Post by Kira & Lee Norris on Oct 24, 2007 21:07:12 GMT
Two days had passed, and she hadn't moved an inch. Neither had he- unless of course you counted meals, loo breaks and bedtime. But he was there whenever he could be- Nurse Gornray said that if he wanted, she could bring him some food instead. She knew how distressed he got if he was away from Madeleine too long. She didn't like to see him that way.
Thank god half-term was nearly here. Orchid Hill's were ending early- due to the battle and the casualties it'd included. Seventeen people were dead. Families and friends were mourning. Lee saw them at mealtimes; most looking as if they were shrouded by a black cloud. He was lucky- really, he was- that she was still with him.
But for how much longer?
Nurse Gornray kept telling him Madeleine was a fighter- that her condition was stable. He knew this; he himself could still hear the steady beep of her moniter as she fought to stay alive. Madeleine wasn't about to lose that war. Madeleine wouldn't lose. She fought.
But there was always that chance...
That stupid, slim chance that one day- when he left to run to the toilet or to get some lunch or whatever- he'd come back and find her dead. How could he leave her one night, and wake up in the morning to find her bed empty? Those white sheets bare and pulled back; her cold body gone- the thought chilled his blood.
"You need to warm up," he reminded her suddenly, leaning on her bed to talk quietly in her ear. "I keep telling you that- but you're so cold. You're not doing yourself much good, are you?"
She didn't answer, but her chest still steadily rose and fell. Good enough.
"I'm sorry Kira hasn't come," he sighed, leaning closer to breathe in her scent; which had been cruelly choked by the hospital wing. "I'll make her come next time. She's annoying me at the moment. A lot of them are, actually..." He trailed off, and his face darkened.
Not once had Levi come. Not once.
"He'll be here," muttered Lee, reluctantly. "Soon it'll be his hand in your's, not mine. He's just busy. You left a big mess behind you."
No kidding. The school might as well have fallen to its knees.
"I've got loads of homework to do," he said glumly, after a couple of seconds. "My maths teacher'll kill me for this. 'Comas are no excuse, young man!' etc, etc..." He grinned. "Maybe Jude'll help- except he's really bad at maths. And he's distracted too..." His voice dropped to a stage-whisper. "I think something's going on between him and that Ailith girl..." He laughed, straightening up. "Love blondes. Really, I do."
He could almost see the sarcastic smirk she would be wearing right now curl in his mind.
"Lee?"
He jumped, expecting to see Nurse Gornray. But no. Chloe hovered nervously at the end of the bed. He hadn't even heard her approach. How long had she been standing there?
"Hi, Chloe," Lee said, genuinely surprised and pleased by her presence. "It's great of you to come. I expect Madeleine's bored of me by now."
He beckoned to her eagerly and she followed him closely, sitting herself beside him. She remained frozen, glass-like for a couple of seconds as his eyes darted back to Madeleine.
"You gonna talk?"
"Whatever for?"
He grinned at her. "Nurse Gornray says she can hear us. She says Madeleine likes it." He sounded almost childlike to his ears. It was nice. It was simple.
His world was simple now. Come, and go, and look, and talk. Wait and watch. Be there.
Just be.
"Lee..."
"No, Madeleine."
"I'm here to talk to you, Lee."
He paused, turning slowly to look at her. Her glass-like olive eyes met his. It took a few moments for him to realise she was crying.
"Oh."
"Lee, I'm sorry," she sniffed heavily, biting her lip. "I can't... you being here with her all the time. I can't just wait around for you to feel something. I've gotta move on."
"I do feel something," he mumbled. "I'm... we're together. We're together- so what's wrong?"
"Lee, if I was the one in a coma, would you sit by me as constantly as you sit by her? If I... if I died would you care half so much?"
He didn't answer. He just looked back at Madeleine. She didn't need to hear this. It might hurt her. He gave her hand a comforting squeeze.
"Lee, we can't be together. It's not good- for either one of us."
"I don't want to hurt you." His voice was barely a whisper.
"Too late," she half-laughed, then sniffed, looking at Madeleine. "Those wires are horrible."
"I know," he said softly, his eyes tracing them hatefully. "Stupid things. I can't wait until they're gone."
Chloe opened her mouth, then seemed to think better of it, and it snapped shut again.
"Are you going to talk to her?"
"No," Chloe sighed, pulling herself up. "It's not my place to be here. I've screwed too much up already."
Lee watched her steady herself, wiping at the last of her tears with the back of her fist. Something told him he should walk her to the door- say goodbye properly- but his hand refused to leave Madeleine's frozen grasp.
So he let her go.
The door shut with a sharp bang, and someone a couple of beds down coughed hoarsely. Lee watched the boy warily, but he rolled over and went back to snoring softly.
If only Madeleine was a snorer, he thought to himself with a wry grin, or if she talked in her sleep. Boy, then he'd have so much to tease her about...
Nurse Gornray had told him it was a lot like sleeping.
He liked to believe she was right.
Thank god half-term was nearly here. Orchid Hill's were ending early- due to the battle and the casualties it'd included. Seventeen people were dead. Families and friends were mourning. Lee saw them at mealtimes; most looking as if they were shrouded by a black cloud. He was lucky- really, he was- that she was still with him.
But for how much longer?
Nurse Gornray kept telling him Madeleine was a fighter- that her condition was stable. He knew this; he himself could still hear the steady beep of her moniter as she fought to stay alive. Madeleine wasn't about to lose that war. Madeleine wouldn't lose. She fought.
But there was always that chance...
That stupid, slim chance that one day- when he left to run to the toilet or to get some lunch or whatever- he'd come back and find her dead. How could he leave her one night, and wake up in the morning to find her bed empty? Those white sheets bare and pulled back; her cold body gone- the thought chilled his blood.
"You need to warm up," he reminded her suddenly, leaning on her bed to talk quietly in her ear. "I keep telling you that- but you're so cold. You're not doing yourself much good, are you?"
She didn't answer, but her chest still steadily rose and fell. Good enough.
"I'm sorry Kira hasn't come," he sighed, leaning closer to breathe in her scent; which had been cruelly choked by the hospital wing. "I'll make her come next time. She's annoying me at the moment. A lot of them are, actually..." He trailed off, and his face darkened.
Not once had Levi come. Not once.
"He'll be here," muttered Lee, reluctantly. "Soon it'll be his hand in your's, not mine. He's just busy. You left a big mess behind you."
No kidding. The school might as well have fallen to its knees.
"I've got loads of homework to do," he said glumly, after a couple of seconds. "My maths teacher'll kill me for this. 'Comas are no excuse, young man!' etc, etc..." He grinned. "Maybe Jude'll help- except he's really bad at maths. And he's distracted too..." His voice dropped to a stage-whisper. "I think something's going on between him and that Ailith girl..." He laughed, straightening up. "Love blondes. Really, I do."
He could almost see the sarcastic smirk she would be wearing right now curl in his mind.
"Lee?"
He jumped, expecting to see Nurse Gornray. But no. Chloe hovered nervously at the end of the bed. He hadn't even heard her approach. How long had she been standing there?
"Hi, Chloe," Lee said, genuinely surprised and pleased by her presence. "It's great of you to come. I expect Madeleine's bored of me by now."
He beckoned to her eagerly and she followed him closely, sitting herself beside him. She remained frozen, glass-like for a couple of seconds as his eyes darted back to Madeleine.
"You gonna talk?"
"Whatever for?"
He grinned at her. "Nurse Gornray says she can hear us. She says Madeleine likes it." He sounded almost childlike to his ears. It was nice. It was simple.
His world was simple now. Come, and go, and look, and talk. Wait and watch. Be there.
Just be.
"Lee..."
"No, Madeleine."
"I'm here to talk to you, Lee."
He paused, turning slowly to look at her. Her glass-like olive eyes met his. It took a few moments for him to realise she was crying.
"Oh."
"Lee, I'm sorry," she sniffed heavily, biting her lip. "I can't... you being here with her all the time. I can't just wait around for you to feel something. I've gotta move on."
"I do feel something," he mumbled. "I'm... we're together. We're together- so what's wrong?"
"Lee, if I was the one in a coma, would you sit by me as constantly as you sit by her? If I... if I died would you care half so much?"
He didn't answer. He just looked back at Madeleine. She didn't need to hear this. It might hurt her. He gave her hand a comforting squeeze.
"Lee, we can't be together. It's not good- for either one of us."
"I don't want to hurt you." His voice was barely a whisper.
"Too late," she half-laughed, then sniffed, looking at Madeleine. "Those wires are horrible."
"I know," he said softly, his eyes tracing them hatefully. "Stupid things. I can't wait until they're gone."
Chloe opened her mouth, then seemed to think better of it, and it snapped shut again.
"Are you going to talk to her?"
"No," Chloe sighed, pulling herself up. "It's not my place to be here. I've screwed too much up already."
Lee watched her steady herself, wiping at the last of her tears with the back of her fist. Something told him he should walk her to the door- say goodbye properly- but his hand refused to leave Madeleine's frozen grasp.
So he let her go.
The door shut with a sharp bang, and someone a couple of beds down coughed hoarsely. Lee watched the boy warily, but he rolled over and went back to snoring softly.
If only Madeleine was a snorer, he thought to himself with a wry grin, or if she talked in her sleep. Boy, then he'd have so much to tease her about...
Nurse Gornray had told him it was a lot like sleeping.
He liked to believe she was right.
