our troubled love ᵒˡᵈ ˢᵗᵒʳʸ

+~twenty~+

A/N: I know this is an abrupt ending, but I lost motivation for this story, and I didn't want to leave it without an ending (unlike SOME writers. *cough cough* Fanfic authors I'm looking at you!) Anyways, enjoy!

It's 2 pm.

    I rushed out the door only to realize I forgot my phone, went inside to get it, and went outside again. I hastily locked the door; My shaking hands made putting the key into the lock a challenge.

    It was the day before when I got the call that Aiden was being discharged from the hospital. He had been told many times before that he'd be let out, but due to complications, it never actually happened. But now, after over a year of lonely hospital days and false alarms, he would finally be coming home. To my home.

    Aiden and I had already discussed what the plan was when he got discharged, and we decided--after days of me trying to convince him--that it was best for him to live with me, just in case anything happened again. Not that anything would happen. I promised him, and myself, that I'd take good care of him until the day I died.

    Until the day I died.

    Yes, I knew I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life. We hadn't really had any serious discussions about the future of our relationship, as we were too preoccupied with his health. And although the thought made me nervous, I knew we'd need to have that talk eventually. But for now, I was overfilled with all sorts of emotions as I drove to the hospital.

    I didn't know if to feel nervous or happy or anything in between, but all these feelings swirling in my chest made me jittery and restless. Especially knowing the surprise I had for Aiden.

I arrived at the hospital and hurried up to his room, greeting the nurses and other staff I'd gotten to know well when I visited Aiden at the hospital. I got to his room and there he was, sitting on his bed.

No IV. No tubes. Nothing holding him back.

Oh, how I wanted to kiss him. To celebrate with a touch of our lips. But I wanted him to be healthy, and that outweighed my urge to share that act of affection.

"Jia?" His voice was strong. He was strong.

"It's me." I let out a breath of relief with my words.

    His smile lit up the sad, blue hospital room. "I can't wait to go home."

+++

    I took the time we were on the road to update him on my life, and everything I couldn't tell him during the short visiting hours. I couldn't wait for him to meet my new friends. We'd have to take some precautions when going out, but we had already thought of that. I even handmade a few masks for him to wear to protect himself. He wore one of them now, covering his mouth and nose perfectly, but failing to mask the joy on his face.

    I parked in front of a small pink house lined with rose bushes and pretty flowers. "I have a surprise for you," I told Aiden.

    His eyebrows furrowed, but his eyes still smiled. "What is it?"

    I got out of the car and went around to his side to help him out. I intertwined his fingers with mine. "Are you ready? It's pretty big..."

    His shoulders rose as he took a deep breath, preparing himself. He nodded.

    We went up to the front of the house, and I knocked on the door. A small dog barked inside. Then, the door opened.

    A small, brown-haired woman stood on the other side with a smile much like Aiden's. Her eyes softened when she looked at Aiden. The dog circled around our feet, greeting us.