“I remembered how much you liked it at Thanksgiving,” Regina said with a laugh as I made grabby hands at the bag on the nightstand.
“You really didn’t have to do this,” I said, even though I’d already popped the top of the container Lauren handed me and dug in with a fork.
“Caro, nobody should have to be stuck in a hospital on Christmas,” Regina said, sitting in the chair beside the bed.
“Now you all are too,” I pointed out around a mouthful of cannoli.
“Are you kidding me? This is like heaven compared to being with the rest of the family,” Carlo said, snorting. “The cops will be called if everyone keeps drinking and playing card games the way they were when we left.”
“You’re not wrong there,” Archer agreed.
“Everyone wanted to come see you, of course,” Lauren said, “but Zia Regina said that would probably be too much for you.”
I highly doubted that, but Regina made a good point. A bunch of little kids playing sardines in a hospital room wasn’t such a good idea.
“Face it, Hadley, you’re one of us now,” Carlo said, grinning devilishly at me. “And once you’re in, there’s no escaping.”
“Well, aren’t you going to open your presents?” Rosie asked, still trying to hoist herself up on the bed.
“Ah, I guess.”
Truthfully, I wanted to keep eating desserts—calories also don’t count when you’ve been hit by a car, Taylor and I had decided—but if they went out of their way to give me presents, I couldn’t exactly say no.
My own parents had brought me a few Christmas presents in the form of a new iPad (for when being in the hospital became too unbearable, which was always) a variety of gift cards for Barney’s, American Apparel, and Forever 21 totaling well over two hundred dollars, along with a bunch of Lindsor truffles. I appreciated the gesture, and was glad to have something new to amuse me other than TV, but the extravagance of the gifts was a little too noticeable. I knew my parents were just trying to make up for everything, and I hoped they’d realize soon enough that I didn’t fancy things—just them.
“Open mine first!” Rosie said excitedly, now on the bed, shoving a brightly wrapped package at me.
I managed to open the present with little difficulty despite all the tubes still taped to my hand. “Whoa, a new coloring book!”
The giant fantasyland coloring book now in my hands seemed like such an appropriate gift from Rosie, I couldn’t stop smiling.
“And look, a sixty-four pack of crayons!” Rosie said, shaking the crayons at me.
“Pretty sure that’s more for her than you,” Archer said with a chuckle, leaning up against the nightstand beside the bed.
“Who cares?” I said. “You’re never too old for coloring. And besides, I’ve gotten bored of Candy Crush.”
Rosie had already ripped open the pack of crayons and turned the coloring book to a new page, and was coloring a picture of a dragon bright pink. I would definitely be joining her later.
“This one is from us,” Lauren said, handing over a present I suspected was some kind of book. “Well, my mom picked it out, but it’s from all of us.”
It wound up being an Italian cookbook with all sorts of recipes ranging from meatballs and Alfredo sauce to cookies and mascarpone. Written on the front page was a note that said:
For when you can’t always make it to family dinners.
Much love from
the DiRosarios
“This is perfect,” I said, grinning. “I’ve been meaning to learn how to cook.”
“Let’s hope you’re a better cook than you are a barista,” Archer said under his breath, but we all heard him.
Regina scolded him with a few words in Italian that had Lauren and Carlo giggling. I settled for chucking my empty oatmeal cup at him.
My next present was from Sofia, her husband, and their kids. It was a gorgeous, hand-knitted purple scarf, along with a card wishing me a merry Christmas and hoping that I would be out of the hospital in no time.
I immediately wrapped the scarf around my shoulders and was glad it provided some relief from the chilly hospital air.
Regina’s gift to me was a gorgeous silver bracelet with small pink stones set into the chain that sparkled and glinted whenever the light reflected off it.
“I got that when I spent the summer in Sicily when I was fifteen,” Regina told me. “It’s too small for me now, and Rosie’s still a bit young for jewelry like that, so I figured you wouldn’t mind looking after it for me.”
“Regina, this is . . . .” I was unable to find the words to convey just how touched I was by this gift.
“I’m glad you like it,” she said with a smile.
“Like it? I love it!”
“Maybe you can wear it once you’re out of the hospital,” Archer said after I spent a minute struggling to put the bracelet on one handed.
“Maybe,” I grumbled, blowing out a sigh.
Stupid hospital.
“Is this from you, Archer?” I asked, reaching for the last present at the foot of the bed as he slipped the bracelet back in its case.
“I’ve been known to give presents now and then,” he said with a shrug.
I knew it was another book before unwrapping it, but I wasn’t expecting it to be—“Geometry for Dummies? Gee, thanks! This is probably the worst present ever!”
It still hurt to laugh, but it was impossible not to when everyone in the room cracked up laughing.
“I won’t always be there to reteach you the Pythagorean theorem,” Archer said, smirking at me.
“Excuse me!” I protested. “That was one time, and if you’ll recall, I got an A on that last test. Just because you—”
“Hadley?”
Now standing in the doorway of the room were my parents, Chinese takeout in hand, looking baffled at my visitors gathered around my bed.
“Hey, Mom, Dad,” I said, suddenly anxious.
“Who’re your guests?” my dad asked, turning to look at me.
“You remember Archer,” I said. “And then this is Regina, his mom—and my boss—and these are Lauren and Carlo, the cousins, and Rosie, his little sister.”
“Oh, hello,” my dad said while my mom remained silent, still caught off guard. “You must be the owner of the coffeehouse, then.”
“I am.” Regina got to her feet, extending a hand for my dad to shake. “It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“If we’d known you were coming, we could’ve picked up some more food,” my dad said, placing the takeout containers on the nightstand.
“Don’t worry about it,” Regina said, waving a hand.
“We just wanted to surprise Hadley, that’s all,” Carlo said, smiling indulgently at my parents. “We all love her so much, you know.”
“Your daughter is quite the hard worker,” Regina added, giving me a fond smile.
I was half expecting Archer to make some comment about how I couldn’t even make a latte, but instead he said, “It’s never boring with Hadley around.”
Given the situation, I was going to assume that was supposed to be a compliment.
“Maybe we should get going now,” Regina continued, looking to Lauren, Carlo, and Archer. “Rosie, c’mon. It’s time to pack up the crayons, okay?”
I had the urge to shout at them not to leave, but it was my mom who unexpectedly said, “Why don’t you at least stay for lunch? There’s plenty here.”
“Yeah, please stay,” I said quickly, getting over my shock of my mom’s friendliness. This was a nice, new side of her.
Archer slid me a look and whispered, “Don’t want me to leave just yet?”
“Shut up,” I grumbled, but it was difficult to keep from smiling.
Lunch went better than expected. It took a bit for my parents to warm up to the Incittis, seeing as their boisterous family was so different from our own, but soon enough they were joining in the laughter. My dad was unable to resist Rosie’s adorable charm, and my mom spent a surprising a
mount of time talking business with Regina. I had never thought of these two important parts of my life being brought together, and I was surprised by how much I liked it. Really liked it.
Everyone began to pack up their things to head out once the end of visiting hours was approaching. My parents were allowed to stay, but they’d spent the night in my hospital room the night before, and I managed to convince them that it was perfectly fine to sleep in their own bed tonight.
“So,” I said to Archer as Regina was trying to coerce Rosie into her jacket and Lauren and Carlo were picking up the leftovers. “When are you coming back to see me?”
Archer laughed, giving me an amused look as he pulled on his jacket. “I haven’t even left you yet.”
“You try spending all this time stuck in a hospital and tell me how you deal with being alone,” I said.
“Yeah, no thanks,” Archer said. “It’s bad enough having lunch at school without you there. Your friends are insisting that they sit with me now. I swear, if I have to hear any more about how hot Liam Hemsworth is from Taylor, I’m going to lose it.”
“You should be flattered,” I said with a snicker. “That means they like you.”
“Whatever.”
It almost seemed as if he wasn’t really thinking about it when he leaned down to quickly press his lips against mine—right in front of his mother and my parents.
“Um,” I spluttered, my cheeks flooding with color. “I . . . guess I’ll see you later, then?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Archer said, smirking. “You know you will.”
My mother naturally had to comment on what happened the second after Archer and his family left.
“So are you dating that boy now or what?” she said, eyebrows raised.
“I’m . . . not really sure,” I admitted, a little embarrassed. “I think we’re going to figure out the finer details later.”
That was a conversation for another day. I didn’t think either of us were in a rush to get it together. It’d happen soon enough. I was happy to wait.
CHAPTER 34
Return to Normality—Two Months After
I thought I was ready to do this, but . . . now I’m not so sure.”
I stood on the sidewalk outside JFK Prep, hand in hand with Archer, staring up at the old brick building I had somehow managed to miss in my time away.
“You could go home, you know,” Archer said, glancing down at me. “The doctor said you could wait it out another week.”
I hadn’t been released from the hospital until well after the New Year. It was annoying and frustrating to have to take things so slowly and still rely on pain medication, but I was eager to return to school as soon as possible. I was already going to have to take summer classes to make up everything I’d missed while being in the hospital. I was ready to have my life go back to normal.
“Yeah, but this is better than being stuck in the apartment all day,” I said. “I miss being around people. I even miss school.”
Archer frowned and reached out to place the back of his other hand on my forehead. “Are you running a fever? Do you need some Tylenol? Because I could’ve sworn you said you actually miss school.”
“Being hit by a car will do that to you, I suppose.”
The warning bell rang, signaling that homeroom would start in a minute, but I wasn’t exactly capable of booking it to class like before. Archer and I joined the throng of students rushing through the front doors, and while he got a few curious stares here and there and a handful of kind smiles, it felt as if no time had passed since I’d last been here at all.
“Isn’t your homeroom that way?” I asked Archer, pointing in the opposite direction as he followed me to the staircase.
“Yeah, but I’ve been given permission to help you to all of your classes,” he said, wrapping an arm around my waist to help keep me steady as we began to walk up the stairs.
“Really?”
“No. I just don’t care if I’m late to class.”
This made me smile.
We’d only had twenty-five days of getting to know each other before my accident, and while a little over two months had passed since then, I knew I hadn’t even scratched the surface of what made Archer tick. But when I was stuck in the hospital, I’d seen an entirely different side to him. He was softer and sweeter than I would’ve imagined him capable. He still carried around his trademark sarcasm wherever he went, but that I didn’t mind so much. He wouldn’t have been Archer without it.
It seemed that despite Havoc’s best efforts, Archer’s life hadn’t tipped back into darkness. Victoria had made a full recovery, though I thought she was even sassier now than she had been before. And the fact that his father, St. Pierre, had officially been denied his request for an appeal definitely helped to brighten Archer’s mood. No more terrible accidents had occurred, and for that I was eternally grateful.
As for me and Archer . . . We still had things to work through, but it was comforting to know that we could do it together. We were going to do it together. There was no more question in my mind about where I stood with him.
“Here,” Archer said, carefully handing me my bag full of school things. “I’ll see you after homeroom.”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling. “Wish me luck.”
Archer frowned at my wrist when I took my bag from him. “Hey, you’re not wearing your beads.”
He was referring to my ghost beads, the one thing on my person that managed to survive the car accident. I’d kept them on the entire time I was in the hospital, and only finally removed them yesterday. They were carefully tucked into my jewelry box where I knew they would be safe. I’d gotten used to the beads being on at all times, but I didn’t need that kind of reminder anymore.
“Oh, yeah.” I glanced down at my wrist, seeing smooth skin instead of dark numbers that needed to be hidden. “I, uh, accidentally left them at home.”
“Bummer. They were pretty cool.”
I wasn’t sure if I would ever tell Archer about my deal with Death, what I did to save his life. That definitely wouldn’t be an easy conversation to have, and even if he did believe me I was sure he would be totally and completely unnerved. For now, it was best to keep that part of our story secret.
But while recuperating certainly hadn’t been an easy process so far, I knew without a doubt I had done the right thing. For Archer, and for myself. I’d learned more in the past months about myself than I would’ve thought possible. I hadn’t known at the time, but Archer had been exactly what I needed.
“Hadley!” Mrs. Anderson appeared in the doorway of my homeroom, a wide smile on her face. “It’s so good to see you again! Come in, come in!”
Archer gave me a small smile before heading off down the hallway. I watched him go, still amazed at how far we had come. I honestly didn’t know where life would take us—not yet, at least—but I was looking forward to finding out.
I’d already erased one dark future. I was ready for what came next.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There are so many people I want and need to thank for making In 27 Days possible, and to be honest, I don’t even know where to begin.
First and foremost, a shout out to my parents, Sharon and Tony. You both encouraged me to follow my dream of being a writer since I was little, and if it wasn’t for you, I don’t know where I would be today. I love you. Another thank you should be directed to my siblings Emily, Matthew, and Kaleena, and all of my extended family and friends too numerous to name—you know who you are. I don’t think I could have gotten this far without all of your love and support.
More thanks should be directed to Jillian Manning, editor extraordinaire at Blink, who found me on Wattpad and offered me the chance of a lifetime to pursue traditional publishing. You care about Archer and Hadley and their story just as much as I do, and that means the world to me.
Shannon Hassan, my amazing agent at Marsal Lyon, who took a chance on a virtually unknown author and jumped through numerous hoops to
get me in the best possible place today—a thousand thanks. You are beyond fantastic.
Professor J. Morales at CSU–Pueblo, I want to thank you for all of your help as well. You’ve been coaching me through this whole process right from the beginning and have been cheering me on from the sidelines ever since. You can definitely look forward to amazingly positive feedback in next semester’s student course evaluations.
I would also like to thank all the members of the Swanky 17’s, the networking group for authors publishing their debut novels in 2017. Even though you may not have read In 27 Days, you still offered an incredible amount of support and encouragement during this whole process, and I am eternally grateful. You are all so very kind, and I am honored to have gotten to know you.
To Wattpad and its administrators and every reader out there, I owe you more than just a thank you and a mention in an acknowledgments page, but know that I appreciate each and every one of you, and I always will.
Lastly, the fantastic team over at Blink who helped make this book possible: I may not have met you personally or even interacted with you, but you helped make my biggest dream a reality, and I am so incredibly thankful for that.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
To celebrate the release of In 27 Days, the Blink editors played a game of Five Questions with author Alison Gervais. Below, Alison spills some info on what went into writing the book, and her must-have meal. Enjoy!
Editors: In 27 Days has such a unique premise, in that the main character, Hadley, is compelled to take huge risks to save a boy she barely knows. Where did the idea for the storyline come from?
Alison: To be honest, I have no idea where the idea for this storyline came from! It sort of just fell into my head one night, and I decided to keep writing and writing to see where it would take me. I’m pretty darn happy with the results.
Editors: The book originally started on Wattpad as a story published chapter by chapter online. Did comments from readers affect the story in any way, or did you have a clear idea of how everything would play out for Hadley and Archer from the start?
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