I'll Be There

3 | just friends

Olivia stood frozen in the doorway. The nurse had told her to walk on in, but it was as if some external force was holding her still. For the first time in two years, he was in front of her, in the flesh. Somehow, he looked exactly the same, and yet, completely different; the casts and brace seemed to alter the body she knew so well.

She held her breath as she walked up to his bed, only releasing once her feet were firmly planted at their destination. His face was expressionless as he slept.

Immediately, her eyes took inventory of his body, counting every finger, identifying each scratch on his face that wasn't there before. His injuries must've been worse than they first assessed because he had shoulder slings on both arms.

Scooting a chair up beside the bed, she decided not to wake him. With no conversation or emotion, they could just be Liv and Spencer again; two people sitting besides each other in silence.

________________________

"Liv?" Spencer's raspy voice caused her to stir.

She opened her eyes to find his arm inches from her face. At some point, she must've leaned forward and fallen asleep against the edge of the bed.

"Hi," she sat up, "how are you feeling?"

"I've been better," he replied, a light chuckle escaping him.

"Well you look...," she tilted her head, trying to find a nice way to put it.

"You don't gotta lie, Liv. I look like shit," he laughed, wincing at the pain the movement caused.

"You're going to be okay though. The doctors said," she replied, unsure whether she was reassuring him or herself.

"Yea."

Silence took over the room as the small talk quickly ran its course. Olivia's nerves reappeared as she mentally scrambled for something to say.

He beat her to it, "thank you again for checking on me that night."

"You don't have to thank me."

"You could've ignored the call since you're not really my emergency contact anymore."

"You know I wouldn't do that," she was hurt that he'd even suggest that.

They sat in silence again while Olivia now debated the appropriate time to leave. They were teetering on dangerous territory, and she needed to play it safe.

"Well -," she started.

"I've been thinking a lot these past few days."

When she didn't respond, he decided to keep going.

"I got lucky Friday night. It could have been a lot worse. The other guy is paralyzed, Liv," she winced at this new information, "but I got lucky, and I'll be back to normal." The stomach dropping sensation she felt on Friday night returned as she imagined Spencer bound to a wheelchair for life.

He paused, contemplating his next words, "that could've been me, and it made me realize that life is too damn short to be doing this thing, whatever it is we're doing. I miss you too much."

She looked away, unable to take the heat of his gaze. His words hung in the air.

"Why'd you come here, Liv?"

She couldn't do this. Not today. This visit had gone too far.

"To make sure you're okay, and now I've done that," she stood up, grabbing her purse, "and I think it's time to go."

"So that's it?" he countered.

"That's what, Spencer. What do you want me to say?" she questioned, her voice cracking as her confident façade crumbled.