The Only Exception:ETERNALLY

12. The E.R

Rose sat anxiously by unconscious Sydney's bed. She'd been there since 2 am when she and Jackson had found her. To say she was scared was quite an understatement . Seeing her best friend unconscious underwater had shaken her to an indescribable state. She was worried . Her roommate was in danger and she couldn't do anything about it .
| Why did i have to leave her alone|  Rose accused herself for all of it. If only she'd further convinced her to tag along to the movies with her boyfriend then maybe she wouldn't be here. When they'd first brought her here, she'd been carried to the emergency room and out of her reach. Only when she'd been cleared and been more stable was Rose allowed to enter the room, and she hadn't left since, to worried that she might lose her. Jackson had spent the night there as well ..only leaving barely an hour ago to get food . Although he didn't show it , he was just as worried , he thought of Sydney as a little sister he treasured . He wanted her to be okay. What Rose couldn't get was why Sydney had done that in the first place , she usually took showers so the sudden change had rendered her dumbfounded.
"You're going to be okay," Rose shakily whispered stroking the younger s hair before standing up and walking out of the room, letting the doctor take on from there.
"Is she...?"
"No not yet ," Rose answered Hardin as she sat next to him by the bench by the door," the doctor said she was okay though..." Her voice trailed off as she awkwardly played with her hair. Rose was the one who had directed him there when he'd called asking why she wasn't picking up his calls. That was around 3 am.... And he'd been there eversince, and that kind of changed Rose's perspective of him,just a little bit.
|maybe he wasn't like them|

Unaware of what to say next , they just sat there and let the anxiety and worry linger in the air.

••••
Hardin's pov
As I sat there by the bench next to Rose ,i couldn't stop my anxiety from skyrocketing, i couldn't stop myself from worrying. Sydney was in the emergency room and i was out here , helpless and desperate . Sure the doctor had said that she was more stable but that didn't mean she was okay. I was internally panicking but i didn't want that to show . Jackson, who'd been sitting where Rose is right now was just as tense but he didn't say a word , just sat there.
I hated the hospital honestly. It was suffocating and a deathly spirit lingered in the blank hallway . I hadn't had the most entertaining experiences in a hospital , not by a long shot .
|Why did she do it?|
The question kept repeating in my head.
When Rose called earlier to tell me what happened , i nearly had a heart attack . I dropped everything and came speeding here because even if she threw me out the other night , i still cared for her, very deeply indeed .I hadn't left my post since . I was feeling exhausted and sleepy but i couldn't leave  ,  i didn't want to.
I anxiously tapped my fingers against the wooden bench and internally prayed for her to be okay.

After an hour or so with the doctor in her room , the doctor said she was conscious again . We were allowed to get back in again.
Jackson had returned just in time and him and Rose entered the room," hey are you coming?" Rose turned to me as she stood by the door.
"No, i don't think she'd want to see me ." I answered with my head hung low , my wavy bangs falling over my forehead," I'll be out here though....if she does want me there"
There was a brief moment of silence before Rose nodded,"okay." And followed Jackson into the room, leaving me alone by the bench.

3rd person's pov

"So ," the elderly female gestured to the two seats next to the bed where Sydney who was conscious,but visibly zoned out, laid.
" According to my observation and what I've gained from the patient," she spoke in a gentle voice," Miss Reed had an episode of sleep walking. She accordingly imagined her partner to have been there with her in her apartment and subconsciously drowned in the bath tub"
|She dreamt of Luca?|
Rose questioned herself as her anxiety shot up. She glanced over to Sydney who was blankly staring back at her.
," Miss Renolds , has she had any episodes of sleep walking in the past?" The doctor directed the question to Rose.
"Yes," she nodded taking Sydney's hand in hers, who was a bit startled but immediately relaxed at the familiar touch of her best friend," when she first moved in with me. Probably about 3 times."
"Okay so it seems that Sydney has episodes of sleep walking often after mental trauma or stress...like moving to new place or..."
|Getting her heart broken by fucking asshole|Rose finished off in her mind.
"Personal stresses ," the doctor finished off bluntly,"it's generally not that big of a deal. It's the consequences of sleepwalking that we should be worried about."she smiled reassuringly.
"Thank God it was nothing serious," Jackson spoke softly ," i was beginning to think she might've wanted a quick trip out of this world" he joked but im a firm tone.
" She was extremely lucky that you came right on time ," the doctor said," but rest assured she's just fine. She does however need pills for the headache she complained about , but other than that she's good to go . I'll give you a moment alone so I can go clear her so she's allowed to leave." The doctor said before walking out of the room.
" You little bitch!" Rose exclaimed frustratedly as she picked the palm of Sydney's hand.
"Hey" Sydney whined as she sat up straight on the  bed,"what was that for?"
"What was that for? You almost died on me . Do you know how worried i was?!"Rose said in a softer tone,"i wouldn't be able to live without you.."
"That's a bit exaggerated don't you think" Jackson joked ,"let's just be glad she's alive"
"Yeah," sydney agreed,"plus it wasn't intentional I swear " she explained,".....i thought ..i thought he was actually there," Sydney said with clear disappointment in her tone.
"Let's not think about that now . What matters is you're okay. " Sydney smiled at her ,"oh and by the way . Hardin's here,"
"W-what?"Sydney stuttered in shock
" I called him here. I thought since you were getting along so much then he'd at least want to know what happened," Rose explained ," although he was hesitant in coming in here to see you . According to him you apparently 'don't want to see him'. "
At those words Sydney felt a pang in her heart. Guilt . She'd told him off , not in the most subtle way . Regardless of that he came to see her.
"He's been out there since 3 in the morning , he's still out there," Jackson added on .
"He missed work to come see you. Hell, he hasn't moved from his place in the last 10 hours. Can you at least let him see that you're okay." She begged
"Fine." She agreed shifting so her legs were hanging loosely from the bed. At that answer Jackson and Rose quickly walked out of the room . Hardin was still seated by the bench. His head was still hung low and his breathing was very slow..
".. Sydney said you can come in.   she wants to see you", Rose informed him as she sad next to him by the bench followed by jackson.
"Really?" Hardin's head sprung up with clear relief in his tone.
"Yupp" Jackson nodded,"she's okay now"
Without another word Hardin stood from the bench taking the gift bag he'd brought with him under the other two's notice and hesitantly walked into the room.
Sydney's head hung low , her curly bangs hovering over most of her face as she faced the tiled floor as she swung her legs rhythmically to the ticking of the large clock by the wall. Only when she heard the door open did she raise her head , it was Hardin.
"Hey," Sydney waved awkwardly to Hardin who stood by the door," you can come closer. I won't bite "
"You sure?" Hardin nervously joked as he made a few hesitant steps to the side of her bed.
"I'm sure ," she nodded, patting a space next to her for him to sit, which Hardin quietly occupied. The room fell silent as neither of them knew what to say to each other, especially since the other night didn't end so well.
"Umm," Hardin hummed ,collecting the correct words,"why did you-"
"I was sleep walking," Sydney answered briefly ,"I thought umm ... Luca was there and sorta drowned in the bath tub." She gave a surfaced explanation.
"Oh ...okay" Hardin scratched the back of his neck .
" Well I'm just glad that you're okay, "he cleared his throat before proceeding,"... This.. this is for you", he stated as he handed her the gift bag ,which she took into her small hands .
" Thank you very much," Sydney thanked him as she opened the gift bag. The contents inside included a box of dark chocolate - her favorite, and get well soon card, and a small black teddy bear.|cute|she smiled at the stuffed animal
" You didn't have to", Sydney smiled at him.
" I thought it'd be something nice to wake up to.... once you were okay, "he explained with the cheeky grin, "I'm just really thankful that you're fine .I almost had a heart attack earlier when Rose called, honestly."
The room fell silent again but this time it wasn't as awkward but there was a lingering tension in the air that Sydney wanted to get cleared out.
" I'm sorry for lashing out on you the other day", Sydney apologized looking remorseful," I didn't mean to cross the line, I didn't mean what I said and I'm really really really really really sorry. I was just really stressed out that he was actually gone. But that's no excuse for what I did to you," she looked at him with cleaning eyes, will you please forgive me"
"I understand," he said gently," I know where you are coming from. I didn't mean for it to reach that extent. I didn't mean anything that I said. I just.. I just couldn't process everything at the moment. I should be the one to apologize too."
"And about what I said, "Sydney parts for a moment as she took his larger hand in hers," you mean a lot to me, really." She looks directly at him. Her guess was soft and she was being genuine. Not that she had taken it into account, she couldn't deny that she actually had felt something for him, and she still did. She just couldn't handle the fact that the person she loved had left, at the same time she realized she'd been blinded but her urge to find look at that she couldn't see that there was someone out there who actually cared for her too.
"I just wanted you to know that i still care, even if you don't chose me at the end of the day i-"Hardin's words were cut off when he felt her lips gently kiss his cheek. He was too stunned to speak and his heart was on cloud 9.
"I won't deny it any more," Sydney said softly , intertwining their fingers," I'm sure of how i feel."
"Y-you sure?" He stuttered. Sydney could tell by the way he nibbled his lower lip," i know how much you loved him. I'm not trying to replacing him or ..."

Just talking about Luca hurt her internally to be honest . She wasn't going to deny that she wanted him to come, desperately. But what was the point of all this pain if he definitely ran away . What was the point of crying for him when he left on his own will. It'd been a month and if he was supposed to come back then he  would've done it a long time ago. He might have been her everything but it was more than clear to her that maybe the feeling wasn't mutual. He left like it was nothing. Maybe Rose was wrong, he wasn't resenting it. As much as it hurt her to let him go , she had to , after all , he had clearly let her go first. She was done contemplating if Luca was to come back for her or not. It was time to let it go . Luca did say somethings we just not under his control , so she wasn't going to force him back if he left willingly. It was time to move on. Time to build herself up again and try to do things differently.Maybe with Hardin.
" Let's forget about the past and start afresh. What's done is done and i think it's time to move on." She leaned her forehead against her and let out a heavy breath,"i want to start afresh ....with you," she concluded," that is ...if you'll have me ."
Without properly thinking it through, Hardin closed the distance between them and kissed her. He would've expected her to pull away but she didn't . She just squeezed his hand slightly, sinking into the moment. She wasn't trying to run away from her emotions any more. There was a great person right in front of her who was there for her , cared for her while she was crying for his best friend. She realized how selfish she'd been , not taking his feelings into account and just being so absorbed by her own heartache . But that wasn't what was going to happen onwards.
After a brief moment into the kiss , they pulled away at the sound of someone knocking by the door.
"Umm... I have a night shift today Syd," Rose informed her as she peeped through the door," i don't think I'll be able to drive you home , I'm sorry," she pouted.
"Not it's fine," Sydney reassured her, hoping the light pink blush on her cheeks wasn't visible,"i..."
"I'll take her home," Hardin interrupted keeping his hand in Sydney's," it's no problem at all,"

"You sure? I mean i could get Jackson to drive her home if he's free."
"No it's fine . For reals," he flashed her a convincing smile.
"You okay with it Syd?" She directed the question to her room mate
"Yeah." She nodded as her eyes met his and he quickly shied away, but she was quick to notice the faint blush on his cheeks.
|Cute|
"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow  then . Love you , bye!" She threw her a flying kiss before exiting the room.
"I don't wanna go home ," Sydney blurted out of the blue as soon as they were alone.
"Excuse me?" Hardin question dumbfounded.
"I mean ... I want to go to your place i like it there. Feels like home," she explained
|Definitely now feels like home with you| he thought to himself
"Okay then," he instantly agreed ," let's wait till you're cleared then we can go home," he brushed his nose against hers and pecked her forehead.
|I could be good to you|

[A\N - don't forget to leave a vote♥]