A Kiss At Midnight (Delilah and Caelum) novel Chapter 59

Chapter 59

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We stepped through the sliding glass doors together and the warm air inside the hospice replacing the cool breeze we had left outside.

The building was quiet with soft conversations drifting from somewhere farther down the hall,, the squeak of a medication cart echoed briefly before disappearing around a cornerr, everything seemed to move slower here, as though time itself had agreed to be gentler.

Jace’s hand slipped from mine once we were inside, causing me to glance at him, watching as his shoulders had straightened, the nervousness from outside was still there, I I could see it in the slight stiffness of his posture, but he had tucked it away behind the familiar easy smile he wore around everyone else.

It wasn’t hard to recognize that he was pretending

The nurse at the reception cubicle looked up from her computer, and the moment she spotted him, her face lit up. Well she said with a smile, “it’s been a while.”

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly before flashing her one of his signature grins. “It has,” then his eyes swept over her teasingly, “but can we talk about how unfairly good you look today, Olivia?”

The nurse, Olivia, rolled her eyes so quickly I almost laughed. “You are still exactly the same.”

“I will take that as a compliment.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“I will anyway.” she shook her head, smiling despite herself then her attention shifted to me.

“Oh.” she asked, her tone turning teasing, “And who is this,” her eyes bounced between us. “Your girlfriend?”

“Um..” I answered before he had the chance to open his mouth, “not his girlfriend,” giving a light shrug, “just friends.”

Jace slowly placed a hand over his chest as though I had physically wounded him. “Brutal,” I ignored him as he looked toward Olivia instead, “What a way to get rejected by my crush,” he sighed before adding, “atleast I still have you by my side.”

Olivia laughed. “Too bad,” she gestured toward me, “I’m on this beautiful lady’s side.”

I smirked. “Oh..” then looked between the two of them, “So now we’ve got someone who’s not only beautiful but also smart and capable of making good decisions,” folding my arms, “the world is healing.”

He winced theatrically. “Double kill, Olivia,” he sighed as though his soul had just left his body, pressing a hand against his chest again, “and here I was thinking what we had was special, that our bond was strong, then you betray me at the first sight of the first friend I bring over.”

Olivia merely shrugged. “That’s life, dear.”

He gasped. “Double,” he pointed at her accusingly, then at me, “triple, quadruple brutal.”

I reached over and gave him a firm pat between his shoulder blades. “Get over it,” and he looks at me in complete disbelief.

“I see you two are ganging up on me now,” Olivia laughed and I did too as he looked between us with exaggerated betrayal before muttering something under his breath about never trusting women again.

“You’ll recover.” I said.

“I won’t, I’ll carry this emotional damage forever,” for a brief moment, the atmosphere felt lighter, almost as if we weren’t

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Chapter 59

standing inside a hospice, till the laughter faded, the silence settled naturally between us.

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Jace’s smile softened as looked at Olivia. “How is she today?” the question came quietly, completely different from the joking tone he had been using moments ago.

Olivia’s expression softened too. “She’s doing better than yesterday,” he visibly relaxed just a fraction, “she’s been in a good mood this morning,” she smiled faintly, “and has been moving around a little more.”

She nodded toward one of the hallways. “Spent nearly an hour talking with Mrs. Ellis, the two of them have become quite the pair,” a tiny smile tugged at his lips.

“That sounds like Mom.”

“It does,” Olivia’s smile lingered for another second, then it slowly faded as her eyes drifted toward the hallway on her left and I followed her gaze.

Against the wall sat a small memorial table, fresh white lilies rested beside a framed photograph of a smiling young woman who couldn’t have been older than forty. There wass a candle beside the frame, still unlit in the daylight with a handwritten sympathy card leaned carefully against the flowers.

Olivia looked back at Jace. “She took quite a hit after Charlotte..” she didn’t finish the sentence, she didn’t have to for him to understand immediately.

The color drained from his face for the briefest moment, something painful flickered through his eyes, fear, sadness, guilt. They appeared so quickly they almost didn’t seem real, and then, just as quickly, they were gone.

Hidden, locked away behind the familiar smile

His jaw tightened as his muscles there flexed once. “I..” he cleared his throat. “I should go see her.”

Olivia gave him a gentle nod. “Given the time, she should be awake.”

He nodded back. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” he offered her one last smile before turning away and I quietly followed beside him, neither of us spoke.

The further we walked down the hallway, the quieter he became, the joking, flirting, easy confidence, all disappeared one step at a time. His hands slid into the pockets of his jacket as his shoulders became tense again.

I looked at him from the corner of my eye, watching as he stared straight ahead, but I knew he wasn’t really seeing the hallway, and was preparing himself.

Every step seemed heavier than the last, the rooms passed us one after another, 214, 215. The air smelled faintly of disinfectant and lavender, same doors were open, till he finally stopped.

Room 223

He stood outside the door, didn’t move or reach for the handle and stared, before taking in a slow breath, then another, his fingers flexed at his sides. I could almost see the battle happening inside his head.

Go in. not yet. Go in, what if…

He gulped hard, I didn’t rush him, didn’t tell him everything would be okay, some moments didn’t need words. They just needed someone willing to stand beside you while you found the courage yourself.

After nearly a full minute, he let out a slow sigh, his hand lifted, hovering over the doorknob,, then finally closed around it. He tightened his grip, drewing in one last steadying breath as he slowly pushed the door open.

The room was quiet, sunlight spilled through the large window, bathing everything in a soft goldden glow that made the

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Chapter 59

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white walls feel warmer than the rest of the hospice.

The moment we stepped inside, the woman lying on the bed slowly turned her head toward the sound of the opening door. Mrs. Moreno looked smaller than I remembered, the last time I had seen her had been nearly five years ago, and although she had always carried herself with elegance, illness had carved away much of her strength.

Her once full cheeks had grown thinner, her skin pale but still warm in complexion,, fine lines framed the corners of her kind brown eyes, and strands of silver had woven themselves through her dark hair. Most of it had been gathered into a loose braid that rested over one shoulder, with a few wisps escaping to frame her face.

She wore a soft powder blue cardigan over a white floral hospital gown, a knitted blanket tucked neatly over her legs, despite everything, her eyes were still full of life.

The second they landed on Jace, they lit up. “My little Sol,” her voice was gentle, warm and filled with so much affection that my chest tightened.

She reached one hand toward him without hesitation and he didn’t waste a second.” Mama,” his voice cracked softly as he crossed the room in a few quick steps before carefully leaning into her embrace.

Wrapping both arms around him as tightly as she could. “Oh, my sweet boy,” she whispered, pressing a kiss against the side of his head. “You seem to grow taller every single time I see you,” and a watery laugh escaped him.

“I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“It is when you’re my son,” she smiled against his hair. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I missed you too, Mama,” pulling back just enough to cup both of his cheeks in her hands.

“Let me see your face,” he said obediently stayed still as her thumbs brushed lightly over his cheeks while she studied him with the careful attention only a mother could, her brows slowly knitted together, “have you not been eating?”

Jace let out a small sigh that sounded almost practiced. “I eat more than enough.”

“Hm.”

“You worry too much.”

“I carried you for nine months,” she pinched his cheek gently, “I’ve earned the right.”

He laughed quietly. “You will never stop worrying, will you?”

“Never,” smiling before pulling him into another hug, “oh my sweet baby boy,” he melted into the embrace without a hint of embarrassment, and simply stayed there, eyes closed for a brief moment, letting himself be held.

Watching them together made something ache quietly inside my chest, It was impossible to miss how much they loved each other. Eventually, he eased back again, only then did his mother notice me properly.

Her gaze softened even more as glanced my way, and his does to as he stretches his hand slightly toward him. “This is..”

“Delilah Quinn,” she completed the sentence before he could, a small smile spread across her face, “I’d recognize you anywhere.”

“Mrs. Moreno,” I greeted softly as 1 stepped closer to the bed. She reached out before I could say anything else, her hand remained suspended in the air, waiting, and I took it as she gave my fingers a gentle squeeze.

“No,” shaking her head, “call me Jacquelin, Mrs. Moreno feels far too formal,” her smile grew, “and besides, I think we are well past that.”

“Jacquelin,” I corrected myself.

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