Sooooo... sorry for letting you all wait like this, and then coming up with 10 words again... but different reasons kept me from updating, but I´m not going to bore you all to deathwith my messed up private life ;)
thanks again to wonderful Disasterfreak for beating:)
so now... go on with partIII... it´s gettign really cheesy in here, so yay :D
:Part II:
He lingered in front of the door that held a small silver tag with the numbers 167 on it, not sure what to do. Lilly's condition scared him; he hated the thought of seeing her suffer. Shaking his head, he stared at the ground, self-reproachful. He should be the strong one now. What was the point of cowardly avoiding reality? Taking a deep breath, he put his hand on the doorknob and pushed the door open. The nurse had informed him Lilly was conscious but groggy, and Scotty was somewhat clinging to the hope she wouldn't be awake now.
Closing the door behind him with the soft clicking of metal, he found himself in a pretty big and dimly lit room. Lilly was lying in a huge bed, surrounded by confusing machines and instruments, apparently asleep, much to Scotty's relief. She seemed so lost and fragile, he had to suppress the urge to run over and take her into his arms. Instead, he just stood there, helplessly waiting for something to happen, just like a few moments before. The only difference was that now he was on the other side of the door.
His head snapped up as he heard her calling out from her bed.
"Hello?" She sounded weary, but there was also some confusion in her voice. Her eyes were still shut, but it was obvious that she wasn't sleeping anymore.
He walked over to her bed, taking in the details of his surroundings as he moved closer.
"Lil, it's me. Scotty."
"Hi," she breathed, attempting to open her eyes. Scotty had found a chair to sit on and pulled it to her bed, so they could talk better. Speaking still seemed to cost her some effort. Lilly's head turned slightly toward him.
"How are you doing?" he asked quietly. There was no real reason for talking that low, but he felt he needed his voice to match hers, so he moderated his tone.
"Great, great..." she muttered, faintly shaking her head. She closed her eyes again and a heavy silence fell upon them.
She was even paler than usual, causing the sprinkles on her nose and the thin blue rims around her eyes to stand out. But even so, with no make-up to speak of and more than a little bit faded, she seemed incredibly beautiful to him.
Scotty tore his gaze away, afraid of being caught if she should open her eyes again.
"I took care of your kittens, Lil. They're well and full now, and they said to tell you hello. And to get well soon."
He watched as the corners of her mouth crept upwards and smiled to himself.
"Thank you."
"No problem, Lil. I also phoned Stillman, he sends his regards, and says he'll come by when you're feeling a little better."
"Stillman is coming?"
"Vera and Jeffries probably, too. They're all worried. We're all worried."
"Oh."
What was that 'oh' supposed to mean? Scotty wondered. Didn't she know they all cared about her or was she just too exhausted to find appropriate answers?
He decided it was probably a bit of both.
"I'm so glad you're going to be ok soon. I was truly scared when you passed out right there on the street." His eyes moved involuntarily down to the spot where the wound had been. But with the blanket around her there was nothing to be seen.
"Yeah. I was scared, too." She was watching him again. "But it helped that you stayed with me. Thanks. I guess you kinda saved my life."
"Well, I didn't have much of a choice, did I?" He meant it as a joke, but when he looked at Lilly he didn't see her smiling.
"Because I'd never want to lose you, Lil. Not as a partner, but also not... as a friend."
Her eyes widened, and Scotty just went on, letting go of what he felt should have been said earlier.
"Because you're a great person, Lilly, and I really admire and respect you. And I care about you. Even if sometimes it doesn't seem like it. And I really am sorry for all the times I was a complete jerk."
Scotty smiled at her, inwardly kicking himself. God, how pathetic could he be?
Lilly, however, closed her eyes for a second, letting the heavy words sink slowly in. They were reassuring, like bread to a half-famished pauper, providing her with what she had craved to hear from her mum, sister, friends and lovers for years.
Scotty noticed something in her eyes he had never seen before. She looked at him and it was like seeing her for the very first time. His heart skipped a beat.
"Thanks," she answered honestly. And before giving it another thought, he placed his hand on top of hers and gently stroked his thumb over it.
"Now get some rest, will you?"
Lilly nodded and waited for him to leave, but he didn't even attempt to remove his hand.
"You wanna stay?" The surprise in her voice made him smile.
"If you don't mind. But I know these hospitals are boring, so I figured you'd like some company next time you woke up."
Lilly giggled faintly, letting her eyes close again.
"If you don't have anything else to do…" she mumbled, her mind already drifting off into slumber.
Plenty of things to do, he thought. But nothing more important than this.
