Grateful For Love
"Thank goodness you're alright," Clare whispered wholeheartedly, clutching her hand to her heart while desperately trying to calm its racing. She gently crawled into the hospital bed, slowly lacing her fingers through Eli's. Pressing a kiss to his cheek, she brought their intertwined hands close to her heart and closed her eyes as the machines beeped endlessly through the night.
Six Hours Earlier…
"Hey, you," Clare smiled as she leaned up to kiss her boyfriend, looping her arms around his neck and giggling happily.
"Hi," he smirked, returning her kiss after the whisper against her lips. His strong hands gently massaged her back, feeling her lean into him comfortably.
"I have chemistry class. I'll see you after school at our usual spot." Clare said softly, pressing one last kiss to his lips and walking off to Room 101.
Eli couldn't help but smile; what a beautiful day.
"So, how are things with you and Eli?" Alli teased, giving her friend a sassy smile and cleaning up their lab table after the experiment had been completed.
Clare blushed, recalling the night of March 7. March 7 had been unusually warm for Canada, and it had also been the night that she and Eli made love for the first time. Bringing a hand to her cheek, she tried to banish the reminiscent memory as it hearted up her entire body…
Soft, shaky, gentle hands slid down her bare waist, raising goose bumps on her skin and spreading an enjoyable chill throughout her body. Electricity seemed to hang in the air; neither of them wanted to touch it, for fear of putting the light of their love out.
Small, tentative, pale hands traveled down his bare back, feeling the smoothness of his spine. The chills never seemed to vanish; they knew just where they wanted to remain. He was shocked by the electricity, and he absolutely loved it.
"I love you," they said in unison, and they laughed at the coincidence. Who would have known that just about six months ago they weren't even together?
Never in Eli's deepest desires and thoughts did he ever think he'd make love to Clare Edwards. However, he had also never thought he'd ever get to be with her again; take care of her; love her; hold her; kiss her.
Clare's cheeks flushed, pink rising to adorn her pale cheeks. Curls messy and blue eyes wide, she gazed deep into her love's green eyes when she felt him lean his forehead onto hers. Their foreheads touched, and the electricity gained a permanent spot in their very own sanctuary. Noses brushing and lips barely touching, they felt the warmth from each other's bodies; Clare's entire body tingled as she laced her fingers behind his neck and just breathed in his scent.
"Are you sure, Clare? We don't have to do this." Eli pointed out once more, terrified of hurting her.
"Of course I am. I love you," she whispered, gently nudging his lips to hers and kissing him deeply. As he entered her, and they moved together, Clare couldn't picture a more perfect night, despite the slight discomfort she felt. The very act of their love being expressed in such an essential way was more than enough for her, satisfying her much more than physical pleasure could. She was not missing out on anything at this very moment as she heard him moan softly.
"Clare!" Alli shouted, waving her hand in front of the girl's blood-red face.
Startled, Clare jumped slightly and apologized for spacing out. Gathering her chemistry books and following Alli through the laboratory door leading into the classroom, she pressed a cold hand to her forehead.
Alli came to a dead stop, playfully blocking Clare's way into the classroom and confusing the other girl. "So I take it things are going very good with Eli?"
"Shut up," Clare stuck her tongue out and lightly smacked her friend on the arm.
"Wait. Do you smell something weird?" Alli sniffed the air carefully.
Clare rolled her eyes. "We're in a chemistry lab, Miss MIT-Bound-Scientist. It's probably just the sulfur and hydrochloric acid."
Just when she was about to turn around and walk back into the classroom to start her lab analysis, Clare heard blood-curdling screaming coming from the opposite hallway. Freezing in her tracks, she grabbed Alli's arm, pulling her into the classroom.
The fire alarm screeched loudly as students quickly made their way outside of the school. Becky Baker clutched her cross necklace tightly in her hands, praying to God that it was just a fire drill and everything was okay, although the screams of students inside the school were not helping her reassurance. Adam Torres held her hand as they walked down the steps, making it safely outside of the school.
"Jenna! Thank heavens you're alright! I was so worried about you!" Becky exclaimed, letting go of Adam's hand to bring the startled blonde girl into a hug.
Jenna smiled. "I'm just fine, Becky, but do either of you know what's going on?"
Adam frowned. "It smells like smoke in there; obviously there's a fire. The question is how it happened and why people are screaming."
Clare burst through the clear Degrassi doors with Alli and Connor by her side, eyeing the small group and frantically running toward them. Her light brown curls bounced as the March wind lightly rustled them when she jogged towards them.
"Where's Eli?" she asked immediately. When no one answered and Jenna merely shrugged, Clare asked again, "Where is he?"
Adam felt his hands go numb as he placed his phone back inside his jacket pocket. "You guys, I just got a text from my mom. She says there's been a fire in the Drama room."
"Oh my God," Alli gasped, turning to Clare, who was visibly shaking.
"Why isn't he out here with the rest of us? When is he coming outside? Tell me!" Clare shrieked in terror, staring through the doors. She gaped at the sight before her; tall, orange flames were licking up the long hallway and spreading towards the foyer.
Large groups of students began to gather around the front entrance, astonished at the rapidly spreading fire.
"Everyone move! Go towards the football field and get away from the school!" Ms. Oh yelled, urging the students away from the doors. "There are students that are still inside; the fire department is on their way. Parents have been notified, so please remain calm and I repeat stay away from the school."
Clare didn't even budge, despite Ms. Oh's glares directed at her. Becky and Jenna exchanged worried glances and shrugged before linking arms and walking off towards the field to avoid getting in trouble.
"Clare, we have to-"Adam began, tugging at her arm.
"I'm not leaving without Eli," she stated firmly, eyes watering with tears at the thought of Eli trapped in a smoke-filled room full of flames. Gripping the pink scarf wrapped around her neck, Clare quickly tore it off and began to cover up her nose and mouth with it.
Alli's brown eyes widened with realization of what her friend was doing. "Clare, no. You cannot go in there!"
Adam nodded in agreement. "Clare, I understand that you're scared, but it'll be okay."
"You don't know that, Adam! He could die in there! I have to get him." She screamed, surprising her friend even more with her boldness and determined mindset.
As Clare shoved past her friends and ran up the steps, she felt her eyes already beginning to water with smoke. How can I do this without getting myself killed? She thought. Honestly, that's when she realized: she didn't care. She wasn't going to leave Eli in there to die.
"Clare, what do you think you're doing? Stop right there and go to the football field!" Mr. Armstrong asserted as Mr. Perino began to drag Alli and Adam in that direction.
For the first time ever, Clare ignored a teacher's orders. Pushing past the man with ferocity, she opened the door handle with ease and disappeared into the school, smoke hiding her existence as she faced the flames.
"Damn, damn, damn," Eli thought frantically as he once again tried the door handle leading to the hallway. The handle broke off with ease, clattering to the ground. "No!" he exclaimed, realizing that this was the end.
Smoke was everywhere, gathering up in billows and entering Eli's lungs as he desperately tried not to inhale. His eyes watered as he longingly gazed at the ceiling, wishing for a way out. The fire began to spread throughout the room, swallowing everything in its path.
He began to cough uncontrollably, dodging flames whenever he could.
Clare leapt over flames, feeling the searing pain of the singeing burns on her legs. Not bothering to cry at the torturous pain, she peered through the thick smoke, eager to find Eli.
"Oh Eli, where are you?" she whispered desperately, taking off full speed and sprinting towards the Drama room once she made out the sign, the sound of Eli's coughs guiding her along the way as they triumphed over the roaring fire.
"ELI!"
His eyes widened as he heard his love's voice from the other side of the door, where she was likely being burned all over her body.
"CLARE!" he screamed, running over to the door.
With force, the door fell forward, revealing an extremely flustered and exhausted Clare Edwards. "Let's get out of here," she murmured, grabbing his hand and yanking him towards the exit.
They stumbled. They fell. They tripped. The journey was tumultuous as the two teens made their way towards the front door leading to fresh air. Lungs burning, heads swimming from lack of oxygen, and legs aching with burns, they trudged along and pulled each other forward. This is what they always had done. Dust, smoke, and ashes covered the hallway; Degrassi had never appeared so dim.
It wasn't long until they reached just before the doors when a group of firefighters grabbed the two teens, bringing them outside and laying them on the cold cement.
Eli glanced over at Clare, whose eyes were rimmed red as were his. Gently, he interlocked his fingers with hers, happy to be able to do that once again. An oxygen mask was placed over his face, and after that, he saw black.
Clare's eyes burned severely from the smoke as she coughed incessantly. Panicking, she looked over to her right as she felt herself in motion. "What's going on?' she rasped, voice muffled from the oxygen mask.
A female paramedic looked down at her, smiling softly. "You were stuck in the fire, sweetheart. We're taking you to the hospital. Your parents have been notified, and you're going to be just fine." A needle was then inserted into her leg, and after that, Clare felt nothing more.
"Clare," Jenna said softly, holding her hand and stroking it with her thumb gently. The blonde girl paused her soft singing to peer down at the sleeping girl to see if she would wake up.
Stirring, Clare opened her blue eyes and looked up into the blue eyes of Jenna, feeling the other girl holding her hand firmly. "Where's Eli?" she rasped, grateful for Jenna when the other girl passed her a cup of water.
Tucking a strand of light blonde hair behind her ear, Jenna smiled happily. "He's been asking for you, actually. You two are going to be here for a few days,"
"He's okay?"
Jenna squeezed Clare's hand reassuringly. "He's okay, Clare. When you're feeling up to it, a nurse can take you to his room."
"How bad am I? Where is everyone else?" Clare asked confusedly.
Clearing her throat, Jenna finally let go of Clare's hand and traced her pink polished fingers along the sheets of the hospital bed. "Most of the school is here, but a lot of people who don't know you very well left a few hours ago. They just wanted to make sure you were okay. Alli's with Adam in the waiting room, and Becky had to go to church with her parents. Your family is getting coffee. I stayed here to make sure you made it through alright." She giggled softly before adding, "As for your injuries, your left arm is burned at the elbow, and you have a third degree burn on your right ankle. There are a few bruises on your right arm, and you cut your cheek on some glass that must've fell on you. Other than that, you're alright, Clarebear."
"There are stitches in my cheek," Clare said lowly, feeling the gauze taped over the slash near her cheek bone.
Jenna's blue eyes grew sad as she crossed her tan boots together nervously. "I hope you feel better soon, Clare. You scared me half to death."
"J-Jenna, are you crying?" Clare asked softly, her heart tensing up.
Giving into the grief, Jenna cried, harsh sobs making their way out of her mouth. She buried her face in her hands, keeping herself close to Clare. Her blonde hair fell over her face, but the sobs were loud and clear as the girl cried painfully.
"Jenna, it's alright. I'm okay," Clare said, rubbing the girl's arm with her IV clad hand softly.
"I know, and thank God for that," Jenna sad shakily. "Clare, my mom died when we were in Grade 10. I barely even knew her my whole life. My dad is in Alberta working, and my brother Kyle is with him. They never came back for me." Sighing deeply, she wiped her nose on the back of her hand, getting tears and snot all over the sleeve of her white sweater and grimacing as she did so. "I was just so worried that you were going to die too. I-I know I wasn't a good friend to you, but I never meant to hurt you, Clare. I didn't mean to, honestly, and I'm just so happy that we could be friends again because you and Alli are the best friends I've ever had."
Her heart touched, Clare softly leaned forward with all of her strength and hugged the pretty blonde girl, her Christian side being rediscovered and letting the girl cry into her shoulder. "It's okay," she repeated over and over again, until the shaken girl slowly pulled back and murmured a sincere thank you before standing up and leaving to go home with Alli and the Bhandaris.
"Are you ready now?" a nurse asked gently upon entering her room and disconnecting the IV Clare no longer needed, explaining that she only had the IV to make sure her body had enough fluids after all that smoke consumption. After putting special eye drops in Clare's eyes to reduce the redness and changing her bandages, the nurse helped Clare up and slowly led the girl to Eli's room.
"Eli, I'm right here, baby." Clare said softly, surprising herself with the term she did not typically use with him. Her right hand softly stroked his black hair as his eyes opened slowly. "Thank goodness you're alright," Clare whispered wholeheartedly, clutching her hand to her heart while desperately trying to calm its racing. She gently crawled into the hospital bed, slowly lacing her fingers through Eli's. Pressing a kiss to his cheek, she brought their intertwined hands close to her heart and closed her eyes as the machines beeped endlessly through the night.
His heart beat hammered against her hand for the first few minutes, nothing she couldn't calm down with a few kisses to his chest and forehead. Slowly, Eli turned his head to face her. "Clare, can I ask you something?"
"You just did." She smirked, curling into his side even more.
He rolled his eyes playfully, their bodies sore and aching. "Why did you risk yourself just to save me? I can't believe you kicked that door down."
"Adrenaline rush," she shrugged, stroking his cheek with the hand not entwined in his. "I did it because I love you, Eli, and you'd do the same for me."
Never had they ever been so grateful for love.
Love saves. Love is kind. Love is forever.