The Iron Quill by Shelena Shorts Page A

ringing. I tilted my ear toward my room. It was definitely my phone.
    “Okay, I got it,” I said. “Gotta go.” I pointed toward my room, which was enough to prompt her to make her overdue exit for work.
    With her back turned, I skipped the steps two at a time, and practically hurdled over my bed to grab my phone.
    “Hello?” I answered eagerly, expecting to hear Dr. Lyon’s steady voice give me another excuse for more delays, but that’s not what I heard.
    The familiar voice was music to my ears and food for my heart. “Hey, you.”
    My eyes instantly teared up. “Wes—”
    “It’s me,” he said so close to the phone I felt his voice like he was finally touching me.
    “Oh, my gosh. I was so . . . I . . . I don’t even know . . . I—”
    “I know,” he said, soothing me further and relieving me of the task of finding the right words.
    “Oh, my gosh, Wes. Are you okay? You have no idea how much I’ve missed you. I . . . I can’t even tell you how much. Wait. Where are you?”
    “I’m headed home with Dr. Lyon.”
    “Dr. Lyon? He found you?”
    “Yes . . . because of you.”
    “You mean the name? The doctor?”
    “The name,” he confirmed. There was a notable pause as I once again tried to find words to describe my relief and elation, then he asked me if I would ever stop saving him.
    I couldn’t help but chuckle. “
No
. I won’t. Not freakin’ ever, as long as I can help it. I’ll do anything for you.”
    As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized what they implied. Each time in our history, I’d saved Weston somehow, only to die myself a short time later. The realization that I just may have saved him again, in this lifetime, hovered in the air. What did that mean for me? Was my purpose over? Was it my time to die again?
    Not only had I unleashed a worry that might happen, I’d suggested
I’d
do anything to save
him
. . . as if he wouldn’t for me. As if he hadn’t for me. But I knew that wasn’t true. I knew he’d do anything for me. Anything he could, and I loved him for that.
    Confirming my realization of his thoughts, he said my name. “Sophie?”
    “Yeah, I’m here,” I assured.
    “It’s my turn,” he said.
    I wanted to question what he meant, but I already knew, and what could I say to that? Nothing.
    “Did you hear me, Sophie?”
    “Yes,” I whispered.
    “I mean it. I meant what I said in Virginia. I love you. You’ve taken care of me more than I deserve and now it’s my turn.”
    I went to reply, but my lip quivered and I had to take a deep breath and suck in the tears just to speak clearly. I said the only thing I knew he wanted to hear and the only thing I wanted to say.
    “Okay. I love you, too.” And with that, the quiet sniffles started, no matter how much I’d fought them. I tilted the phone away from my mouth, hoping he couldn’t hear.
    I heard him say my name, so I pressed my ear back to the phone.
    “Don’t cry,” he said, “Everything’s going to be okay.”

Chapter 14

MATURITY
     
    T he following two hours were like the night before Christmas when you’re five, only times it by a thousand. My nerves were tingly all over, and I couldn’t sit still. I wanted to run outside, jump around, and drive to the airport at a hundred miles an hour, but Wes had told me to stay put.
    For some reason, he’d said he didn’t want me leaving the house for even a second until he got there. He even asked me to call in sick to work, assuring me it was nothing major. He just wanted to make sure things settled down while he was on his way. He also gave me the heads up that his cell phone had been taken, so if I needed him, I’d have to call Dr. Lyon’s phone.
    I acted like the cell phone being taken was the worst crime in the world, but he wasn’t concerned. He said it was password protected and anyone trying the wrong password three times would cause everything to be wiped out. He wasn’t worried about personal contacts or emails being stolen. He just