The Last Picture (a Tom Hiddleston Fanfic)

Leaping Hearts

I was fiddling with the little note Tom had given me. My thumb went smoothly over the letters that were engraved on it. My thoughts were only on him...with his razor-sharp jawline and piercing blue eyes. It felt as if I was disconnected from everything for a moment. But it didn't last long once the car came to a stop.

I did not want to step out of the car and be confronted with consternation. In fact, I wanted to be alone at home. But no, I'll have to bite the bullet.

I took my last glimpse at the note before I put it inside the inner pocket of my jacket. I stared down at my feet while I tried to breathe in and out quietly. My heart was pounding at an incredible speed. I shut my eyes for a second while trying to pull myself together. What if she is in mortal danger? What if she is dead by now?

My brain was unplugged from reality, it was as if it needed to reboot itself from scratch. There are too many things happening today. I should've never left America... and today was my birthday, but of course, nobody noticed, not even my brother. Worst. Birthday. Ever.

The only two things I heard were car doors being opened and police sirens that made my ears go deaf.

"Leah, come! We must hurry to Jenna!" Nicole raised her voice, making it just loud enough so that I could hear it above the sirens. Nicole grasped my arm and tried to pull me out of the car. I can't. I can't! I need to have a moment for myself. I yanked my arm back furiously.

"I will come in a moment." Nicole knows me longer than today. She recognizes this behavior. Nicole placed her hand on my lap and looked at me with caring eyes. "Don't overthink too much. Jenna needs you." I nod, and Nicole threw the door shut.

I saw Nicole running towards Jasper who was talking to one of the cops. Richard, the chauffeur, stood beside Jasper, typing on his phone with ferociousness.

There I sat, alone and anxious. My head booming with predictive thoughts. One side of my brain is tremendously happy because of the note some tall handsome British actor gave me and the fact of seeing my brother again, but on the other side, I was buried with confusion and anxiety because of Kriss.

As time followed, my anxiety-level reached its peak. Without knowing, my right leg began to shake. I started chewing on my lower lip, and seconds after that, my emotions got the better of me. Once my first tear broke free, the rest followed in an unbroken stream. Tears of ambiguousness were running down my cheeks and poured down onto my white sweater. Great, now it has mascara stains.

Tobes tried to comfort me like he always does. Such a loyal furry. But I even got more emotional with Tobe's presence.

I lean forward and rest my elbows on my lap. My hands covering my face. I mumbled incoherent things and almost choked on my own sobs. After I gathered myself (somewhat) together, I opened the car door sluggishly.

I turned around and faced Tobes. "Tobes, please don't misbehave. I cannot have you chewing on those expensive leather seats." I say. Tobe's eyes twinkled with mischief. I shut the door and actually didn't really care if he would go berserk in that car. I have my mind on something more important right now.

The cold breeze blew right through my sweater and I bowed my head to one side, closing lashes weighed down with mascara to keep out the salty sting. My hair fell loose about my face, tousled, and tangled. Under the fading sun it appeared brown, the honey blonde streaks lost to the night.

Distance was all that mattered. Grace, one of Kriss's friends, wasn't stopping for anything and she sure as hell wasn't taking her foot of the gas for a little rain. Kriss's eyes stayed glued to the GPS display tracking their position while the world passed in a blur of red and white lights.

The hiss of the tires over the smooth tarmac was lost under the pounding bass of their preferred get-away music. Grace leaned over to turn it up. In that instant, she lost the opportunity to evade a truck without it lights off.

Even if she'd been paying attention she would have been hard-pressed to make the maneuver. As it was she barely had time to scream before the airbags knocked her back and sideways. The car tumbled over and over onto the guardrail before coming to an absolute stop. Silence; it scared Kriss more than the pain.

Shouldn't Grace be groaning or calling out? Kriss tried to move but she was pinned by the collapsing roof and the steering column. Her neck was too fragile to move...

The car, or whatever there was left of it, was being taken away by the roadside assistance. I hurried my way up to Nicole and Jasper, who were now inside the ambulance. Once I was inside myself, I saw Jenna standing beside Kriss. She laid on a stretcher unconscious.

Jenna was caressing her face. Kriss had a lot of blood on her forehead and blood stains all over her clothes. Her left shoulder was dislocated, and her jeans were cut open by the paramedics. she had a lot of abrasions on her legs and some deep cuts.

Jenna noticed my presence shortly after I entered the ambulance. She tilted her head, tears raced down her cheeks. "Thank you all for being here." she bawled. Jasper stood beside Jenna and pulled her into a firm hug. Nicole examined Kriss, her lips were twitching. She tried to hide her emotions, but in a situation like this, you can't force yourself not to cry.

Richard stood at the entrance of the ambulance door with, of course, a phone in his hand. "Mr. Wilson, there is an incoming call that requires your attention." he always uses the same line when he's being called... it's getting on my nerves. "Not now." Jasper snapped. "Take Tobias and the luggage of my sister and her friend to my apartment. We are going to the hospital." Jasper commanded. Richard nodded and went on his way.

The ride to the hospital was more terrifying than the crash site itself; with every bump that the ambulance made, my anxiety peaked higher. Seeing Kriss strapped into the stretcher I knew it was just the beginning. The paramedics said that If someone hadn't called in-time, she could've died. I know they were trying to help, but their words just bounced right off me. I didn't care how they saved Kriss, all I cared about was if she was gonna be okay.

This hospital is nothing like the one I am used to back in America, where the receptionist is more plastic than the purified water dispenser.

Here there is no openness, no space, nothing shines or has the smell of disinfectant. Instead, the way in is down a long hallway so narrow that if a wheelchair or trolley were to come to other way I'd have to dip into a side room to let it go by.

The walls were once painted, I can tell that from the cream flakes that remain, though mostly they show the grey undercoat or perhaps the concrete beneath that. The floor is uneven from so much traffic with both feet and wheels and it's darker than a mausoleum. The air is stagnant like we just went into some pit. There are no hand sanitizers on the walls, how they prevent the spread of germs here I don't know, perhaps they don't.

We finally reach the door, brown and dull like all the others. "Here we are," the nurse smiles kindly and opens the door wider. Doctors and nurses surrounded her hospital bed, attaching IV's, heart monitors and oxygen tanks to her. I decide to explore the room while the other people are still crowded around Kriss. An old TV set hangs from the ceiling.

A window giving me a view of the world below was just beneath the screen. In the corner are five chairs, frayed with wear and tear. It was a typical hospital room, sparse and functional. I went into the anteroom. I sat next to Nicole and Jasper while staring dejectedly up at the ceiling.

Jenna was still with Kriss, but not for long. Kriss needed to go under surgery, and fast. The silence of the waiting room made my blood as cold as the autumnal air that crept through a tiny open window. Bereft of any wind the leaves outside hung limply until they fell of their own accord, there was no whispering noise or rustling. Then out of nowhere, my phone went off in my purse, alerting me to a received text message.

I stare at it. Then rush to grab it hoping it's one of my friends who arrived in London. Digging it out of the side pocket, I tap the screen awake and check my chat messages—holding my breath when I see Tom's name in bold at the top of the list. Did he add my number to his cell? My finger shakes as I tap his name.

Tom
Good evening, Leah. Jasper told me about the accident. Is everything alright?
I apologize for this ludicrous little text. I am not overly fond of talking through a mobile phone.
Please do spare me.

Tom

I heard a chuckle while a soft whisper filled my right ear; "Happy birthday, Leah."
I swiftly turned my head, facing Jasper. My face fell faster than a corpse in cement boots. In that instant my skin became crimson, my mouth hung with lips slightly parted and my eyes were as wide as they could stretch.

Blushing would have been no problem, but what I did was go as red as a beetroot and radiate heat like a hot pan. You could have cookedthree-course meal on my face. No-one could have missed it. I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me whole.

Oh. My. God.