The First Step on a Long Road

Chapter Summary

Evie is finally discharged from hospital...But she isn't the only one who needs time to heal.

It had only been ten days but it had felt like an eternity, especially to Evie. The young student had only been outside once since she had been admitted to the hospital and even that was in a wheelchair. That was something that she would reluctantly have to get used to, at least in the short term. The road to recovery may turn out to be a long one but she was nothing if not determined and she had her devoted wife by her side. Whatever was to happen she and Lucy would face it together.

"Are you ready?" asked Lucy, as she finished packing the last of Evie's belongings into her duffle bag.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." replied Evie, trying to manoeuvre herself off the side of the bed and into the wheelchair.

"Let me help you." said Lucy, taking some of Evie's weight and helping her into the chair.

"Thanks." said Evie. "I'll have to get the hang of this. I can't expect you to do everything for me."

"One thing at a time." said Lucy, "Anyway, we are a team." said the redhead, giving Evie a reassuring smile. "Let's get you out of here, Mrs Thorne!"

Lucy steadily began to wheel Evie out of the ward, only stopping to show their gratitude to the nursing staff who had looked after the young brunette so diligently.

The corridors seemed to go on forever as they navigated their way towards the front entrance of the hospital.

"Are you ready for this?" asked Lucy.

"Let's do this!" replied Evie, trying to lean back to look at Lucy.

Evie closed her eyes as the cool afternoon air hit her face.

"Bliss." she said.

Lucy smiled to herself but at the same time she was trying hard to fight back the tears. She had come so close to losing Evie and that realisation was only just beginning to sink in. Whatever obstacles they might face, Lucy felt prepared for. After everything, Evie was alive. Her Evie. That was all that mattered.

Lucy wheeled Evie around to the car, pulling up right next to the passenger side door and applying the brakes.

"Right then," said Lucy, opening the car door.

"Just give me a minute to-" began Evie.

"Just put your arms around my neck and I'll lift you into the car." said Lucy.

"You don't have to do that, Lucy." said Evie.

"Yes. I do." replied Lucy, her eyes looking at Evie lovingly.

Evie reluctantly did as Lucy asked and soon found herself been carefully placed down in the passenger seat.

Lucy then turned her attention to Evie's wheelchair as she fumbled with the folding mechanism. Having finally got to grips with the chair, the redhead stowed it away in the boot and took her place behind the steering wheel. She turned and looked at her young wife. "Let's go home, my darling." she said, giving Evie's right hand a gentle squeeze.

Evie merely smiled in response as Lucy put the car in gear and they set off back to their apartment.

Lucy pulled up in front of their apartment and Evie suddenly let out a sigh of relief, she was home.

"I'll just get the front door open, I'll only be a second." said Lucy.

Lucy didn't know why she felt so anxious as she turned the key in the lock. Suddenly her mind was flooded with memories of her and Evie in the apartment. She didn't know if they would ever get back to how things were before the accident. She loved Evie with every fibre of her being but she couldn't help but fret over what the future might hold.

The redhead took a deep breath before stepping back outside to see to Evie.

"Right then, Mrs Thorne." said Lucy.

"What about the wheelchair?" asked Evie.

"I'll get it out in a while. I'm going to carry you into the sitting room." replied Lucy.

Evie put her arms back around Lucy's neck as the older woman lifted her into her embrace.

Both of them said nothing as Lucy carried Evie into the apartment. It was only when they reached the sitting room that Evie broke the silence.

"Lucy, what have you been doing?" asked Evie.

There was a brand new cream coloured sofa bed opened out into the room.

"Well, I didn't want you to have to struggle." said Lucy, putting Evie down on the new bed. "This way, you can spread out and relax."

"Spread out?" asked Evie, puzzled.

"I figured that you would need the space, because of your head dressings." said Lucy, sitting down on the bed.

"I can't bear another night without you in my arms." said Evie, taking Lucy's hands in her own.

"I love you so much, my darling wife." said Lucy, as she gently put her lips to Evie's.

Evie gasped as their lips parted. "I can't imagine that I could have left you, Lucy."

"You very nearly did." said Lucy, looking at Evie teary eyed.

Lucy had used all of her strength to hold herself together in front of Evie but now that they were back home, Lucy could feel her emotions starting to get the better of her.

"I'll- I'll go and make us some tea." said Lucy, rushing to leave the room. She didn't want Evie to see her crying.

Evie leaned back into the brand new pillows and smiled as she basked in the familiar surroundings. She was finally home.

It was then that Evie noticed an envelope on the bedside table. The young woman managed to retrieve it by using the very tips of her fingers. The front of the envelope was addressed to her in Lucy's unmistakable handwriting.

'Evie xx'

The student immediately opened it and began to read the contents of the note. As she did so, her eyes filled with tears.

Lucy had poured her heart out over that note.

'My darling Evie,

Words cannot express what I am feeling right now. To know that you have come home to me, when, in my darkest of moments, I thought that I could have lost you.

You are my world. I love you so very much. Whatever you must face in the days and weeks ahead, we will face it together.

Welcome home, my wonderful wife.

Yours forever and a day,

Lucy xx'

Evie couldn't help but smile at that last sentence. "Forever and a day."

Lucy came back into the room, carrying the tea tray. As she set the tray down on the coffee table, she noticed that Evie had the note in her hands.

"Come here." whispered Evie, gesturing to Lucy to sit on the bed.

Evie reached out and put her right hand to Lucy's left cheek, stroking it softly.

"My Lucy, I'm so sorry for what I have put you through." said Evie.

"You don't have to apologise, it's not your fault." replied Lucy.

"Forget about the tea," said Evie. "Lie down next to me, I just want to hold you."

Lucy exhaled sharply as she lay down on the bed, as if she was releasing all of her pain from the past ten days.

Evie put her left arm around the redhead and smiled.

Oh, how Lucy had longed for this moment, to see that smile again. To have Evie there beside her.

"I need to fetch your wheelchair from the car," said Lucy.

"That can wait for a while longer." said Evie. "Right now, you are more important."

The young brunette tightened her grip on Lucy.

"I love you, Lucy Thorne." said Evie, softly.

Lucy smiled back at her and Evie felt her heart leap in her chest.

"Are you sure that you wouldn't prefer the bed to yourself?" asked Lucy. "I'm worried that I might hurt you during the night. You know that I move around a lot in my sleep."

"I'll be fine." said Evie, reassuringly. "I want you beside me, Lucy." she said, giving the redhead a kiss on her right cheek.

Lucy got up from the bed and grabbed the duvet from the armchair before gently placing it down over Evie. She put a soft kiss against Evie's nose. "I'll be right back, darling. Just going to warm up the teapot."

Lucy picked up the tea tray and made her way through to the kitchen. As she set the tray down, the redhead leaned against the work surface, gripping it with both of her hands. Lucy exhaled slowly as she felt the anxiety hurtling through her body. She switched the kettle on with a sloppy flick of her right index finger. It was as if she was on autopilot.

Grabbing her keys from the kitchen table, she headed outside to get Evie's wheelchair from the car but not before she popped her head around the sitting room door to check on her other half.

Evie gave Lucy a sleepy smile when she saw her.

"I'm going to fetch your wheelchair while I'm up." said Lucy. "I've put the kettle on, I'll only be a few minutes then we can settle down for the evening."

Evie gave her a thumbs up before Lucy stepped outside to the car and into the chilled evening air.

"I need to get a grip. What use will I be to Evie if I can't hold it together?" Lucy said to herself.

As she took hold of the wheelchair, Lucy felt a shiver run down her spine. Memories began to flood Lucy's mind, memories which had been suppressed since she had been fifteen years old. Memories of her mother. Looking at that wheelchair had brought it all back.

Lucy knew that Evie's situation wasn't permanent, she would recover. She wasn't going to lose Evie like she had lost her mother all those years ago but it didn't lessen the emotional pain that she was feeling. She suddenly realised that she had never truly dealt with the loss. She had never let herself grieve for her. When they buried her mother, Lucy had simply buried her feelings.

The redhead shook her head, trying to bring herself back to the present. She hadn't realised that she had been crying.

"Lucy, are you alright?" Evie called out, as she heard the clatter of the wheelchair being pushed through the front doorway.

"Yes, darling." came Lucy's short reply, as she wheeled the chair into the room. Lucy kept her head down, she didn't want Evie to see the tears in her eyes.

Lucy came to a halt right next to Evie's bedside and fumbled with the brakes on the chair.

"You would think that I would know how these bloody things worked!" exclaimed Lucy, throwing her arms above her head.

"Darling, are you-?" began Evie.

The young brunette stopped mid sentence when she noticed the tears in Lucy's eyes.

"I'll just go and fetch a fresh pot of tea, you must be parched." said Lucy, hastily leaving the room.

"Lucy!" shouted Evie.

Evie grunted in frustration, she just wanted to leap up from the bed and run after Lucy. She felt hopeless.

The next five minutes felt more like five hours as she waited for Lucy to return. When she heard the familiar clatter of teacups approaching, Evie hauled herself up in the bed, ready to confront her wife.

"Lucy, put the tray down and come here." Evie said softly.

"I'm pouring this tea first." replied Lucy.

Evie could hear the teapot rattling as Lucy's hands shook. When the redhead finally put the cups down on the bedside table, Evie grabbed her by the hand and pulled her down towards the bed.

"You are not leaving this room again until you tell me what's wrong." said Evie.

"It's nothing." said Lucy, quietly.

"Tell me." said Evie, squeezing Lucy's hand tightly.

Lucy finally broke down.

"It's brought it all back." said Lucy, as warm tears streamed down her face. "I-"

Lucy began to choke on her tears.

"Oh, my poor baby." whispered Evie.

The brunette reached out and pulled Lucy down against her. Lucy rested her head on Evie's chest, sobbing uncontrollably as the pain that she had bottled up for over sixteen years was finally set free.

"Talk to me, Lucy." said Evie, as she gently stroked Lucy's head, trying to comfort her.

"It's not supposed to be like this." sobbed Lucy. "I'm supposed to be helping you to recover, not getting you stressed out!"

"Lucy, my darling, I'm not stressed out. I'm worried about you." said Evie, as she looked into Lucy's watery eyes. "This- this is about your mother, isn't it?"

Lucy didn't say anything, she only clung to Evie even tighter.

"You don't have to talk if you don't want to." said Evie.

A good ten minutes or so of silence followed before Lucy began to speak.

"You know, It's the strangest thing." said Lucy, through her tears, "If my mother had survived, I wouldn't be lying in your arms right now."

Evie listened on as Lucy poured her heart out to her.

"I moved away from home shortly after my mother passed away. My Father and I never really saw eye to eye and his animosity towards me only intensified because I reminded him too much of her. I went to an all girls boarding school to finish my education. That's where I met Pearl. She was a few years above me but we became firm friends."

Evie listened intently as Lucy continued.

"It was pearl who put in a word for me here after I left teacher training college." said Lucy. "The rest, as they say, is history."

"You don't have to tell me but what happened to your mother?" asked Evie, hesitantly.

"It was cancer, although, no one ever told me exactly what the extent of her illness was." said Lucy. "She was so weak in the last months of her life, she was confined to a wheelchair. This is the first time that I have spoken about it since I lost her."

"You have been carrying that pain around with you all these years?" asked Evie, holding Lucy even tighter.

"Now you know why I was always a 'grumpy Gus' in class." replied Lucy, trying to crack a smile.

"If you were, I never noticed." replied Evie. "I was always too busy thinking about how beautiful you were and how much I wanted you to fall in love with me."

Lucy couldn't help but chuckle at that remark.

"Likewise." she said.

"I love you, Lucy." said Evie.

Lucy leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to Evie's lips. "Thank you, Mrs Thorne." she said.

"I'm always here for you." replied Evie.

Lucy suddenly changed the subject.

"When do you get the all clear from the hospital?" asked Lucy.

"I should be 'good to go' in the next couple of days." said Evie. "They just need to check that everything is healing properly."

"Well, you remember that holiday that I promised you?" said Lucy, "I provisionally booked us a room."

"Where?" asked Evie. "What about your work?"

"Brighton." replied Lucy. "I have got the go ahead from the principal. I've been given a month's paid leave."

"Brighton!" said Evie, in excitement.

"I had to be sensible in case you need any medical assistance but I still wanted to take you somewhere relaxing." said Lucy. "I thought that the sea air might do us good."

"We could both do with a break." said Evie. "You have had so much to deal with, my darling."

"If you need anything during the night, wake me up." said Lucy. "Don't struggle and tire yourself out."

The redhead tried to give Evie her best stern look. She failed abysmally.

Evie dissolved into fits of laughter.

"That was not the reaction I was trying for!" said Lucy, screwing up her eyes. "Right, you asked for it, Mrs Thorne!"

Lucy grabbed at Evie wrists and stared intently into the young woman's eyes. "You- asked for it." she whispered, as she lowered her lips to Evie's.

"I know that I will sleep tonight." said Evie, as they broke their kiss. "Because I can fall asleep in your arms, listening to the sound of your breathing. Feeling the beat of your heart."

Lucy couldn't hold back the tears of happiness at having Evie back in her arms.

"You are my life, Evie Thorne." whispered Lucy. "Sleep well, my love."

"Just one thing." said Evie. "Could you pass me that cup of tea?"