“Here for You”

“How are you feeling?” Colin asked softly, as Abby climbed back into her hospital bed. He’d been waiting there for several minutes while Abby and Libby were downstairs visiting with Alex Ross. He didn’t know what to expect, how she’d look or what condition she’d be in after what Arthur had told him she’d been through. All he knew was that he had to see her, had to talk to her, had to apologize for not being there when she’d needed him most.

“Oh, so now you’re talking to me again?” she snapped, angrily. She couldn’t bear to look at him, couldn’t even believe he had the nerve to show his face here.

Colin stared at her a moment, feeling quite shameful for what he’d done – or hadn’t done. She was hurting – inside, she was hurting and everything in him just wanted to take hold of her, wrap his arms around her and tell her everything was going to be okay. But he couldn’t... she was pushing him away... just as he had pushed her away a few weeks earlier.

An uncomfortable silence hung in the room between them for several minutes, until Colin couldn’t hold it in any longer and spoke, “Sorry,” he said, quietly, his sea-green eyes tearing up as he looked intently at her.

“For... what?” Abby asked. She still wouldn’t look at him – couldn’t bring herself to.

“Excuse me?”

“For what are you sorry,” she said, bolder now, “I mean, it’s a simple question, Colin. Are you sorry for ignoring me, for giving up so easily when... when Dwayne... came here to take me back, or for not returning my phone calls? For not being there for me when I had to see my husband's brains being blown out all over the town's minister? What? What, Colin, what?!”

Colin swallowed hard, kept his gaze on her. “Everything... all of it,” he replied, softly.

“Too little too late,” Abby retorted, lying back on her pillow.

"I'm here... now..." he replied, his voice still low.

"Like I said," she told him, "too little, too late."

Colin nodded silently then grabbed his crutches and slowly stood to leave. He knew he deserved it, all of it. She was right not to want anything to do with him after the way he’d ignored her all those weeks. He walked past her bed, stopped at the edge, “Just so you know, I’m here for you now if you need someone to talk to,” he told her softly.

When he didn’t get a reply from her, he turned and left the room.