I'll be waiting for you, baby
I'll be holding back the darkest night
Love is waiting 'til we're ready, 'til it's right
Love is waiting
I could write a million songs about the way
You say my name
I could live a lifetime with you and then do it all again
And like I can't force the sun to rise
Or hasten summer's start,
Neither should I rush my way into your heart.
-Brooke Fraser
Sam sat in a chair, beside the hospital bed. The steady beep of the machines calmed him as he stared at Harper's still form. The stitches along her hairline and in her lip, stood out against her pale skin. Under the blanket, he knew she had 3 broken ribs that were wrapped tightly. Her left hand had required surgery and pins to repair and it was in a cast. Her right ankle was also in a cast, luckily that had been a clean break and wouldn't require surgery. There was hardly an inch of skin that wasn't covered in bruises or scrapes. Her internal wounds had been healed by Rowena's potion. She was in no imminent danger of dying, but it would take months for her to recover fully.
He reached up and lightly gripped her hand, gently running his thumb back and forth across her cool flesh. He couldn't help the immense guilt he felt for what had happened to her. If she hadn't left the dance to come find him, Adam would have never gotten her alone. He felt the burn of tears at the back of his eyes and clenched his jaw tightly, trying to keep them from falling. A light knock at the door had him quickly pulling his hand away. He looked up to see Bobby standing in the door way, staring where Sam had been holding Harper's hand before fixing his stern gaze on Sam.
"Tabitha just arrived. She is on her way up now."
"Okay. Good." Sam cleared his throat awkwardly.
Bobby walked into the room and leaned against the wall by the window.
"Sam….What's going on here?"
"What do you mean?"
"I wasn't born yesterday, boy. Whatever you two think is between you, it can't happen."
Sam ran a hand through his hair before slouching back in the chair.
"I know, Bobby."
"It's not that I want to begrudge your happiness, Sam. But she's still a kid."
Sam nodded, opening his mouth to speak before being interrupted.
"Oh Bobby Singer. You leave the boy alone." Tabitha breezed through the door, tossing her jacket and purse into the chair next to Sam. She moved next to Harper, lightly running a hand over her hair.
"I don't think you understand what's going on, Tabitha." Bobby spoke up.
Tabitha rolled her eyes and turned towards him, her hands on her hips.
"I understand plenty, Bobby. I've understood for far longer than you have. These kids are in love, even if they don't fully see it yet."
Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat, looking down.
"And you're okay with this? The age difference?"
"Seven years isn't really all that much. Karen was 11 years younger than you, if I recall correctly."
Sam jerked his head up to look at Bobby. He'd known the man all his life, but details about his late wife were few and far between. Bobby crossed his arm and huffed.
"She wasn't my student."
"Minor detail. The point is, in our world love is rare. Who are we to stand in the way of two people who have managed to find it?"
Sam cleared his throat, "Can I say something?"
Tabitha turned to him, a smile on her face. "Of course, dear."
"It's just…I don't think Harper and I even know what this is yet. I don't want to rush this or make it more than it is. I think I know how I feel, but Harper's been through a lot recently. I don't think we need to label this just yet."
Tabitha gently patted his cheek, a knowing gleam in her eye. "I think taking your time is the best decision. I know where it's going to end up, but I think it is best for you two to find that answer on your own."
She turned to Bobby with her arms crossed and a stern look. Bobby sighed and rolled his eyes, throwing his hands up in defeat.
"Fine. We'll let them do their thing, but there are some ground rules. This has to stay on the down low. I'm not about to promote student teacher relationships. I'm ONLY giving my okay because we have guardian consent and apparently she's not going to give me a choice. AND there are certain limitations until she is at least 18." He gave Sam a serious look. Sam flushed and what he was implying and nodded quickly before looking back down.
"I can agree with those terms." Tabitha nodded her agreement. Bobby huffed and grumbled under his breathe.
Three Hours Later
Sam was sitting in the hospital cafeteria, absently nibbling on a salad. Tabitha had finally convinced him he needed to get out of the room for a little while. She was sitting with Harper now. Sam had taken a quick shower in the small bathroom off of her room and had then made his way down to the cafeteria, where he had been picking at the same salad for 30 minutes. He jumped as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He stiffened when he saw Tabitha's number coming across the screen.
"Is everything okay?" he answered the phone.
"Yes. Everything's fine. She's awake, Sam."
"I'll be right there." He hung up without another word, tossing his food in the trash. He ran past the elevators and took the steps two at a time up to Harper's floor. He slowed when he neared her room. Pausing outside her door, he could hear her talking to her grandmother. He stepped forward, knocking lightly on the door frame.
Her head turned towards him and he felt like a million pounds had been lifted off of his shoulders when she smiled at him. The bed had been adjusted so that she was sitting up slightly.
"Hey." He said softly, walking slowly towards her.
"Sam." She reached her hand out towards him. He gently took her hand, glancing over at Tabitha nervously. She simply smiled at him and stood up.
"I'm going to go make a few calls. Everyone is going to be so excited to hear that you are awake."
She walked out of the room. Sam and Harper sat in silence for a couple minutes.
"So…Grandma told me about the conversation with Bobby." Harper spoke softly.
"Yeah. That was interesting." He looked down at the ground.
"Sam?"
He looked up at her, hazel eyes meeting pale blue. She cleared her throat and then opened her mouth to speak.
"I'm not denying that there is something here between us, Sam. But I just….I need time."
Sam moved closer to her, reaching up and lightly brushing her hair back.
"I will never rush this or you, Harper."
"I…I just need time to process everything. I still don't understand what happened to me or how I let it happen. I'm not ready to jump straight into something else I don't fully understand."
"Harper, sweetheart. Stop. Take your time. You're worth waiting for. I'll wait forever if I have to. I know what I want and I'll be here when you decide what you want."
"Thank you. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for being so amazing."
Sam smiled at her and leaned down, lightly kissing her forehead, avoiding her stitches.
Author's Notes: Thank you all for reading! Please let me know what you are thinking! I appreciate all reviews, good and bad!
