After some requests, I've decided to extend this into a small 3-part story. Happy reading! Let me know what you think!
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
The rhythmic beeping was loud today. Unusually loud, Delphine thought. Typically it was just a faint noise in the background, easily ignored. But not today. No, today it filtered through her every thought like an alarm clock.
Delphine tried shifting her body. Maybe if she just moved away from the noise… She suddenly groaned aloud, her movements sending a jolt of pain throughout her body so intense, it made her eyes water.
"Hey, you're awake."
Delphine's eyes snapped open, looking wildly around at her surroundings. Everything looked so white, so crisp, so sterile. The fluorescents above burned her eyes, while a clutter of monitors beeped and booped behind her. She didn't recognize the room, but she certainly recognized that voice.
"The doctors patched you up, said the rest was up to you," the voice continued. "I told them you were a fighter."
Delphine grimaced, still somewhat confused and still very much in pain. She had tubes running all over her. Tubes in her nose. Tubes up and down her arms. Despite the initial shock, she felt herself calm when her eyes finally landed on the source of that voice – Cosima Niehaus.
"How are you feeling?" Cosima asked.
Delphine shifted to lift the hospital gown, revealing her bandaged abdomen. There wasn't much to see, as a large bandage covered the wound, but even the slightest movements caused the blonde to wince in pain.
"I'm okay," Delphine squeaked out, her voice hoarse from lack of use.
Cosima rose from her seat to get a better look. "Damn, that's going to leave a mark."
"Could've been worse," Delphine huffed out. She knew it to be the truth. It really could've been worse, she could be dead. Probably would be too, if it weren't for Cosima and her quick actions. "Thank you for saving me."
Cosima looked at her, her gaze strong and unrelenting. She gripped Delphine's hand and squeezed. "No need to thank me. You can't always be the one doing all the saving."
"How did you know where to find me?"
"A very lucky guess," Cosima answered, pulling her chair closer to Delphine's bedside. "After we spoke outside Bubbles and you left, everything suddenly felt very final. I was worried about you, so I grabbed Scott and we drove straight to DYAD." Cosima's eyes traced over Delphine's bandages. "God, I wish we would've gotten their sooner."
"You got there just in time," Delphine said, giving her hand a squeeze.
Cosima squeezed back, running her thumb lightly over the woman's knuckles. The gesture caused Delphine to smile, and together they fell into a comfortable lull.
"Why didn't you come to dinner?" Cosima suddenly blurted. "Everyone was so excited to meet you."
"I couldn't, Cosima," Delphine answered. "I would've put you all in danger."
Cosima dipped her fingers under her glasses to swipe away a tear. "Delphine, we are stronger together. All of us. You don't have to fight alone."
Silence overcame the two women again. Cosima absentmindedly traced patterns on Delphine's skin as the rhythmic beeping from Delphine's heart monitor filled the room.
"Where did you get a gun anyway?" Delphine asked, a smile playing at her lips.
"Like I said, you should've come to dinner," Cosima said. "I think Scott and I were the only ones in that room who'd never held a gun, let alone fired one. Guess I can cross that off the bucket list now." Cosima frowned at her words. "Speaking of guns, why didn't you use yours? Scott said he found one in your purse."
Delphine shrugged. "It would've been too late. By the time I heard Martins footsteps…" Delphine suddenly sat up, groaning at the pain. She'd completely forgotten about the dead man they'd left in the parking garage. "Martin. They'll find him, they'll know."
Cosima waved her hands. "Don't worry; it's already taken care of."
When Delphine raised an eyebrow, Cosima furthered her explanation.
"Ferdinand," Cosima continued. "Sarah said he hated Neolutionists just as much as we do. He jumped at the chance to clean up the body."
Delphine nodded her head slowly. She wasn't sure if she trusted Ferdinand. Not only was the man manipulative, but he often switched alliances on a whim. Who knew who he'd be fighting for tomorrow, the next day, or even a week from now.
"I'm going to have to disappear for a while," Delphine said. "The Neos will be looking for me when they discover I'm not dead."
"I know," Cosima said. She played with Delphine's fingers, gently caressing her hand with her own. "I already talked to Siobhan about it. She said she could hide us."
"Us?"
"Yeah, you and me," Cosima said, leaning down to give her knuckle a quick kiss. "You'll no longer have to make those hard decisions by yourself. We can make them together, as a team."
Delphine's heart swelled at the notion. Her and Cosima side by side, battling Neolution together. It sounded perfect. It sounded wonderful. It sounded…
And then she remembered her promise to Cosima. A promise to protect her sisters, to love each one equally. A promise that, as long as she was alive, she intended to keep until the very end.
Delphine deflated. What she wanted and what she promised were clashing objectives. She had to choose one or the other. Selfish vs. Selfless.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Delphine tried to keep her expression neutral, but the heart monitor betrayed her, its beeps suddenly coming out in much quicker intervals. Cosima noticed too, because she turned to look at the machine.
With a pull, Delphine removed the monitor from her finger, which in turn caused the machine to flatline. Then she pulled the tubes from her nose.
"Je t'aime Mon Amour," Delphine breathed out, "but you can't come with me."
When Delphine looked at Cosima, all she saw was hurt. The same hurt she saw when she broke up with the woman. Hurt, anguish, disbelief – it was like breaking up all over again. The same argument. The same principles. It was as if nothing had changed.
"Don't do this, Delphine," Cosima said. A single tear rolled down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away. "Don't leave me again."
Delphine gripped her hand. Hard. "I made a promise to you and your sisters. Your sisters need you here, Cosima. You can't abandon them now."
"But I need you."
"What is meant to be will find a way, no matter how far we wander," Delphine said, but when Cosima looked up at her with tear-filled eyes, Delphine's heart shattered. "Come here… Come here…"
Cosima rose from the chair and captured Delphine's lips with her own. Gentle at first, the kiss deepened into something much hungrier and more desperate, both women kissing with equal fire. Finally they pulled apart, leaning their foreheads together.
"I love you," Cosima said through tears.
Before Delphine could respond, the door to her room flew open and a doctor rushed inside. He frantically looked between the flatlining heart monitor and Delphine, finding the woman very much still alive.
"Miss Cormier, you must leave your heart rate monitor on at all times," he scolded, placing the finger clip back on her hand. "And your nasal cannula needs to go back on." He waited for Delphine to put the device back on before continuing. "You have some visitors. Shall I send them in?"
Delphine nodded, and all too soon Scott, Sarah, Felix and Mrs. S were all standing inside the small hospital room.
"Sorry to interrupted, loves, but we've got to get a move on," Mrs. S said. "Are you two ready?"
She looked between Delphine and Cosima, expecting smiles from the two women, but instead she was met with solemn expressions.
"It's just me," Delphine said. "I'm going alone."
"Oh… Well, alright then, dear," Mrs. S said. "If that's what you want. We should get a move on though, we don't have much time."
Once again, Delphine began removing the collection of tubes from her body. First the nose cannula, then the heart rate monitor. She paused before pulling the clip from her finger.
"The alarm," Delphine said, "it'll go off once I remove this from my finger."
"That's where I come in," Scott said, stepping forward. He smiled big as he offered his finger. "I'll be your heart rate while you escape."
Delphine smiled her thanks and quickly moved the monitor to his outstretched finger. There was, but a slight hiccup before the machine resumed a steady beep.
Next Sarah and Felix moved forward, pushing with them a wheelchair. From a bag, Sarah pulled a pile of clothes and placed them on Delphine's hospital bed.
"You'll need to change," Sarah said, watching as Delphine struggled just to pull the sheet cover from her body. "Think you can manage or-"
"I'll help her."
Sarah released a grateful sigh as Cosima stepped forward. Everyone in the room turned to offer some privacy as Cosima began stripping Delphine from her hospital gown. She was quick, but gentle as she helped Delphine into her new wardrobe, being especially careful around Delphine's bandages. As she did up the final button on the blouse, the two shared a look, pain evident on both their faces. Delphine wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold Cosima, but all too soon, Cosima was pulling away.
"Okay," Cosima said, taking a deep breath. "We're done. Help me move her."
Together Sarah and Cosima carefully guided Delphine from the hospital bed and into the wheelchair. As Delphine settled more comfortably into the chair, Sarah knelt down before her.
"Thanks, Delphine," Sarah said, placing a hand on her knee. "You know, for everything. And don't worry; we'll take good care of Cos."
"We got you a little going away gift," Felix said, spinning the wheelchair to face him. "As a token of our sincerest appreciation, we got you your very own clone phone." He pulled an iPhone from his back pocket and handed it to Delphine. "Now you can reach any of us wherever you are."
"Thank you, Sarah. Thank you, Felix," Delphine said, smiling between the siblings. This was a huge gesture, Delphine knew that. She was officially a member of 'Clone Club.'
"Are we all ready, then?" Mrs. S asked, stepping forward. "We need to get moving."
"Yes, just once second," Delphine said. "If I could just have a moment with Cosima."
With Felix's help, Delphine maneuvered the wheelchair to Cosima. As soon as their eyes met, she could see the fresh tears in her eyes, could sense the pain that still lingered. It broke her heart to leave Cosima again, but she had a promise to keep.
Reaching out, Delphine held Cosima's hands in her own and whispered those same words Cosima had told her.
"Hold on, Cosima. I'll never leave you."