"I don't really know how to tell you this," the nurse began, avoiding eye contact with Theo. She saw him come into the hospital all the time to see his mother; she knew how much he cared. She hated to tell him his mother was clinging to life. But it was her job.
She stood up straight and forced herself to look him in the eye. "She stopped breathing a few minutes ago, and she had to be put on oxygen. Her iron levels are really low. I don't know if she can take much more, Theo."
She wasn’t looking at him. Theo clenched his fist and stared straight at her, biting his bottom lip so hard it had turned white.
Finally, she met his eyes and told him everything.
He stopped moving and breathing. He just stared.
«Wha—» he tried, but it came as a choked cough.
« What does that mean, exactly? » he whispered.
She heaved a sigh, and looked at him with apologetic eyes. “It means her time is running out.”
Piper watched the entire ordeal with wide eyes. She couldn’t imagine getting news like that about her own mother, and she could tell by Theo’s face that he was devastated. She lifted a hand to squeeze his shoulder.
« Oh. »
He stepped back.
« Oh. »
A strange empty feeling fizzed throughout his entire body. Piper put a hand on his shoulder and he flinched. He stepped aside, further from her, biting down on his already bleeding lip.
Suddenly every beat of his heart felt like it was moving in sand, and Theo found himself fighting for breath, choked by the sand and saltwater streaming down his face. He shut his mouth tight, his vision blurring, going pale around the edges. Everything was suddenly too loud. Someone was screaming in his ear, repeating the word no, and then he realized it was only him, it was Theo whispering to himself.
As his body moved from under her hand, and his eyes shut tight, she felt her throat close up as well. Goodness, he didn’t deserve this. She didn’t deserve this. They loved each other so much.
She watched the nurse as she went back inside, beckoning them to follow.
"One minute," she mouthed, and the woman nodded in understanding.
Theo dimly registered the nurse walk away and his vision zoned in on Piper, wearing her own expression of grief as it seeped from her eyes in a beautiful terrible strength. "Please don't leave," he managed softly, reaching for her hand. It was soft and ever so slightly calloused, but slender and delicate in its shape. She had the most perfect hands he'd ever held, and the realization broke through the tank of hurt that had parked on his heart.
“I won’t,” she whispered back as she rested her head on his shoulder somewhat reluctantly. Physical affection wasn’t exactly her forte, especially when people were going through a hard time. She was better with words.
“I promise I won’t leave until you’re ready for me to go.”
She held his hand and used her free one to rest on his back.
« Okay, » he murmured. « Okay. »
He stood in silence, relishing in the little comfort that Piper could bring him. He knew he’d have to leave her, eventually, to see what his mother had become. He knew he’d have to see the silent, sleeping creature she’d become. And die as—
No. She wouldn’t die. He’d make sure of it.
She could tell exactly what he was thinking (it was obvious at a time like this), so she did her best to get him to talk. She figured that he wouldn't do it himself, especially with her, and she could recall the painful feeling that came with someone brushing her own problems aside, even if they had the best of intentions. Looking at Theo-the way his face had drained of color and his eyes had gone dark in a matter of seconds-made her want to punch a wall. She was so furious at the world for what was happening. And if she wasn't careful, she would let that anger out when talking to him. She almost had to physically restrain herself from freaking out right there with him.
"Theo," she began somewhat slowly, "how long has she been sick?"
He blinked quickly, shoulders turned in. He inhaled sharply and frowned to focus his mind. "A– about three years now."
It was useful for her to be asking simple questions. The straightforward answers felt cool to his whirling thoughts, like cold water over a fresh burn.
She took a deep breath before speaking again. "Just tell me when you're ready to go inside. I don't care how far from now that is, take however long you need." They were still on the steps right in front of the hospital, sitting side by side. It was a really nice, sunny day, which somehow made her more angry. "What was she like before she was sick?"
(bump)
(I’m so sorry)
He frowned, tracing circles absently on his thighs. « Bright. Loud. Intelligent. Always busy. She was always doing something for someone. If she wasn’t working she was volunteering. She was that cliche angelic person that everyone falls in love with automatically. »
He tightened his grip on his knee, nails digging into his bare skin.
She nodded slowly as he spoke, doing her best to imagine what her life must have looked like when she was younger. She seemed amazing.
"You know," she sat up and looked at him again, "I promised you that you could read some of my writing when we went to your workshop, but we never got the chance." She fished in her backpack for a few moments and pulled out a small leather book covered in paint and different pieces of paper with map patterns on them. "If you want- I mean, if it would help- we could read some."
Theo stared at the book in her hand for a moment, his eyes moistening again. He nodded and gently took the book from her.
He flipped over to frayed page, and started reading, his hair falling over his face.
(ok so do we actually wanna figure out what he's reading)
(Oh, up to you! Could be good exposition)
(coolio, but my response might take a while since I'm trying to come up with some good stuff)
(That’s alright, take your time!)
As he flipped through her book, she felt her heart beat all the way down in her toes. She cared a lot about what he thought considering how long they’d known each other, and she couldn’t really tell how she felt about that.
I want something wonderful
The problem is
There are different types of wonderful
I want to lift my face to the sky
And let my skin soak up the beams
But I also want to lay in the dark
And watch the stars wink at each other.
Or maybe I could soar
And watch the gray burst into colorful flames
But there’s also something beautiful about dwaling about a monochromatic world.
So then
You see my dilemma
For there are many paths to lead
Many lives to choose
All of which make my heart sing.
There was a little sketch of a bird in the corner of that page, and she found herself staring at it while waiting for him to finish reading.
He was still staring at the page long before he finished reading. Then he finally, slowly shut the book and handed it back to her.
"Beautiful." His gaze lifted to her face. She really was beautiful.
(awwwww)
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” she breathed, thinking he was only talking about the words. “I tried pretty hard with that one, but there are others that are more of a work in progress.”
(bumpity bump)