A/N: This is just a little one-shot based on the behind the scenes pictures of Caleb in a hospital bed, just whilst I'm still working on the chapters for my two current stories! I would consider making this into a two parter or three parter depending on what you guys think, so just let me know in the reviews.
Disclaimer: I own nothing other than the basic storyline, everything else belongs to Pretty Little Liars.
"I missed you. I missed touching you, I missed kissing you, I missed watching you walk barefoot across the kitchen floor. I thought I'd go crazy missing you." - Caleb Rivers
Hanna had only ever run in the rain for one person.
There was only one person in her world that would be worth running in the rain for. And that was how she found herself gasping for air as she ran through the hospital doors, make-up running down her face, her clothes soaked to her skin as she frantically looked around for the nearest person who could help her. A hand on her shoulder distracted her from that task however, and her eyes settled on the familiar face of one of her best friends. The person she had almost lost Caleb to, had they not broken up a few months prior.
"Hanna?" Spencer whispered, her own eyes red from crying, but Hanna was too distracted by her hand. As though the brunette knew what she was thinking, she withdrew her hand and looked down at it, "Sorry, I... I need to wash my hands..." The blonde could only nod her head, not able to take her mind off the fact that her best friends hands were coated in a dry layer of blood – Caleb's blood. "We're still waiting to hear something."
Hanna hadn't spoken yet, she was becoming increasingly aware of that fact, she just didn't know what to say. She hadn't even realised she was shaking until Toby offered her his jacket, and she, for the first time, noticed there was someone other than Spencer there. "What happened?" She finally managed to get out, and Spencer glanced at Toby before she took a deep breath.
"I-I don't really know, it was trap, Hanna. We went there and the next thing we knew, there was blood..." Spencer's face paled at the memory, and Hanna still had no idea what had happened to Caleb other than the fact he had been bleeding. "We think he was stabbed." Toby confirmed, his arm wrapped around Spencer's shoulders, and Hanna quickly moved past them both towards the desk.
"Hi, um, Caleb Rivers... I need some news or something on him, please?" She stared at the woman with complete desperation, only to be met with the question of whether she was family. "Yes, I... no. Not exactly, he's my..." He was her nothing, she had to remind herself, because she had made the decision to pretend as though what she had said the night she was kidnapped, was her getting caught up in the moment. That hadn't been true at all, she had never stopped loving him.
"He's..." She sighed, "Please, can't you tell me anything?" Her confusion, along with the tears must have worked because the woman just let out a small sigh and told her the doctor would be out to talk to them shortly. He couldn't get there quick enough as far as Hanna was concerned; it had been around thirty two minutes since she had received the message from Spencer telling her that something had happened to Caleb and they were at the hospital. They were all investigating A.D and who had murdered Charlotte, but it seemed as though the game had changed now that one of them could be dead.
The thought broke her heart – perhaps a huge part of her had just assumed that she and Caleb would have time to get back together. Despite everything that had happened to them in the past, she had just assumed that their time was limitless. Rosewood liked to remind her that life was short, and filled with pain. She bit down on her nails as she sat down, shaking her leg as she waited for someone to tell her anything. She was still shaking, her heart thumped uncomfortably against her chest and the tears fell down her face as she just waited.
He had to be okay. Caleb had made a promise to her and he wouldn't break that. He wouldn't leave her. Well, he wouldn't leave her again, anyway and he wouldn't do it like this. He hadn't even said goodbye, and she hadn't heard him tell her that he loved her in so long. She didn't even know if he actually loved her, but she hoped more than anything that he did.
It seemed as though an eternity had passed before the doctor approached them, all she heard was that Caleb was stable before she interrupted him and asked if she could see him. She needed to see for herself, just to make sure that he was okay, and that he would be okay. It wasn't until her eyes settled on him that she could feel herself begin to calm down, leaving Spencer and Toby to deal with anything the doctor had to say as she stepped inside the room. He looked so peaceful, almost as though nothing had happened to him if it hadn't been for the wires, and the beeping of the machine next to his bed. With a gulp, she stepped closer, until she was close enough to touch him and her eyes glanced over him as she tried to assess everything that was wrong.
His chest was still rising, and as she placed her hand on his bare chest, she could feel his heart beating against her fingers which served to make her own heart calm down. Hanna could see the bandage, barely covered by the blanket, and her hand moved to gently pull the blanket away so she could see where A.D or Charlotte's killer had stabbed the man she loved. The large bandage was wrapped around his stomach, and she let out a broken sob as she covered it back up and bit down on her lip. "I love you," She whispered, hoping he could hear her as her fingers moved to his hair, gently brushing through his short hair as her tears fell onto his pale face. "I never stopped loving you and I never will. I don't care if you don't feel the same because that's okay... that's okay and I'll live with that but I just wanted you to know. I love you and you scared the hell out of me today..."
Slowly, her fingers moved to gently caress his face and she shook her head, "Can't we just skip to the part where all of this is over and we can be happy?" Her voice was weak, her throat sore from the amount of crying she had done in such a short period of time.
"I wish." Was all she heard, as his eyes fluttered open, his own voice low as he observed the woman next to his bed. She let out a small laugh, despite the tears that fell down her face, "Me too, me too..." Their eyes met and she gave him a small smile, "You really scared me..." She mumbled, and Caleb only gave her a small frown as he lifted one of his hands to press against her cheek, gently wiping at the tears that fell.
"Why do you always confess your love for me in life or death situations?" He teased, and Hanna rolled her eyes, before she burst into tears all over again. He had heard her, he had let her ramble on like an idiot and whilst she didn't regret a single word she had said, it still hurt that he had yet to say those words back. Maybe she had truly ruined it when she had walked out all those years ago, realising too late that Caleb was all she had ever wanted and so much more.
"I should have tried harder," Hanna finally said, "I should have gotten on the plane and found you. I just didn't know which hostel you were going to be in and I was terrified... I should have just gotten on the plane and found you. I would have found you." It was everything she had hoped she had done and at the same time, everything she had no idea why she couldn't have just done it at the time. She had been too angry, too devastated that he had just left her without saying a goodbye, without leaving her anyway to contact him.
"Hanna," He tried to interrupt her but she continued to talk, until he managed to pull her from her own memories, his voice slightly raised, "Hanna, shut up!" He moved his hand down to hers, squeezing it gently, "I love you, we both could have done more back then... but I love you still. No matter what." He was still weak, Hanna could see it in the way his grip loosened, and his eyelids drooped. So, she only nodded her head and moved to lay next to him, mindful of the wires as her head went to rest on his chest, so she could be assured that his heart was still beating. His arm wrapped around her, his lips moving to press against the top of her head, before his own eyes closed, both of them forgetting the rest of the world for just a moment.
All Hanna could hear was the sound of his breathing, and his heart thumping gently, and it was enough in that moment to know that he was going to be okay. She had so many questions, questions that could be answered when she wasn't so caught up in the fact that they loved each other and maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay. And she guessed that was enough – maybe was better than never.
