Back To Me

When Sunday Comes

Cedar Sinai Hospital: 7am Sunday morning

Octavia sat the closest she could to Kennedy while she slept under the influence of her medication. Holding her hand and rubbing it gently, she sadly looked over her condition. Her beautiful brown skin had scratches splayed over her forehead cheeks and chest, her jaw line suffered a blackish blue marking and her upper torso was bandaged. She looked peaceful despite her outward appearance. Even though the situation was FAR from ideal she was Thankful for her hand being warm instead of cold as she prayed for what felt like the 100th time.

Once Octavia and Josiah made it to the hospital she didn't even let the car come to s complete stop at the drop off entrance before she was out of the car and walking into the hospital towards the information desk. She should have been used to the smell of antiseptic being her husband was a doctor and she was constantly in his office for one thing or the other. But being here for the reason she was made the normal scent fill her with dread. When she wasn't resting during the car ride she was praying. And when she wasn't praying her mind was filled with thoughts of Kennedy. There were so many things she wanted to ask her but just didn't know where to start. What scared her was the fear of her not being able to ask at all.

Flashback:

As she was walking up to the information desk towards a young woman who looked like she was studying while on the job sat there in the center of the state of the art lobby. Octavia didn't think anything of it since most young people who worked the front information desk were students and during lulls would often study to pass the time. The young woman couldn't have been more than 19 and put Octavia instantly in the mindset of Kennedy, which caused her heart to race. Calming her racing heart, she spoke.
"Excuse me." She said softly not to even disturb the young woman. Looking up from her book the young woman smiled while curiously waiting for her question.
"Could you tell me the room number for Kennedy James?"
The young woman nodded as she searched the name she was given in the search engine to populate the room number. Moments later the young woman pulled up Kennedy's room number and after thanking her Octavia made her way to the elevator. Pressing the door button to close it once she was inside, she looked up when she heard a distraction barring the door from closing, Josiah had just caught the elevator in time to go up with her. Noticing it was him she relaxed in his presence. He didn't bother her because he knew her mind was on Kennedy. He scanned her body language and could sense her anxiousness. He could tell she was a drift in her own thoughts; the ball of her Nike shoe at angle causing her leg to bounce. Her arms were folded across her chest and she was in a complete daze.
"Tavia," he called softly, once allowing his voice to ricochet off the stainless-steel paneling once he garnered no response,

"Octavia" he said her name with firmer tone of voice which caused her to jump and look in his direction. The act which didn't sit well with her, words she didn't have to say but that her body language expressed.
"I know you are out of sorts, but everything is going to be okay." He said calmly and reassuringly. She didn't say anything allowing the words to find some space to take up on her already overcrowded mind. That statement sounded cheap in her opinion, but it wasn't his fault; she reasoned; he wanted, as he had always done, to try to make her feel better in moments of distress. It has his heart for her that made her fall in love after all and pledge to love him for better or worse. Now that worse was up on her his ever-caring nature irked her but knew better to take her frustrations out on him. she was sitting with the gravity of what happened when his voice broke through her thoughts. It was a toxic cocktail of her cousin's situation mixed with her own regrets of not following her own first mind. She felt to blame for this happening to her.

For as long she could remember Octavia had always tried to protect Kennedy from the world; from gross little boys and even their older counterparts. Kennedy on the other hand was always stubborn with a point to prove. Most of the time her "prove the doubters wrong" mentality worked in her favor... and at other times it was her Achilles heel. In one regard it aided her at being persistent and driven but abetted her regarding her heart.
"I'm believing God that everything is okay." She said her voice trailing as the elevator slowly adjusted while it dinged altering the couple that they had made it to the correct floor.
"but he's going to have to help my unbelief"
She said as the elevator doors started to open.