Chapter 9
On the day Camryn was discharged from the hospital, the first autumn rain fell in Karondadim.
The fine, dense rain pattered against the glass.
Layla was up before the sun and started packing.
She folded the clothes with perfect corners, and as she put them in the bag, her fingers lingered on the cuff of the blue bear hoodie.
The medicine boxes were spread out on the bedside table. There were fever reducers, cough suppressants, and anti-inflammatory drugs.
She had attached a note to each box, with the dosage and instructions written in large, neat handwriting.
After attaching the notes, she smoothed out the corners of each sticky note with her fingertips.
Alfie went to handle the discharge procedures.
Her phone buzzed. It was her mom.
"Your dad and I will be there tomorrow. We'll take Camryn home for a few days, so don't worry," her mom said.
Layla looked out the window. "Mom, it's okay. I'll take care of him."
"Is it up to you?" Her mom's voice was laced with worry. "What about Alfie? Does he agree?"
Layla didn't answer.
She honestly didn't know what Alfie would say.
These past few days, Alfie showed up right on schedule, helped Camryn with her bandages, asked the doctors questions, and kept his distance, so polite it felt like he was dealing with a neighbor.
Layla wanted to ask him.
But whenever her eyes met Alfie's, her throat tightened, and the words felt like a stone she just couldn't get out.
Alfie came back with the discharge papers and handed them to Layla.
"Got all the meds?" Alfie asked.
"All set, everything's packed up," Layla replied.
"Alright, let's head out," Alfie said.
He bent down, scooped Camryn into his arms, and picked up the biggest suitcase.
Layla grabbed two bags and walked after them.
The three of them made their way down the hallway, took the elevator, and walked out of the hospital's front doors.
Outside, the rain was still coming down, soft and steady, drumming gently on the awning.
Alfie took off his jacket and wrapped it around Camryn, leaving himself in just a shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
Layla wanted to offer him the umbrella, but her hands were full, so all she could do was stand there, helplessly.
"Just hold it for yourself," Alfie said, glancing over his shoulder.
Raindrops trickled down from his hair, sliding over his forehead.
When they reached the parking lot, Alfie settled Camryn into the car seat. As he leaned in to fasten his seatbelt, his fingers touched the metal buckle, and he paused for a second.
Camryn hugged his little alpaca plushie, its fur all worn and dusty from being loved so much.
Layla slid into the passenger seat and set the bags at her feet.
The car slipped out of the parking lot.
The streets outside were silent.
The wipers dragged across the windshield in a steady, repetitive rhythm.
"Alfie," Layla finally spoke up.
Alfie responded with a quiet hum, his eyes fixed on the rain-slick road ahead.
"I want to talk to you," Layla said.
"Now?" Alfie asked.
"Right now," Layla said.
Alfie put on the turn signal and pulled into a gas station glowing with lights along the roadside.
Once the car stopped, he glanced back at the back seat. Camryn was nestled in his car seat, mouth slightly open, fast asleep.
His little alpaca plushie had slipped from his hands and was now resting on his lap.
"Go ahead," Alfie said, leaning his seat back a little and resting his hands on the steering wheel.
Under the gas station awning, it was quiet and empty, with only the sound of rain drumming on the roof and the distant rumble of cars passing by.
Layla took a deep breath.
"I owe you an apology. Not for shutting off my phone, no matter how many times I say sorry, it won't change what happened," Layla said.
She paused.
"I'm really sorry for something I've been doing all these years," she said quietly.
Alfie stayed silent, his profile turned toward her.
Layla said, "I've known Moises for almost ten years, three years before I even met you.
"Back in college, we used to take road trips together all the time, and even after we graduated, we never really stopped。"
Her fingers tightened around the hem of her jacket in her lap.
She said, "I kept telling myself we were just regular friends. Ten years, and I never thought there was anything weird about it.
"But..."
Her voice just stopped there.
Alfie's face was etched in the dim yellow glow of the gas station lights.
Layla went on, her voice barely above a whisper, "But last night, I asked Moises something.
"I said, 'If your wife went on a trip with another man, turned off her phone for five days, and your kid got sick and ended up in the hospital, and you couldn't reach her at all, what would you think?'"
"What did he say?" Alfie asked, his voice flat.
"He didn't say anything. He just turned his head away," Layla replied.
Layla looked out the window, watching the rain turn into thin threads of light under the gas station's glow.
"I was standing there, and suddenly I thought, 'What if it were you?'" Layla said.
Layla's voice sounded rough.
"If you went off every year with another woman, turned off your phone, and our kid ended up in the ICU, how would I feel?" Layla said, her words trembling a little.
Alfie stayed silent for a moment.
The wipers stopped, and rain began to slide down the windshield in streaks.
Alfie finally spoke, his voice low, "I know what you're about to say. You're going to tell me you've thought it through, and it won't happen again."
Layla just sat there, silent.
"I've heard you say that three times already," Alfie said, tapping the steering wheel, his voice steady. "Layla, it's not that I don't believe you."
He paused, swallowing hard.
"I just don't know if, when the next time comes, you'll even remember how you felt right now," Alfie said, his voice low and heavy.
In the back seat, Camryn shifted in her sleep, murmuring softly.
Alfie glanced back at his sleeping son, then turned back to Layla.
Alfie said, his voice so flat it sounded like he was reciting a contract clause, "I'm giving you one more chance.
"But there's a catch. You need to meet someone."
"Who?" Layla asked.
"My mom," Alfie replied.
Alfie opened the car door, stepped out, and stood at the edge of the awning, his back to her.
The rain pattered gently on the awning, making a soft rustling sound.
Alfie said, "She came over from Aglaroos today. She's staying at a hotel near our place.
"She said she wants to talk to you in person."
Layla sat in the passenger seat, her fingers still clutching the hem of her jacket.
Outside, Alfie stood in the dim yellow light, his shoulders still and unmoving.
Layla had a hunch.
This "chance" wasn't going to be as easy as she thought.