Sade's POV:
Slowly, one after the other, my senses were coming to.
First, I heard the unpleasant beeping of a machine, irritating my auditory senses. Then, I could smell hand sanitizer, a room that wasn't mine, and clean sheets? I felt a stick-like object inserted in my right arm, and tape pinching my skin along with it. It felt like my clothes had been changed to something much more flowy and absent. Fluorescent lights panged my eyes, making them squint as I tried to open them.
Looking around me, I quickly realized I was in the hospital. The problem is, I had no idea why or how I'd gotten here.
A blonde, young looking nurse walked in wearing light blue scrubs and her hair in a ponytail. Her eyes widened when she saw me. She immediately exited the room before even entering and I heard her shouting, "she's awake!!"
How long have I been here?
She returned with two other nurses, each wearing glad smiles.
"Hey there," the taller, dark-haired woman said. She seemed a bit older than the blonde. "How are you feeling?" She asked as the short, brown-haired nurse came to check the machine.
"I'm okay I think," I said groggily, trying to sit up a little, but it kind of hurt. "I'm extremely thirsty though."
The three of them chuckled a bit,
"That's understandable," one said. "But other than that, how do you feel? Physically or otherwise." I pursed my lips in thought.
"It hurts when I move, but fine otherwise." They nodded, but I continued the more I thought about me being here. "What happened? How long have I been here?"
The blonde nurse explained to me how I'd eaten some syrup or oil ingredient I was deadly allergic to and passed out at a restaurant. Apparently I had my family and friends sick with worry. She told me I'd tried to give up on them about three times, but finally pulled through in the end. It seems my body hurts because the food is still tracing through my system and it'll be another 24 hours before it passes completely.
As she spoke, I processed. My mind focused mainly on the friends and family part. That's when I immediately realized Lauren wasn't in the room with me.
Where is she?
"Are they still here, my friends and family?" The taller nurse nodded,
"Yes, they are. Would you like us to bring them in?" I nodded, giving her a soft grin. "Alright, well everything looks good here so we'll be back shortly with your family." She smiled and the three of them slipped through the large door.
About ten minutes later, the door opened again and I smiled weakly, seeing Aria first. Then came Hunter, Tina, Lyric, the twins, my mom, her boy toy, and.... No Lauren? Where the hell is she?
I'd already had a frown creeping in once I saw my mom then that man she calls her fiancé. But after seeing everyone except for Lauren, it was deeper now. I didn't even have a chance to ponder it because my mom rushed to my side with a worried look on her face. I was skeptical of her at the sight of it.
"Dear God Sade, you scared us," she said, hugging me.
Reluctantly, I hugged her back the best I could, a toothless grin tugging my lips.
"Yeah dude, you had us shaken up there for a second." Lyric quipped. I smiled, looking around at them with low eyes.
"I'm fine, you all can relax," I said.
"Yeah yeah, next time just stick to what you know alright?" 'Thena said, causing everyone to chuckle a bit.
~~~~~~~~
Hunter and Tina said their goodbyes after making sure I was alright. Wes offered to take Lyric and the twins home and my mother agreed. At this point, only her and Aria were left. My mom had gone to go get something to drink, leaving just Aria and I in the room.
"Aria, where's Lauren?" I said as soon as the door shut. She looked at me and sighed, taking a seat in the chair beside my bed.
"She's in the building, but she said she doesn't want to cause any trouble with your mom, so I've been updating her on everything while she stays down there."
Immediately, I felt uneasy knots in my stomach. I shook my head before speaking softly,
"How is she?" Aria did nothing but hang her head with closed eyes and it told me everything I needed to know.
"She wasn't too good when I last saw her some hours ago. But she's glad you're okay and she said to tell you she loves you."
My heart sunk at her words. The feeling coursing through me was indescribable and all I wanted right now was my girlfriend in this room. I didn't care about anything else.
"Will you bring her here, A?" She looked at me hesitantly. I closed my eyes, "please Aria."
"But your mom-"
"I'll find a way to get rid of her or something. I don't really care what my mother thinks. Just bring her here."
Aria stood with a nod and headed for the door. Five minutes after she left, my mother entered, making me sigh and internally roll my eyes.
"Mom," I spoke before she could get too comfortable. "I'm fine here, you can head home and reset, I know y'all have been here all day."
"Sade no, I don't want to leave you here alone, I-"
"I won't be alone, Aria will be here with me." She looked at me with a frown and I almost felt bad for pushing her way. Then I remembered the look of disgust she'd give me once I introduced Lauren to her as my girlfriend. Suddenly, I didn't feel bad anymore. "I'm fine mom, really," I urged.
With a defeated sigh, my mother packed her things and left the hospital room. I rested my head back against the inclined mattress and shut my eyes in relief.
A good two minutes later, the door opened again, slowly this time. Feeling sleep creep in, my eyes fluttered open.
My face lit up instantly the moment she walked through the door.
"Hi," I whispered with a soft smile. She mirrored my expression, hers a bit sadder though,
"Hi..."
Lauren could barely get it out before her lip began to quiver and she covered her face with both hands, turning away.
"Hey, hey. Come here Honeybee, it's okay."
She walked over to me slowly, trying to wipe her face and get herself together. I took her hands down, holding them in mine and pulled her in the bed with me. It hurt a little, but I didn't care. I urged her to lay her head on my chest as she hugged up to my side and sniffled softly. Stroking her hair and holding her with my free arm the best I could, I kissed her forehead.
"I'm okay baby, I promise," I whispered.
Lauren shifted to look up at me, tears in her eyes as they drooped with anxiety. She reached a hand up to cup my cheek.
"You scared me Emerald."
I poked my lip out a bit before leaning down to peck her soft lips, then her wet cheek.
"I know love, I'm sorry."
She kissed me again before resting her head back on my chest. Just then, Aria walked back in after a while with some takeout and smiled, seeing the two of us. She sat it on the table and took everything out of the bag.
"Your mom says to make sure you call her tonight."
Rolling my eyes, "Okay," I said anyway.
"How you feeling?" Lauren muttered against my chest. I sighed,
"I'm okay, honestly. My body hurts a bit when I make any sudden movements, but other than that, I'm alright." I could feel her shift after hearing my response,
"Baby I sho-"
"Lauren no, I'm fine. In fact, I'd feel ten times worse if you were to move." Her face softened as I gave her my best pout. I held my arms out for her, "come back, pleasee." She raised her eyebrows, assertively looking me up and down,
"You better tell me if it hurts too much, I'm not kidding with you Sade." My mouth dramatically dropped with a fake hurt expression,
"My first name? Damn, it's like that?" She chuckled, cautiously laying back down,
"It's exactly like that."
Aria snickered a bit as well, shaking her head as she went to sit down with her food after sitting ours on the adjustable table.
"Do you remember anything Sade?" She asked me. I looked up at the ceiling with a sigh,
"Not really. I was confused as hell when I woke up. The nurses had to explain to me what happened and why I was here." Lauren glanced up at me with a certain look, but didn't say anything. I frowned a bit, remembering what they told me and how she must've reacted. "They said I tried to give up on them a few times. Is that why you all were so worried?" I trailed, hoping to get my girlfriend to tell me what's on her mind.
"Yeah, Hunter told the blonde nurse to just be honest with us and she was. She updated us every hour and you had us stressing for real." Aria shook her head, taking a bite.
Lauren didn't say anything. She just held me tight as if I could float away at any moment. Knowing she couldn't see me, I poked my lip out a bit and ran my fingers through her hair with one hand while caressing the arm she had around me with the other. I leaned down to kiss her head again as Aria spoke once more,
"The nurse said you should be good to eat again, despite the reaction. I went to Ichiban and ordered your usual. Yours too, boo."
"Thank you," my girlfriend said softly, not moving a muscle. Knitting my eyebrows, I glanced down at her,
"You not hungry babe?"
"Not right now, no. I'll eat later though."
Aria and I shared a look. She shook her head, with closed eyes and straightened lips. It let me know Lauren's probably been like this all day and probably started to think the worst earlier. I just wanted her to talk to me so I could see where her head was. It didn't seem like that was going to happen any time soon though.
I could feel her about to fall asleep in my arms and I just rubbed her back, encouraging her that it was okay to do so.
Aria noticed my concerned gaze on my girlfriend and whispered my name to get my attention.
'You're all good if I leave?' She mouthed to me. I nodded, grinning softly. She looked at Lauren with pure sympathy and worry, then moderately shook her head.
"Alright, call me in the morning, I'll stop by tomorrow." She stood and gathered her things. "Bye boob, bye boo," Aria said, opening the door.
"Byee," I said. Lauren didn't say anything back which made us both look at her. Aria chuckled,
"Oh honey, she's out," she said. "Tell her I love her, see y'all." I nodded as she let the door ease shut.
Feeling the familiar wave of drowsiness hit me again, it wasn't long before I joined my girlfriend in a momentary sleep.
~~~~~~~~~
As I slowly woke, I could hear Lauren softly chuckling at the TV. She was no longer hugged up to my side but sat at the edge of the bed, eating her food. I smiled to myself at the sight.
Looking up at the digital clock, high on the white wall, it read 2:23 am. A soft grunt escaped my throat given I'd tried to sit up. It must've alarmed her because she snapped her neck at me with a worried look on her face. I shook my head to ease her concern,
"I'm okay, I'm okay," I said before she could say anything. My body ached and felt painfully fragile with every movement. Grunting a little more, I tried to situate myself, "I just- need to- sit up a little." Her eyebrows knit and she bit her lip while attentively watching me. "There we go," I said with a soft smile, finally meeting her gaze.
She didn't say anything, just looked deep into my eyes as if there were a million things on her mind. It made me uneasy, how quiet she was being. For Lauren, this was too quiet and it worried me.
"You hungry?" Her voice was soft, hoarse, and barely above a whisper.
"Very."
She shuffled everything around, making it to where we sat side by side with the adjustable tray in front of us. Lauren closed her plate up and opened mine, then slightly turned to me. I was a little confused as to what she was doing but I didn't think much of it. As I reached for my fork, struggling nonetheless, she pushed my hand away before I could grab it. I gave her a confused look but she paid me no mind. My girlfriend picked up the fork instead, gently stabbed the food, then held it to my mouth. I stared at her in disbelief. She looked as if she could care less.
"Come on, before it gets cold." I didn't move,
"Lauren. You cannot be serious." She drew her eyes from my mouth to my stare on her and gave me a look.
"I'm deadass Sade. I'm not about to watch you torture yourself trying to eat, especially when I'm sitting right here. So like I said, come on before it gets cold."
With a huff, I rolled my eyes and reluctantly obliged. She went back for more food then turned to me again. I ate some more, with a slight attitude.
"And don't be rolling your eyes at me. I have no problems fucking you up once you're at one hundred percent." I smirked while Lauren turned for more food.
"You ain't gon do shit," I challenged, knowing full well that everytime we wrestle, she wins and I'm begging for mercy.
She gave me a look. "Oh, you wanna bet?"
Regret seeped in. "No," I laughed and she smiled.
It was then that I realized I hadn't seen it since yesterday. I've missed it, her smile. I grabbed her free hand and squeezed it.
Lauren met my gaze, then closed her eyes while leaning in, and kissed my cheek. I lifted our hands to kiss the back of hers twice.
"You thirsty?" She asked me, still a softness in her voice.
"Yeah, I just want water though."
Without another word, she left from the bed to retrieve the cup and was back in no time. My girlfriend held it up to my mouth.
"I can do this myself Lauren, I promise."
"Are you sure?"
Trying not to show that it hurt, I raised my hand and grabbed the cup. I rushed the sips because it would eventually show that that movement alone was agonizing. But I couldn't take her doing everything for me.
"How you feeling?" I asked her, resting back on the mattress. She shook her head,
"Don't worry about me, I should be asking you that."
I frowned. But Lauren didn't see because she wasn't really paying attention to me. She'd barely even look at me now. It was like she was trying to keep busy so she wouldn't have to meet my eyes for too long.
"Lauren." I called to her softly as she fidgeted with the food, trying to put it back in the bag. She didn't respond, just kept busy with it. It wasn't until I struggled to put my hand on hers that she stopped, still not looking at me. "Baby look at me, please."
A sigh escaped her lips and she hung her head. "I can't, Sade." I squeezed her hands.
"Why not? And please stop calling me Sade, I hate it when you call me that." She emitted a dry chuckle,
"That's your name."
Taking a hand under her chin, I turned her face so she'd meet my eyes. "You know what I mean, Honeybee." Lauren closed her eyes, and turned her body to face me more. "Talk to me, please?" I asked softly. She sighed,
"I......when you- I just..... it-"
"Hey," I spoke softly, brushing my fingers upon her cheek. My girlfriend had her attention on her fidgeting hands as she tried to explain. Using my other hand, I held one of hers for encouragement and comfort. "It's okay Lauren, breathe." She sighed again,
"I was scared...like terrified, scared.....that you weren't okay and weren't going to be okay..... I thought I was going to lose you. And I thought maybe if I'd reacted sooner or suggested you eat something else, we wouldn't be here."
A profound look of disapproval spread across my face while hearing her speak,
"Lauren..."
"I was there, when you fainted. I was the one to catch you. And in the ambulance, I held your hand the entire time. You looked so.....lifeless, and....absent." Her lip started to quiver and she quickly tucked it in between her teeth as her voice started to crack. I squeezed her hand. "And every time they updated, it wasn't good news until like the 5th time. I thought maybe-" She met my eyes with tears pooling hers, "I thought I was going to lose you Sade and after my mom, I couldn't-"
Immediately, I urged her into an embrace before she could even finish her sentence. I knew I'd scared her but I didn't know it was to this extent. Lauren's always been one to overthink, and think the worst. And once she mentioned her mom, I understood a bit more why.
It hurt like a bitch, hugging her tight like this. But I didn't care, I knew she needed it. No matter how much she tried to back away, I urged her back in.
"And I hate that I'm crying like this because you're the one who's in the hospital bed. I-"
"No, don't do that. I don't even remember what went down, but you do. If I were in your shoes, I'd be losing my shit too, believe me." She chuckled a bit through a sniffle. Drawing her head back, Lauren gazed into my eyes,
"I love you so much, you don't even know." With a subtle pout, I tucked some hair behind her ear,
"I could say the exact same thing to you babygirl. You're the sun to me, y'know?" She shined a bright smile, letting her head drop a bit. I bit my lip before leaning in to kiss her forehead.
"That make you the moon?" I shrugged,
"That's up to you."
Lauren bit her lip, trying to hide a smirk as she leaned into me. "It sounds pretty right to me." I smiled against her lips. "I love you Emerald."
"I love you too Honeybee," I said before capturing her lips, and taking my time before letting them go.
"The sun to my moon....." I said, trying to see how it'd sound. Lauren smiled,
"So poetic," she joked, sarcastically exaggerating her words.
"Shut up," I chuckled, glancing away from our very close eye contact.
~~~~~~~