Falling For Her (Tom Hiddleston Fanfiction)

September and Her Words

We've all been told at one point in our lives that we wouldn't be able to do something. Maybe we were too young to understand a math problem. Or maybe we were too small to play a sport. There was always someone who didn't believe in us. Or maybe, at times we didn't really believe in ourselves. Yet, even if we felt that they were right, the critics, the cynics. Even if we had a glimmer of doubt, we still tried.

Giving it a shot, is the only way we can defy our own odds. It's the only way we can prove those doubters wrong.

Maybe, for a while, I had thoughts that Lilly wouldn't be with me past August thirty-first. I won't lie. I did have doubt. So did she. That's because we were basing her span of life off of her doctor's theory. We really shouldn't have.

Now, in our case, we didn't have a choice. We had to try. Because trying for us, was just watching the days play out. And hoping she would wake each morning. It wasn't really something we could control.

But I give all the credit to her.

It was September first. She defied her odds. For all of the medical professionals who told her she had a timestamp. We got to say, her timestamp had expired.

They told us she had thirty-one days, thirty-two days ago.

They told us she'd be gone in four weeks. She was on week five.

It was a great feeling. A feeling of hope and invincibility. A part of me knew our time was far from infinity. But another part of me couldn't help but think, if she made it this far, she could make it longer. It's possible.

I wanted her to keep going, that's obvious. But if I had a choice in the matter, I really wanted to get her to September twelfth. I wanted her to be here for our five month anniversary. To me, that wasn't asking a lot. Just eleven more days. That's all I wanted. I just wanted her to see one more checkpoint in our relationship. And I had confidence that she really could get there. She was strong.

So I woke up that morning, happier than I usually was, waking up in a hospital chair.

My eyes darted to Lilly, and I watched her chest rise and fall. That was my daily routine. I started my day by making sure Lilly was still alive. Again, I didn't want to think of the day when I wasn't so lucky. For now, seeing her breath and hearing those monitor beeps, was a miracle every morning, every minute.

I got up quietly, tip-toeing past Mary who had slept in the chair by the window. I made it to Lilly and kissed her gently on the cheek. "Lil, love wake up." I whispered.

Her eyes opened slowly but she didn't move a muscle. She just smiled up at me. "Well, Goodmorning." She whispered back.

I smiled, laughing at the way she whispered. I looked back to Mary to find that she was still sleeping. I turned back to Lilly and grinned. "This isn't the first time we've had to whisper in front of your mum. Do you remember that night I got the audition? The night I told you over the phone and you were whispering the whole time because your mother was asleep."

Lilly laughed quietly, her lazy eyes glowing. "I remember. Gosh, it seems like so long ago."

I nodded. "Well, we've been through a lot." I smiled. "And now it's September."

Lilly's eyes widened as she remembered the date. "Oh! I made September!" She exclaimed, still in a somewhat quiet tone.

I laughed. "You did. Congratulations sweetheart." I gave her a kiss.

I saw Mary begin to wake up from the corner of my eyes, and I stood up off of Lilly's bed. She rose from her chair and stretched. The expression on her face telling us that she didn't have the most comfortable sleep of her life.