Okay, I'm gonna be straight up with you, peeps. This one's gonna be a three parter that'll be updated over the next couple of months. It's for a creative writing class, so I'm running it past you to catch any last minute errors, as long as it's okay that I use you guys like that. I know there's at least one of you on here that should probably take a job as an editor, cause you're just that good.
Anyway, this first part is probably familiar, because it was my fluffy entry for the July writing extravaganza last year. I've been playing around with it, tugging and pulling at it to try and get it down to the equivalent of five pages double spaced. So, any critique you guys might have is greatly appreciated. Thank-you!
Anyway, this first part is probably familiar, because it was my fluffy entry for the July writing extravaganza last year. I've been playing around with it, tugging and pulling at it to try and get it down to the equivalent of five pages double spaced. So, any critique you guys might have is greatly appreciated. Thank-you!
Spoiler ShowFor You
The cell rang to life, jolting Tony out of a sound sleep. The teen flung his hand out, groping across the nightstand until his fingers curled around the infernal device. Hauling it to his face, he groggily saw it blink that it was the nice, reasonable hour of three on a Saturday morning. He growled low in his throat, not at all pleased at the interruption. He’d had two college midterm papers he’d had to write, two tests to sit through, helping Rhys with some wedding plans, and then Tony had had shooting practice and a round of sparring with Zack which culminated in Zack clobbering his ass so hard that Tony was amazed he hadn’t cracked a couple ribs. Tony just wanted to use the weekend to catch up on some lost sleep; if this was Drew calling with some dumb ass idea, Tony was gonna deck him. Finally flicking his finger across the screen to answer the call, he said in a sleep husky voice, “Hello?”
“Tony?” Her voice was soft across the line, her tone strained. “Can you come over?”
Tony was wide awake and already had his legs over the side of his bed as he said, “Give me fifteen minutes.” He waited until he heard her hang up before he reached for his jeans.
He’d be at her house in ten.
~--------------~
Tony’s key clicked in the lock as he opened the door, a gust of winter wind biting at his heels before he slipped inside. He stopped briefly in the mudroom, kicking his shoes off before he hung up his coat. Turning to the sink, he scrubbed up quickly with the antibacterial soap that sat next to the tap, making sure his hands were well washed before he turned the water off.
The soft sound of breathing had Tony turn his head from the sink, a frown tugging at his lips as he did. Even so, he went with a smile instead as he said softly, “Hey, Laurel. Are you feeling okay?”
Laurel snorted softly at that, her skin crinkling around her blue eyes as she did. Still, she did concede the point a little as she said softly, “Better now that you’re here.” Her fingers plucked at the shirt she was wearing over her shorts, and Tony recognized it as one of his shirts. While he normally liked it when she wore that it for her pj’s, tonight it just emphasized how thin she was; great, that meant she wasn’t eating, again. Carefully, he walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, trying to coax her into a hug.
Laurel spun away, her eyes scrunching tighter at the corners at his touch. Tony did a quick scan, noting the new bruises and how pale she looked, and she seemed a bit unsteady, too. His concern ratcheting up another notch, he asked softly, “Bad night?”
She nodded, and Tony found himself missing those soft, dark locks of hers and how they’d flow around her face all over again, just as he always did when she was in more pain than she should be. Her voice soft, she apologized, even though both of them knew she didn’t have to. “I’m sorry, it’s just everything hurts tonight. Even sitting or walking. I think this round of chemo might have done more harm than good.”
“Your meds aren’t working tonight?” Tony wanted to give her a hug, but he hung back. Laurel wouldn’t reject the contact; hell, she’d probably welcome it, but he knew the kind of pain she was in too. The leukemia was bad enough, but she’d also get hyper sensitive a day or two after chemo sometimes.
Almost as if to prove this point, Laurel kept wincing as the two of them walked into the living room, though she refused to remark on it, saying instead, “Not as well as they should. The doctors said there’d be some really nasty flare ups sometimes, and they had a little trouble with the treatment when I went in Wednesday. I just…” her voice trailed off then, but she didn’t have to finish. Laurel had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia just after she’d turned sixteen a year ago. She’d actually broken up with Tony because she didn’t want him to know she was sick, but he’d still found out. He wasn’t going to lie; knowing she was this sick scared him, big time. But at the same time, he knew she needed him; it was just Laurel and her aunt, and both of them needed a little help now and then. He wasn’t going to let her down. He couldn’t.
Tony waited until Laurel sat down before he did. Dragging the blanket off the back of the couch, he laid it carefully across her legs, earning a smile from her in the process. Even so, his own eyes were serious as he said softly, “How long have you been up? You need to rest.”
She scoffed at that, before doubling up in a coughing fit. Tony got up, going to the kitchen to get her a glass of water and a cough drop. Returning, he stayed standing over her until Laurel got her fit under control, took a few sips of the water, and popped the cough drop in her mouth. She hadn’t fooled him; he’d heard the crackle in her cough. Once she started breathing easier again, he sit back down, a little closer to her than he had been the last time. Sliding his hand over hers, he rubbed his thumb across her knuckles as he asked again, “How long, Laurel?”
“I can’t sleep,” she said softly, and he could hear how tired she was. “I’m exhausted; all I want is my bed, but I can’t breathe if I lie down, and everything hurts tonight. Any kind of pressure is going straight to my bones. I feel like I’m being torn apart, like I have boning knives going right through me. This is driving me crazy; my own body’s my worst enemy!”
Laurel started coughing again, a wracking one that shook her whole body. All Tony could do was rub her back and talk to her in a low voice, just trying to help her ride it out. Once she’d quieted some, he said urgently, “Laurel, listen. You’re getting sick, and you’re weak enough as it is. You need to go to the hospital, now.”
“No!”
The reply was short and harsh, some of her fire finally returning with the rejection. It was forceful enough that he actually sat back for a moment, stunned. Laurel took a steadying breath before she said in a calmer tone, “I can’t, Tony. Not tonight. Please, I know I need to go, and I will. Just not right now. Aunt Ally’s exhausted; I don’t want to wake her up. I know she’d agree with you, but please, let her sleep a little longer. Please.”
Tony heard the unspoken guilt in her voice. She knew he was just as tired as Allina, yet Laurel had asked him to come over anyway. His teeth tugged at his bottom lip for a moment as looked Laurel over closely. She was having some trouble breathing, and she was definitely in more pain than usual. But at the same time, a spark was burning in her eyes, her Scottish stubbornness undimmed despite the hell the leukemia was putting her through. Would she be okay if she waited just a few hours?
Tony finally nodded his head, and he saw the relief flash through Laurel’s eyes as he conceded, “Okay. But first thing after Allina wakes up, you’re going in. You’re immune system’s shot; you’re supposed to beat this, not get brought down by a little bug.”
His reward was another smile from her, before her eyes grew troubled again. Taking up her hand again, Tony’s fingers found their way over her skin as Laurel said softly, “Yeah. If they can ever get a match…”
“The docs are still having trouble finding a donor?”
Laurel nodded, a soft frown puckering her mouth. “Yes. They’re keeping the chemo at a line where it won’t kill my system, but also keep the ALL from going too crazy while they try to find a close enough match for the bone marrow. I’m scared, Tony. I don’t want the doctors to give me a transplant if the match’s no good, but I don’t know if they’re ever going to it…”
“Breathe. Just breathe a moment, M'aingeal. It takes time to find a match, like you said. Just have a little faith. It’s going to be okay, M'aingeal, I promise,” Tony said soothingly.
Laurel slowly relaxed, and their conversation drifted over other topics. His classes and brothers, how the planning for Rhys and Lily’s wedding was going, if Laurel was planning to take a few classes of her own online. Eventually, they ran out of things to talk about, and she scooted over so she could curl up against him. Gently, Tony tried wrapping Laurel in a hug again, finding success this time as she settled into his arms. Her eyelids fluttered closed as a soft sigh escaped from her.
Quietly, Tony asked her, “Feeling better?”
“A little,” she whispered, and he could tell she was just this side of asleep; finally. He glanced at the clock, and saw that it said 5:30 a.m. He knew she still had to be admitted for extra care, but maybe now she could get just a little sleep first. Gently, his fingers traced their way around her ear and over her head before they came to rest on her collar bone. His blue-violet eyes softened as he listened to her breathing slowly even out as she drifted away.
“Thank-you, Tony.” It was a barely breathed sigh, the soft sound of dreams hidden beneath the words.
Gently, he kissed the corner of her eye, his own voice soft as he whispered, “Always, M'aingeal. Sleep well, love.”