After Henry (Once Upon a Time)

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Doctor

Hyperion Heights, Seattle...

Henry: "You know what they say, these things will kill ya." Nick approached Jacinda in a terrible attempt to start a conversation, while the brunette seemed to crave for all the Apollo chocolate bars of the venting machine.

"Nick..." The golden brown haired woman sighed, almost crushing her body against the tall chocolate brown eyed doctor's.

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to check up on you." He gently said, as his eyes couldn't let go of the beautiful olive toned skin silhouette of the woman he once loved, the woman he knew he'd never stop loving, even after so long apart.

"Thank you." Jacinda gasped, crossing her arms and buttoning up her coat in an effort of protection.

"You're welcome." Nick sighed, his mouth corners deep and frowned, he missed the way Jacinda used to smile every time they kissed, in a long distant past that almost felt like another lifetime.

"No, I mean it. I realize I didn't show you how much this means to me and Lucy, if you didn't find her and didn't go through great lengths to save her, I don't know what would be of me. Lucy is all I have." The brunette explained, losing herself in the chocolate brown eyes of the man she loved, begging not to get lost in them again because now she had responsibilities, a daughter, and her heart for better or worse shut down ten years ago after being broken into a hundred pieces.

Nick stared at Jacinda with a nice smiley polite face. He hated every second of the emotional barrier keeping his intimate bubble away from the brunette. The doctor knew it was his fault, he hated every second of it. He should become the man he is now, a long time ago.

"Do you remember when we first met? I was the kid living in his parents' basement and wearing flannel. I had a big crush for Pink Floyd." In an effort to climb Jacinda's walls, Nick started punching them brick by brick, evoking a past where things were simpler, where he and the brunette were just two lovebirds with their all lives ahead of them, a future waiting to be written, shy away from serious responsibilities.

"Nick...I'm not doing this, I'm sorry." Jacinda was a perceptive woman, she realized how the doctor put all his efforts trying to reach the heart which once belonged to him, evoking the imagery of a past where things were simpler in a satisfying relieving way.

"No, I know. Jay, I'm proud of the woman you became, seeing your love for Lucy, just proves me how stupid I was to ever let you go in the first place. I just want to say I'm sorry, I wished you met the man I am now, all those years ago. I'm sorry it took me ten years to put my life in order and be the man you deserved, shy away from that messy teen with rock t-shirts and terrible guitar skills."

"Yeah...I'm happy you got your life just as you wanted, but...Nick, every day I fight for Lucy, things are tough and she's my biggest responsibility, we're all we have to one another and that's all I can live with for now."

"I see, you're a great woman, Jay. Lucy is lucky to have you, I just wanted to tell you that there's not a day that goes by where I don't think about the silly mistake I made all those years ago, where I was far away from being the person I am now. I guess that's why I went to med school, I was hoping to save as many lives as I could because I wasn't able to save yours from the terrible household where you lived with your step-family."

"It's okay, I'm over it." Jacinda tried to relax the antsy atmosphere forming around them. "I think it was time for both of us to realize that life isn't a fairytale, and there are no Princes to save us from reality's cruelty. It's just the way it is, I got knocked up and you left me, I fought hard to find a job and put my life in order for Lucy and I succeeded on my own. End of the story." Jacinda bit her tongue after all the harshness that slipped away from her mouth. Her eyes wrinkled, as mind realized how tough she became in the last ten years. She had to, she had to hide all emotions in order to thrive in a world of coldness. But was it really necessary for her to keep wearing the iron mask forever? Deep down, Jacinda just wanted to relieve herself from all the barriers and give her heart a break, but the fear of getting hurt or worse, bring pain to Lucy's life, was motivation enough to keep her locked up in the iron castle where her spirit desperately craved for sunlight, yet knew, all too well, that it was best to stay put, stay safe.