Fight

7

Everything that happened next was a bit of a blur. All you remember was the relief you felt when you finally pulled Demi across the boundary of the door to the roof, finally knowing that she was inside and safe. 

Maybe not completely safe from herself.

But anything had to be safer than her dangling over the edge of a multistory building. 

After getting back to her room, bypassing the hoards of confused faces that pass you in the hallway, you lay Demi down in her bed. She does so without a fight. Without a sound. Without any hint of resistance to your help. And you were glad - glad that maybe Demi will stop pushing you away because she's finally seen how much you care for her. And how you have forgiven her completely. 

But you weren't even sure of that at the time. 

Standing up from her bed, you turn round coming face to face with Dr Michaels. But his face wasn't as relieved as yours. You figured that was probably because he had not yet let himself relax from the prospect of having a dead body on his hands. Because there very nearly was. But then he started speaking,

"Y/n, I think you should go home now. Wait for me to call to tell you when to come back in to see me. Basically, don't turn up for your seven o'clock start tomorrow morning because...because I need to work some things out..." 

Had someone not known what he was on about, it probably would have sounded like Dr Michaels was trying to break up with you or something. But you knew exactly why he was being all antsy around you. He knew your secret. The one about you and Demi being in a previous relationship. And only now that you had been able to focus on anything other than getting Demi inside the building, alive and breathing, are you able to think about the consequences of that. You don't kick yourself about it though. You needed to tell him. Otherwise, you might not have made it up to the roof on time. Maybe there might have been more serious consequences than you getting fired for such a breach of the patient code. A suicide, perhaps?

So anyway, as you got off the bus and into the late darkness of the night, you tiredly trudged into the house, the sudden exhaustion hitting you like a brick wall. 

Heading straight for the stairs, feeling your way without light, the room suddenly illuminates around you, causing you to spin around and catch sight of the figure sitting on the sofa. 

Emily.

Her hand is hovering over the switch to the lamp beside her. The lamp you picked out but she hated. The lamp she got anyway - to make you happy. 

"Em?" you say questioningly, "Why aren't you in bed?

Her eyes are tired. You have a feeling she would have waited up for you all night for you to come home. 

"I was just thinking," she replies in a low voice, sending shivers down your back as a million guesses about what exactly she was thinking about swarms in through both your ears and itch at your brain. 

"Did you actually love me?" she asks.

"What? Yes, of course, Em! Why would you ever think otherwise?" 

"Okay..." she nods, then, "Do you love me now?"

Maybe she fed off the moment hesitation you took before answering. Or maybe she knew the answer already. 

"Wh--...y-yeah...yes I do. I do love you, Emily. Where is this all coming from?"

"So then explain to me...why can't you let go of Demi?"

"I have! I have let go, it's just...it's just that I think I can help her because I know her better than the other nurses in there. I think that she needs me. But that doesn't mean that I still love her! I love you!"