Hesetation

In the wings.

Delia sat on the edge of the bed and watched Auroras eyelids begin to flicker while the smell of fresh coffee wafted into her nostrils. She breathed it in for a moment as she craned her neck, making it creak and crack. Under the ticking of the pump and the hiss of the oxygen, she heard the squeaking of a pair of sneakers on the bleached linoleum floor. Her ears perked up at it and at that moment, a pair of eyes landed on the back of her head and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
"Chris I know you're there" she said in a deadpan tone. Chris walked into the room and into Delias line of sight, holding two cups of steaming coffee and handed one to Delia with a kind smile. Delia took it and mouthed a 'Thanks'.
"You know, eavesdropping is rude" Delia said looking up at Chris from her coffee after a pause. Chris took back the chair she'd vacated earlier. "I was only standing there for a few seconds" she assured with a grin, stirring her coffee with a little wooden stick that resembled a tongue depressor.
"Whatever, still rude" said Delia, chortling.
"Ehhh, I'm happy for the pair of you anyway" Chris said, sipping the coffee with her eyes closed. "I don't think Aro has any real friends apart from Blake and me. There may have been an exe, at some stage. But what I know about that I said I'd keep confident. Don't think they've talked in eons" she added.
Unbidden into Delias head, came the image of Aurora with yet another woman. Though this particular woman was faceless and nameless and shrouded in the fog of distance, Delia still couldn't deny she was bothered by this notion. She glanced up at Chris who was looking at her with a tilted head and the pensive expression of someone fascinated by some exotic wildlife. She was just about to call her out on this when the coffee met her lips and she was momentarily distracted.
"Mmmmmmhhhh, woah this is excellent coffee for hospital brand!" she blurted out, taken by surprise. Chris smiled, nodding and taking another sip. "Well ... you have my blessing and support at any rate" she said, stirring her coffee further.
Delia looked at Chris, wide-eyed. "How much of that little chat did you hear?"she asked, looking at Chris through the upper aspects of her glasses.
"Not even a little bit of it. But let me tell yea', Aurora has spoken of little else but you in the lead up to exams and you know... this" she gestured about at the antibiotic bags and equipment surrounding Auroras bed.
"Soooo.... you and Aurora are not in fact an ... couple?" Delia asked, tentatively. As she looked at Chris, she saw her face relax and morph into an amused smile that infuriated Delia, though she swallowed it down like bile.
"Nah, we're not eachothers type" Chris explained, glancing from Delia to Aurora and back again. Delia couldn't help but scowl at her as her chuckling died down. "But seriously, you and music. That's all I've heard from her these last few weeks. Mostly you though" Chris added.
"Okay cupid, you're off the clock" Delia muttered sarcastically. "Joking aside for a moment, I really do like her. And I've really never felt this kind of fuzzy for another girl before" she added, taking a long drought from the cup of rapidly cooling coffee. She watched as Chris looked at her, head tilted maddeningly like an appraising therapist. Delia swallowed the sudden urge to swear, though shining through Chris' mask, she saw shards of the personable bubbly personality Chris probably had. 'It might be nice to get to know Chris a little better ...' she thought to herself.
"Although if I were you, and trust me, she won't agree but you should wait until all this crap plus exams have blown over before you ask her out. She won't agree though, she really likes you. But she really needs the rest, and then she needs to sort out the mess this is making of her assessments" said Chris finishing her coffee and smacking her lips appreciatively.
"Yah, she and I both" Delia blurted out, chuckling as she thought about the liminality of her own studies. Chris too began to laugh and there was a pause while Delia found herself relaxing, watching the numbers on Auroras monitor normalise.
"It's getting on a bit. I gotta go home, sleep, pack up some things for Aro and then go to campus to sort out her extensions. You want a lift home?" Chris explained, getting up and stretching her arms up above her head.
"Yeah, if your offering that would be very helpful. As long as you wouldn't be going out of your way though" Delia said, eyes widening and looking at Chris who shook her head.
"Nah, come on. Let's go" she said, walking out the door. Delia heard her diminishing footsteps. Quickly, she leaned forward toward Auroras ear and whispered "See you tomorrow, rest". She kissed her on the cheek beside the rim of the mask and then gently brushed it with the backs of her two fingers before getting off the bed and following in Chris' footsteps leaving Aurora to hopefully, get some much needed sleep.