A Fighting Chance (Tom Holland AU) [2]

Twenty-Seven

A few days later, we were both sitting down, holding each other quietly. Ali and Zendaya had come to see us again, but they were currently diffusing a situation with the hospital staff on our behalf as we sat. We were not in a good state of mind to do it, so we just sat and listened as the girls, mainly Zendaya, explained to the staff what should happen.

"Of course we understand that they all mean well, but this is the fifth day in a row and the number just keeps growing. They can't keep doing this." Fans were still coming to the hospital to see us so we were trying to create a system that would let people we actually knew in while not letting fans in.

"Well, you guys come in and out of the staff entrance at this point, right?" I nodded slowly as Ali looked at me. Fans and paparazzi were actually camping out by the entrance, so we had started using the staff entrance to avoid them. "What if everyone else you invited came in that way?"

"We'd have to be able to confirm it with Tom and Grace, but that could work." The two of us nodded slowly, and they sent us some sad smiles.

"If you'd two like, I can put out a statement telling the fans that we don't want them doing this." Zendaya looked between the two of us, and when we nodded again, she pulled out her phone.

@zendaya

On behalf of Tom & Grace, I'm asking everyone to please stop coming to the hospital. We know you guys mean well and they appreciate all your love, but the best way to show it is to respect their family's privacy and let them focus on Annabelle.

She sighed as she set her phone down, looking between the two of us. We had our heads leaning against each other as we held hands, each messing with the other's fingers as tears slipped down my cheeks. "I love you both to pieces, and you know that, but you two look like shit."

"We feel like shit." Tom's voice was soft, and I nodded in agreement. "When I imagined my first few weeks of fatherhood, I imagined that it would be in my home as I played with my child and made sure they were always as happy as can be. I never thought that I'd spend those weeks in a hospital as my daughter's lungs developed slowly."

"I just want to hold her," I whispered, and soon I was silently sobbing. Tom immediately let go of my hand and wrapped an arm around me, and I could feel his tears dripping onto me. Ali and Zendaya exchanged glances, and I could hear them sigh.

"Gracie, we want nothing more than for you to be able to do that," Ali whispered, kneeling in front of me. I knew that her job revolved around making sure children were safe and happy, so she was used to comforting anyone who was crying. "You just have to stay positive, okay? If you keep a positive energy, she'll be more inspired to heal more, even if she doesn't know it yet."

"R-really?" I looked at her, and she nodded with a smile.

"Of course." She looked at the time, and she sighed gently. "Our flight leaves in a few hours."

"You two have been amazing, really." Tom smiled gently, letting go of me to hug both of the girls. I did the same, and they gave us each a smile.

"Keep us updated, okay?" I gave them a gentle smile as we nodded, and soon they were off. As soon as they left, a doctor came by to us.

"Still the same pattern. She's improving, but not enough to bring her home." I nodded at that gently. "You guys are free to see her now if you'd like."

And that's exactly what we did. We were sitting with her, and Tom was currently holding her through her shelter. "Hi there, pretty girl." He smiled, and she looked up at the two of us and made a small noise that seemed to be one of excitement. As we sat, my phone began buzzing. I looked to see our agent Bill calling me.

"Hey, Bill. What's up?"

"How are you three doing? I know it's been a lot for you guys."

"It has been, but we're getting through it, slowly but surely."

"That's good to hear. Listen, I just got a call from the Brooklyn 99 staff."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, they didn't have your number to call you, so they called me instead. Your episode is set to air in two weeks, but they wanted to know if you're okay with them airing it at this point."

"What do you mean?" Tom looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"They're aware of the situation you guys are in, and they know you've asked for privacy while you go through this. Do you want them to hold off on airing your episode until everything is settled? They're okay with anything you want." I grinned at that. It was so touching that they were concerned about our situation.

"Hold on, let me see if Tom has any thoughts about it." I looked at him, and after I explained the situation, he smiled.

"I love how they're concerned about us, but this is a decision for you to make. It's you in the episode, not us." I nodded, pressing a kiss to his cheek before putting the phone back to my ear.

"Tell them that we appreciate their concern, but they're totally fine to air it. We've already halted production for both of our projects, and I would hate to mess up their schedule too."

"Alright, Grace. I'll let them know. You and Tom focus on your family, okay?"

"Of course, Bill. Talk to you later." As I hung up, Tom smiled and pressed a kiss to my head softly. "Can I hold her now?"

"Of course." We had soon switched places, and I smiled as I held Annabelle carefully. Tom pressed a kiss to my head as he wrapped an arm around me. "I love you both so much."

"I love you both too."

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