He's alive,he's alive,he's alive!
Waiting patiently in her seat as she watches building after building passing on by as the vehicle speeds its way through traffic avoiding every single parked vehicle in sight seeing her destination quickly approaching with every passing second as she watches herself being steered closer and closer towards the entrance of the hospital with her grip on the arm rest only tightening causing her knuckles to turn white just as she feels the car coming to a stop by the entrance as though she was shot out of a cannon instantly Laurel bursts out from the passenger's seat and races through the entrance nearly avoiding a few patients leaving when they side step to the side and bursts through the entrance doors.
Bursts through the doors with a sense of urgency. A sense of urgency to see it for herself. See if the news that she had just heard was true. News that she desperately wanted to be true.
News her heart desperately needed to be true. The news that he was alive. Her long lost love. Her soul mate.
Her love that had been reported lost out at sea five long years ago. Five agonizing long years. Years that she had waited. Five years she has waited believing that he was still out there.
Believing he was still out there thinking about her. Believing that he would see her again one day. Believing that he would return back home to her where he belonged.
Home where she should have kept him five years ago. Five years of thinking about the moment she watched him sail away. Five years her memories have been haunted of seeing The Queen's Gambit disappearing off into the distance to never return.
But she never lost faith. Never lost faith that he wouldn't return. That he wouldn't return back to her.
Faith that she had been rewarded with on this day with this news. This heartfelt news that nearly made her collapse in her seat at work before she was caught by her co workers. A realization that had led her to quickly race out of the firm she works at followed closely behind by her father to where she is now.
Racing through the hospital wings glancing around for even the slightest sight of him. Just even the slightest sight of his brown hair. The slightest sight of his smiling face that she would often dream about.
Images that as she races down through the wings of the hospital completely ignoring the shouts coming from all around her coming from mixtures of doctors and nurses only causes her heartbeat to pick up before instantly as though something was calling to her to go up to the next floor bursting through a set of doors finding a metal stairway in front of her with breaking her stride Laurel races up the stairway as fast as her legs can take her and bursts her way through another pair of doors causing every single eye at the far end of the room at the nurse's station to snap their eyes over towards her.
Ignoring their stares feeling as though she was close taking deep breaths hoping to catch her breathe slowly striding through the long hallway occasionally glancing into every single patient room she passes on by seeing either the rooms empty or occupied by some known stranger to her coming to a stop at the nurses station turning her attention towards a nurse behind the counter eyeballing her with curiosity just as she opens her mouth instantly as she feels as though for some odd reason that he was very close turning away from the wide eyed nurse that turns to glance at another with confusion stepping away turning on her heels slowly Laurel makes her way down a long hallway ignoring all of the stares that she is receiving.
Stares that continue to follow her as she rounds the corner of the hallway to only be replaced with a couple more in the form of a few pair of eyes coming from what she guessed to be the hospital's on staff security.
Security that as she sees them leaning off the wall as though they are about to attempt to stop her without breaking her stride as she sees one of the men reaching out to grab a hold of her arm instantly rearing back Laurel kicks the security guard in the shin instantly causing her to feel his grip vanish from her arm and towards his leg before without even looking back she strolls past the security guards seeing the other not even putting up any sort of resistance.
Rounding the corner suddenly as she finds a small group of doctors along with a familiar figure huddled outside of a closed patient's room feeling her heartbeat racing through the roof instantly Laurel's eyes widen as she silently makes her way forward as though nobody else was there.
As though she was walking through the air. As though she was living a dream that she had on a few occasions.
A dream that always ended the very same. Her in his arms. Them in a heartfelt reunion that would always cause her to wake up in tears inside of her dark apartment just wishing for once it could be a reality once again.
To wake back up in his arms just forgetting about the rest of the world. A world that seemed so empty without him in it. A world that didn't seem worth living in.
Feeling all eyes turning to look towards her ignoring their stares slowly making her way through the crowd as they make a open path for her just as she comes to a stop at the closed patient's door and looks inside instantly Laurel's eyes go as wide as saucers as a few tears trickle down her cheeks.
Her love. Her long lost live sitting on a hospital bed with his exposed back turned away from her as his eyes remain glued to the hospital floor oblivious to everything around him.
A back that looked so pale. Looked so beaten and malnourished as though he hadn't eaten anything in quite a while.
A sight that only makes her release a breathe that she had been holding just taking in everything she sees before after a few long seconds with her eyes never leaving his form reaching out blindly grasping the door handle blinking away the tears that are threatening to fall with a gentle tug quietly she opens up the door closing it behind her while her eyes stay on him seeing absolutely no reaction coming from him.
" Ollie?"
Instantly as she sees him snapping his head up from looking down towards the floor feeling her tears only intensifying slowly as she watches his head turn slowly until her eyes met his own.
Not believing what he is seeing staring into her green eyes seeing them shining back towards him radiating nothing but happiness feeling his own eyes getting watery fighting the protests of his body to remain sitting without looking away slowly Oliver rises up to his feet.
Quietly staring deep into his eyes only seeing a look of disbelief radiating from them as though he thought this was only a dream before a quick look of realization comes forth only causing his eyes to instantly start to water without any hesitation right as she sees him starting to stand up closing the distance quickly between them racing over Laurel wraps her arms tightly around Oliver as she feels his arms circling around her waist almost instantly pulling her even closer into his chest.
" I never stopped believing."
Burying her head into his shoulders as she lets the tears fall causing his shoulder to start to get wet feeling his fingers starting to roam through her hair unable to keep the smile from coming across her face tightening her grip around him leaning back not even bothering to wipe away the tears that keep continuing to downfall leaning forward gently Laurel presses her lips to Oliver's own gently wrapping her arms around the back of his neck.
Rounding the corner feeling as though his lungs are on fire resting himself against the corner hoping to catch his breath glancing up instantly as he sees through a small crowd of doctors inside of a hospital room his daughter in the arms of a man that he thought he would never see again locked in a deep kiss with his eldest daughter that looked as though neither of them ever wanted to break it off not even bothering to hide the smile that is threatening to break across his face leaning off the wall slowly Quentin makes his way over towards a familiar face that he sees inside of the crowd looking at the scene in front of her with a small smile of her own.
A smile for some odd reason just didn't seem right to him. Didn't seem as though it was genuine. More forced than anything. And if that was the case why? Why would she not be happy that her son was back home?
Placing that thought back on the back burner as he stops by the queen matriarch's side with a slight nod slowly Quentin turns his attention back into the room for to only have a genuine smile to come across his face when he sees the look of pure happiness across his daughter's face with tears of happiness trickling down her cheeks as her long lost boyfriend gently rubs them away as though she was the most precious thing in the world to him.
A fact that he knew deep down was too true. She was the most precious thing in the world to him with his past actions speaking for themselves.
How he had witnessed a new and much more improved version of the young man the moment he started dating his daughter. Her influenced he figured.
How instead of the trouble making teenager he used to be back in school that side of him completely vanished into another side that only wanted the best for his eldest daughter.
How on more than one occasion he had proven this not only to him but to his daughter as well. Learning to respect and ask for her opinion on things when he had made influences all around him trying to persuade him to do the opposite.
Influences that he had cut ties with in favor of his daughter that not only caused him to look at the young man in a new light but also for him to gain a small ounce of respect for the young man.
But the real moment of truth had come five years ago. A day that he would never forget. Never forget the day the young man along with his daughter came charging into his living room showing him a series of text messages that had been sent by his youngest daughter.
Texts that painted his youngest daughter in a different light for a split second. A series of text that could be labeled as a sick version of blackmail. A lie that his youngest daughter was about to commit in order to gain her way.
What that way was anything less than disturbing and eye opening for him and his wife. A moment that he knew then and there that the man standing before him was absolutely devoted to his eldest daughter. A moment one day that he knew was the question was asked he would nod his head and give him permission to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage.
Snapping out of his thoughts looking back into the room finding his daughter holding her boyfriend's head gently in her hands whispering something so softly to him that neither him or the rest of the crowd can hear through the glass glancing over towards Moira seeing a flicker of emotions radiating through her eyes making sure to keep his emotions masked Quentin keeps an watchful eye out for her out of the corner of his eye as he watches his daughter bring her boyfriend in for another kiss.