Me before you

chapter 36

It was dark outside when Doctor Song finally came through to tell them that the first operation was finished.

Sana had been sitting in the chair in the corner, under the window, where the blinds were open to reveal a sky full of stars, a smudged half-moon shining light in through the glass. She'd brought a book, but every time she opened it she just found herself staring blankly at the pages, or reading the same paragraph over and over again without taking any of it in.

Sarah and Marco – taking shifts in the other chair – were just as restless. The three of them had said maybe three words to each other every hour, the mayor's nervous chatter died down after the first hour. They took turns to go downstairs on the coffee run, even though Sana was sure she couldn't have slept even if she wanted to.

It was a pretty safe operation, by any standards. She told herself that again and again, but still the mass of nerves in her stomach writhed like snakes. It was that horrible helplessness coming over her again. There was nothing she could do. She was very close to getting up and pacing when the door opened with a creak and Song's familiar bleached head appeared around the door.

Sana, Sarah and Marco all sat up straighter as he stepped inside. Sana's heart was pounding, book abandoned in her lap. Her breath caught in her throat. She studied the doctor as quick as she could, brown eyes darting from his placid face to his eyes to the hands buried in the pockets of his white coat.

Sarah glanced at her, catching her gaze with wide eyes.

Sana swallowed hard, setting aside the book and standing up. She glanced from the others to Song. "Well?" She demanded, voice rough and tired.

"We're all done," Song assured them. He breathed out, turning to Y/n's parents and then to her. For a moment, the little moonlit hospital room was completely still and silent. And then, "The surgery went smoothly. Everything was how it should be, no complications, no difficulty. There's no telling if it's worked yet, but... I'd say we're on the right track. We'll have to keep her in til the morning but she'll be alright."

Sana exhaled, finally. It felt like she'd been holding her breath for hours. Thank God. She stared down at the reflection of moonlight on the polished floor, smallest whisper of a smile on her lips.

"They're just bringing her down now," Song explained, voice a professional mask. He glanced between the three of them. "She's still unconscious at the minute, but she should come to within a few hours. She'll probably be hungry – the shop downstairs is open all night."

"Thank you," Marco breathed, normally easy voice almost cracking. Sana glanced across the room at him – there was a smile on his face, and a look in his eyes she'd never seen before. "Thank you."

"Really, there's no need," Song smiled briefly. "I'll be back in an hour or so to check in on her." He paused before he left, hand on the doorknob. "You should get some sleep."

Just a few minutes after he left, the door opened again to the sound of wheels and nurses hushed voices, and Sana's heart jumped into her throat. The door creaked open – Marco hurried to hold it open, beating her to it.

There were two nurses in scrubs – Ten, and a woman Sana didn't know – pushing the hospital bed in, its wheels rattling on the floor. They were speaking to Sarah and Marco, easy, assured words and soft voices but Sana didn't hear any of it. She could hear herself walking over to the hospital cot as Ten pushed it into position in the middle of the room and fixed down the stops on the wheels.

Underneath a thin white blanket, Y/n was lying on the bed, curled slightly on her side. Her hair was still half-up in a ponytail from the surgery, but a few stray strands of hair had escaped to tangle around her face. She was breathing softly in her sleep, chest rising and falling under her white pyjama tank. She looked oddly peaceful, like she was just sleeping.