allmydreams | In which a friend in need is a friend indeed.

[Set after THIS and THIS.]

She knew better than most that she shouldn't be here.

She wasn't even supposed to be in the state. She was supposed to have been home in the beginning of the week, but the firm made her stay over for a few days and now she was going to the hospital in the middle of the night because Aaron had given himself alcohol poisoning. She didn't know why she was going, to be honest. She had said she was done with him, and that she never wanted to see him again, but she couldn't help herself.

She loved him. She'd always loved him. She couldn't stop loving him, even if she wanted to, because he had given her her son, and she would always care for him for that. Always hope that one day he'll want to actually meet him, see this incredible thing he'd helped create, but there wasn't much she could do there. All she could do was wait, and she knew that she said she was tired of waiting but she had to see him here. Because she couldn't bear to lose that hope.

She leaned in the doorway of his hospital room, waiting there silently while Jake worked on the paper work. When the nurse started hassling her, she moved inside, going to sit in one of the chairs next to the bed, and just watching him carefully for a moment, before leaning forward and burying her face in her hands.

"Damnit, Aaron. Why do you do stuff like this?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Well...sorry I didn't do a more effective job."

"No, I'm not -- " she paused, moving her free hand to run it over her face lightly. "I'm not mad at you, babe. I'm scared for you."

"Why?"

"Why would I want anything to happen to you?" she said softly, her hand moving back to brush against his face lightly, shifting so that her thumb would brush against his cheekbones. "You drive me crazy, you know that? In the good and bad way."

He shook his head. "You're supposed to be done with me," he whispered.

She sighed. "We've got a kid, Aaron. We're never going to be done with each other."

"Haven't you learned anything?" He murmured.

She was quiet for a moment, before shifting so that she could push herself up gently to sit on the edge of the bed. She curled her hands around his protectively in her lap, before looking up at him again.

"I know it's stupid, and that it doesn't make any sense. But I love you. Good or bad, I always have and I'm always going to, even if sometimes you piss me off in more ways than one person can humanly manage, and I think that's because I love you. You'll always have me. Whether you want it or not. Love isn't always rational. It just -- happens."

He tugged on her hands, pulling her down under his arm.

She moved and curled into him, letting her head rest against his chest lightly and draped an arm across his waist.

"You're a fuckin' idiot."

"So I've been told," she sighed, closing her eyes as she relaxed against him.

He went quiet, not really wanting to speak his mind anymore.

She didn't push, just stayed curled up close to him. She knew that Aaron never really was one for words anyway. Pushing him for them wouldn't do her much good.

It wasn't long before he was falling back into his cloudy sleep.

She felt his breathing even out, but just stayed there, not really wanting to move until someone told her to.

After bit, Jake came into the room and paused when he saw her. He sighed, shaking his head, and moved to where she had been sitting so her could see her face.

"Hey."

"Hi," she said softly, before shifting slowly, moving so that she didn't wake him up, but so that she was sitting up a little more, letting her head rest against his shoulder. "He's already called me an idiot, so you might as well save your breath."

Jake sighed and shook his head. "Wasn't gonna." He looked over at Aaron.

She shifted as she followed his eyes, before just settling in next to him again, letting herself get as comfortable as she could.

"How's he doin'?"

"Okay," she said with a nod. "Or, I think he will. He was aware enough to ask me if I've learned anything about having a relationship with him when I told him I wasn't going anywhere."