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Post by Sean Leviner on Oct 17, 2011 13:45:32 GMT -5
(Sean got jealous og Dan and Victoria having a thread lol)
Daniel was snoring softly. It wasn't loud enough to be obnoxious. In fact, it was a sound Sean knew well, and it almost comforted him.
Otherwise, the dark room was quiet. And Sean was exhausted. By all accounts, he should have been sleeping. He even tried for a while, but he just couldn't do it. Sleep evaded him, while his mind replayed everything that happened that day. It was going to drive him mad... literally.
Finally, he let out a long sigh and forced himself up. He would abandon sleep and go the other route, deciding to wander to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee.
The halls were quiet, with the occasional staff member coming out of a room. He was getting far too familiar with the layout of the hospital.
The cafeteria, surprisingly, seemed to be awfully busy for the early hour. But then, whatever it took to keep going, he guessed.
After getting a cup himself, and putting a lid on right away (he drank so much of it, he just drank it black now). When he turned around, though, he was immediately grateful for that lid. He pulled up short, just barely stopping himself from slamming into another body. "Whoa, sorry, wasn't paying attention."
It was only them that he looked at the almost victim. "Lydia? You're not still on the clock, are you?"
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Post by Lydia Kenyon on Oct 17, 2011 23:00:11 GMT -5
It had been a much quieter night after the excitement of Sean's arrival. The vampire was secured in a guarded room in isolation and everyone else was sleeping, or at least trying to. No other big catastrophes came in, except for an old woman with an infected kneazle bite. As a result, even though Lydia had pulled the night shift, she actually got to nap for a good two hours in the middle of the night.
Now she was awake, with another 3 hours left to her shift, and had gone to the cafeteria for some watered-down coffee and a stale pastry--just something to keep her going the rest of the morning.
"Sean!" she said when he bumped into her. She felt a slight blush creep on to her cheeks, and she turned slightly to pour herself a cup of coffee in hopes that he wouldn't notice. "Yeah, lucky me, I got the old graveyard shift. How are you feeling? Do you need another headache potion? Is Daniel all right? I was going to check in on you two in a little while."
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Post by Sean Leviner on Oct 21, 2011 14:25:08 GMT -5
Sean was struck by just how small she seemed to him in that moment. She always seemed so strong to him that he never realized just how.... petite she could be. Not until they were this close.
But her questions drug him back to the moment, and he tried to catch up with what she was asking him, since he clearly hadn't been paying attention. Slowly, he smiled. "Slow down with the interrogation there. We're fine. Dan's fast asleep. I couldn't really sleep, so coffee sounded like the next best thing. It's nice to see a friendly face though."
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Post by Lydia Kenyon on Oct 21, 2011 17:36:56 GMT -5
Lydia laughed lightly. "Sorry. I'm a little more used to these night shifts than I should be, I guess," she said. "A two-hour nap and I'm ready to go again."
Lydia actually liked the night shift. Most of the time, it was quiet at night. It was during the day when the hospital tended to be busy. On the other hand, however, when there was an emergency late at night, it was usually bad.
Leading him over to a table near the door, she sat down and rubbed her eyes. "It's good to see you, too," she said a little shyly. "And without your brother to make comments," she added with a wry grin. "That must drive you crazy."
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Post by Sean Leviner on Oct 22, 2011 12:00:29 GMT -5
Sean sat down across from her, one arm naturally folding under his chest, while the other remained free, fingers curled around the warm coffee cup. He groaned a little when she brought up his brother, his cheeks tinging pink. "Yeah... I'm really sorry about that. He... uh... you know." He had no explanation for his brother. "It's a sibling thing. He just likes to torment me. Sorry if it offended you, though."
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Post by Lydia Kenyon on Oct 22, 2011 16:06:50 GMT -5
Lydia laughed, an unusual sound even to her own ears. When was the last time she'd laughed like that?
"No, it's OK, really," she said. "I wasn't offended. It was kind of cute, actually. I used to have a brother, so I know what it's like."
It had to be the first time she had ever referred to any of her family without her eyes tearing up. Strangely, it actually felt good to talk about her family, after having locked them up inside her mind for so long. She glanced at him, fully expecting him to ask the question, and she found that it didn't scare her as much as she had expected.
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Post by Sean Leviner on Oct 25, 2011 22:15:00 GMT -5
"Cute," Sean repeated, letting out a half embarrassed laugh of disbelief. No, he didn't think Dan's teasing was cute. But he did know that he would miss it if anything ever happened, and Dan wasn't there to tease him anymore... or if he wasn't there for Dan to tease. He rubbed his right eye with the heel of his hand, but he looked back up at her rather sharply. His smile was gone, and his gaze was level with hers, just trying to read her face.
He didn't want to be the insensitive jerk that asked, but then, she had brought it up. "Used to?" he repeated as a question, features softening and ready to back track if she seemed offended that he asked.
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Post by Lydia Kenyon on Oct 26, 2011 0:49:45 GMT -5
She smiled sadly back at him and took a breath. It wasn't something she brought up in casual conversation, and it wasn't like she had many people to talk about it with. Everyone on the staff knew her story, and she had never really just told anyone else. It was easier to shut it up inside if she didn't think about it. But somehow, Sean made her feel at ease... and she wanted to share it with him.
"Yeah. Actually, I had two brothers. They died when I was 16." She bit down on her lower lip for a minute, just looking at him. Then, abruptly, she made her decision. "Feel like taking a little walk? There's someone I want you to meet."
(Note: I had to double-check Lydia's profile, because I thought she had 3 sisters and one brother, but she actually had two sisters and two brothers. Lol, whoops!)
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Post by Sean Leviner on Oct 28, 2011 14:04:07 GMT -5
"Oh. I'm so sorry, Lydia." What else was he supposed to say to something like that? Lydia was not That old, so this was a recent tragedy in her life. He ached for her, and he didn't even know the extent of it.
"Yeah... a walk sounds great," he told her, though in that moment, he wouldn't have denied her anything. His curiosity took a back seat as he stood up, offering her a hand to do the same.
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Post by Lydia Kenyon on Oct 28, 2011 21:00:37 GMT -5
"Thanks." There was equally nothing else she could say in reply.... in general, her history could be a bit of a conversation-stopper. And she didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but something told her that he would understand. He'd seen things, maybe not in his family life, but in his job, that made him well-equipped to sympathize with tragedy. If she had known of his "gift," she would have been even more certain that what she was about to do was the right thing.
Placing her hand in his, she allowed him to help her to her feet. She liked the way her hand felt in his, so she didn't let go as they began to walk out of the cafeteria and down the halls. She steered him carefully toward the lifts and pushed the button to call the elevator. The cafeteria was on the fifth floor, and the long-term care ward was on the fourth floor, so as they stepped inside, she hit the button for number 4. Unsure of what to say, she did all of this in silence, but kept looking at his face, wondering what he was thinking.
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Post by Sean Leviner on Oct 31, 2011 3:15:43 GMT -5
Sean wasn't even curious... he couldn't have described his feelings as she lead him towards the lift. He liked how she wouldn't let go of his hand, and yes, he wondered where she was taking him, who he was about to meet. But he sensed the somberness in her countanance right then, and he knew that whoever this person was, this was an important moment. And even before he knew what he was about to see, he felt honored that she was sharing this with him.
When he caught her glances, he could only give her a reassuring smile. If she wanted sympathy, she would definitely get it from Sean.
The lift doors opened, and he held his hand out just to make sure they wouldn't close on her, and stepped out behind her into the hallway.
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Post by Lydia Kenyon on Oct 31, 2011 22:18:30 GMT -5
With every step, Lydia's heart seemed to beat louder and louder, and she was glad for Sean's reassuring smile and the feeling of his hand in hers. She knew he would be understanding and sympathetic... that wasn't the worry. But for Lydia, it was always a big step to let anyone inside her little shell, and by introducing him to Sarah, that was what she'd be doing. Something just told her that she needed to do this.
Squeezing his hand, she led the way to a room in a far corner of the hallway marked "Long-term care unit." She paused before the door, taking a deep breath before she pushed it open and stepped inside.
It was a cold, sterile, brightly lit room that was sectioned off with curtains. They walked down the center of the room, passing three rows of closed curtains on each side of them. One curtain was partially open, revealing a glimpse of a bed with a person lying still and motionless. But she kept walking to the very back of the large room, then stopped at the curtain next to the window.
She looked at Sean once more, and this time, the pain was written all over her face. Biting down on her bottom lip, she pulled the curtains back to reveal another bed, this one containing a young woman.
She looked vaguely like Lydia, with the same dark hair and pale complexion, but her features were thin and wasted. She looked weak and fragile, like a porcelain doll lying in suspended animation, complete with long, dark lashes and smooth, unblemished skin.
"This is Sarah," Lydia said in a shaky voice, staring down at her sister. "My sister. She's all that's left of my family. She's been in a coma for five years."
Lydia looked back up at Sean, and a tear trickled down her cheek.
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Post by Sean Leviner on Nov 1, 2011 15:57:10 GMT -5
He didn't know what to expect, even as they walked into the long term care. Sure, he could make a couple of very educated guesses, but nothing to the full extent of the pain he saw written over her features when they finally stopped. His heart ached for her, for whoever was behind this curtain that meant so much to her.
He was quiet as she pulled the curtain back and explained to him who it was. He could see the resemblance... and he almost wondered if Sarah was even still in there. Without thinking, he reached out, taking Sarah's hand in his. It was a moment that didn't last long, however, as he turned to look at Lydia, words on his lips that died there when he saw the tear on her cheek. He knew almost instinctively what it meant that she shared this with him, and he stepped closer to her, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle but firm hug. He just felt like she needed it- he wasn't sure how much physical contact she got from anyone, and sometimes, a hug made a world of difference... just someone saying they cared.
He was surprised at how natural it felt to want to take care of her- to take her pain away. "I'm very sorry, Lydia."
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Post by Lydia Kenyon on Nov 1, 2011 22:13:07 GMT -5
It had been a very long time since anyone had held her. Five years, to be exact. She dimly remembered people--friends and strangers--hugging her and trying to comfort her after the accident, but she'd been so numb that it meant nothing to her. And after five years, the pain didn't get any easier. If anything, it was worse now, because she had been alone so long and because she'd lost that ability to be numb to it... the shock had worn off and faded into the monotonous ache of living without them.
She wasn't sure when it happened, but sometime between when Sean had taken Sarah's hand and when he pulled her into his arms, she broke down and cried. It had been a while since she had really cried over it... her parents, her brothers and sisters, and maybe she needed it. She cried without a sound, however, and buried her face in his chest. Godric, she felt so safe in his arms. She couldn't even remember the last time she had felt safe.
Finally she pulled away and began to wipe her eyes, smiling sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... your shirt's all wet."
She laughed nervously at this, then took a deep breath. "I didn't bring you up here to make you feel sorry for me. I just... I wanted you to know. You can imagine I don't talk about it very often..."
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Post by Sean Leviner on Nov 2, 2011 16:30:18 GMT -5
"No, it's okay."
Sean almost wanted to apologize for hugging her. It must have been weird, considering that she didn't know him that well. Even if he felt like she knew him better than he let most people get to know him. That was besides the point, though.
Either way, she didn't seem terribly plussed by that act (having bigger things to worry about). "No, I don't imagine you do. Do you... do you want to? I mean, we can take a walk, and I promise I'm a really good listener." He didn't think she talked about it at all, to be honest, and maybe she needed to. He knew it would hurt, though. "You know... I've learned that sometimes letting someone else carry your burden, even for a little ways, helps a lot."
Merlin, he felt like a hypocrite saying it. He just wanted to help her.
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Post by Lydia Kenyon on Nov 2, 2011 23:04:28 GMT -5
Lydia nodded and wiped at her eyes. It didn't matter that she visited her sister nearly every day... she cried every time.
"I'd like that," she said. Holding up her index finger to indicate that she wanted him to wait just a moment, Lydia turned her attention back to Sarah. Sometimes her position changed, and she sometimes seemed to have a different expression on her motionless face, but maybe it was all in Lydia's imagination.
She squeezed her sister's hand and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll be back later, Sarah," she said, although she still had no idea if Sarah could hear her.
Finally, she took a deep breath and turned back to Sean. She slipped her hand into his and they walked quietly out of the long-term care ward. When they were back in the hall again, Lydia felt like she could breathe again.
"I was the only witch in a family of muggles," she began. "They were coming to pick me up from King's Cross when the accident happened. A lorry driver lost control and swerved into their lane... My parents and brothers were killed instantly. My sister Melissa hung on for two weeks before she died... and now only Sarah is left. I.... I broke down after it happened. That was why I left school... I was here. In the psych ward."
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Post by Sean Leviner on Nov 11, 2011 1:58:05 GMT -5
Sean watched with a kind of awe as she went to her sister's side, promising that she would be back later. It had been years... why hadn't Lydia let go? But then, he thought about it, and if it were Daniel where Sarah was, Sean wouldn't let anyone tell him that his brother wasn't coming back. His chest ached at how much this must hurt her. He wished he could take this all away from her and make her feel better, whole again.
On some deep, selfish level, he wished she could do the same for him.
He almost braced for a vision when she took his hand. He wasn't an empath, of course, but when there was a lot of emotion in a situation, or even tension, he could be more prone to them. But, surprisingly, it was quiet, and he could focus on her. He squeezed her hand, quiet until they were outside.
"She can hear you, you know. I know she can."
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Post by Lydia Kenyon on Nov 13, 2011 0:49:17 GMT -5
"I hope so," Lydia said softly. She looked up at him with grateful eyes. Surely he could understand the bond she still felt with her only surviving sibling, even after all this time. She had seen how he was with his brother.
"Do you think I'm selfish for keeping her alive?" she asked. "In the muggle hospital, they kept trying to convince me to let them shut the machine off, but I couldn't do it. I just... I feel like there's a reason she's still alive, even if only barely. I feel like she's still in there somewhere. That's why I brought her here... the healers are working on new treatments to bring her back. Nothing has worked yet... but sometimes she squeezes my hand. And her eyes fluttered once. While there's a chance... I can't let her go."
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Post by Sean Leviner on Nov 13, 2011 1:14:04 GMT -5
Sean shook his head at the question without even really having to think about it. He knew, were it Dan there... Daniel would want him to stop the machine. He wouldn't want to live that kind of life. But Sean would always want to have that hope that he'd pull out of it. "No, I think it makes you human," he answered her honestly. "And it impresses, actually."
He cast a glance at her. "Six years is a long time to keep that hope. It says a lot about how strong you are."
While he said this, he also realized that perhaps it was how Lydia kept going. Keeping the hope that her sister would come out of it was how she battled the inevitable loneliness. Again, he ached for her, and he wished there was anything he could do. He wished he could tell her that her sister would come back or not... just some way of knowing. Closure, even, for her.
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Post by Lydia Kenyon on Nov 14, 2011 1:21:06 GMT -5
Lydia gave him a brittle smile. She always felt like a raw nerve when she came back from visiting Sarah, and yet she needed to see her as often as possible, to remind her that she was still there. Sean was right about the need to keep her hopes up. She needed something to hope for, to believe in. She had to believe that Sarah was still in there; that one day she would come back to her. She had survived the accident, and somehow fought off the infection from her injuries, and even survived an embolism that nearly burst. She had managed to get through all of that... there had to be a reason. Sarah had always been the fighter, and Lydia was sure she wasn't ready to give up.
"Thank you," she said, looking up at him with liquid eyes. "I don't feel strong whenever I come back from visiting her. I feel like broken glass. It's just... she's all I have. And I'm all she has. You know?"
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