OTP Writing Challenge

4. Visiting Each Other in the Hospital (ft. Cresswell)

"Cress, oh my God... I'm so sorry," Thorne whispered, watching the comatose form of Cress in front of him. He reached out a tentative hand, touching the far too pale arm of Cress. The veins showed blue and red through her porcelain skin, the IV plugged into her slapping Thorne in the face.

It was his fault she was here.

He had insisted on taking her on adventure, but this certainly isn't what he meant. He wanted her to see the world she never did, being locked in a satellite for most of her life. He wanted her to do so much more than lay in front of him looking like every breath was labored.

"Cress, you've got to come back," he begged, fiddling with the velvet box in his hands. "I bought you a ring. I bought you the one you were smiling at back on Luna. I was supposed to give it to you when we landed at Scarlet's farm." He looked at the box in his hands, it holding his future that may not come to pass. "You were... you were supposed to say yes." Tears blurred his vision. Their fairy tail ending was slipping through his fingers.

This wasn't how fairy tales went. Fairy tales meant that the princess said yes to her prince, that they would be together for the end of time. Almost as a final gesture, a goodbye, Thorne pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, half expecting her eyelids to flutter open, her to sit up, hug him, kiss him, love him. But nothing happened. The steady "beep. beep." of the monitor continued, counting down the seconds. The flowers on her bedside table were starting to wilt; condolences from her friends.

"The doctors say you aren't going to make it, you know," Thorne whispered. "the others already came and said goodbye. I don't believe the doctors. You're so strong." He sat down next to her waist, then stared out the window. "Cress, I have so much faith in you. And I really do believe that you could do this. You could come back if you want." Silent tears dripped down from his cheek, unbidden. "But if... if you would rather stay up there with your dad, and Scarlet's baby, I'd understand. I just... I always thought that we could have a life together. You and me, the Rampion, and all our blond haired anklebiters running around. Maybe even a cat. You would sing them bedtime lullabies, bake them cookies, and I would watch you as I did the dishes, always wondering how I got so lucky." He shifted, turning and slipping the ring, a thin silver band with a single diamond embedded in the silver, on her narrow, pale finger. "I love you so much."

Then he fell silent. His eyes darted to the monitor ever so often, channeling his every thought to keeping her alive. But soon the jagged lines indicating her heart rate began to have more time between them and gradually growing shorter and shorter. He had nothing to say as he watched her heart stop, rise and fall of her chest freeze, the fingers he held slowly grow cold. He didn't know if anyone tried to revive her. He didn't know anything. He only saw her, dead. Cress, his beautiful Cress, was dead.

Gone, just like the breath from her lungs.

Eventually, he turned to her, cradled her head in his hands and kissed her forehead one last time. Then he stood, tucked her blonde hair behind her ear, and left.