Thanks for the enthusiasm. This chapter flowed really well, so I'm posting earlier than planned.
Harry walked through the hospital, following the directions the receptionist had given him until he found Ruth's hospital room. He knocked twice and then opened the door. Ruth was curled on her side, staring into space. When she heard his footsteps, she sat up and smiled slightly. "You didn't have to come," she said.
"How did you know it was me?" he asked. She didn't reply, instead she blushed an adorable red. Harry didn't push it. He sat down next to her hospital bed and reached for her hand, holding it gently. She tightened her grip on his palm and let their fingers entwine in the silence. They had very rarely touched like this and the touch was making Ruth's heart skip several beats. Neither of them wanted it to end, so Harry kept holding her hand while he spoke. "So you can't see anything?"
"No," she said, voice low. "It's all blackness. Nothing there. I just woke up and… It doesn't matter."
"What are the doctors doing?" Harry asked. Ruth scoffed before answering.
"They are heavily implying that I've been abusing drugs," she said, breathing heavily, the anger clear. "They're waiting for the blood work to come back, then they're going to give me an MRI when that comes back clear. Because it will," she added fiercely.
Harry sighed with distress. He could tell there was something wrong with her eyes, without her needing to say a word. They were usually bright blue, sparkling, alive with intellect. Now they were deadened and dull. "I wish I could see you," she said with frustration. Harry squeezed her hand. "I feel… lost."
"I know," he said, wishing he could say something more comforting. "Have you hit your head on anything?" he asked.
"Not that I remember," she said. "This is so frustrating! Why is this happening to me?!"
"I know you're angry," he said quietly. Her fingers clenched around his hand tightly, almost painful. Then she released his hand, the reluctance clear on her face.
"I am angry," she said. "I want my sight back. And I know you have to go," she added, hearing his phone chirp.
"I'm not leaving," he said, moving only to switch his phone off. When that was done, he took up her hand again with both of his. "I'm staying with you." She smiled at him with satisfaction. She wanted him to stay with her, but she never would have asked. She was too aware that he had other things to do, as well as her reluctance to try and do anything which would define their relationship in the first place.
"Thank you," she said. The door opened suddenly and Harry looked up, feeling Ruth tense.
"Miss Evershed, I have your blood work back," the doctor said. "Nothing abnormal, and nothing that shouldn't be there."
"Great," Ruth said sarcastically. "What now?"
"Now, I'm going to take you down to get an MRI, to see if there's anything that will show up on the scan," the doctor said.
"How long will that take?" Harry asked, gripping Ruth's hand tightly.
"An hour," the doctor said. "Maybe more, depending on how many people are in the queue already."
"Oh for Gods sake Harry, go to work," Ruth said firmly, knowing that having him sitting around the hospital for an hour or more wasn't useful, no matter how much she personally liked and appreciated his presence. "You're already an analyst down, we need you there today. You know we do," she added as he hesitated, clearly torn.
"Fine," he said, squeezing her hand. "Please call me if you need anything," he added fervently.
"Don't worry. We'll take good care of your wife."
"Oh," Ruth said quietly, her face turning red. "No… we're not…"
"What Ruth is trying to say, is we're not married," Harry said calmly, covering her embarrassment.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed," the doctor said. "Anyway, I'll come back in a few minutes, to take you to the third floor for the MRI." The doctor left, the door closing with a click.
"Go Harry," she said.
"Without trying to sound controlling…" he tailed off when he realised this was absolutely none of his business and he had no right asking her.
"I'll let you know when we've got the results," she said, a smile on her face.
"You will?" he asked in surprise.
"Of course I will."
"God Ruth, how can you read me so well?" he asked, almost to himself. All she did was smile. Harry's phone rang again, interrupting them.
"Go." Harry reached for her, and without thinking about it too much, pressed a kiss to her cheek. He lingered, his lips against her smooth skin for as long as he reasonably could before drawing back.
"I'll see you later."
"Bye." Ruth waited until the door closed and then waited a few more minutes to make sure she was alone. She risked a small "Harry?" and when there was no response, she curled up on her side and thought about what had just happened.
When he'd opened the door she had known it was Harry before he'd spoken. The weight of his footsteps, the scent of his aftershave, the mere presence that he seemed to command. She knew she was attracted to him, and paid more attention to him than she should while going through the terror reports at work, but she hadn't been aware of exactly how she knew him. To know he'd entered a room, without being able to see him, or have him say a word? That was more attention than she'd been aware of giving him.
Then she started thinking about her eyesight, the more pressing problem. Was there something seriously wrong with her? She thought that maybe with a little time, a few hours, her vision would clear. But it hadn't. God, there had to be something serious wrong with her. With that rather depressing thought, she counted the minutes until she had someone to speak to again.
The medical facts are going to be completely fictitious, so bear with me! Thank you for the reviews so far.