A Love So Absolutely Clear {Crowen} ✔️

26: start of something new

the first thing they did getting off the plane was call an uber. they decided to go to the hospital first and then get their rental car after everything with novella was taken care of. truthfully, they didn't know how much her cancer spread over the course of a few hours. now the time read three thirty one in the morning.

as tired as they should've been, none of them were. there was too much on their mind to be tired.

cristina never put novella down. she carried her every second. even when they were in the car, novella was in her arms while cristina watched over her.

at around four in the morning, they made it to pacific shores cancer center, with luggage still in hand. the bright lights and doctors walking around in blue scrubs contrasted with the dark, dead environment that was the outside. it was one of the only times that almost all the city lights were completely turned off, with only the moon and a few stars lighting everything up.

as fast as they could, considering it was four in the morning and both owen and cristina were up by five the day before, they headed over to the receptionist desk. the nurse seemed to notice them immediately, standing up once she saw them. how she did, they weren't sure, and neither of them cared enough to wonder.

"doctor hunt. doctor yang." the nurse said in such a tone that would've bothered cristina if she wasn't worried and exhausted at the same time. she went over to their side and gave them a shy smile before assisting them.

"we've been waiting all day for you. please follow me to your room." the nurse took the luggage that owen was holding and led them to the elevators.

"what is this? a hotel?" cristina managed to murmur.

there were a few patients here and there, most of them bald and a lot of them looked too sick to function. if they weren't doctors, it would've scared them to death. cristina set novella's head on her shoulder and told her to close her eyes and try to get some sleep. novella didn't realize it was to prevent her from seeing all the sick people like her who looked so much sicker.

after taking the elevator to the fifth floor, the nurse took them to novella's room, where it would continue to be her room for most likely a few months. it was a traditional hospital room—a small square with a white bed, a bathroom with a shower, a couch, a few folding chairs, a counter with a sink, and then a few doctors' equipment.

the nurse set their luggage down inside the room. "doctor patel isn't here now, but we can call him over and he'll be here in a few minutes. fortunately he lives locally. in the meantime just sit back and make yourselves comfortable. he'll be here in less than twenty minutes." she explained. she was one of those people who moved her hands in strange motions while she spoke. cristina couldn't help to raise an eyebrow.

"thank you." owen said, while cristina nodded her head and tried her best to form a smile. the nurse waved goodbye to them and left the room.

cristina set novella on the bed and pulled the covers up to her shoulders.

"do you want your blanket?" she asked.

"yes." novella replied.

cristina got her suitcase, opening it up to find novella's light yellow blanket. it wasn't hard to find. it was the biggest item in there. as well as that, she got one of novella's pajamas with her little cap hat owen got her when she first lost her hair. novella used it every night whenever she was cold.