This is my half of another story trade with author In The Beginning. This time, the story centers around explaining more of Sidney and Naomi's relationship - and what happens when he lets her get away. Will this end up happy? You'll just have to read and see :)
Enjoy!
Sidney Kasal awoke to the sound of rain pelting the window just above the bed. He rubbed his eyes gently and stretched, quickly noticing that he wasn't wearing a single thing besides the sheet that covered him. As he laid back down, memories from the past few days spun through his head like a turbine, his brain trying desperately to make sense of them all.
Sidney Kasal had escorted Naomi back from Europe in a disguise, bringing her back to America to operate on Dr. Derek Stiles after he got infected with a very mutated form of GUILT. Tapping further into her Healing Touch powers than she ever thought possible, she had actually stopped time during the operation long enough to kill the Savato on Derek's heart, but it had worn her body out to the point that she collapsed afterward. Two days later, she awoke in a bright white room, and was not alone. Sidney was by her side, and had been ever since she had fallen, there to make sure that she was going to wake up and be okay. After she had, he had taken her back to the airport, where he reluctantly said goodbye, watching her plane take her back to Europe.
Shortly after the first time she returned to Europe, Sidney had called in favors and done a lot of work, finding a loophole which allowed Naomi to travel to and from America whenever she pleased, completely absolved of any and all legal repercussions… which she immediately began to use, visiting frequently for medical conferences in the like, but it always ended up with her coming to Caduceus to chat with Sidney. Their conversations always lasted hours and hours, the two of them giggling into the night. One night in particular, had been interesting when Sidney had asked her a question she hadn't been ready for.
"Now, regarding the favor I pulled for you.. Because I have done this for you, you now have no reason that I can't take you to dinner.." he had said, face still stern.
The very next day, Sidney had owned up to his promise, taking her around the greater Angeles Bay area and showing her everything that the city had to offer. A whopping eight hour excursion took up the couple's entire day, but Naomi had loved every minute of it – she got to learn about a place she had not been able to explore, but also got to spend a day with a man she was beginning to have feelings for, though she'd never admit it.
Later that night, he had taken her to Maggiano's. They chatted about random things, including Naomi pulling out pictures of her cute silver haired niece to show Sidney, talking about all of her stories of being an aunt. Suddenly, Sidney changed the subject.
"I'm so tired…" Sidney said, "I haven't done something like that in so long.."
"I know.. and, I'm sorry, Sidney – I didn't want to completely exhaust you…" she replied, giggling.
"I would keep going for another eight hours if it means I get to spend it with you…" he replied, before his mouth turned upward into a smile, flashing the most beautiful set of pearly white teeth she had ever seen. To be quite honest, that was the first time that Naomi could remember seeing his smile. So to mark the occasion, she leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek, ever so gently.
Sidney was never a man to lose his cool, but a kiss from a beautiful woman could make him blush and stammer like he was in junior high school – which is what he did, though he would never admit it to anyone.. ESPECIALLY Greg.
Sidney had dropped her off at her hotel that night, walking with her to the door which was accessible from the outside. It was then that he swallowed his fears and kissed her deeply – the first woman he had kissed since he lost his wife. Lingering in the moment for a small while, Sidney then pulled away, smiling again before he started to back away from her, smiling and waving, before he clumsily backed up into a parked car, his face turning red with embarrassment. He stopped and set his path straight again as Naomi chuckled, before she turned and walked back into her room. All he could do besides turn red was be very glad that Greg was not here to see this – he would've had a field day.
Days later, it was time for Naomi to return to Europe. She drove over to Sidney's where he made her an amazing candlelight dinner, the two of them enjoying their secret romance together, talking, laughing, and kissing like a bunch love-sick puppies. When one a.m. rolled around, Naomi sadly looked at her watch from the couch where she and Sidney were cuddling, as she gently stood up and walked towards the door, pulling on her coat. He followed her to the doorway, the smile no longer present on his face as she pressed her lips against his, hugging his waist, before they pulled apart.
"Have a safe flight, and call me, when you get there please?" he asked, his eyes full of sadness. He was genuinely sad to see her go, and it was written all over his face, and hers as well.
"I will, Sidney… Thank you for everything – I had, the best time…" she replied, forcing a smirk before she squeezed his hand, and walked out the door of his house and into her car. He stood in the doorway, watching as the rain poured onto her car, not moving until her car drove out of his sight. Closing the door, he rested his back against it, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor. Removing the glasses from his face, Sidney raked a hand through his black hair, sighing as he stared at the floor. He hadn't felt so strongly about someone since Victoria, and it scared him to think that he could love again… Standing himself up after a few minutes, he walked back into his room, seeing a picture that she had taken of the two of them during one of their nights out on his dresser. He picked it up and stared at her, before he looked at himself – there was a smile on his face. At that moment, Sidney realized that a woman who could make him genuinely smile every time she walked into the room was one that he shouldn't be letting leave without a fight.
So fight he did.
Dashing out of his room and putting on his shoes, Sidney grabbed his keys and ran out into the pouring rain, jumping into his car before he zoomed off down the street and towards her hotel. He chuckled at the thought of himself actually not doing something about it – that truly was a moment of pure insanity, in his own opinion… Sidney Kasal was not a man who resigned himself to inaction. Ever.
A good forty-five minutes had passed between the time she had left his apartment and he arrived at her hotel room. Exiting the car, he walked up to the door to her room which was on the first floor and knocked at it, the rain soaking him as he waited nervously.
When she answered, mascara was running down her face, a bundle of Kleenex clutched in her grasp. Her mouth dropped wide open as she stared into Sidney's hazel eyes, almost unable to believe that he was standing in front of her. Sidney felt bad that she was crying, but quite honestly had to admit that he had come close to doing the same thing as well. Without saying a word, he smiled as he reached for her Kleenex free hand, pulled her out into the rain, and kissed her like she had never been kissed before. The two of them shared a perfect moment together, slowly being drenched by the rain, but neither seemed to pay any mind to it. As Sidney pulled away, he ran a hand through her soaking wet silver hair.
"I was stupid to think about letting you leave before I could tell you how I'm crazy about you…" he said, smiling as he cupped her face in his hands.
She warmly returned the smile before gently smacking him on the arm, much to his surprise. "What took you so long?!" she asked, starting to tear up again before he kissed her once more.
Pulling away again, they traded smiles and caring words before Sidney changed the subject.
"Man – we should've thought this through better. My clothes are soaked…" he said, chuckling slightly.
"…Well, Sidney, I think I may have just the thing to remedy that situation…"
And with that, Naomi pulled Sidney inside by his tie, shutting the door. When it opened again, a hand stuck the "do not disturb" sign on the doorknob, leaving the two completely uninterrupted for the remainder of the night.
Sidney flashed back into the present time, smiling at Naomi's sleeping form next to him in her hotel room. He gently got up out of bed and made a small pot of coffee, pouring two cups full before he brought them back to bed, waving one under her nose. One cream and one sugar – just how she liked it. She awoke gently, sighing as she sat up to Sidney sitting next to her, fresh coffee in hand. Naomi appreciatively took the coffee from him and took a sip, before she leaned over and kissed him good morning.
The two chatted for awhile before Naomi looked at the clock, realizing that she had to leave the hotel for her flight back to Europe. She went to rise from the bed, placing the empty coffee cup on the nightstand, before a hand rested on her shoulder, pushing her back down.
"Sidney, what are you doing? I'm going to miss my flight…" she said, her silver eyes boring into his hazel ones.
"Stay." he said, putting it as simple as possible. "Please – transfer to Caduceus USA, or a nearby hospital… please… stay…"
She smiled painfully as she rolled back into bed, taking his hand.
"Sidney, I have a life in Europe… friends, family, a career… and even though I'm allowed in the country, that doesn't necessarily mean I'll be welcome to live here…" she explained, her gaze sympathetic.
"But, you don't understand… you're… the first, woman, I've.. felt like this about, since…"
He didn't need to finish that. Naomi squeezed his hand gently as he looked down at the bed, dejected.
"…you make me happy…" he muttered, hoping that she would change her mind.
"You, make me happy too, Sidney – but, I barely even know you. I know that I'm crazy about you, but we've k known each other for a few months… if it was longer, I could consider it, but I can't drop everything I have on a whim."
"So, I'm a whim, Naomi? After everything you've shared with me, and everything I've shared with you… after the countless times you've told me how amazing I am and how lucky you are to have met me… its still not enough…?" he asked, keeping calm, his voice deep.
"I'm not saying you're not worth it – I'm just saying that the next time I have vacation, I will come see you right away. Maybe somewhere down the road if something develops, then I'll think about it in more detail.." she said, trailing off as he rose from bed, hands on his hips before he started to pull on his clothes, still damp from the night before.
"I can't wait for every time you have vacation to see you, Naomi…" he bit, his tone slightly harsh. "I'm sitting here telling you that I'm falling in love with you, and asking you to help me find a way to see you more often, and you don't feel the same way…"
He sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling on his shoes.
"You're, falling in love with me..?" she asked quietly, not being able to help the smile forming on her face.
"Yes, but, what does it matter…" he asked, voice barely audible.
"I never said I didn't feel the same way, Sidney – just think about what you're asking me to do…"
Sidney paused, hands still on his hips as he picked his gaze up off of the floor and looked at her, those beautiful hazel eyes shining, hiding pain behind them.
"I know full well what I'm asking of you – and although it's a lot, I figured that the thought of being without me might devastate you as much as the thought of being without you does to me."
She stopped, tears pooling in her eyes. "Sidney, no, I didn't mean…"
"Have a safe flight." he said coldly, walking out of her hotel room, shutting the door softly behind him.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Naomi let a sob loose, falling back onto the bed. She got up, fully ready to run out the door and after him before she stopped herself. Though she shared the same feelings he did, she knew that it would do no good to run after him because nothing would change – she couldn't come to America.
That night was one of the hardest of Sidney's life. He had every urge to chase her to the airport, later on, he still had to fight off the urge to hop on a plane to Europe. Days later, he still found himself reaching to pick up the phone, but he stopped himself every time.
Weeks went by, and Naomi still hadn't brought up the urge to call him – he probably hated her, and for good reason… she kicked herself every day for not at least entertaining the idea, thinking that maybe there could've been a solution, but she had been too stubborn to consider it. If only she could see him, talk to him – she could tell him, that the difference between the two of them was that he was falling in love, while she was already there.. If only…
Late one night after a night with his brother and nephew, Sidney returned home to a silent home, where he walked into his bedroom, changing into pajamas before walking over to his dresser to set down his glasses. moving some paperwork out of the way he picked up the picture of the two of them – the one where they had been so happy, and studied it before the painful memories flooded back to him. Hesitating for a brief moment, he looked at it once more, before tossing it behind his dresser, where it would stay for months.
Those months passed, and eventually, feelings of missing Naomi faded away. He thought of her every now and then and had to fight off the urge to call, knowing that it would only put him back at square one. Every day became a little easier for Sidney. He went out on dates, spent time with family, worked, and enjoyed his life, but the thought of her never left the back of his mind.
Finally, years had passed, and he had nearly forgotten all about her. That is, until one day while moving.
Sidney Kasal was not a man of change, so when he asked his brother Greg to help him change around the furniture in his house for a fresh new feeling, the elder twin was surprised, but gave in, coming over one day to help. They moved around the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, the guest bedroom, and finally Sidney's bedroom.
"Heave!" Greg yelled, causing Sidney to laugh and fall on the floor. They really shouldn't have been drinking while trying to move heavy furniture. Sidney's side of the dresser had not moved but Greg's had, the elder twin's eyes lighting up as he saw something behind it.
"What's this?" he asked, walking behind and pulling out a picture which Sidney had completely forgotten about.
Greg studied it for a minute and then handed it to Sidney, whose heart skipped a beat when he looked at Naomi's face. All the work he had done to get her out of his mind was completely undone in that moment, launching Sidney straight back into the vulnerability of missing her so much.
"You never even told me why she left, Sidney – why didn't you go after her?" Greg asked, sitting down on Sidney's bed.
"I did, Greg – I asked her to stay, to, think of trying to work here instead of Europe… and she left anyway, but not before we got into a giant fight…"
Greg's eyes widened. "Oh." was all he could say.
"… have you, talked, to her since?"
"Nope. We sent emails on each other's birthdays, but that was about it… I haven't ever gotten up the nerve to talk to her after the big blow-up we had, and she hasn't called – I'm assuming she hates me now…" he muttered.
As Sidney stared at the picture again, he noticed his own face – more notably, the giant smile spread across it, remembering what he thought the fateful day before it all came crashing down.
She was the only one that could put that smile there.
Standing up quickly, Sidney shot a glance over to Greg, who sighed, smiling as his stubborn little brother.
"If you're going to go to Europe, at least wait until you're sober…" he said, knowing exactly what Sidney was thinking without saying a word.
The two worked off their beers moving the rest of the furniture around, before Greg wished Sidney good luck, leaving his apartment. Immediately, Sidney began to pack. After he was finished, he left his carry-on bag open, struggling to remember if he forgot anything, before he turned back to the dresser, threw the picture in the bag, and walked out of his house, keys and passport in hand.
The flight to Europe was very long, and it gave Sidney a lot of time to think. What if she met someone else? What if she didn't want to see him? What if she was married What if…
What if she still loved him?
As the plane finally touched down in Great Britain, Sidney got off, walking with his carry-on bag to the nearest rental car place, where he signed paperwork and started towards Caduceus Europe in his small hybrid car.
Nearly an hour later, Sidney had arrived at Caduceus's Europe branch, more nervous than ever, assuring himself that after this long of not talking to her, that it was necessary for him to travel all the way there… not just call her on the phone.
Taking a big breath in, he got out and locked the doors to the car, walking through the automatic doors to the hospital as he saw the one person that he absolutely did not want to see.
"Ah, Langston…" Sidney said, forcing a small smirk.
"Sidney Kasal! What a surprise! It sure it a pleasure to see you…" Langston replied with a smile on his face as he and Sidney shared a handshake.
"It's a pleasure to see you as well, Langston…"
"…you giant prick.." he thought to himself.
Langston's expression turned to stone. "Is, there something wrong, Director Kasal?" he asked.
"Oh, no – I'm actually here to see, Dr. Kimishima…" he said, waiting to see Langston's reaction.
Europe's director looked quizzically at Sidney, not daring to ask any questions, due to the "its not up for discussion" face that Sidney was shooting his way.
"Ah yes… here's how to get to her office…" he said, pointing Sidney in the right direction.
Standing outside the door to her office, Sidney breathed deeply, realizing there was no turning back now. As he raised his closed hand, he knocked on her door, which opened slowly. Poking his head inside, he saw that there was nobody there, so he let himself in, closing the door behind him. He slowly walked around her office before he ended up behind her desk, sitting down in her swivel chair as he looked at her pictures.
All the frames were filled of Naomi and her niece – the same one that she had told Sidney about right after she had been born while they had dinner at Maggiano's. He smiled warmly as he looked at the pictures, noting the date on one of them: January 13th
That was just a week ago, and noticing Naomi's left hand, he could tell she had no wedding band on it. Silently he celebrated, but knew that there were a lot more things he had to worry about. Holding the picture frame in his hand, he spun the chair around to look out over the city, still sporadically glancing down at it – all the while, not noticing that she had entered the room.
"Can I help you?" she asked, her chair's backing to her.
Stunned, Sidney spun around still clutching the frame, watching as Naomi's eyes widened in complete shock. He smiled gently – she was still as beautiful as he remembered.
"Hello, Naomi…" he said, still clutching the frame as he stood up.
"Sidney…" was all she could manage to say, her mouth still wide open from shock.
She stood cemented in place as he walked towards her.
"Your niece got so big – she's beautiful…" he said, finally setting the frame down on the corner of her desk, resting against it as he waited for her to reply.
Sidney's heart filled with sorrow as he watched her eyes pool with tears.
"No, Naomi.. please, don't cry – "
"I'm sorry, its just, very good to see you…" she said. "I thought, that after what happened… I would never see you again…"
Sidney straightened his back, his dark hazel eyes staring at her lovingly. "That's why I came – I was so stupid for what happened, and for not calling you all these years… but I have to ask, why you didn't call me either?"
She paused.
"I was afraid."
"Afraid, why?"
She walked over behind her desk and stood bracing herself on the edge, as she looked down at the mahogany, before turning back up to him.
"A lot of reasons… namely two though…"
Sidney stared at her, silently beckoning for her to tell him.
"Well…" she started slowly. "For one, I was sure that you hated me…"
"I thought you hated me.." he replied, looking at his feet.
They conversed for a small while before Sidney changed the subject, like always.
"You said there was a second reason…" he said.
She looked at him nervously, but before she could answer, a small girl ran into the room and jumped into her lap, giving her a big kiss.
"Oh!" Sidney exclaimed. "This must be your niece!" he said, smiling at the girl. "What's your name?" he asked her.
The small girl squeaked out her name before she paused. "What's your name?" she asked, still smiling.
Sidney smiled back. "My name is Sidney. I'm a friend of your Aunt Naomi's."
The girl giggled profusely. "Aunt? She's not my aunt.. she's my mommy!" she answered, hugging Naomi tightly.
Stunned, Sidney sat back in his chair, eyes wide. He knew it – he knew that things hadn't just stayed the same this whole time... She had a child… things were much more complicated now, though he suddenly realized why she had been silent this whole time. Sidney mentally kicked himself for coming – he should never have even thought about it… Obviously, she had found someone else, had a cute little girl, and moved on with her life.. and he was stupid to think she would've been waiting for him.
He couldn't help but watch as Naomi set the girl down on the ground, her gaze never breaking with Sidney's. His reflected shock and regret while hers reflected sympathy – she hadn't wanted him to find out like this… not, like this. Turning towards her daughter, she spoke.
"Sweetheart, I need you to do something for me. Can you do that?"
The silver haired girl nodded, her piercing hazel eyes sparkling.
Naomi looked over at Sidney, still looking dejected, as she spoke to her daughter once more, pointing towards him.
"…Go and give Daddy a hug, Rylee…"
Yep. I just did that. HaHA!
Anyway, as always, I hope you liked this. Please leave me a review!