Cora watched in awe, the production was brilliant and she was able to lose herself for a couple of too - short hours. When Tom met them afterwards she put her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "That was amazing. You were amazing."
"To see that smile on your face, I would perform it on repeat until my voice was hoarse and my legs could no longer stand."
Tom pulled her in tight and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you," she whispered.
"I'm coming over in the morning if that's OK."
"Of course it is."
"I'll see you tomorrow then, darling. Go get some sleep."
The following morning when Tom arrived, Steph let him in to see Cora, who was still in bed sleeping. He took off his shoes and slid under the covers next to her, cuddling in to her warm body. He was surprised to find her only wearing pants and a singlet top despite the cold. He felt her jolt awake in his arms a few minutes later.
"Fuck, you scared me!"
"Sorry. You looked so peaceful and warm. I wanted to talk to you and I figured we could just do it here and you won't have to get up. It's cold out there."
"Talk to me, I'm listening."
"After Coriolanus, I'm taking some time off."
"How long?"
"I don't know. Cora... I love you. I am in love with you, and I'm not denying it any more. I will never give up hope that you will get a new heart and you'll get better, but in case you don't, I don't want to waste any of the precious time you have left. We've missed out on so much already, I should never have let you push me away."
Cora fought back tears. "We've talked about this. I can't give you anything, a relationship is a two way street, and I have nothing to offer you. We can't go out on dates, we can't have sex, I can't travel with you. All you're going to get is pain."
"Do you think the pain of losing you would be any less if I couldn't be there, standing by you, holding your hand? Do you think I care about the other stuff? It won't, and I don't. I want to be there, for the good, the bad and the ugly. I want you to never doubt how much I love you."
"I won't let you give up your career for me, Tom. Even temporarily."
"Too late for that, I organised it all yesterday. It's done. I'm all yours, until..."
Cora rolled over, laying her head on his chest and letting tears fall on to his shirt.
"I love you, too, Tom." She sighed sleepily. "And I'm too tired to argue with you."
As Cora slept Tom couldn't help but notice the angry scar running down the middle of her chest, disappearing under her singlet. It was in such stark contrast to her pale skin and jutting collarbone that he found it painful to look at. No wonder she had been in so much pain for the weeks afterward. Luke was less than impressed with him taking time off indefinitely, but Tom knew he was doing the right thing. He had been convinced for so long that Cora was his soul mate, that eventually they'd work things out and be together. He had completely believed that she would get better, she bounced back after every set back and she always would. Now the doubt was slowly starting to creep in, the harsh realisation that they might not have their whole lives to get it right. That their whole lives might not be a long time at all. The reality made Tom's chest ache.
