In The Light

Bloom and Grow Part 6: Forever

The doctors and nurses flooded the room as Tor and Aaron finally stopped kissing long enough to breathe. Firm hands and patient smiles guided him away from her, promising they could reunite once Tor was confirmed to be okay. Yet no reassuring words were enough to make the separation bearable. Simply watching Tor from the edge of the room while the doctors examined her was agonizing. Aaron had attempted to distract himself by texting Jessica and the rest of the team, but it made no difference. His palms burned with every passing second that he was not allowed to touch her. His heart did not beat, nor did breath enter his lungs unless she was looking at him. His skin felt as though every edelweiss was turning toward her, straining to be touched by the radiant beams of her smile.

The second she was confirmed to be stable and not needing additional interventions, he was by her side, tucking her hair behind her ear and holding her hand. Tor smiled up at him, turning her head just enough to kiss his palm.

"Take care of each other," said the doctor from their first night.

"We will," Aaron promised, looking away from Tor long enough to give the doctor a grateful smile. She nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Aaron," Tor exhaled, her voice still too weak. He frowned with worry as she tried to smile despite the tears in her eyes.

"What is it?" he asked, searching the bandages on her arms for any signs of blood. "Angel, what's wrong?"

"I'm so-" She inhaled shakily. "I'm so happy."

"I'm happy too," he promised, brushing away her tears with his thumb and memorizing how her eyes shimmered when she smiled at him.

"It hurts," she admitted, averting her gaze before he gently guided it back to him. She bit her lip, and he had to resist the temptation to lean forward and kiss her until she stopped.

"What hurts?" he murmured, stooping to meet her dark, tear-filled eyes."

"Being this happy," she said with a wet laugh that turned into a sob. "Oh, being this happy hurt!"

"Oh, angel," he exhaled, gingerly hugging her as she began to cry.

"I promise I'm happy!" she sobbed into his chest, fists curling in the damp fabric of his shirt. "I am!"

"I believe you," he assured her, sitting on the edge of her bed to bring her deeper into his embrace. "It's alright. Let it out. You've been through too much these past months. I'd be more concerned if you weren't crying."

"That's- that's not-" she tried to explain, but she was too overcome with emotions to finish her sentences. Aaron rocked her gently as he held her, trusting she would tell him what was wrong when she was ready.

They stayed that way for several minutes, his arms around her and her cheek against his beating heart. Her tears slowly subsided, and he knew she was ready when he felt the tension leave her body with a sigh.

"I am happier now than I've ever been before," she began, eyes locked onto the hollow of his throat. He cupped her cheek but did not raise her face to his. "I- I haven't had a lot of reasons to be happy," she continued hesitantly. "All my life, I've been living in the shadows. Just- hiding. Withering away where no one could see me. But here- here with you-" She looked up at him through her lashes. "It's like feeling sunshine for the first time. And now that I've felt it, it hurts to know how long I had to go without."

Her bottom lip trembled as tears welled along her lashes like dewdrops.

"I'm so happy," she insisted as she began to cry again. "But I'm also so sad."

He kissed her forehead as she wept, holding her steady against the emotions crashing through her. She rested her head against his shoulder, and he moved once more, fitting them both onto the narrow hospital bed so she could lie against him and rest in the knowledge that he would always be there for her. His soul was entwined with hers, like the roots of trees straining to reach each other beneath the earth.