I started this fic as a free-write project, and continue to treat it as such. Eventually an organic ending will emerge. It still feels like there's a lot of story to tell, however. I guess that's what happens when you're developing two main characters though.

All feedback is greatly appreciated, as always!

Flip. Twist. Land. Pirouette, pirouette, one, two, three, split leap. Body tight. Movements crisp. Go. In. On. Every. Move. Use. The. Momentum. Just keep moving. Stick that landing. Stick. That. Landing!

Lara was a creature of kinetic energy possessed by inertia. Gravity ceased to matter to her. She linked motion to motion, flip to twist, anything worked as long as she kept moving seamlessly. The blood in her ears roared, blocking out all noise besides the beating of her heart and the breath entering and exiting her lungs. Everything around her seemed to move in slow motion. All she was focused on was the next place to put her hands and feet.

Pirouette. Emboîté. Fall into the next step. Match. That. Violin.

Much like her song choice, Lara's moves combined the classical with the contemporary. When the electric guitar dropped, she went from the belle of the ballet to the siren of street. She went from flowing and light to aggressive and staccato, putting as much emphasis on every movement as she could. Then came the breakdown. It was almost time for her final tumbling run.

She worked her way to the corner of the floor, taking care to not lose track of the beat as she did so. Her musical cue came and she took off running, planting her foot down firmly once she had gathered enough momentum and bounding into the air. She tucked her legs into her chest and leaned forward into her first flip. Up became down, down became up, but as long as she kept track of where the floor was, she knew she would land safely. Her feet left the floor as quickly as they landed when she came out of the flip.

In a few more flurries of movement, she was done as she landed with only a small hop and threw her hands up over her head.

"Excellent, Lara!" Her coach barked the moment she was finished, "That's a championship routine right there!" Lara was dripping in sweat, radiating heat, and panting like a bitch to catch her breath, but she beamed at the coach's praise nonetheless. The coach turned to the rest of the team, who had already had their go on the floor and stood in waiting. "Everybody did a fantastic job today! I mean it when I say that if we keep this performance up, we just might be able to take the championship. I have nothing else to say besides 'go home and rest,' you've all earned it." Thus ended the practice as the entire team made for the locker room. As Lara opened her locker to get ready for work, Paige and Lexie approached her.

"So Lara-" Paige began.

"Everybody's going out for dinner-" Lexie continued.

"You should come," Paige finished. One corner of Lara's lips curled upward as she retrieved her phone from her locker.

"Is that so?" Lara asked as she turned her phone on.

"We'd love to have you there," Paige persisted.

"Well," Lara began, "I'd love to, but-"

"Work?" Lexie asked.

"Not quite," Lara replied. She had called off to spend time with Sam.

"What, you got a hot date, then?" Paige inquired. Lara froze. Her momentary hesitation was all Paige needed for confirmation.

"Oh my God!" Paige exclaimed, "You actually do! Who is it?"

"Uh…" Lara's phone buzzed in her hand.

"Is it someone we know?" Lexie asked. Lara's phone buzzed again.

"Well…" Lara's voice trailed off as another notification going off on her phone caught her attention. Who had messaged her so much?

"That means yes!" Lexie declared triumphantly. Lara's phone was demanding her attention by that point, and Lara gratefully seized the opportunity for diversion.

"I'm so sorry, give me just a moment," Lara said as she looked at her phone screen. Sam had called her three times and messaged her eight. With a frown, Lara opened her messages:

How's your day been? Hopefully the rest helped!

I have this weird pain in my stomach. Waiting to see if it passes.

Sorry the apartment's cold, I accidentally left the window open earlier.

I might need to go to the hospital.

I'm at the ER. I'm in a fuck ton of pain.

Lara

I'm scared

They're saying I need surgery

"Everything okay?" Paige asked at length. Lara's heart had begun to race.

"I gotta go." Lara threw on her coat, grabbed her bags, and practically sprinted out of the locker room without changing. As she exited the athletic complex, she tried to call Sam. She found herself praying while she waited for Sam to–no, hoped that Sam would answer, but she ended up going to voicemail.

"Hey!" came Sam's voice through the phone, "You've reached Sam, you know what to do." Beep.

"Sam!" Lara gasped as she bustled to the nearest Tube station, "I'm so, so sorry! I had my phone turned off all day! I'm on my way to the hospital now, I'll be there shortly. Just hang in there, okay? It'll all be okay in the end." Was she talking to Sam or herself? "I'll see you soon."

The train ride back to Barking wound up being the longest of her life.

Did Lara mention that she hated hospitals? This was because nobody ever had a positive reason to go to the hospital. The hospital was for cancer, injuries, serious medical issues. The hospital was hardly a Sunday afternoon destination. People died in hospitals. The fact that Sam was in a hospital terrified her. The fact that Sam was in a hospital made it difficult for her to breathe. The air felt thick with sickness and ick.

When she walked through the doors of the ER, she made an immediate beeline for the receptionist's desk.

"Excuse me," Lara gasped out, "is Samantha Nishimura here?" No matter how much breath she drew, she just couldn't get enough oxygen.

"Samantha Nishimura?" The lady behind the desk asked, "Just give me a sec, hun." She squinted at her computer screen and scrolled through its display. "Hm…says here that she's in the recovery room right now. She just got out of surgery a little bit ago."

"Can I see her?" Lara asked.

"You family?" the lady asked.

"I…I'm her roommate," Lara replied.

"Then you're going to have to wait."

"Please," Lara pleaded, "she doesn't have family out here."

"I'm sorry, but the rules are the rules," the lady stated simply. Lara stared back at her. She wanted to scream and curse. She was so close to reaching Sam, but medical bureaucracy barred her way forward. Lara knew better than anybody how bad Sam's anxiety could get. She pictured Sam all alone with IVs snaking their way out of her skin, festering in uncertainty. She pictured Sam panicking, with no one but strange nurses and doctors to talk her down. The thought killed her.

"Well, when can I see her?" Lara persisted.

"I don't know," the lady answered honestly, "but I can take your name down and forward it to the nurse on duty and have her let me know?" Lara knew when to recognize defeat. There was no way for her to see Sam without committing a serious crime, though she gave some serious consideration to the thought. She just hoped Sam would be okay for a bit without her.

"My name is Lara," Lara replied.

"Alright Lara, I'll let the nurse know you're waiting. Please take a seat." Lara shuffled over to a seat, her shoulders sagging in defeat. Once she had set down her bags and settled down to a sit, she held her head in her hands and began to bounce one of her legs in an effort to work off some of the restlessness she felt. She really hoped Sam was okay. She really wished she had checked her phone sooner. She wished she hadn't turned it off for classes. So what if she had interrupted Dr. Whitman's class? She could have been there to keep Sam calm, she could have sent Sam off to surgery with a hug and a kiss to let her know that everything would be fine in the end. Instead, she had left Sam alone and scared. She had so many regrets. Please, God, just let Sam be okay.

What if Sam wasn't okay? What if she was in kidney failure? What if it was cancer? Something with long-term complications? What if she had to watch Sam waste away before her eyes? Lara shook her head into her hands. No, no, no.

She really hated hospitals.

Loud voices echoed down the hall. With a frown, Lara craned her neck to find its source. So did the woman behind the desk.

"No, I will not calm down!" With a sinking-stomach sensation, Lara recognized the voice as Sam's. "I will scream bloody fucking murder if you don't give me what I want!" A pause, and then- "WHERE THE FUCK IS LARA? I'M NOT GONNA STOP UNTIL YOU GET ME LARA! LARAAAAA!" Lara locked eyes with the receptionist and gave her a look that simply said 'please.' Her heart was a timpani at that point. Her hands shook. Her ears rang. The receptionist got to her feet and walked down the hall to the source of the clamor while Sam continued to scream and raise hell. Lara wanted to cry. She was so close. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S HERE?! FUCKING GET HER, THEN, OR I'LL KEEP SCREAMING! LARA!" The receptionist reappeared moments later and motioned for Lara to come. Lara didn't even wait for her to lead the way. All she had to do was follow Sam's voice calling her name.

"I'm here, Sam! I'm here!" Lara called as she came through the doorway. All the other patients in the room shot her dirty looks, but she ignored them and put all of her attention on Sam, who had gone silent and was instead grinning dopily up at Lara. She looked so out of it. This fact, combined with the sight of her connected to IVs and oxygen scared Lara, but at least Sam was lively and responsive, if a little too lively. Lara set her bags down and hurried over to Sam's side. It wasn't until she took Sam's hand in her own that she became cognisant of the nurses and other patients in the room. Lara looked at the privacy curtain by Sam's bed, then back at Sam's nurse. "Could we…?"

The nurse knew what she wanted before she could even get the words out. She closed the curtain and walked out. With the closest thing they could get to privacy achieved, Lara turned her attention back to Sam.

"How are you?" Lara asked as she took a seat, "I'm so sorry I didn't check my phone sooner, I-" she was cut off by Sam putting a finger to her lips.

"Ssshhh," Sam hushed her, "you'll disturb the fairies."

"I…wot?" Lara blinked. Sam's only response was a maniacal cackle. It then occurred to Lara that Sam was probably still coming down off of anesthesia. The screaming and erratic behavior suddenly made a lot of sense. The realization soothed Lara, who brushed a few stray hairs out of Sam's face. "In any case, I'm just glad you're okay."

"If I meow, will you keep petting me?" Sam asked. Lara laughed and kissed her on the forehead.

"You don't need to meow, Sam." Lara ran her hand through Sam's hair. Sam closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation. Lara continued to stroke Sam's hair all the while, the sensation soothing her as much as it doubtlessly soothed Sam. She had made it. Sam was there. Everything was fine…right? So why did she still want to cry? Sam had begun to drift off into sleep when she winced and propped herself up on an elbow to put a hand to her stomach. Lara froze. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Sam grunted, "it hurts where they cut me open."

"Want me to get the nurse?" Lara asked. Sam shook her head.

"Not yet." Sam laid back down in the bed and closed her eyes again. She had such heavy bags under her eyes. Lara ran her thumb along the back of the hand she still held.

"You look exhausted."

"I am exhausted…don't you have work, by the way?"

"No, I called off."

"Gotcha," Sam replied. They sat in silence for a moment.

"How long are they keeping you here?" Lara asked.

"Until I fart," Sam replied with a small laugh before going quiet again. "...You know you don't have to stay here if you don't want to, right?"

Of course Lara wanted to stay. What kind of a ridiculous question was that?

"I'm not going anywhere," Lara replied firmly.

"I'm just saying," Sam said. Lara squeezed her hand.

"I'm not going anywhere," she repeated. Sam squeezed Lara's hand back and reopened her eyes. She stared off into the distance and appeared to be lost in thought.

"What's on your mind?" Lara asked gently.

"A lot," Sam replied.

"Like?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does to me," Lara said. Sam looked Lara in the eyes and considered her for a few moments. She grimaced and put her free hand back to her stomach with a pained grunt and a hiss.

"Fuck! It feels like my insides are gonna spill out of me." Sam squeezed her eyes shut, almost as if she were trying to shut the pain out. Lara regarded her with a concerned frown.

"Are you sure you don't want me to get the nurse?" Lara asked, putting her other hand over Sam's. She was about to go get the nurse even if Sam said 'no.' She hated seeing Sam in pain.

"I can page her. I think there's a button around here somewhere…" Sam looked around for a minute then found the aforementioned button and pushed it. A few minutes passed, then the nurse appeared from behind the curtain with her mobile cart and a cautious look on her face. It was then that Lara remembered that Sam had just been screaming at her not too long ago.

"You alright in here?" The nurse asked.

"I'm honestly in a lot of pain," Sam said, "can you do something about that?"

"I could adjust your drip if you'd like."

"Could you please?" Sam asked. The nurse nodded and complied. After she did so, she checked and logged Sam's vitals.

"You know," the nurse said as she was typing Sam's data into the laptop on her cart, "you're extremely lucky. The surgeon said he hadn't seen such a large appendix in a long time." Lara felt the tension she felt in her back break with a snap. It was just appendicitis, then? Sam let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, look at me, I'm the picture of luck…sorry I screamed at you earlier, by the way." Sam scratched the back of her neck sheepishly.

"You should hear when some of the other patients scream at me." The nurse let out a small laugh. "You're pretty tame compared to them. Alright, I'll be back." She grabbed hold of the cart and wheeled it out through the privacy curtain with her. Then she was gone once more.

"So," Lara began once the nurse was gone, "it was just your appendix? Nothing else? You're okay now?" Sam looked at her and nodded with a small smile.

"Yes, Lara, I'm okay. You can stop worrying and take that sad puppy dog look off your face, as cute as it is." Sam gave her hand another reassuring squeeze.

"You really scared me," Lara blurted out. She felt the urge to cry again. Sam must have seen it too because she removed her hand from Lara's and placed it on Lara's cheek instead.

"Yeah, but I'm fine now. Everything's fine now," Sam tried to reassure her. The dam broke and the waterworks began to flow regardless.

"Yes, but what if it wasn't?" Lara demanded through her tears. Sam sighed and wiped the tears from Lara's eyes with her thumb.

"You fixate on a lot of hypotheticals, you know that?"

"I have to," Lara murmured, "because whenever I don't prepare for the worst, the worst happens." Sam's eyes softened as she stared back at her for a few moments.

"I get it," Sam responded, "but we're already after the fact. There are no hypotheticals, just what already happened." Lara clenched and unclenched her jaw as she steadily returned Sam's gaze.

"And what happened is that I dropped the ball. If something had happened to you and I wasn't here…"

"Well, we live and we learn, right?" Sam wasn't denying that Lara dropped the ball. Lara opened her mouth to respond, but then observed that the bags under Sam's eyes had grown darker and that Sam's eyes were growing unfocused. Clearly whatever was in Sam's IV drip was taking hold.

"You should get some rest," was what Lara decided to say in the end. Sam shook her head.

"Don't wanna," Sam said.

"Why?" Lara asked.

"I don't want to wake up alone." Why was that even a thought?

"I'll be right here when you wake up."

"You promise?" Sam asked, lifting her pinky up from Lara's hand.

"I promise," Lara said, clasping Sam's pinky with her own.

"You haven't broken a promise yet."

"And I don't intend to break that streak. Get some rest, Sam." Sam nodded and closed her eyes. Silence ensued between them, and Lara sat there and continued to hold Sam's hand until she heard Sam's breathing deepen and felt Sam's grip go slack. With a sigh, Lara slowly removed her hand from Sam's and retrieved her school bag from beside her seat. With one final glance at Sam, she pulled out one of her textbooks and began to do her homework.

She wasn't going anywhere.

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