Liam.

Li-am.

God, even his name was beautiful.

It was December 24th and I had just learned the name of the man I was going to marry.

Of course, we hadn't been introduced yet, we'd never even spoken - but I knew his smile brightened up my morning every weekday when he passed his token to me in my booth at Randolph Street El Station. He was just the kind of man I dreamed of meeting as a kid (before reality kicked in and I realized men aren't fairytale princes). Handsome, tall, kind (he has a kind smile so he must be kind, I had told myself), well dressed. My Prince Charming who I could daydream about as I handed out tokens for ten hours a day.

This morning he'd been searching his pocket for change when he placed his wallet on the shelf in front of me. It had flipped open allowing me to take a peek at his driver's license. Now I knew his name, (his beautiful name) I was one step closer to actually talking to him.

Deep in thought, I barely had time to register the silver coin being slid across to me, accompanied by a brief 'Merry Christmas' where our eyes met and I got lost in their blueness. Gorgeous blue eyes that matched his handsome face and well-cut Italian suit.

"Mer-" I began, but he was gone before even the first syllable passed my lips. I slumped down, my chin resting on my mitten covered hand as I watched him walk along the platform.

"Maybe tomorrow," I sighed to myself, as I arranged the tokens in front of me into a Christmas tree shape before groaning when I realized tomorrow was Christmas day and he won't be working. Not like me. I always worked the holidays.

Slouching further into my chair, my shoulders curved forward with the realization I wouldn't see him again for at least a 48 hours. Truth be told, he was the one thing I looked forward to every day, his smile giving me that little boost needed to get through yet another long and boring shift.

So I guess I'm painting a very sad picture of myself here, aren't I? Well, my life isn't so bad. I have a cat, Mr. Jingles. He's kinda unfriendly - hisses a lot - but if I feed him Fancy Feast, he rubs up against my legs and purrs so I think he likes me. I have an apartment; rented, but all to myself none the less. No family - I grew up in foster care but I do have friends. Pretty good ones. I have a job that gives me a lot of overtime which is letting me save for my first trip abroad. I'm single but it's through choice, real men just complicate things.

See, I am happy.

Sorta.

It was still pretty dark out, and I stared along the platform as the dim yellow lights that lit it flooded the station with their weak glow. There were only a few people waiting for the train, the morning rush having not yet started.

Suddenly I caught a glimpse of him. His long, grey wool coat flashing into view. There was another man beside him and I gasped as I watched the two men scuffle before Liam fall backwards onto the track.

Instinct kicked in. I unlocked the door of my booth and sped along the platform, running into the guy who had pushed him. I could see Liam's wallet in his hand but I didn't have time to address that particular issue as I could clearly see Liam's unconscious body sprawled across the track.

"Help!" I shouted as I leapt off the platform. "Someone call 911!"

Taking hold of the lapels of his jacket, I shook his body. "Sir, sir, you need to wake up."

(And is it a bad time to mention that he smelled as good as he looks?)

There was no response and panic set in when I saw the lights of the next train looming in the distance. "Sir! Sir!" I cried, shaking him harder but it was no use

The train sounded its horn. I could hear the screech of the brakes being slammed on but it kept coming and I knew that the train couldn't possibly come to a full stop in time.

"Shit shit shit!"

Not knowing what else to do, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled - rolling him onto my body and under the overhanging platform, nudging his left leg off the rail just as the carriages came to a stop where we had been lying moments earlier.

/

The following minutes were a blur. Raised voices, sirens, lights, the bleak whiteness of hospital corridors. The police took a statement, the gash to my forehead that I hadn't even felt was patched up and it was almost twelve when I managed to find out which ward Liam had been taken to.

The elevator doors pinged open on the fifth floor and I stepped towards the empty nurses' station. The rooms had glass paneled walls and I craned my neck trying to work out which one was his. Then I saw him - he was in the first room along the hallway to my left. His head was bandaged and he was unconscious, I could see the heart monitor beside him beeping softly. Thank God he was alive.

I slumped against the wall. He looked so helpless and vulnerable. God, what if he never woke up? I hadn't even gotten the chance to talk to him. I sighed, frowning as I whispered, "That's the man I was going to marry."

"Can I help you?"

Starting at the unexpected voice, I spun around to see a nurse beaming at me, clipboard in hand. Her bright smile threw me off for a moment before I straightened myself up.

"Um, yeah," I began, "I'm Emma Swan. I was wondering if I can see Liam? The guy who fell onto the El tracks? I helped him and I just wanted to know how he was doing…" My voice faded away as the nurse's eyes widened.

She stepped towards me and lowered her voice, "Well normally we only allow immediate family but I'm sure we can make an exception."

Sighing in relief, I followed her along the corridor and into his room where I sat at the small chair beside his bed. Up close he looked pale but otherwise pretty normal.

"Let him hear your voice," the nurse urged as she left.

"Um, Hi. Everything is gonna be okay. I know it," a lie but is sounded like the right thing to say, "It's gonna be fine." I reached forward and took his hand in mine. His skin was softer than I imagined. I watched his chest rise and fall and felt a little awkward, like maybe I had crossed some kind of line until I heard the sound of raised voices.

"Where is he? He's my son and I demand to see him!"

Looking up, I saw a small group of people marching along the hall from the nurses' station. His family.

"Oh he's so pale, my baby! Frank, isn't he pale?"

Instantly I stood up as they reached the room, creeping back against the wall, hoping they hadn't noticed me, hoping that maybe I could slip away before I had to explain what I was doing in there.

The nurse who had helped me was racing after them, "Excuse me! Excuse me! Who are you?"

"We're his family!" the man answered. Frank. I guessed that was his dad - they shared the same mop of curly hair. The woman with him took a seat in the chair beside him, running her hand over his cheek.

"What happened to him?" she asked, looking around the room.

"He was pushed from the platform at the train station," I answered, quickly realizing that the question was not aimed at me when five pairs of eyes turned in my direction.

"Who's she?" Frank asked (I guessed we were almost on first name terms now).

"She's his fiancée," chipped in the nurse, a bemused expression on her face as she looked between the older man and me.

"His fiancée?" he repeated.

"Liam's engaged?" chipped in an older woman at the back of the group. She had small glasses perched on the tip of her nose and a raggedy bun of greying hair atop her head.

"Yes, I thought-" began the nurse.

Holy crap, I thought, trying to explain, "No, I think-"

But then everyone was talking at once and I could only make out snippets of conversation as I was almost forgotten-

"Maybe he was busy?"

"Too busy to tell his parents he got engaged?"

"He does work hard."

"Don't yell at him Frank!"

"I'm not yelling at him, Mother!"

I watched the older lady's face turned pale as the hubbub continued. She slumped against the youngest person in the room - a blonde girl who looked about fifteen.

"Are you okay?" exclaimed the nurse.

"Ah Granny's fine," Frank said, "Already had three heart attacks."

"They weren't attacks, they were episodes," sniffed Granny, pushing her glasses further up her nose.

The confusion was broken when a white coated doctor walked into the room and addressed the nurse, "Sandra - what is she doing here?" pointing at me and making me wish this whole goddamn experience could be over.

"She saved his life," Sandra explained, looking more confused than ever at what was happening around her.

(So that made two of us).

"Yeah, but, uh-" I began, trying to think of a way to talk myself out of this mess.

"I thought he was pushed off a train platform?" the young girl asked.

"She jumped on the tracks and saved his life," the nurse explained.

"You jumped on the tracks?" They were the first words the final guy in the room has said. I looked over at his tall gangly form and shock of red hair. He did not look like a relative.

I pulled a painful smile, unable to form any words.

"It's only supposed to be family in here-" the doctor began.

"She is family," Frank insisted, looking at me sternly. I could only swallow and nod my head.

"She's his fiancée," repeated Sandra. I felt my pulse quickening as panic spread.

Holding up my hands I tried to stop the talking, "Look, I think you really don't understand-"

His mother stood and walked towards me, her arms open, "You know we really haven't seen him much, he's been working so much, and we didn't know-"

"I…"

"I always wanted him to find a nice girl," she went on, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm so glad he found you," she sobbed before wrapping her arms around me while I stood stock still. And within a few seconds I was being hugged by everyone in the room.

Fuckedy fuck fuck. What a royal mess.

/

And for some unknown reason I couldn't find a way to tell them that it was all a big mistake. They'd held me so tight and Granny had brightened up so much that it felt cruel to say I had lied while their son lay in a coma. I made small talk with them as we sat around the bed. They were nice - real nice. Like the kind of family I'd hoped for in the past. They smiled and asked a million questions. I actually felt useful - like somehow I was taking their minds off the whole horrible situation.

So when an hour had passed and we were told the doctors wanted to run some tests I left the hospital, taking the elevator down with his family and exchanging more hugs before I wandered the El station, a pseudo fiancée who had just had the most bizarre day of her life.