was here, in this place. He could sense her, almost as if he could hear the very sound of her heart beating.

“I found him!” a familiar voice cried out. He felt a hand on his forehead and someone opened his eyelids, forcing light into them. “We’ve been searching for you,” the voice told him.

Ryan tried to smile, but something covered his mouth. The urge to reach up and pull off whatever it was over his nose and mouth was overwhelming, but his arms couldn’t move. He jerked his hands. “Easy there, buddy. It’s all okay now. You’re safe,” came the sweet female voice. “I’ll be right back. You hear me? I’m going to get Alexis.”

Alexis!
his soul cried out. He fought against the restraints, but the pain in his chest grew tighter. Ryan gasped for air; the mask on his face was suffocating him. So much was going on around him that he couldn’t tell what was real and what was a dream. Was it possible that he’d dreamt the nice woman telling him that Alexis was there? All he knew for certain was his love for Alexis kept him from fading into the blackness that hovered around him.

“Baby,” her soft voice called to him. A force so strong threw him into stillness. “I need you to calm down.” He couldn’t move even if he wanted to. The sheer force of heat and electrical current running through his veins pinned him to the bed. Ryan forced his eyes to open wide. A tired, heavy haze coated his vision, but the dim outline was recognizable to him. It was Alexis standing over the bed. “Baby, I need you to listen to me. You’ve been injured. Your left leg appears to be broken, as do your ribs. We’re taking you for x-rays now.”

Ryan grunted, flexing his fingers. Alexis gripped his hand, settling his speeding heart. “I’m not going to leave your side. You hear me? I’m right here. I love you so much.” Her free hand pushed his hair back from his face.

I love you, too.

And with that, everything went black.