AUTUMN LEAVES

“Oh dear, I did not mean to startle you”, Linda, her nurse and long-time friend said apologetically. Autumn felt Sidney stir next to her, nuzzling her hair. He was still in deep sleep as the two women spoke. “Um, he fell asleep. He was dead tired”, Autumn said quietly, trying to act nonchalant about the intimate position that Linda had found them in. “The ER chief nurse called me to tell me that you’ve been brought here last night after being in an accident”, Linda said, worry lacing her voice, not paying much attention to the whole Sidney situation.

“I’m okay”, Autumn whispered. Linda patted Autumn’s arm lovingly, glancing at Sidney briefly. He looked at peace, sleeping so contently in Autumn’s embrace in the tiny cozy space of a hospital bed. Autumn did not want Linda to misinterpret the situation. She decided that waking Sidney up is the best thing to do given the awkwardness of the moment. She also tried but failed to wiggle out of his strong hold on her waist. She started whispering his name as she gently shook his arm. He opened his eyes slowly, smiling lazily at her, still unaware of the stranger in the room.

He noticed Linda’s presence right before he leaned to kiss Autumn. He couldn’t get out of the bed any faster than he did, almost tripping on the blanket that was tangled between his legs. He suddenly became extremely alert. “Oh, Linda. Hi, um… how are you?”, he asked awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck. “I… it’s morning already. Wow”, he said as he looked at his watch to realize that it was 7:30 am. He hurriedly fetched his discarded jacket. “I gotta run. The home opener is tonight”, he mumbled, trying to find any excuse to just disappear from the room, leaving Autumn to deal with it. Autumn observed him intently as he scrambled around. He was like a kid caught with his hands in the cookie jar.

As he headed to the door, he stopped in his tracks and turned back. He went back to the spot he occupied during the night and leaned in to give Autumn a brief yet very sweet kiss on her cheek. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”, he said softly, the look in his eyes speaking volumes of the things that he did not dare say out loud. She nodded as she stroked his cheek, forgetting Linda for a second.

Once the two women were left alone, Linda gave Autumn a look that said, “what’s with him”. Autumn sighed tiredly as she absentmindedly ran her hands on the warm bed where Sidney was sleeping, noting that she slept well despite the amount of space that Sidney’s large body occupied. “He came late after everyone has left”, Autumn answered briefly. Linda changed the subject and asked about her injuries and her recovery plan. They also touched base regarding work schedule and her sick leave.

“Why did Sidney stay with you and not Mario?”, Linda asked curiously. Autumn explained why Mario did not stay. She also mentioned that Sidney just fell asleep, it was not the plan that he stays, which was nothing short of the truth. “Please don’t mention it to anyone. I don’t want people to think that I’d rather have Sid here and not my husband. It may give the wrong idea”, Autumn requested. Linda agreed understandably.

Autumn’s day at the hospital was spent with Mario. Her hospital room was turned into an indoor garden with her close friends and colleagues visiting her. She was not allowed to watch TV nor use her phone very often. She learned from Mario that her accident made it to the news. Most newspapers headlines were along the lines of “Penguins ring ceremony almost ending in a tragedy”. Her husband was dealing with a large volume of phone calls and messages from people wanting to wish his wife well.

Autumn kept nagging Mario to go to the home opener game that night. The Pens were raising their second straight championship banner. It was a big deal and Autumn did not want Mario to miss it. He promised her to come see her after the game. Once he left, Autumn appreciated the quietness of her room that buzzed with people all day. Tiff brought her sister dinner, knowing how much Autumn hated hospital food. As she nibbled on the dinner, Tiffany remained quiet despite the internal dilemma she was having.

She couldn’t hold it any longer. “Did Sid come by last night?”, Tiff asked. Autumn answered with a quiet nod. “He was losing his mind, you know”, Tiff said, testing the waters. When Autumn kept her eyes on her food and did not say anything in return, Tiff decided to drop it and change topics. “Do you want to watch the game? Oops, sorry. Forgot about your concussion.” “It’s okay. It’s mild, I’m feeling much better Tiff. A little television will not hurt me. I need to pass time, I hate being here”, Autumn said, wanting to watch the ceremony and game more than anything.

The two doctors watched the Penguins captain hoist the Stanley cup one last time, putting an end to months of celebrations. As the championship banner was being raised, Autumn watched Sidney carefully as he looked up from behind his teammates with an easy smile on his face. In their first game and loss of the regular season, he had a goal and an assist despite all the fatigue that the previous night at the hospital had left him with.

It was nearing eleven at night when Mario made it to the hospital. When he entered the room, Tiff gestured for him to stay quiet as she moved calmly not to wake Autumn up. She had been sleeping ever since the game ended. As she was gathering her things to leave for the day, she was surprised to see the Penguins captain trailing behind Mario. She noticed a subtle smile appearing on his face as he contemplated Autumn peacefully sleeping.

They sat by her side and watched her sleep for a few silent moments. “Dr. Hannigan said she’s doing so much better. They want to monitor her still for three more days. Then she’ll be able to go home”, Mario whispered to Sidney. “That’s great”, Sidney whispered back as he gazed back at her. Mario nodded his head towards the door, gesturing for Sidney to leave the room. Once in the hall, Mario told Sidney that there was no point in staying since she was sleeping already.

“Aren’t you going to stay with her?”, Sidney asked, hesitant to leave her alone. “No. I will not hear the end of it tomorrow, trust me”, Mario told him. They walked side by side to the private parking zone where they parted ways for the night.

*****

Autumn was mumbling incoherently in her sleep. She was clearly having a nightmare. She woke up with a start to find Sidney, not Tiff, at her side. “Hey there, it’s okay. It was just a bad dream”, he cooed as he lightly ran his fingers in her hair.

“Where is Tiff? Mario?”, she asked confused. “They both left”, he answered. He was not sure how she would feel had she realized that he waited for her husband to leave so he could stay with her. “Mario said that you did not want him to stay. I can leave too, if you want”, he said hesitantly. She shook her head averting her eyes from his. “What time is it?”, she asked tiredly. “It’s very late. You need to go back to sleep. I’ll stay right there”, he told her reassuringly as he pointed to the couch that he was occupying up until she woke up.

“No, you can fit right here”, she said as she scooched to make some room for him in her bed. Sidney did not need to be told twice as he lifted her blanket settling in under it, with his side flushed to Autumn. He was still in his dress pants and shirt, his shoes, tie and jacket long forgotten. He held her against his chest and stroked her hair. He kissed her temple as she looked up at him with sleepy eyes. “Is this okay? Are you in pain? I could get someone or-”, he asked concerned. She shushed him with a finger on his lips. “I’m fine like this”, she whispered as he started to kiss and gently suckle on her finger. She watched him attentively as he continued to kiss every single finger of the hand that was secured in his much larger one. The gesture wasn’t suggestive but instead, it made her feel cherished and loved even.

He kissed her palm then her wrist along her pulse line. He trailed kisses on the inside of her forearm noticing some small bruises from the accident. While he was showering her with loving kisses, she nestled her head on his bare chest, thankful for his undone top shirt buttons. She snuggled into him, almost sitting in his lap, as he enveloped her in his strong arms.

With his fingers on her chin, he angled her face towards his and captured her lips with his. They kissed long and slow, probing and exploring with their lips and tongues. There was no rush. There was no end game. They were simply like two lovers savoring each other for the very first time.

Sidney could have kissed her until dawn, but after a few minutes, he started to feel her exhaustion. He reluctantly detached his mouth from hers knowing that they both needed some sleep. Autumn smiled sleepily at him as he kissed her temple and hair. He audibly sighed uneasily as he rested his cheek on top of hers, drifting off into a restless sleep.

Sidney and Autumn both woke up startled by the sound of an alarm. As Autumn shifted to a sitting position, she noticed Sidney pulling his phone out of his pocket to silence the offending noise. “Go back to sleep, it’s only six in the morning”, he spoke with a husky voice. He got out of bed and turned his back to her as he started wearing his shoes.

“Where are you going? It’s still dark outside?”, she asked naïvely, forgetting that someone might show up and catch them sleeping in the same bed, again. “Mario is coming at eight. The nurses start their rounds at 7. I don’t want to be here for that”, he explained as he put on his jacket and buttoned his shirt. “I’m sorry about the game”, she whispered softly. He gave her a sad smile and a final peck on her lips before he left.

*****

“Are you still feeling lightheaded?”, Sidney asked Autumn as he sat next to her in the small bed for the third night in a row. He was exhausted, drained even. The Pens had just played a grueling game, their worst ever since he entered the league, 12 years ago. Losing 1-10 to the Blackhawks and taking a private flight to Pittsburgh in the same night was enough for him to seek the comfort of his own bed. But seeing her was worth the fatigue. The surprised yet happy look on her face when he unexpectedly entered her room at 1 in the morning was worth it. “I’m so much better. I can say I’m symptom-free, but I have to get back to my normal life to really say that I have no more concussion symptoms”, she said.

“What about here?”, he asked as he ever so gently poked her in her ribs, making sure not to touch her breast by accident. “My ribs are still displaced, but nothing that physiotherapy won’t fix. I started light exercises already”, she answered him with a smile. “How long is your sick leave?”, he asked as he inspected their laced fingers in his lap. His other arm was around her shoulders, securing her to him. “Technically, 6 weeks. But I don’t think I will need this long to recover. Besides, I would go out of my mind just sitting home doing nothing. You know me”, she said chuckling.

“You will take the time that the doctor recommends. This is non-negotiable, get this through that thick head of yours”, he said with so much authority in his tone, it took Autumn by surprise. “Sir, yes, sir!”, she answered sarcastically. “This is not a joke, Autumn. You need to take the time to recover. You survived a horrific accident. You could have-”, he couldn’t finish this sentence. He stroked her hand gently, avoiding her gaze. “Hey, look at me. Sid, I’m fine. I know how lucky I am to have survived. But my injuries are not as bad you think, I promise. I’m capable of doing everything on my own, even bending down, which the doctor said may not be possible at first”, she said softly as she held on to his neck trying to get him to look at her. When he did, she cradled his beautiful face and kissed all his worries away.

The next and final night at the hospital was spent the same way. Knowing that it may be their last chance to cuddle behind closed doors, Autumn and Sidney treasured every second of it. They ate their favorite Pad Thai that Sidney picked up on his way to the hospital at midnight. They talked, kissed and laid together nose to nose, simply staring at each other, committing every scar and every freckle to memory.

There were countless questions hanging in the air but neither of them wanted to spoil these stolen precious moments. They were both in denial. They were both avoiding an inevitable conversation. A conversation that they knew could only lead to one outcome. They could never happen. But what if they tried? Could she really be his?

Notes

Happy Holidays everyone!! I hope that you are enjoying the most wonderful time of the year!

Here's a chapter that is (almost) drama-free. Hope you like it!

How do you like Autumn and Sidney together?

As always, Thanks for you reading and for your awesome feedback!

Charlie :)