Celina's Lover

15- After shift

It was around 8 Pm and Lucy had just clocked out. She had her jacket folded over her arm. It was surprisingly warm for an August evening. She heard her phone go off, so she stopped just in front of her car. It was Celina.

Hi Luce, can you bring me some stuff? I need to stay here for tonight. I'll explain when you get here.

Of course 👍

Driving home now, see you in 30.

Thanks 🙏

She put her phone in her back pocket and was about to get in the car, when someone shouted her name. 'Lucy, wait up!' She didn't move. She froze, not knowing what to do. She knew the voice from miles away. It was Tim. She didn't want to talk to him, but her heart ached too much to ignore him. She felt his footsteps grow closer as she just stood there, the door handle of the car in her hands. She closed her eyes, hoping he would disappear. Of course, he didn't. The closer he came, the slower he walked. He didn't want to make her feel attacked. The fact that she wasn't moving confused him a little. Was she allowing him to talk to her or not? He stood still about 5 feet away from her, not knowing what to do.

'Lucy, can we talk?' He asked, calmly. She stared at the horizon, still with her back turned towards him. 'Let's see, I'm tired, stressed and emotional. I have a traumatised friend in the hospital that just got shot and my relationships are dropping like flies. Do you really think I want to be dealing with your crap right now?' Lucy asked, increasing her talking pace. Her voice was mad, but her mind wasn't. She was exhausted from the sleepless nights and mentally draining days. Tim knew. He has been seeing it for weeks now. The darkness in her eyes was noticeable from across the room, but only to him. He slowly took a step closer and gently pulled on Lucy's right arms, so she was now facing him. 'What?' She asked, still mad.

'I'm sorry.' His words were immediate, but Lucy didn't trust it. 'Tim, stop lying to me!' She raised her voice a little. 'I'm not lying!' He raised his voice a little too. He took a breath before continuing, not wanting to start the same argument with her all over again. 'I'm not. I'm truly sorry for what I've done to you and I will give you all the time you need. I just wanted you to know that. Have a good night.' He gave her a little smile and walked away, his head lower than normal.

'Tim.' Lucy asked. He turned around, waiting for her to say something. 'Thanks.' She smiled faintly. He nodded, not knowing what to respond. 'See you tomorrow.' He walked off. Lucy got in her car and just stared out in front of her for a minute, trying to process what just happened. She watched as cars left the parking lot. She heard sirens of police cars and could see a hint of the blue lights in her wing mirror as they drove on over the street behind her. Then it got really quiet. Completely out of herself, the first tear began to fall and then another. She whipped her nose with the sleeve of her sweater. More tears fell and then the sobbing began. She rested her head on the top of her steering wheel as she cried. She needed to stop. This wasn't the place or time. She leaned back in her seat and closed eyes. Not that that made any difference, because it was already dark outside and there was no light in the car. 'Don't cry, Don't cry, Don't cry, Don't cry. Please stop, stop, stop, stoppp.' She whispered to herself.

When she arrived at the hospital, she immediately made her way to Sara's room. She knocked on the door. Celina and Sara looked up. 'Hi, I brought dinner and your stuff. She added, putting it down on a little table in the room. She had brought sandwiches, because she didn't know how much Sara could eat just after the anaesthesia. They ate and just like Lucy expected, Sara didn't eat much. They talked and Celina explained that she was going to stay the night, so Sara wasn't alone. After an hour, Lucy left again to give them the space.

Next part: November 8th 2024