Ugh, colds are not fun, but they do give me a lot of time to write. Enjoy!
Laurien found herself dreaming of the woman that night.
The woman with her wavy auburn locks that were swept across her shoulders by a soft blast of winter wind that seeped into the study by the open window behind her. The white light of the snow outside bathed her in an angelic glow that contrasted beautifully with the gentle flames of her hair.
The way she sat, and the way she held herself, with her back straight, but not unnaturally so, just casually proper, she reminded Laurien of Princess Beatrix. Though in how she was positioned, cross-legged with the glow behind her and the shadow across her face, it was almost like she was the subject in an old photograph found as a bookmark in one of the works of Sylvia Plath.
Though it was always her eyes that Laurien constantly came back to. The hazel pigmented one would pulsate with energy and warmth, while the icy blue one emitted a soft mellow expression of smoothness, like the blade of a skate cutting gracefully through the ice on a December's dawn.
The woman sat where she had before, on the comfortable carpet of Charles' study, but this time she had Laurien tightly embraced in her arms. Her scent, a mixture of mint and old books, was entirely intoxicating as it enveloped Laurien, reminding her of her mother's hugs and fondness for cuddling.
She held the woman tightly, not wanting the embrace to cease, but she soon had to let go. The woman held her at arms length, her crimson lips lifting at the edges in a sad smile.
"I'm sorry, darling." She murmured, pushing a strand of Laurien's hair behind her ear. "But I can't stay here."
Laurien wanted to ask why not? Who was she? What was she doing in Charles' study? Why did she feel like she recognized her? She had so many questions, but no words ever came out of her mouth. They were all stuck in her throat.
Suddenly, a horribly pained expression appeared on the woman's face. Her eyes screwed up in agony as she held her head in her hands, her nails digging deep into her scalp as she tried to ward off the pain. Laurien watched in silent horror as the woman let out a piercing scream before something burst out of her forehead in a spray of blood and brain matter. The woman slumped to the floor, thick red liquid spilling out of her and collecting around a shiny object. Laurien reached down, feeling the burn of the metal against her skin as she picked up the blood smeared object and found herself staring down at Erik's coin.
Laurien woke with a start, her eyes wide and watery as she bit back a cry of pain. Her breath came out in short gasps; her chest feeling like it was aflame as she clutched at the thick mound of gauze that covered her new stitches. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she glanced around for the bottle of painkillers, almost letting out a sigh of relief when she finally found it resting on the table. She stretched out her free arm for it, but found that it was just out of reach, the tips of her fingernails just able to scrape against the transparent exterior. With desperation rising rapidly in her burning chest, she gritted her teeth and lunged forward. She finally managed to wrap her fingers around the bottle, though not without tumbling out of the bed and meeting the unnaturally warm hospital floor with a dull smack.
A large pang blossomed throughout her body, but it was still nothing compared to what she felt in her chest. She stifled a groan before scrambling to open up the bottle, her sluggish fingers fumbled over the childproof cap, but she eventually managed to pop it open. Not wasting any time whatsoever, she hurriedly crammed two pills into her mouth and swallowed them dry. Laurien gasped as another wave of pain engulfed her, having to bite down on her fist to keep herself from screaming. It soon passed, leaving her lying still on the ground, as she tried to calm herself down.
She busied herself by letting her eyes explore the underneath of her bed, her pupils following the wavy curve of the metal beneath the mattress. It was nothing interesting, goodness knows, but it was the only part of the room that she hadn't already had the opportunity to stare down from her, until recently, permanent spot on the hospital bed. Her breathing soon slowed, though there was nothing to help slow her heart that felt as if it were about to jump out of her chest.
She'd seen the woman again, Laurien remembered, as the memory of what had happened before she'd passed out on the beach, came streaming back into her recollection. Something had happened when Charles had touched her, though what that something was, she hadn't the slightest clue. Something for Charles to answer, wherever he was.
And then there was the matter of Erik's coin, though the thought sent a coarse shiver up her spine, and she pushed it away. Angrily, she wiped away her tears and rolled onto her good side, managing to get her poor neglected legs beneath her before standing upright with a small groan.
"Ouch." Laurien whispered as she rubbed the sore spot on her behind where it had hit the floor and would surely have a bright purple bruise later. She winced as the weight of the nightmare hit her again and she shook her head to rid herself of the images that seemed to be burning into her mind. She glanced over to where Hank slept in his usual chair, surprised that she hadn't woken him up with all her raucous noise. A small smile reluctantly tugged at her lips when she saw his nose twitch slightly as he snored gently, his white sharp teeth just visible from behind his blue lips.
Sighing, she went to put the bottle in her pocket, only to realize that she hadn't any pockets to put it in. It was only yesterday evening that Laurien had convinced one of the nurses to smuggle a pair of scrubs to her after an unfortunate incident that occurred when she was finally allowed to walk around the room earlier in the day.
"Nice ass you got there, Laur." Alex had drawled as Sean giggled beside him, causing Laurien to spin around and back into the wall as she tried to draw the hospital gown tighter around her, face reddening rapidly.
"Why thank you." She had said, as stoically as she could muster without bursting into a fit of embarrassed laughter as she awkwardly scooted herself back over to her bed and tucked herself in to avoid any more 'tom foolery,' as her scandalized mother would have said in this situation.
Laurien tried to stifle a smile as she secured the bottle in the waistband of her blue scrubs and carefully opened the door leading out into the hallway. She was well aware that Hank had said they would search for Charles tomorrow, or today, as Laurien couldn't tell from the dark hue of her room as to what time it was, but she was wide awake and with the promise of the morphine kicking in at any time, she was quite ready for something to take her mind off of her inner demons for a while.
She crept out into the hallway, narrowing her eyes into thin slits as the fluorescent glare from the hanging lights above assaulted her, leaving a magenta smudge to cloud her vision until she adjusted to the brightness. She started her search by following a red line that was painted on the ground, tracking its movements until it abruptly stopped. Laurien glanced up, finding herself in a completely unfamiliar part of the hospital. It was then when it dawned on her that she hadn't taken the precaution to check what her room number was. Her heart started to beat faster in panic, but a second later, the morphine finally kicked in and she found that it didn't seem to matter anymore, so she picked another color and continued on her merry way.
She didn't much like hospitals, Laurien remembered, frowning as she got distracted and started to follow a tired looking nurse around the halls. Hospitals were always either too cold or too hot, never in between, a fact that had bothered Laurien for years. She thought about asking the nurse why that was, but then quickly scurried behind a stray food cart when she started to turn around.
"I know that you're there." The nurse called flatly, her voice dripping with exhaustion, as the sound of her heels quickly grew closer to the point where they were standing in front of a crouching Laurien who then promptly fell back onto her bruised behind.
As she glanced guiltily up at the woman, she did a double take, not sure if it was the painkillers fooling her mind or if her eyes actually beheld one of the most beautiful women that she had ever seen. The bronzed woman stood with a calloused hand on her hip, her shoulders sagging with the weight of the heavy day. Her round face was speckled with freckles along her cheeks and nose that were tickled by soft strands of wild light curly hair as her deep brown eyes stared down with disapproval before quickly turning to tired amusement as Laurien gawked up at her with wide midnight blue irises.
"You're very beautiful." Laurien whispered, still gazing up at the woman before she suddenly realized that she'd said it out loud and blushed profusely as she got to her feet. "Sorry."
The nurse raised an eyebrow as a small smile appeared on her lips. "Oh, no worries. That's very kind of you." She said, before looking pointedly down at her scrubs. "Do you work here? I haven't seen you around before."
Laurien almost snorted for some unconscious reason, but quickly restrained herself. "No, I'm just a patient." She stated, extending her hand shyly. "I'm Laurien."
The nurse took it, her skin blissfully soft and cool against Laurien's, despite the heat. "Nice to meet you, Laurien. I'm Camille."
Laurien then smiled, causing her vision to suddenly turn gold, causing Camille to back away in surprise. "You're one of the– Um." She tried hesitantly, nervously pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes as she tried to put a word to it. "The people that–"
"We're called mutants." Laurien finished for her, suddenly sobering up as a strange sensation pulsed through her body and made her chest seize up tightly, eliciting a grunt of discomfort before it passed. "We do weird stuff." She said, instantly wanting to kick herself as the words came out of her mouth. She honestly couldn't have said anything intelligent, could she?
Camille nodded slightly, and Laurien felt her heart fall as she sensed the fear in the woman before her. She let out a slow rattling breath that she hadn't noticed that she'd been holding and bowed her head, trying to put her hands in her pockets, only to remember yet again in utter frustration that she hadn't any.
"Well, I should probably be getting back to my room." She said, giving the nurse a quick smile before slowly starting to move back down the hall.
"Wait!" Camille called from behind her. "Don't you want to see your friend?"
Laurien froze before spinning around on her heels and rushing back to her. "You know where Charles is?"
"Yeah." She said, grinning as her cheek reddened. "He's one of my patients. Quite charming." She then frowned. "You've been here almost a week and you haven't seen him yet?"
"No, the doctors and nurses wouldn't even let me out of bed, let alone see him." Laurien stated defensively, feeling as if Camille was accusing her of neglecting her friend. "Besides, my other friends haven't been able to find him either."
Camille shook her head slowly, as if contemplating something. "That shouldn't have happened. I asked the other nurses to bring you down to see him." Laurien opened her mouth to ask what she meant, but before she could, Camille grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall. "Well, he's been asking about you all ever since he woke up. Come on, I'll show you where he is."
Camille led her to a partially hidden door on the ground floor of the hospital, where two military-looking guards stood in front of it. Laurien felt herself begin to shrink away at the sight of them, but with Camille holding her hand, it gave her the strength she needed to stand tall.
"Excuse us." Camille said kindly, though Laurien could sense her dislike of the two men in front of them.
The taller of the two moved into her path, blocking her from the door. "This one doesn't have clearance." He stated, pointing the handle of his gun at Laurien, who scowled up at him, annoyance threatening to change her eyes.
"She has clearance if I say she has clearance." Camille said dangerously, her mouth set in a thin line. "Or do I have to talk to your superiors about the reason why we couldn't help our patients in there."
Laurien smirked as she felt a spark of fear come from the guard who glanced at his comrade uncertainly, before promptly shuffling out of the way.
"Thank you." Camille said tersely, before opening the door. Laurien followed after Camille in awe as she disappeared through the doorway and into large dimly lit hallway that seemed to stretch on into oblivion.
"How did you do that?" She asked once the door had closed behind them.
"Oh, I don't take flack from anyone." She explained, her serious expression lasting for only a moment longer before a small smirk made its way onto her face. "But it may also have something to do with the fact that I'm actually engaged to be married to their superior officer."
They walked a little ways down the daunting hallway before Camille eventually slowed to a halt. "Here we are." She said, motioning to a door to their left. "I'll be right outside, to leave you two alone."
Laurien thanked her before turning the handle and pushing the heavy door open a smidge, peaking in nervously. She suddenly wanted to turn back and return to her room, feeling as if she wasn't at all ready, but with a small nod of encouragement from Camille, she entered the room.
Laurien padded forward lightly on her bare feet, her fingers trailing nervously along the bottom of her shirt as her eyes flickered across the surface of the curtain wall that surrounded the lone bed in the hospital room.
She reached out to the curtain, but then her hand stopped abruptly as the memory of Charles' pained face flashed before her eyes, causing her breaths to become shallow and strained as the subtle hum of the machines on the other side rose to an echoing roar in her ears.
"Laurien." A mercifully familiar voice called, breaking her out of her pained state.
She swept the curtain aside and let out a shuddering breath as tears came rushing to her eyes when she saw Charles in the hospital bed, his face pale and gaunt but his blue eyes still bright as ever. His face lit up when he spotted her, and he beckoned her over with an outstretched hand.
Her eyes flickered over to where his legs were covered by a thin white sheet before she grasped his hand, her knees buckling as a million emotions slammed into her all at once. She fought the urge to sob as the dam broke and tears washed down her cheeks. Charles smiled fondly at her, holding her hand to his face as she tried and miserably failed to keep herself in check.
"I'm sorry, Charles." She cried, burying her face into the mattress as she wept. "I'm so sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for, darling." He whispered gently as he held onto her trembling arm.
"But, I– I could've fought harder, I–" She stuttered, but soon found herself incapable of speech as horribly violent sobs overtook her.
"Come here." He said, helping her up the best he could and having her lie down next to him on the bed, her head resting on his chest as he stroked her straggly hair with his pale fingers. "I'm glad you came."
She hiccupped, irritation rising to the surface as she found her voice. "This is ridiculous." She said shaking her head. "I should be comforting you, not the other way around."
He chuckled. "It's all right, Laurien. If we're being completely honest, I've gotten a little tired of everyone doting on me. It's a nice change of pace to comfort someone else."
She nodded, though not quite believing him. "Does it hurt?" She asked hesitantly, silently hoping that she wasn't being insensitive.
"A bit." He admitted. "But I can get through it."
Laurien heard his breath hitch as he said it, and she tightened her grip on his hand, willing for him to feel how much she cared for him before she opened up her mouth again. "What have the doctors said?"
His chest lifted her head as he took a deep breath, the beats of his heart growing quicker as he came closer to telling her what she already seemed to know. "They're not hopeful for a full recovery."
She closed her eyes, letting the words sink in through the tidal wave that tried to push them out. She didn't want it to be true, any of it. "I'm sorry."
He didn't say anything for a long time after that, he held her for what felt like an eternity until he finally broke the silence.
"You and the others will be going home tomorrow."
She frowned, panic rising within her as she sat up. "And what about you?"
"I'll follow shortly." He said, pushing a strand of hair away from her face.
The simple movement suddenly reminded her of what she wanted to ask him, but when she opened her mouth, the door interrupted her as it opened unexpectedly and Camille's head peaked in.
"Sorry to interrupt, but it's time to go, Laurien."
Laurien got out of the bed reluctantly, but not before kissing Charles lightly on the forehead. "I'll try and sneak in tomorrow before we leave." She whispered quietly into his ear. He nodded, watching after her as she slipped through the doorway and disappeared.
Laurien waited until she had made it back into her room and bid Camille a thank you and goodbye, before breaking down into tears again. She clutched her hand tightly to her mouth to stifle her sobs so as not to wake Hank, remembering the unbearable sadness that had been coming off Charles in tsunami-sized waves when she had left him behind.
Being sick also allows me to watch a crap ton of movies. When Harry Met Sally is my go-to. Thank you all for reading, please review!