Leo

 

I looked at the doctor who was leading us through a winding maze of hallways and doorways past nurses stations, grumbling doctors, and a seemingly infinite number of patient room. She was an older dark skinned woman whose expression shifted back and forth between unhappy scowl and wide smile more times than I can count as she made conversation with Em and her assistant Natalie.

 

“So this is August’s mom.” I couldn’t help but compare them in my mind. Both had that kind of frantic emotional switch. Both of them went above and beyond for their family. But that was only now. 

 

I knew how she acted in the past, the things she said and did to her.

 

I felt the rubber on Em’s wheelchair dig into my hands as my grip tightened fiercely. Em didn’t say anything but they reached back and gently laid their hand over my own, forcing me to take a deep breath and smile at them. 

 

The past is in the past.

 

I knew how expensive this hospital was, how highly it rated on a national level for patient care and the world renown skill of it’s doctors. There is no way in hell we ever would have been able to get Em seen here if it wasn’t for Viviek’s influence. I didn’t have to like her, in fact I really didn’t like her, but August trusts her for this…

 

“This… is our garden.” Dr. Viviek smiled proudly as we stepped out into an enormous glass domed garden, more biome, hidden deep in the winding hospitals of the garden. The walls were all glass like a greenhouse, allowing a maybe six foot gap of natural green grass from the space where the hallway ended to the space where the domes began. Inside the greenhouse were large hedges lined with flowers full of butterflies fluttering back and forth. The space itself was as large as maybe three gymnasiums squished together. Large enough to take maybe most of an hour of walking to go from one side to the other if you were taking your time. 

 

As we were about to walk in, a sudden beeping echoed out from the doctor's waist.

 

“Is that… a pager?” I asked aloud, bemused by the historical relic.

 

“They're reliable.” Viviek replied in a no-nonsense tone, as she let out a groan before walking over to the wall and typing in a number.

 

A few minutes of hasty heated whisper-shouting into the telephone later and Dr. Viviek hung it up, before standing there deeply breathing and then turned around to face us with a sigh.

“Turns out I have a meeting I have to go to. Natalie here will stay and take care of you guys so don’t worry about a thing. Please be mindful of the time as much as possible.” She turned to Em specifically after that, kneeling down to talk to her at eye level. “I want you to enjoy the air but I also don’t want you to overexert yourself and get worse. When I’m done I’ll send Natalie a text, and meet you in your new room in my wing. You’ll be starting your physical therapy in the morning tomorrow so plan on getting as much rest as possible.”

 

I saw Em roll their eyes just a little before grumbling out a comment about sleep feeling redundant when you already slept for almost six months. Viviek made a clear effort to resist responding to that, before smiling and turning to walk away. 

 

Natalie was hastily looking back and forth between us and her mentor before sprinting over as quietly as possible, calling for Viviek.

 

I watched the two of them have a muffled and aggressive back and forth before Natalie let out an annoyed sigh, walking back towards us as the doctor turned to go down the hallway towards the elevators we’d just left. 

 

“Sorry you gotta babysit us.” I was laughing a little bit but genuinely meant it. Natalie was nice, funny, and intelligent. I didn’t doubt that having to walk alone around a garden with Em and I was not what she had in mind when she asked to shadow Viviek. 

 

She sighed deeply before closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, and smiling as she walked back over towards us. “It’s not really babysitting if I’m happy to do it. True, I want to keep shadowing Viviek and get more experience but you guys are fun and I’m happy to hang out with you.”

 

She walked alongside us, moving closer so we drifted through the elaborate garden together. I was amazed at the amount of wildlife that seemed to be happily growing inside this place. “The architect of the building modeled it off of the Miller Park Conservatory in Milwaukee Wisconsin. There are actually three other domes just like this in different areas of the hospital campus. Each one is it’s own biome for the wildlife and plants that live here.” She explained casually as we walked through the winding pathways aghast and amazed at the colorful flowers and vivid greenery spread throughout.

 

“You're really knowledgeable about it!” Em said surprised as we turned a corner. 

 

Nat smiled proudly as she slid her hand onto Em’s shoulder casually. “I was here when the architect was designing the third dome. This one is the oldest but the desert biome is only about fifteen years old.” 

 

We looked at Nat confused as we stopped at a garden feature, a bubbling water spring pumping out hot water like a natural geyser. 

Nat saw our confused expression and explained laughing. “Oh that's right, Doctor Viviek never gave you my last name.” She bowed confidently and exaggeratedly re-introduced herself. “My name is Natalie Aurea Vorheese, daughter of Dr. Whilhelm Iubar Vorheese, head of nero-science and current president of The Vorheese Academy of Medical Research.” 

 

I gazed at Em as we both exchanged confused and just slightly worried looks as this strange girl introduced herself like some kind of shakespearean actor. “Righht.” I dragged it out as I pushed Em’s wheelchair away from Nat and moved on around the corner as she rapidly sprinted to catch up to us.

 

“Wait! Wait! I promise I’m telling you the truth! Please don’t leave, Doctor Viviek will yell at me again!”

 

Em sighed and muttered for me to slow down so Nat could catch up to us. “She’s definitely full of it but there's no reason to ditch her.”

 

I started to mutter that being alone with Em was enough reason to abandon the weird girl but stopped when I realized the implications of what I was saying. Em and I looked away from each other as I tried to ignore their blushing. “Uhmm… I didn’t… I mean unless-” I tried asking Em what she was thinking about when Nat caught up to us panting. 

 

“Please-” She took a deep breath rubbing at her ankles. “Don’t ditch me again.” 

 

I shook my head and looked at her, her shirt was unbuttoned just a bit more than was professionally acceptable and I hadn’t noticed it before but as she rubbed at her ankles, the shortness of her skirt was a bit more apparent than earlier. “I guess some people would be distracted by that.” When I looked at Em though, she just seemed boring. I couldn’t help honestly asking what I realized when I looked at her. “Why were you running in heels? In fact, honestly, why are you wearing heels at all?”

 

I’d been visiting the hospital a lot and knew they definitely didn’t expect the nurses to wear heels all the time. If they did there would be a riot. She didn’t look all that surprised by the question though in fact she looked a bit happy I’d noticed her outfit at all. “I like how they look. Aren’t they cute?” She stretched her leg out to emphasize her heels. I shrugged nonchalantly as Em shook their head.

 

I started to say something to Em when all of a sudden they started coughing. I regretted not bringing water with us from the cafeteria when Nat started frowning, concern evident in her eyes. “That cough isn’t good, I wish I’d thought to bring some water with us. Why don’t you guys sit here for a moment. We passed a vending machine on the way in.” Em started to insist they were fine but the coughing began again and Nat leaned over and looked Em in the eyes.

 

“Hey, don’t try and just tough it out. I’m here to help you, let me do that please. I’m gonna go and get you some water and we’ll sit here for a little bit OK?” Nat gave her a wide smile that seemed to brighten the space around her and I was struck by the deep sense of just how intelligent and attractive this girl is. 

 

“Jesus Christ, control yourself Leo. Em is right there! Don’t let yourself be distracted, not when you know how you feel about Em.” I chastised myself while keeping my feelings to myself. I can appreciate Nat’s clear attractiveness while still appreciating how fantastic Em is.

 

“Smart. Strong. Super hot. Realistically, there is no competition for who is better there.” I heaped my mental praise onto Em without really thinking about it as Nat asked us to just wait here and ran off, leaving her heels behind so she could move much faster without having to worry about tripping. 

 

“Don’t wear heels then.” I remarked with an eyeroll. 

 

“Didn’t stop you from staring.” Em whispered with a giggle at my expression, as my cheeks heated up. I looked aside trying to distract myself but my blushing only intensified. 

 

Ignoring their suddenly better cough I shot back with, “I wasn’t the only one staring.” Em looked away and started whistling. They ignored my jab completely but ended laughing aloud after just a couple of seconds, unable to hold the act together. 

 

“It should be a crime to be that cute when laughing.” I thought mindlessly not realizing I’d gone silent and ended up staring at them.

 

“Compared to you though, she isn’t anything.” I blurted out my inner thoughts without even considering it. When Em hadn’t replied I looked over to see them blushing even more intensely than I was, as they stared at the ground so intensely I expected it to burst into flames.

 

After a minute Em whispers back a reply that made my breath quicken and my heart ache painfully. “It doesn’t matter when you compare us. You and I aren't… you know… anything. He took that from us… didn’t he?”

 

We sat together silently for a moment before my body and mouth started moving without consulting my brain. It was as though my heart took over my body, overriding anything but a need to be by their side. When I thought about it, it was a lot like when I first asked Em out back at work. “I came here every day you were asleep… I didn’t do that just because I like you Em.” I tried to stop myself but the more words I said the faster they seemed to pour out of my mouth. “I came here every day because when I thought of losing you I felt sick to my stomach. It doesn’t matter what that man did to us… Those were his actions. Where we go from here, that’s our choice. I don’t have any intention of handing it over without trying.” I knelt down in front of Em and held their hand lightly as I spoke. It felt as though I’d been possessed the way the thoughts and feelings came flooding out. Surprisingly I realized I didn’t feel embarrassed. Maybe I’d stumbled across some kind of lost resolve that hadn’t been there when I first asked them out. 

 

Em seemed stunned by my confession at first before taking my hand in her own and gripping it as tightly as possible. They pulled it up and me along with it to eye level before leaning over and kissing me gently, this time leaving me stunned and stupefied. As our lips separated our breathing and hearts seemed in sync as they spoke softly. “I don’t remember a lot from when I hurt myself but… I remember this deep pain in my chest as I realized that I wouldn’t be able to see you again. I thought I was going to die… I did die... The only person on my mind the entire time was you, Leo. I just wanted a chance to spend more time with you. I just wanted more of…. This.” They tighten their grip on my hand to emphasize their words before speaking again.

 

Tears started to form at the edges of their eyes making the green hues seem to shimmer in the sunlight. "I'm not a good person Leo…  I'm selfish.  I'm stubborn. I lash out and I pull back irrationally whenever someone tries to care about me. I'm damaged goods."

 

I leaned forward quickly and wrapped them in my arms hugging onto them tightly. "Oh Em…" I kissed their forehead as gently as I could, "You aren't damaged and you definitely aren't a bad person. You are beautiful, kind, astounding, and intelligent. I know you feel guilty about not realizing what James was. That's a completely reasonable feeling but you have to remember, we are humans Em. We're not supposed to be perfect people. We aren't omnipotent. We're just… us. Everyone has flaws. I sure as hell do. But we work through them, and get better." I pulled away and gently wiped at their eyes while holding their hand on my own and smiling as strongly as I could. "If you let me, I'd love do help you"