The Second Worst Love Story Ever (+18)

36. Casablanca Lilies

I thought I was gonna have a heart attack on the ten-hour flight to Seattle, and even though it was a late-night, I wasn't able to shut my eyes. I stayed alert and worried through the whole thing, biting my nails and jumping every time a flight attendant came to talk to me. After everybody freaked out about Lena's uncertainty, I decided to just jump on a plane and go to Seattle because even if Val and the baby were okay, she would probably need me. It felt right to be there in person.

As soon as I landed, I saw a ton of unanswered calls from my friends and Val. She said she was still in the hospital, but that she was okay now, and I told her I was in the city. She told me where to go, and I rushed there. After speaking to the receptionist, I ran to Val's room and found her sitting back on a bed, but she did look okay.

"My God, Ash! You didn't have to come all the way here," she said.

"Of course I did! You freaked me out." I sat by the bed and held her hand, kissing it. "Is everything okay with the baby?"

"It is. Apparently, the placenta is too low on my uterus. It can cause bleeding, but it's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?! This shit sounds serious!"

She ran a hand through my hair, trying to calm me down. "The doctor said it's too soon for this to be a risk, that the placenta will probably grow upwards, where there's more blood, so don't worry."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Worst case scenario: I'll have a c-section scar when this is over. Her words."

I took a deep breath and sat back, finally relaxing. This shit didn't sound so harmless, and Val had a habit of undermining everything and making things seem less important than they were. Still, I felt some relief in seeing her and attesting with my own eyes that both she and the baby were out of danger, at least for now.

"I can't believe you're here." She smiled at me. 

"I had to come. You sounded like you needed me."

"See? You didn't leave me hanging."

I huffed a laugh. "Did you get here by yourself?"

"Yeah... I got a cab, not the bus, so don't worry."

"You shouldn't be doing this by yourself."

"I'm fine, Ash... You should go to my place, get some rest."

"No fucking way, I'm staying with you."

"They won't let you. I'm out of danger. You must be jet-lagged as fuck."

"Don't worry about me."

"I'll do that after you stop worrying so much about me."

"Touché."

"I can see that you're tired. I'll be okay. I promise."

I propped my elbows on my knees and rubbed my face. "Fine. But only because I feel like a fucking zombie right now."

I got up and kissed her forehead. If I hadn't been so tired, I'd probably think of how close I was to her mouth and wonder if she wanted me to kiss her there. But now that the adrenaline rush had faded, I felt like I could sleep for days.

Val gave me the keys to her apartment and told me to crash on her bed. The place was so like her: laid-back, spacious, and artistic. The ceilings were high; it was one of those lofts where the bedroom sat on a mezzanine. The tall windows stretched high side by side across the front wall. She had hanged art pieces by her and other artists, from different styles, everywhere. The visible brickwork gave a red look to the place, and there were several unfinished canvases lying against a far wall. I knew immediately that was her workspace because that corner of the apartment was a paint-stained mess.