Dawn was a few short hours away from breaking through the Seattle sky. Teddy Altman sat on the edge of her bed, staring blankly out the window. Exhaustion was written all over her face; she'd only returned home a few hours ago, and it had been a long day on the job. Though she was tired, she wouldn't fall asleep, for she had too much on her mind. It raced with memories, haunting memories, ones she wished she didn't have to deal with, and they were nowhere near being close to leaving her alone. Since she'd been home, she'd been sitting there with her mind at work. There was no way she'd be sleeping tonight; her mind was far too awake.
Teddy's husband, Henry, slept soundly beside her. He woke only for a moment earlier, when he heard his wife return home. When he felt her weight shift the bed, knowing she was there with him, he dozed back off, whispering an "I love you" just before the dreams overtook his mind. Little did he know that his wife was still wide-awake, and had been for hours. Teddy needed him to stay asleep; she didn't want him to witness the state she was in. Her eyes had dark circles under them, and they pricked with tears. She clenched her fists at each memory that came to her. She had to hold back everything so that she wouldn't suddenly cry out and wake him up. Teddy hated it when Henry saw her cry, and if she had to explain what was happening to her, she knew what was to happen. Sure, she told him about it once before, but only once, when she wasn't in such an emotional state. No, he couldn't see her like this. It was far too embarrassing. But with all the pain and heartache she felt, it was hard not to sniffle or whimper at least the slightest bit. It had been years since that day, and every single time, she would go through the exact same thing.
Soon enough, the pain became too much to bear, and before she knew it, tears began to fall down her cheeks, landing in her lap or on her clothes, and her body shuddered with every sob. Much to her dismay, this drew Henry out of his slumber. He inhaled deeply and peeled one eye open, trying to understand what was happening. Suddenly, it hit him that the sounds he was hearing were coming from the woman next to him.
"Babe?" he asked quietly, stretching some. "Babe, what's wrong?"
Teddy froze when she heard his voice. Shit, she thought. She wiped the tears from her face and tried to hide how her voice was breaking. "Nothing, hon," she lied. "Go back to sleep, I didn't mean to wake you up."
Her attempts weren't fooling him. Henry sat up quickly and crawled over to her side. By then, she had buried her head in her hands to hide her face, but he placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "Babe, come on, talk to me," he pleaded. "What is it?" He then wrapped an arm around her, hoping to grant her some form of comfort.
Teddy had no other choice but to fall into his open arms. Henry's embrace was gentle, but strong as he held onto her, letting her cry quietly. Teddy sniffled between her gasps for air, whimpering as well. Her lower lip trembled as she tried to find the right words. Every time she opened her mouth, nothing came out. She couldn't bring herself to speak anything to him. It was just too much. When she finally did find something to say, there were only two words to escape her: "I'm sorry."
"No, no," Henry shushed her sweetly. "Don't apologize. It's alright." Though it wasn't much of a comforting sentiment, it was the best he could do. He didn't have a clue of what was wrong, but he knew one thing: he had to be there for her. Though, he wished he could do more for her. What else could he do other than hold her? It frustrated him to know that just holding her was all he could do.
The cardiologist clung onto her husband as if for dear life while her sobbing continued. Her mind had become a whirlwind of turmoil. The haunting visions never seemed to end. And what confused her the most was the fact that it had been the date that triggered this episode. She managed to wipe tears from her face for a moment, and she was given enough time to get one sentence out of herself. She took a long, deep breath, trying to rid herself of the crying at the same time. "It's been fourteen years, Henry."
Fourteen years… Fourteen years? Henry was confused. What happened fourteen years ago that had his wife turned into a sobbing mess? For a split second, today seemed like any normal day. Then, he realized what day it was, and he remembered the story he'd been told. Upon realizing this, he tightened his grip on her and let her cry some more. Now, he understood completely. This wasn't just some nightmare of hers. This nightmare had actually been real, for Teddy and thousands, or maybe millions of other people.
He managed to get Teddy to lay down with him so he could rock her while she tried to settle down for sleep. Teddy curled up against him and buried her face into his chest. She'd stopped sobbing by now, but the tears hadn't quite ended yet. Henry held onto her as best her could, hoping she knew that he would always be there for her. He needed her to know that, and he was sure she probably already did, but he wanted her to know especially now. It had been fourteen years since Teddy lost her best friend, and fourteen years since so many other people lost their loved ones as well. It was the reason Teddy joined the army in the first place, and the reason for such a great sense of remembrance and patriotism. As they finally fell into some sort of slumber, just as the sun was coming up, they both remembered where they were on that fateful September morning when the world stopped turning, and, like the rest of the people in the country who saw what went down that day, they knew they would never, ever forget.
This fic is dedicated to those who lost their lives on Tuesday, September 11th, 2001. We will never forget.