Solace Who: Darcy and Liam Where: The hospital When: early morning
Darcy had been at the hospital all of twenty minutes. She’d seen both Patrick and Lochlan, relieved they weren’t dead, but then they’d talked to their sisters and she felt out of place. So she’d left, still dressed in one of Patrick’s sweaters she’d nicked out of his house that was too big and looked more like a dress. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, maybe Liam, maybe food. She’d done some time in a hospital when one of her oldest sisters had gotten pregnant. They’d spent hours there on a summer night waiting on her nephew to be born, and she’d remembered the halls always having something around corners. Vending machine, coffee station. It wasn’t like that now. This hospital would have seemed barren if it weren’t for the fact that there were people scattered about, dealing with the same thing she was dealing with: family and friends almost dead.
Liam’s morning had been just as busy as the night before. He’d slept until he’d been woken up and then he set right back to work, changing bandages, fixing stitches, et cetera until one of the other nurses had told him to take a small break and get some food. They didn’t have much, but someone had brought in some crackers from their home for them and he had half a sleeve of crackers he didn’t even want to eat in one hand, a cup of water in the other, and an aimlessness about him.
He really wished people wouldn’t stop him from working. It made him think too much, worry too much, and he wanted to be doing something productive. More productive than rounding a corner with crackers and water in his hand. He looked up just in time to see someone else round the corner too and plastered himself against the wall out of reflex, not wanting to smack into them. Only then did he see the red hair and recognize that it was Darcy, and that had him feeling a whole lot of things but mostly enough to smile. “Darcy...”
Darcy’s head jerked up at her name, stopping watching the cracks where the tiles met on the floor and turning to see Liam there. She went for a smile, happy to see him, but other emotions washed it away. She wasn’t happy. She was mildly terrified, after worrying all night just to find out her concerns were accurate and now she was in a damn hospital again and yes, everyone kept saying her cousins would be fine but they were still here which didn’t feel like they were fine yet. She didn’t hesitate, not even letting herself consider that maybe Liam liked his personal space and he didn’t need her invading it, she just stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. She buried her face near his neck, hearing her breath coming in tiny gasps echoing in her own ears. She was close to tears and hadn’t even realized it.
Oh no Oh god. Liam hesitated because he didn’t expect it so suddenly, even after they’d texted about it previously, and here he was with water and crackers and what did he do with those when Darcy was hugging him? He moved his arms, bringing them around her in a hug but keeping his hands out because they were still full of provisions. Somewhere in the midst of his thoughts, he heard the way she was breathing and it stung him. No, no, no...that was not ok. Darcy shouldn’t sound like that, like she was almost crying. “...I’m sorry,” He said, not sure why it was the first thing to come out of his mouth. Not sure what he was really even sorry about, but maybe it was just that he was sorry she felt she needed to cry. Or that he still didn’t really know if her family was here or not and he really should have known that by now.
That he was half holding on to her helped enough and for a long few moments Darcy just clung to him. He felt ground, Liam who was so different from her own family, from the people who didn’t understand her, that she felt like she could be like this with him. Vulnerable and needy. After a moment she had herself under control, pulling back, but staying close, hands near his chest as she wiped her eyes. “It’s fine. I’m...I just needed that. It’s not your fault.”
Liam didn’t move, stuck mostly between the wall and Darcy. He was focused very much on her, on her state, and immediately jumped into thinking about what he could to fix it. After a moment, he held out his hand with the crackers in them, up in an offering to her. “Are you ok?” He asked, when he realized a gift of stale bread wasn’t really a proper response.
Darcy watched him, looking at the crackers and taking them but not taking one, just holding them. “Not really,” she said softly. “I’m worried about my cousins. Feels like we keep saying they’re gonna be okay, but we’re saying it a little too much, you know?”
So they were here. “I can treat them,” Liam offered, looking back at Darcy, without really thinking about it. The crippling thought of his failure did cross his mind after a moment but he tried not to settle on it and instead looked back at Darcy. “I didn’t know...they were here but I can...help. Make sure I’m their nurse...”
She looked a little surprised then shook her head. “You don’t want that. I can only imagine what kind of terrible patients they’ll be.” And while she wanted the best for them and she didn’t doubt Liam’s skills, she didn’t want him anywhere near them. They didn’t need to know the boy she’d bought at the auction. Not yet anyway.
He didn’t really question it, but he did think he’d try and get Dr. Micah to take a special look at Darcy’s cousins. Darcy knew her cousins more than he did, way more, and if she didn’t think he should be treating them then maybe he shouldn’t be. “...Let’s go eat?” He suggested, looking for a bench or a couple of chairs for them to sit in and finding nothing close so he awkwardly just slid down the wall and sat on the floor, dirty scrubs and all. He also placed the water between himself and where he thought she’d sit, so she would know he’d share that too. “Good people at the hospital...” He said, as another consolation, since he didn’t think saying her cousins were going to be fine was the right move at this moment. Not when everyone else had already been saying that.
She waited to see if he’d move, but then he just sat on the floor, which was fine enough for her. She went where he guessed, scooting close to him and resting her head on his shoulder. “I know. You’re here. I just feel helpless. I want to do more.”
“I know,” He said, because he knew that feeling well. He felt it almost every day. It was the whole reason he was at the hospital, the whole reason he wanted to be a nurse. To not be helpless when it came to this. “...teach you how to change dressings properly? Clean properly...” He suggested, looking back at her where her head rested on his shoulder. It would give him something to do that wasn’t stare at her and maybe her something proactive to do outside of the hospital.
Darcy reached for his hand, lacing her fingers with his. “Maybe later. Can we just...sit here for now?” she asked, wanting to be close to someone.
Liam quieted and nodded, his fingers lacing with her automatically. He used his other hand to reach for a cracker and held it out to her specifically. He could sit and be quiet with the best of them, and he was happy to do that if that was what would make Darcy happy too.
She hesitated and took the cracker, hesitating before nibbling at it. She wasn’t that hungry anyway. “Liam...Have you ever had a girlfriend?” She wanted to talk about something else, something that wasn’t her family or tragedy.
Something that was going to freak Liam out hardcore. He gulped and realized that it was on cracker crumbs, which was not a good thing to gulp on. Coughing, he sputtered until he covered his mouth with his hand and went for the water with the other. After a moment, feeling embarrassed thoroughly, he shook his head and put the water down but didn’t look at Darcy straight on.
Darcy sat up more when he choked on his cracker, frowning. “I haven’t either...Or well, had a boyfriend,” she told him looking at him with a tiny smile. “I think I’d want one though.”
What did he say? What was he supposed to say? He swallowed hard and finally glanced over at her, nerves really getting to him. He’d been patching people up left and right for hours now and yet somehow he was more nervous here. “Boyfriends are good to have...I think.” Was this one of those times when it was appropriate to respond with what he’d want? He wasn’t sure, but he went for it anyway. “Maybe I’d like one too someday...not boyfriend.”
“I would think so,” Darcy said with a smile. “I guess it depends on the boyfriend.” Liam would probably be a good boyfriend. He seemed that way. She fixed a smile on him at his admission, nodding. “I think you’d love that. You’d be a good boyfriend.”
Maybe having a girlfriend wouldn't be a bad thing. It'd be a scary thing, but maybe not such a bad thing. Her words had him blushing again and he reached for the water, forcing himself to take a sip so he wouldn't look as awkward as he felt. "…I think you'd be a good girlfriend too."
Darcy raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh really?” she asked. “I know I’m a good kisser.” That might be a stretch, but no one had told her she wasn’t yet. Which was a good start in her book.
Liam's skin heated up again, more than before, and he ducked his head to get another cracker. He cleared his throat because it felt like it was the right thing to do, especially when he didn't know what else to say. He'd gotten a couple kisses on his cheeks from her but nothing more than that, and even those kisses had made his face flare up this way. "I don't know…if I am." He admitted. He hadn’t kissed anyone before so his basis of comparison was pretty much a big goose-egg.
“No?” Darcy asked, smirk showing up in her features. “Do you want to find out?”
Liam felt his skin heat up again and was sure he was bright, bright red by now. “I...don’t...I don’t know.” He said, looking back at her honestly. He hadn’t been thinking about kissing anyone lately, just keeping the blood from all those hurt inside their bodies as much as possible, and that was why her question confused him as much as it did. Because as different as their conversation had been, he still wasn’t expecting that turn of events.
Darcy liked his blush. It made him so different than Lochlan or Patrick or her own brothers. Thinking about them though put a damper on her good and she nodded slowly. “Well if you decide you want to...let me know? I’d want to try.” Normally she might have just kissed him, but she wasn’t quite herself at the moment.
That...wow. If it wasn’t hard enough for him to keep his cool around her already, that didn’t help. He glanced back her way and nodded slowly before reaching out to take her hand again. It was a strange day for both of them, but Liam at least figured he didn’t have to let her walk it alone.
She leaned closer again, head back on his shoulder. She was still craving the contact, maybe the kiss too, but this would do for now. “When they’re better...we can still go on our date right? This doesn’t count does it?”
Liam looked down and watched Darcy, happy for the quiet for a few moments before she spoke. He nodded again and squeezed her hand a little. “This doesn’t count,” He promised, because he didn’t think it did. He was exhausted and her family was in the hospital. Maybe they could both use some time off from it later, when they were healed.