Lorcan's PoV
Elide was always the first person Lorcan got to see in the morning and was always the last person he saw at the end of the day. She would check in on him countless times during the day, and was in his room during everyone of her breaks. Lorcan had let everyone of his friends know about what was happening, but none had come. Not even Pup, but Elide was there, Elide was always there.
...
Elide grabbed his arm, "Please, you have to stay. Half of your organs are failing, and you'll die if you leave!"
"And I'll die if I stay here!"
"Would you rather for three months or only one?"
"Doesn't matter to me," Lorcan grunted and started tearing the IVs out of his arm and swinging his legs over the bed. Elide moved to block his path as he stumbled to his feet.
"It matters to me!" She snapped, her face twisted with anger despite the tear that fell from her cheek, "you... Lorcan, if you leave, you could die any day and right now you're the only person I'm generally worried about, okay? Please, just stay for a while longer."
Lorcan was taken back by her words and found himself taking a seat back on the bed and sighing as he set his head in his hands and rubbed his temples. "Why do you even care?" Elide wiped her face and sat down beside him.
"I don't know," she admitted, their eyes locking, "I just don't want you to feel alone in this, I'm here with you. If that means anything."
"It does," he replied quickly, "I'm glad you're here, I really am. I just, I don't quite understand why, but that does not mean I want you to leave. Will you- nevermind it's stupid."
"Tell me," Elide grabbed his hand in hers and squeezed tightly, "I'm here for you."
"Would you tell Fenrys? Please? I- I just can't see him, not now, don't let him come in. But he needs to know, could you tell him for me?" He couldn't bare to tell his friend himself, he didn't want to see the look on his face or the tears that would fall from his eyes. He was strong, but Fenrys was like a little brother to him and he didn't want to see him hurt because of him.
"Of course," she have a simple nod and small smile, "I'll call him here now."
"Okay, just don't let him see me, I'm not ready."
Elide's PoV
Elide sat down across from Fenrys, she cast him a smile, but he didn't even seem to notice. His eyes were darting all over the office as if there was some clue about his friend that lay on one of the posters lining the walls.
"Where is he? Where's Lorcan?" He asked her and Elide's eyes softened, "please, where is he?"
"He has asked that you wait to see him until he is ready, I will let you know when he says so." She told him quietly, finding it difficult to come up with the right words to say.
"Then why did you call me here? Is something wrong?" The despair and sadness in his voice was almost overwhelming, but she pushed away the flurry of emotions and took Fenrys' hand.
"I'm so sorry. Through his blood results we have discovered that Lorcan Salvaterre has developed a terminal illness. Half of his vital organs are already beginning to fail, but there is no way he can survive this. We estimate that we will be able to keep him alive for around three months, but only if he stays here. Again I'm so sorry." She said it so quickly, that she needed to take a breath after she had finished. Elide studied Fenrys' face, it showed her nothing, the same blank stare Lorcan had given her.
"Where is he?" Was all he said, his voice an eerie calm as he stood up and walked towards the door, "take me to him."
"He's not ready to see you-"
"Let me see him, he needs me." Elide blocked his path, her face twisted with sorrow.
"He is okay, and I promise as soon as he's ready-"
"As soon as he's ready!? He's on his deathbed! I don't want to see him when he's dead, I want to see him now! You don't understand, he- he needs me. Please, it will only take a second." Elide shut her eyes tightly and then opened them, warding off her tears.
"I'm sorry," was all she could manage. Fenrys didn't move for a second, but then he pushed past her and grabbed the doorknob and flung the door open, starting to walk down the hall. She rushed after him and grabbed his arm. "Stop. Please just stop. He asked me to tell you."
Fenrys' head snapped to her and only then did a tear slide down his cheek. "Let me see him," he begged her.
"I can't, I can't Fenrys, I'm sorry." She surprised herself and him by hugging the male in front of her tightly. He hugged her back and Elide felt tears wet her shirt, "I'm so sorry."
Rowan's PoV
Rowan had sat, thinking about the call from Lorcan for days. He hadn't seen the older man in months, maybe years. Did he go to visit him? He was dying after all... maybe he would take Aelin with him tomorrow, though she had never cared for the dark haired man much. He walked through his and Aelin's home to find her playing with their son, "Fireheart, can I steal you a minute?" She nodded up at him, whispered a few words to the boy and followed Rowan into the living room.
"What's wrong Rowan?" She looked up at him quizzically.
He replayed the voicemail from Lorcan, the one he had listened to so many times he could recite. Her face paled slightly as the message played on, "Ro- I'm so sorry." She touched his arms gently and he relaxed at the contact.
"I know you never liked him much, but would you go with me to visit him?"
"Yes, of course I will." She looked at him worriedly, "Are you going to be okay?"
He shook his head, "None of the others will go, maybe Fenrys, but I have to." She nodded in agreement and sat on the couch dragging her with him,
"We should take Gavriel with us, it will be the first time Lorcan meets him."
...
The next morning, they all packed up and headed to Perranth Hospital. Rowan requested to see Lorcan and they were all given masks to wear. A nurse led them through the halls and stopped in front of room 174. Rowan walked in, a grin plastered on his face, Aelin and Gavriel following suit. "Hey Brother." Rowan called out as he spotted Lorcan on the bed, a brown haired nurse leaning over him.
Lorcan looked up suddenly causing the nurse to hiss a curse, "Rowan?" He paused as they all entered the room, "Aelin?" His eyes flicked to the young boy who stepped out from behind his mother and and he broke out with an enormous grin, "and who is this?"
"Hey, I got your message. I'm sorry we didn't stop by sooner." His eyes raked Lorcan's body, he was so thin, skin pale, and he looked so tired, so exhausted. "I'm sorry Lorcan."
The nurse who had been leaning over Lorcan straightened, "Thank you Eli-" He started coughing violently, blood coming from his mouth and nose. The nurse calmly put an oxygen mask over his head, and when he returned to calm, shallow breathing she took it off and wiped the blood from his face and neck. She declared she was going to find him a new blanket and fled the room.
"That is Elide," Lorcan started, a small smile dusting his lips, "She has been the one caring for me." Rowan nodded, and gestured for Aelin and Gavriel to cross the room and join the two men. Lorcan unceremoniously threw the ruined blankets on the floor, and patted the white bed beside him. Rowan watched as Lorcan sat smiling with Gavriel and Aelin, who now sat on the chair which Elide previously sat. At the thought of the nurse, she walked in quietly.
She stood by the door, fresh blanket clutched in her hands as she watched Lorcan. She stared sadly at Rowan's old friend, but something shifted as she watched Lorcan play with Gavriel. He eyes were wide as he messed around with the boy, a great smile plastered on his face. He stopped every minute or so, interrupted by a coughing fit. Rowan motioned the nurse over, and together they joined Lorcan, Aelin, and Gavriel. He didn't miss as the nurse's hand went straight to Lorcans' and the easy smile that fell upon her face.
Lorcan's PoV
Rowan and Aelin had been Lorcan's first and last visitors. Only Fenrys had requested to see him-several times in fact. Lorcan just couldn't see him, but he could see Elide. And he did, she was always on duty in the morning, so she came in and gave him his meds, checked his IVs, and sat with him until her rounds started. He didn't know why he felt such a connection to the woman, but he did and he had grown used to her company.
He was dying and maybe it was only him who truly felt the connection between them, but he had no one else at the moment. He wasn't scared of dying, but he was worried of the effect that would have on Elide. Maybe she would simply move on, but he couldn't help but notice the way she looked at him. The girl was sat beside him now filling out some paperwork. He reached out and squeezed her shoulder.
Elide jumped slightly, but turned to him smiling, "you're awake. How do you feel?" He just shrugged and grinned back at her.
"Can we go for a walk?" He asked, glancing out the window and then back at Elide.
"What do you mean?" Her gaze moved to the window and then back to her paperwork, she cocked her head.
"Can we go for a walk outside? I'm tired of lying in bed all day." He shifted in the bed and rolled his shoulders.
"I don't think that's a good idea. It might be too much for your body, we should probably-"
"Please?" He tried, "I am dying you know," He gave her a crooked smile "and I want to see the world before I do inevitably meet my end. Just a short stroll, I promise! Her eyes narrowed and she sighed, but nodded nonetheless.
"Fine, but only for five minutes," she insisted, handing him a mask to wear and then carefully started pulling his blanket off, "I hope you know that most other nurses wouldn't do this for you."
"I know," he smiled at her as he slipped on the mask and pushed the blanket off the bed with a yawn making Elide snort as she picked it up to fold it. Lorcan heaved himself out of bed, but his knees buckled and he fell to the floor coughing. Elide crouched down next to him and covered his mouth with a towel, whilst rubbing his back gently. When the male stopped coughing he used the bed to climb to his feet, Elide steadying him from behind.
"I'll get a wheelchair, you sit," The young nurse pointed to a seat, but Lorcan shook his head.
"I can walk," he took a step forward and stumbled slightly, "I just need a moment.." She nodded reluctantly and took a step back, giving him space. He slowly took a few steps forward, still using the bed for support, when he finally let go he was able to stand. Slowly he felt the blood rush back to his legs and took another step. When he felt steady enough he turned to Elide and grinned.
"Let's go," he held out an arm for her to take and the nurse as she did so, he squeezed her hand with his own and the two made their way down to the front doors of the building. Lorcan went to open them, but Elide grabbed his arms.
"Let me," she said, moving forward. Something inside Lorcan snapped.
"I'm not useless," he growled. Elide paused and turned to look at him, she smiled gently.
"I know," she replied, opening up one of the doors, "I know you aren't Lorcan. A lot of what I'm doing for you is not something the rest of the nurses here would do. I'm doing this because I- because you're a good guy and I want to make sure your last few weeks are comfortable."
Lorcan halted to stare at the shorter girl and he didn't say anything for a long moment, then he only grinned once more and continued walking. Elide chuckled from beside him and they walked along the sidewalk in silence for several minutes.
Elide's PoV
As Elide walked arm in arm with Lorcan she questioned to herself why she was even doing this. She would get in a load of trouble with her supervisor when they returned. She felt easy in the silence that had fallen upon them as they walked. She caught herself staring at Lorcan, watching him as he breathed in the fresh air. They followed the paths around the hospital, which wasn't the most beautiful of views but it was the best she could do.
With every minute they walked and every minute Lorcan grew more tired Elide could feel herself struggling to keep him held up. He was leaning on her for support almost wholly as they made their way back to the front of a building, but he paused before the door, "Elide" He began, "Can we stay, just for another couple minutes?" He pleaded with her and gestured towards the frozen metal bench sitting just outside the main entrance.
Elide nodded and pulled her sweater tighter around herself, sighing as she was relieved of holding him up. She shivered in the cold and scooted closer to Lorcan for warmth, and he not so subtly wrapped his arm around her. She smiled and leaned into the touch, letting her eyes close. She hadn't felt that comfortable in a long time, not ever. Lorcan was a strength for her, he would keep her safe from harm and she would be there until the end. The end
She knew it would come yet it crept so closely she could almost see it stalking her patiently, growling as she fended it off with medicine and her comfort. Maybe Lorcan just liked her company, or maybe he felt the same presence and only kept her near so he could stay alive. But the way his thumb brushed against the rosy skin of her cheek had her smiling anyway.
"Why did you become a nurse?" Elide was surprised when Lorcan's voice sounded in her ear, not directly, but close. She shrugged at first, but then reconsidered.
"I was fresh out of high school and had no idea what to do with my life, nothing seemed like the right thing to do. My uncle wanted me to stay at home and take care of him so I did, but when he started getting sick..." her voice wandered off, but then she met Lorcan's curious gaze, "my parents had died when I was just a baby of the same sickness and while I didn't really care much for my uncle I still wanted to help so at the advice of my friend, I started nursing school and well... I suppose I just wanted to help people like you."
"How many people have you saved?"
"I mean I'm not a doctor, but you're only one of the probably hundreds I've helped so far." She smiled up at him, but Lorcan had broken their stare to gaze off into the frozen dessert of the city.
"You know, if you have so many other patients to attend to we should probably get going since I'm only one of the hundreds, sorry for bothering you-"
"Lorcan, I didn't mean-"
"Whatever, I want to go inside."
Lorcan's PoV
Lorcan got up too quickly after snapping at Elide and he immediately felt light headed. He didn't know why he cared. He thought back to the conversation they had just before leaving his room, because you're a good guy and I want to make sure your last few weeks are comfortable. That is what she had said, he had taken this relationship as much more than she had. He was just one of her hundreds of patients, one of the hundreds of pathetic men who had come in here and cried on her lap. She was just a nurse and she was just doing her job.
Suddenly Lorcan was in the entrance of the hospital, pain shot through his body and he could barely breathe. He fell to the floor, gasping for breath, choking on nothing. He felt darkness sweeping edges of his vision. He felts arms reaching for him and grabbing at him. He just embraced the darkness, not wanting to think about Elide any longer.
...
Lorcan woke up in his room, he sighed knowing Elide would probably never come back to see him. She had just been doing her job and he had bitched at her for it. A knock at the door tore him from his thoughts and in walked the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Elide walked in, her flushed skin back to its pale state and her eyes connected with his immediately. He sat up quickly, "Elide, I-"
"No." She cut him off as she strode over to him. She grabbed at his chin, tilting his head up and leaned down, placing her lips directly over his.