Lucy's Day Off (A Lockwood and Co. Fanfiction)

Chapter 11

Lucy's pov

Light streamed in through my hospital window, which made the outside world look a lot warmer than it actually probably was for a cold Febuary day. Of course, I'd rather be outside in the cold than in this warm yet empty room. There was literally nothing to do in this room when the nurses weren't around. Maybe that's why I've cried twice today. Maybe it's because there's no one here to stop the unpleasant thoughts from forming in my mind.
Everyone knows that I'm not prone to sadness. The last time I've cried besides today and last night was when my friends died at Wytheburn Mill. I'd been alone when I cried then as well. I remember shutting myself in my room and crying before I decided to leave my wretched hometown. Of course, I had found my real home when I found Lockwood and George.
I wonder what they're up to right now. Maybe they're sitting around having their afternoon tea. Or, maybe George is breaking the cookie rule while Lockwood is getting in some rapier practice. Of course, in about an hour they'll start to wonder why I'm not home yet because I told them I'd be home around five o'clock. I should of already been on the train I was supposed to catch. Lockwood won't know who to call, but he might read about what happened in the paper. I wonder if I'll get fired.
I told the officials the whole story, and they agreed that it wasn't my fault. In fact, I'm to be praised in the papers for discovering a secret society that's working to cause havoc. But, what everyone is willing to gloss over is the fact that I let two people drown. One of them was even my aunt. I wonder if Lockwood will think that I don't have any feelings for anyond. That I'm just a cold, heartless agent who will leave a member of her own family to die. Yes. I'm obviously going to get fired.
I'll be fired and then I'll be replaced. The replacement will be a smart, witty, and beautiful girl who has far more Talent than I have. She'll make the company famous, while I'll be assigned to the night watch. She and Lockwood will laugh over how useless I was in the company, how pathetic I was. I will lose my one true home.
At this point, my sobs were the only sounds that filled the plain room. They echoed and bounced off the walls to magnify the sound of how weak I truly was. But, they were also beautiful. They showed how much pain I was in, which was how much pain I deserved. The tortured sounds of my wheezing reminded me of how the people I let die must of felt when they tried to draw one last breath but their lungs filled with water instead of air. This made me smile, yet it me cry even harder at the same time. I am a truly horrible person. I don't deserve to live.
The door flung open, and for one wild moment I thought that the person would be Lockwood. That he would come in here and comfort me just like he did beside the well in the Combe Carey case. I can still remember the way his strong arms wrapped around my waist, and I remember the gentle words he whispered in my ear...
But no, that's not the way it's going to be, because the person wasn't Lockwood; it was a nurse. She looked a little nervous to see my red eyes and tear-soaked face. "Is this a bad time?" she asked gently. I nodded. "Okay, I guess I'll be back in a bit then." She closed the door softly.
Her brief visit caused me to make myself to calm down. After all, there were other people here. I wiped my tears away, and I wiped my face with a cloth. Mentally, I put my facade back on. All of these things probably didn't help me look any better, but it made me feel better. I told myself that I didn't need anyone to help me calm down, but it would have been nice. I imagined Lockwood bursting through the door, and he'd tell me that everything would be okay. My cheeks burned slightly at the thought. I'm not supposed to think of my boss like this, but still. I closed my eyes and smiled slightly, and I thought of him while I fingered the necklace that he gave me. Suddenly the room didn't feel so empty anymore...
But soon, the room actually wasn't empty anymore. I heard the glass of my window break, and I automatically scrambled behind my bed and grabbed my rapier from my bedside table. "Who goes there? Well? Answer me!" I tried to keep my voice steady, but it cracked a little bit at the end of my sentence.
"Luce?" a familiar voice said.
I stood up, but I still held my rapier aloft. "Lockwood?"
The figure at the corner of the room attempted to stand up, but it sort of staggered back up against the wall, breathing heavily. I rushed forward to support him. "Lockwood? Wha-but, how?" Footsteps approached from down the hall, however, so I shoved the dizzy Lockwood under my hospital bed. The curtains that hung off the bottom of the bed hid him completely, but I still gave Lockwood a gentle smack to the back of his head and told him to be quiet.
A nurse entered the room. "What's happened? I heard breaking glass," she exclaimed.
"I-I think someone threw a stone through my window. I don't know who did such a thing, because I'm afraid that if I stuck my head out the window they might throw a stone at it too," I lied.
"Hmm. It must have been one of the protesters," she said.
"Protesters?" I said, alarmed.
"Oh, er- what I meant was troublemakers. Yes, troublemakers. It's so awful. You know, the way they make trouble. Yeah. I think I'll just leave and get something to clean up this glass," she said as she left.
An awkward silence followed her absence. I sat on the bed, and Lockwood was crouched underneath it. Neither of us said anything. But then, Lockwood suddenly said, "The decor here is really terrible. I mean, come on, floral wallpaper on two walls and stripes on the other two? Really? What has the world come to?"
"Life saving technology that can save people from dying of ghost touch. I think I'd rather go to the nearest hospital that can save me than the nearest hospital that has fancy decorations," I said dryly.
"Oh, how I love your sense of humor, Luce," Lockwood laughed.
"Yeah, I know. I love my sense of humor as well. Oh wait, be quiet; that nurse is coming back," I said.
She entered the room and started cleaning up the glass. She was almost done when she asked, "Do you know if any got under the bed?"
"Um, I'm not sure. Wait, uh, let me check," I said, getting off the bed.
I lifted up one of the flaps and pretended to look for glass. Lockwood flashed his trademark grin and waved energetically. I rolled my eyes and stood up. "No, there's no glass under the bed."
"Okay. Well, from what I've heard, you're actually free to go, but it would probably be better if you left tonight and took a night cab. You know, because of the, uh, troublemakers," she said.
"That will be fine by me. I'd prefer a quiet exit," I said.
Once she left, I told Lockwood, "Okay, you can come out now. You've won the game of hide-and-seek."
"Actually, I think that I would be better off down here. Someone might come back in. Besides, it's warmer under here with this little vent. I'm not getting anywhere near that open window," he said.
The area near the window was indeed very cold. A few snowflakes drifted in. "And whose fault is it that the window is broken?" I asked teasingly.
"Well, technically it's your fault, because I only climbed up that drainpipe and broke the window to make sure that you were okay," he said.
Okay, now I'm really glad that he's under my bed, because I'm sure my face was as red as the stripes on the wall.
"Yes, I am okay, thanks for checking; but couldn't you have checked on me in a less dramatic and dangerous way?"
"I'm afraid not. The hospital isn't letting anyone see you because there are some people that are angry at you," he said.
"Then have you heard about what's happened? Are you angry at me?" I asked, slightly afraid of his answer.
"Why would I be angry at you?" he said, actually sounding astounded.
"Because I let two people drown. One of them was even my aunt," I quivered. Now I'm back on the verge of tears again. Great.
"They weren't innocent people. They would of killed you," he said gently.
"But still, no one deserves to drown. Not even people who wish death upon people."
"I'm sure you couldn't have saved them."
I might have been able to. His words did make sense, though. But his sudden appearance didn't.
"Hey, why did you happen to be around here when all of this happened? You weren't spying on me, were you?" I asked.
"What? Of course not. It's a long story. We wanted to surprise you and meet your family, but I guess other things got in the way. Long story short, we heard about what happened and came here to the hospital to see you," he explained.
"We?" I raised my eyebrows.
"Oh, yeah, George is here as well."
"Oh dear. I hope he doesn't run into my sister. She would tear his head off," I laughed.
We laughed for a bit, but soon we were yet again met with an awkward silence. That seemed to happen a lot when it was just the two of us. It always felt like something was missing.
"Hey, Luce, I have something to confess," Lockwood said uneasily. Oh no. Did he kill someone or something?
"What?" I said, interested.
"The real reason I came here wasn't really because I wanted to meet your family," he paused.
"Go on," I said, my interest peaked.
"Well, for a while now, whenever I'm around you, I feel like something is missing, like we aren't quite complete," he said.
Oh my gosh. Is what's happening what I think it is?
"And I know that Valentine's Day isn't really your thing but... I wanted to let you know... that no matter what, I love you. There. I said it. Please don't rip my head off?"
I sat on the bed, shocked. He was crouched under the bed, waiting. Slowly, still laying on the bed, I lifted up one of the curtains and bent my head down so that our faces were level, but mine was upside down. It really was warmer down under the bed. Lockwood was blushing, but he still managed to keep his eyes on mine.
"Hi," he said.
"Hi," I replied.
I smiled and started blushing as well. Suddenly, so that I would surprise him, I leaned forward and kissed him.
The kiss was absolute bliss. I felt like I was in heaven. It was passionate, but it was sweet and gentle. We broke apart after a few seconds, the both of us smiling like idiots.
"I love you too," I laughed. "Is there any room under the bed for me?"
"Of course," he said, moving over over. "It's really quite cosy."
We huddled next to the little air vent under the bed. It really was cosy. We even snuggled for a few minutes. It felt like something in my life had been missing until now.
"Luce, I need to go. George is probably wondering what we're up to right now," he said.
"Ah, George and his dirty little mind. We should meet up tomorrow morning to get back home. Here," I got a piece of paper and wrote down Mary's address and a little note to her. "Go to my sister's house and give this note to her. You all can stay the night there. I'll join you later tonight when I get out of here. We'll go home tomorrow."
Lockwood left back out the window, but I still felt like his presence was still here with me. I didn't feel alone anymore. The room didn't feel empty and cold anymore. To be honest, I could have cuddled with Lockwood out in the snow and I would still have been just as warm as we were under bed. I smiled to myself. Man, I really am in love.

A/N: Hey guys, this is officially the longest thing I have ever written! And it's the first thing I have ever written with romance in it. So, this really is a milestone chapter for me. I hope you guys liked it, because I'm not sure if I did it right because I'm forever alone :(. Anyways, if I could draw I would have drawn the scene with Lockwood and Lucy kissing, but I can't. I'm pretty proud of this chapter though. Remember to tell me what you think!
Love,
Eepster