Bound by the Waves

Chapter 17: Cleaning

The storm had passed by morning, leaving behind a quiet, sun-dappled landscape. The skies were clear, the air fresh and cool, a stark contrast to the chaos of the previous night. The hospital had given everyone the day off—a rare reprieve after a night of life-or-death decisions.

I stood outside, letting the sun warm my face as I took a deep breath. The weight of the last few hours still lingered in the pit of my stomach. The loss of Sofia was still raw, but there was a small part of me that found some comfort in knowing that Elias—the tiny boy who had fought so hard to survive—was safe.

Sophie and Dr. Ramirez had made a decision after the procedure. They were going to adopt him.

I smiled faintly at the thought. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I knew both of them well enough to understand that they would give that child all the love and care he deserved. Despite everything, Elias had a future, and that was something to hold onto.

I made my way to the edge of the hospital grounds, where the beach stretched out in front of me. The ocean had always been a strange, calming presence—its vastness always reminding me of how small we were in the grand scheme of things. It was easy to lose yourself in its endless rhythm.

Today, though, the beach seemed to have lost some of its magic. Broken debris from the storm littered the shoreline, plastic bottles, pieces of wood, and torn nets scattered across the sand like forgotten relics of the storm's fury. The sight unsettled me. There was something almost mournful about the mess it left behind.

I squatted down, picking up a piece of driftwood. It seemed like a small gesture, but I knew I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. The hospital had done its best to provide care, to help in any way we could, but there was still so much that needed attention.

I took a deep breath and began walking along the shore, picking up what I could. It wasn’t much, but in the quiet of the morning, it felt like the right thing to do.

“Hey, is this your version of therapy?” a familiar voice broke the silence. I turned to see Xaviel walking toward me, his white coat now replaced by a simple shirt and white trousers, the casual look somehow more striking than it should have been.

I raised an eyebrow, shaking the sand off a piece of driftwood. “I’m not sure what kind of therapy this is, but it’s certainly better than staying cooped up inside, right?”

He chuckled, hands in his pockets as he slowed his pace to walk beside me. “I don’t know about that. I was hoping for some peace and quiet. But I see you’ve found your own way to get that.”

“I’m just doing my part,” I said, tossing another piece of plastic into the bag I had started to fill. “It’s the least I can do after all the chaos last night. You know how it is.”

He nodded, his gaze thoughtful as he eyed the wreckage scattered across the sand. “Yeah. It’s like the storm didn’t just happen outside—it felt like it was inside too. Everything’s been... a bit off since then.”

I sighed, glancing down at the ocean, its rhythmic waves a stark contrast to the mess on the shore. “I know. It’s like the world just... shifted overnight.”

“Except, we keep going, right?” Xaviel said, meeting my eyes. “We have to.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt more like a cog in a machine than I do now,” I muttered, picking up a torn net. “But I guess that’s the job, right?”

“Sometimes,” Xaviel agreed, his voice softening. He paused, looking at me with a mix of concern and something else I couldn’t quite place. “But you don’t have to carry everything on your own. You don’t have to do everything by yourself.”

I stopped walking and turned toward him, the weight of his words settling on me. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re a good doctor, Sydney,” he said quietly, his eyes meeting mine with an intensity that made my chest tighten. “But I see how much you’re carrying. You don’t have to keep it all in, you know?”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, looking away. “I just... I do what I can. It’s all I can do.”

Xaviel’s eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment, he just looked at me, as if weighing his next words carefully. “You’re not fine. Not really. And it’s okay to not be okay. You don’t always have to be the strong one.”

I shook my head, letting out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “Maybe I don’t want to be the strong one. But someone has to be, right? Someone has to keep everything from falling apart.”

“You don’t have to be the one to hold everything together, Sydney,” he said softly. “It’s okay to let others help. I’m here.”

The words hit me harder than I expected. I didn’t want to look at him, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away. It was... strange, this feeling of being seen in a way I hadn’t let anyone see me in years.

“I didn’t ask for help,” I said, my voice thick with something I couldn’t name.

“I know,” he said with a slight shrug, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “But I’m offering anyway. Just... don’t push it away, alright?”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. Instead, I just nodded, feeling a lump form in my throat. We walked in silence for a while, the sound of the waves filling the quiet space between us.

Eventually, I broke the silence, my voice soft. “Sophie and Dr. Ramirez... they’re adopting Elias.”

“I know,” Xaviel said. “I overheard. I think it’s a good thing. They’ll be great parents.”

“They will,” I agreed. “It’s just... it’s good to know that even after all the bad, there’s still a chance for something good.”

“I think the world needs more of that,” Xaviel said quietly. “We all need something to hold onto.”

“Maybe that’s all we have right now,” I replied. “Something to hold onto.”

He glanced at me, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. “Maybe. But sometimes, that’s enough.”

We worked together for a while longer, in quiet companionship, the silence between us no longer uncomfortable, but rather... comforting. The sun climbed higher in the sky, and slowly, the tension that had been hanging between us seemed to ease.

As we finished cleaning, Xaviel turned toward me, his expression a mix of sincerity and something warmer that I didn’t quite understand yet. “I know we don’t always see eye to eye, but I’m glad we’re doing this together.”

I gave him a small smile, trying to ignore the unfamiliar warmth spreading in my chest. “Yeah. Me too.”

We stood there for a moment, side by side, staring out at the horizon, the world slowly coming back into focus.