When Tim stopped in front of Lucy's door, he knew he was about to change the dynamic of the day. He could hear her laugh through the door. Things between them have been better since the breakup. They were talking almost like before. He was more open with his feelings, thanks to therapy. Each day, they were working to rebuild their bond. It wasn't easy. She was hurt, and he was afraid to hurt her again. Their love was still here, haunting them, but they were standing in front of a line they were afraid to cross again. They were supposed to go on a date tonight, their first one in months. And after he knocked on her door, their date would not matter anymore.
"Sergeant Bradford?" Please come in." Celina was surprised to see him in uniform.
"Tim?? What are you doing here?"
"Lucy... It's about Tamara."
" Tamara ? "
"Listen.. " No easy way to bring the new. "She had a car accident this morning."
"What are you saying?"
"She is in surgery right now."
"Oh, hm, right, okay, I need to be with her; hm, my keys, where are they? Fuck, I need to put some clothes on. But where are my damn keys and my phone?"
"Lucy, look at me." and she did. "You're not driving. Put some clothes on, and I'll drive. Go ".
Ten minutes later, she was sitting next to Tim in the shop. Thirty minutes later, she was at the hospital front desk. Tamara was out of surgery and recovering in the ICU. Room 320, 2nd floor. After the elevator doors were closed, her eyes met Tim's.
"I'm not going anywhere."
And she knew he wouldn't go anywhere. They crossed the hallway until they were in front of her room. On their right, Nyla was waiting, and she was not the only one. But she was the one who stood up first to take Lucy in her arms.
"The surgery went well. She had internal bleeding and some broken ribs. She's under surveillance for a concussion. She's on medication, she's sleeping, and it may take a little bit of time to wake up. But she's okay. She's safe, Lucy."
And she burst into tears. Tamara was safe; Tamara was alive. She quickly swiped her tears, took a deep breath, and joined her in her room, alone. It was dark inside, and the only sound she heard was the bip of the machine. She took a moment to observe her breathing; she was breathing. Nyla didn't lie; Tamara was okay. Lucy moved the chair next to the bed. She wouldn't let her; she was ready to cuff herself to the bed if needed. The room went darker when the sun went down. Time stopped. She was there since 4 hours.
The door opened, and Lucy had a quick look. Tim was there, with two coffees. He gave her one and moved the second chair next to hers.
"Thank you..." And she took his hand.
And she wasn't thanking him for the coffee, but for his presence. It was one of his small doses: be there for her. And for a unique response, he intertwined their fingers.
"They didn't call me because you wanted to tell me, right?"" she asked from nowhere.
"Yes."
"I'm sorry for tonight."
"You don't have to be sorry. She's your priority right now. And as I said, I'm not going anywhere"
"I know. Do you know what happened?"
"Drunk driver on the highway and a high-speed chase. 6 cars were involved. Tamara was one of them. She was already unconscious when I arrived."
"You were there?""
" Yes, and i... But, hey, she's ok now."
" Hm. Did you imagine years ago she would still be in my life and yours?"
"Honestly? No. But you saved her. In so many ways, "
"You made fun of me for weeks because of her behavior. Remember? "
"You gave her your car, and she sold it to buy a computer and clothes. Of course, I had to make fun of you. But you were right. You did good with her. She's now an independent young woman. She's out of the street; she has her own apartment; she works and studies. You did good."
"She did good."
"You gave her a place to sleep, safety, meals, and love. Without you, you know..."
"Hm..."
Lucy laid her head down on his shoulder.
"What was the plan for tonight?"" she asked.
"Dinner at the Italian you love."
"Oh."
"And after the best ice cream in town, the one next to the beach,"
"The one where you can add an outrageous amount of sprinkles?""
" Hm hm..Vanilla and caramel ?""
"With this outrageous amount of sprinkles on top of it."
"And maybe after, I would have asked you if you wanted to join me and Kojo for his walk."
"And it would have been a yes. Who can say no to Kojo?"
"You can't."
"This date seemed perfect." She heard him smile. And she meant it.
"After all of this, I'll take you on that date, okay ?."
She squeezed his hand to respond. And she didn't know why now; but she knew she wanted to cross that line with him. No matter the consequences, he was her home, her everything. Her hand glued to his, made the butterflies dance again. And while he was brushing the back of her hand, she found comfort and fell asleep against him.
The first thing Tamara saw when she opened her eyes was Tim and Lucy, both asleep against each other, their fingers still intertwined. And she smiled.
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19.07.2024 : Hello everyone ! A small OS for today. I hope you will like it ! For those who gave ideas, don't worry, i'm working on it :) ! Please comment and vote, it helps :) Take care of you Xo
