Sam (the_cleric) wrote in the_dome, @ 2013-07-17 21:34:00 |
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Entry tags: | 04-06-2017, audrey, audrey and liam, liam |
Lullaby
Who: liam and audrey
Where: hospital
When: afternoon/eveningish
It was late. The girl with the scars and the rifle had shown up to see Eli, and Audrey hadn't fought her on it. Instead, she'd gone to find something to eat, then sit in the hall outside of Eli's room. She was on the floor, back up against the wall, holding the green apple in her hand, but she wasn't actually eating it. There was a very distant stare coming from her, a quiet stillness that had mostly been seen when they were in areas that were particularly bad out there.
Liam hadn't really left since that first trip to find food with Finn. A couple of other nurses had come in to check on Eli and he'd requested they let people know that Liam was staying. None of them really questioned him for whatever reason, whether it be his age or something else, and he was thankful for it. He had been pulled away for a moment to explain why he wanted to stay with Eli to another nurse and was on his way back when he saw Audrey on the floor. Not saying anything at first, he moved to sit beside her and watch her hold the apple in her hand. Then, after a moment, he nudged her arm, because he couldn’t stand the look on Audrey’s face. It was too reminiscent of the worst of times. "Bite…"
A little of the twist in her stomach eased when Liam was there. It didn't cure it or anything, but it wasn't quite as tight. She also did take a bite, because he asked. "I know I should be hungry," she said. "I'm just...not. Want to share it with me?" she asked, turning her gaze on him.
"…Not hungry either," He said, so he definitely understood not wanting to eat but needing to. "Share," He agreed, hand out for the apple as he tried to give Audrey a small smile. Maybe she needed it, something nice, something that wasn't all this pain and suffering and sadness that being outside of Eli's room at the hospital brought. "Think he's gonna be fine." He had to be. There wasn't another option.
Audrey handed over the apple, and returned the smile, though hers was just as tiny as his. It also didn't quite reach her eyes. "He better be." she said. She looked at him. "Honestly, Liam, when did you sleep last?" she asked. "I'm worried."
He took a bite of the apple and handed it back to Audrey, chewing and reminding himself to use what was left of his manners to swallow the apple before speaking. "….Took a nap…earlier. Then….Dr. Micah made me sleep last night sometime. Not really thinking about it," He answered honestly, not sure he knew the math right now. He was tired and he was sure it showed in his eyes, but he'd needed to stay. People were hurt and he needed to help as much as he could. It hadn't been enough to keep Eli from getting hurt, though. "Okay," He promised as he looked at Audrey's eyes again. "I'm okay."
His answer didn't really alleviate her concern. It still sounded to her like he hadn't gotten much rest at all. Or not enough, anyhow. "You look exhausted." she told him. She patted her thigh. "You could always rest right here." she suggested. "You know I'd wake you up if anything was happening or you were needed."
He stared at where she patted, thinking back to times he may have done this before and how it just felt a little different now, even though he couldn't really put his finger on it. Still, he shifted and rested his head on Audrey's thigh where she'd patted, but didn't close his eyes. "…Hard to sleep," He admitted in a soft voice. When he closed his eyes, he thought about things, and those weren't things he wanted to think about. He didn't want to think about all the blood, all the screams and heartache and pain, he didn't want to think about seeing Eli hurt…but he did when he tried to rest.
She got that. All too well. She was fairly certain, as much as she was pushing taking care of needs with the guys that she wouldn't be doing much to take care of herself. Gazing down at him, Audrey reached out and started to thread her fingers through his hair lightly. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked. "Anything at all."
"Don't get hurt," He said instantly, feeling his eyes drift shut. This was…a lot. Everything that was happening right now, it was all throwing him for a loop. He had way too many thoughts, too many feelings, all looming together into one big, confused jumble. He tried not to think about them right now, to focus on something else, and wished pretty hard that he had Terry the Very Secure Ninja with him. Instead, his hand went to the elastic bracelet on his left wrist and he tugged at it gently. "Please. Promise? Can't have you hurt too."
“I promise.” Audrey told him. Sure, she couldn’t actually do that, who knew what the future would hold. But she wouldn’t do anything that would put herself in harm’s way, either. She kept looking down at him, seeing him touch the bracelet. Her fingers kept drifting through his hair, and she kind of wished she could curl up with him. But she knew that wasn’t an option, and would probably freak him out. “I won’t do anything that would get me hurt at all.”
Liam nodded a little. He was quiet for a long time, hand still playing with the bracelet on his wrist, and when he spoke it was even quieter than his voice before. "…Wish we were home. Wish…wish home was safe." It didn't feel that way anymore. Not with the bats, not with the ghosts, not with this. Definitely not with this.
That made her heart ache. The first thing that came to mind was the tree. Home was where the tree was. They'd had plans there. She nodded quietly, though, even if he wasn't looking at her to see it. "Whatever you want us to do so you can feel safe again, we'll do, okay?" she said. She didn't know that there was a ton they could do, but she'd do whatever it took. Reinforcing the house, everyone moving to upstairs bedrooms even if people had to share...shutting off the downstairs while they were up there...
He didn't know what they could do to really make the house safe again. The house, the dome itself…even the hospital felt unsafe now. "Will you sing?" He asked, looking back up at her for a moment. Maybe if Audrey sang a song he could focus on that and not on the mission of making the house feel safe again.
Looking down at him, Audrey made eye contact, then nodded. "Of course." she told him. "Any requests, or do you want me to come up with something?" She gave him a soft smile, just barely there. It was all she could manage, but at least it was genuine.
"Just something you like," He said, shifting a little so he could look up at her. At least for now, he could focus on Audrey and not all the bad that was happening outside of this space. It would be a lot easier to think of good things with Audrey around.
The first song that came to mind was Winter, by Tori Amos, but she chose not to do that one. There were some lyrics in there that were a little too close to how she was feeling lately. But she still wanted to choose quickly, so she started out Bring On The Wonder instead. "I can't see the stars anymore living here, let's go to the hills where the outlines are clear...bring on the wonder, bring on the song, I pushed you down deep in my soul for too long..." she sang, voice soft, the hallway echoing slightly with it, but it was all for his ears. She also found herself watching his eyes as she sang, maintaining that connection as long as he'd allow.
Liam didn't think he'd ever truly understood how calming a song could be until he met Audrey. They didn't often focus on songs in his household; he'd never felt it was fair to Hayley to do that, but ever since Audrey started to sing around songs had become much more important. It was easier to forget the bad things when she sang and so he tried to let them go so he could just focus on her and the song. As she did, a smile started to form on his lips, because the song, her voice, made the halls feel that much safer.
God, a smile. That seemed to hit her right in the heart. Funny, how one didn't realize how important something was til it seemed to come from nowhere. But in this case, she didn't think she'd see a smile from him in a long time. Not with everything happening, to him specifically. But there it was. And she couldn't help but return it, as she continued the song, fingers of one hand starting their progression through his hair again. "I fell through the cracks at the end of our street, let's go to the beach, get the sand through our feet...Bring on the wonder, bring on the song, I pushed you down deep in my soul for too long..." She was aware there were other people in the hospital, going to and from different rooms, but she tuned them out. "Bring on the wonder, we got it all wrong, we pushed you down deep in our souls for too long..."
Liam was trying to keep himself awake. Audrey deserved to have someone to talk to if she wanted to, someone to be present with her right now, but her voice was really soothing and he was so tired. It hit him hard, somewhere in between wonder and sand and souls, and he felt his eyes droop until they shut. His breath evened out quicker than normal, much quicker, and Liam drifted to sleep, sent off by Audrey's lullaby.
Audrey watched him drift off, and smiled to herself. She finished the song in a softer voice, loving getting to see him peaceful. Where he was done with worrying, done with responsibilities for a few minutes, where he could just rest. It was a sight that was one she'd always looked for on the boys when they were out there in the world, and she liked seeing it again now. She started humming a new song quietly when she was done with the first, fine with providing the soundtrack to his dreams.