AUTUMN LEAVES

“You’re still here?”, Tiffany said. She overheard that Sidney was still at the cafeteria but she did not think that he would still be there at two in the morning. He wearily looked up from his water bottle that now had a torn label. “How is she?”, he asked with a hoarse voice. “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”, she said, upset at how disappointed her sister was because of him. Autumn did not even need to tell her, it was that obvious.

He kept his eyes on his water bottle. “I can’t. I don’t think I have the strength to see her laying in a hospital bed looking all weak and in pain. I can’t even picture it let alone look at her all bruised and in pain”, Sidney murmured softly, his voice breaking a little. The thought of Autumn suffering made him sick to his stomach. More than this, he felt that the accident may have been his fault. She was extremely upset when they were in the bathroom, right before she drove away and collided with that truck. She probably hates him after everything that has happened.

“Well, grow a pair and go see her! Even the receptionist came to check on her and you didn’t even bother!”, Tiff said angrily. “I thought you wanted me to stay away from her”, he countered quietly. Sighing, she sat next to him, debating whether it’s a good time for that kind of conversation. She knew Autumn cared about him too much, it was concerning. But after seeing Autumn survive a deadly accident, moralities had to take a back seat to her sister’s wellbeing. Tiffany knew that seeing Sidney would make Autumn feel better.

“I know how much you love her Sid. I’m not blind”, Tiffany said putting her hand on his arm. He was surprised by her statement and her sudden sympathy. “No, you don’t. No one does. Not even Autumn. Not that it matters”, he said sadly. “She’s alone now, go see her”, Tiffany told him.

“What do you mean alone? Where’s Mario?”, he asked surprised. “He reluctantly left. Autumn did not want him to sleep on the hospital couch. I guess he’s sleeping at her old apartment, ten minutes away from here”, Tiff explained. “How could he agree to this? Are you at least staying with her?” Tiffany shook her head, “You know how stubborn she is. She insisted that she doesn’t need anyone to stay with her on the uncomfortable couch. Plus, she knows that I have an early morning tomorrow concluding that I need few hours of sleep to function. I’m about to leave now.”, Tiff said, clearly exasperated by her sister’s stubbornness.

She stood up and patted Sidney’s shoulder gently. She was exhausted and in a desperate need for sleep. After saying goodbye, Sidney sat alone with his thoughts once again.

*****

Autumn was trying to rest but sleep eluded her. She would doze off only to wake up few minutes later all disoriented and lightheaded. She was on a strong dose of morphine that, while doing wonders to her pain, may have caused some side effects. As she stared at the tall shadow near the door, she thought that maybe the mix of drugs with her concussion was not very well planned. She should speak to Dr. Hannigan because she was hallucinating. As she contemplated pressing the call button on her bed panel, the figure started moving. She squeezed her eyes shut then opened them again to see his silhouette slowly getting closer to her. Closing her eyes once more, she remembered the accident, that split second when she saw his handsome face right before the crash. Had she died, he would have been her last memory.

Now, she was not sure if it was another delusion of him or whether he was really there in the flesh. She was too scared to open her eyes. She tried to call out to him but was not sure if her voice was audible. Opening her glazed eyes, she saw him standing few feet away from her bed. When she looked in his watery eyes, she heard the thump of his water bottle hitting the floor along with his jacket. He was at her side in a millisecond, cradling her face gently as he inspected every detail of her face. He did not say anything, his touch, his heavy breathing and sniffles were the only evidence that he was actually there.

She was not hallucinating. Sidney was really hugging her and burying his face in her neck. She hugged him back as best as she could with him on his knees on the bed holding her so gently as he let out all the tears he’s been trying to hold all night. She mindlessly rubbed his back to comfort him as her own tears spilled on her cheeks. It has always been an instinct to comfort him even though she needed it more in that moment.

Autumn could feel him slightly shaking with his hot breath still on her neck. “You’re okay”, he whispered softly, more to himself than to her. She stroked the back of his neck, running her fingers nimbly through his curls. He shuffled and sat next to her, this time stretching his legs on the bed. He snaked one arm around her shoulders to push her gently closer to him, never breaking eye contact. With his forehead barely touching hers, he lovingly caressed her cheek right below her bruise with the back of his hand.

“Does it hurt?”, he asked, wishing he could take all her pain away. “it’s not so bad”, she answered him as she felt his warm lips brush her forehead, her nose, then her tender bruise. He was kissing her pain away and it worked. His lips brushed hers as he peppered them with feather-light kisses. She was leaning into his touch, relishing in the feeling of him surrounding her. They kissed softly for few moments. No more words were said. No questions were asked.

He kept holding her close to him, her head on his shoulder and in the crook of his neck as his chin rested on top of her head, in the softness of her hair. That’s how sleep caught up to them as they peacefully laid with their fingers intertwined, in a small hospital bed, the weather of their lives storming outside the window. Reality was put on hold as they both needed this closeness, this intimacy.

Autumn was not sure for how long she has been sleeping in Sidney’s embrace when she woke up to the sound of someone entering the quiet hospital room. They were no longer alone.

Notes

Short but sweet, don't you think?

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this chapter. More (a lot more) to come!! Stay tuned.

Charlie :)