Tear bleeds

Tear bleeds
Trista’s POV

The waiting room was suffocating.
The air was too cold, the lights too bright, the silence too loud. Every passing second felt like a
slow, agonizing drip of time stretching endlessly, wrapping around my chest and squeezing the
air from my lungs.
I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t think.

All I could do was sit here, trapped in this nightmare, waiting—waiting for news that could either
save me or shatter me completely.
The hospital smelled like antiseptic and quiet devastation. I had always hated hospitals, but this
was different. The cold, sterile air pressed down on my chest, making it hard to breathe as I sat
in the waiting room, my fingers clenched into tight fists on my lap.
But I was unraveling, slowly and painfully. The past hour has been complete a blur—paramedics
shouting, hospital doors flying open, Leonard being wheeled away in a rush of urgency i wasn’t
prepared for at all.

i could still hear the beeping of machines, the low murmur of doctors discussing his condition,
the scent of antiseptic burning her nose.
Leonard was fighting for his life.
And I was stuck here. Feeling helpless.
My hands trembled as i stared at the dried blood on my fingers, I didn’t even remember to clean
them, his blood was still in my hands. The moment of the accident flashed before my eyes
again: the impact, the way his body had taken the brunt of the hit, the sheer terror in my heart
when i realized that Leonard wasn’t moving.
Leonard was in surgery.

That thought alone sent another wave of nausea rolling through me. I closed my eyes, trying to
shut out the sound of the clock ticking on the wall, the soft murmurs of nurses passing by, the
beep of machines echoing down the halls. Everything felt too loud and too quiet all at once.
He had saved me.

He had shoved me out of the way without a second thought, taking the full brunt of the speeding
car. The image of him lying on the pavement, blood pooling beneath his head, haunted me. It
wouldn’t leave my mind no matter how hard I tried.
I could still hear myself screaming his name. Still feel the way my hands had trembled as I tried
to shake him awake.

And now… now, I had no idea if he was going to make it.
I decided to scan through my surroundings, then I noticed that Emily has been here all along
and Chad has probably left a while ago.
He probably decided to give me space because of my transferred aggression toward him.
I needed to apologize for that.
I beckoned Emily to come closer.
I didn’t even realize I was rocking slightly until Emily placed a hesitant hand on my shoulder.
“Tris,
” she murmured.
“You need to calm down.
”
Calm down?

My head snapped toward her, my vision blurred with unshed tears.
to calm down, Emily?!” My voice cracked, raw with emotion.
he’s going to make it!”
“How the hell am I supposed
“He’s in there, and I don’t know if
Emily flinched but didn’t let go.
“I know,
” she said softly, her own voice thick with worry.
you’re scared. But you have to breathe.
”
“I know
Breathe.
I let out a strangled laugh, shaking my head.
“I can’t. I can’t.
” My hands clenched into fists, my
nails biting into my palms.
“I keep seeing it. The car. The impact. The way he—
” I swallowed
hard, squeezing my eyes shut against the brutal memory.
“He pushed me out of the way without
even thinking. He just—he just took it.
”
My body trembled as I sucked in a sharp breath.
“And now he might die because of me.
”
Emily’s grip on my shoulder tightened.
“No,
” she said firmly.
“This is not your fault.
”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the words lodged in my throat.
Because deep down, I didn’t just feel responsible—I felt terrified.
Terrified that I would lose him.
Terrified that I wouldn’t get the chance to tell him that despite everything—despite our past, our
mistakes, the pain—we weren’t finished.
That I needed him.
A sob clawed its way up my throat, and this time, I couldn’t stop it. I covered my mouth,
squeezing my eyes shut as my shoulders shook.
I was unraveling.
Completely and utterly unraveling.
I barely registered when Emily pulled me into a hug, holding me as I crumbled.
“He’s strong,
” she whispered.
“He’s going to make it.
”
I wanted to believe her.
God, I needed to believe her.
But as I sat there, drowning in the uncertainty, I wasn’t sure if I had any faith left to hold on to.
My body trembled with the weight of that realization.
“Miss Trista?”
I lifted my head abruptly at the sound of my name, my heart lurching in my chest. A doctor stood
before me, his face unreadable, his hands tucked into the pockets of his white coat.
I swallowed hard, my throat painfully dry.
“Yes?”
His gaze softened slightly, as if he could see the turmoil etched across my face.
“Mr. Devereaux
is out of surgery. He’s stable, but it’s still touch and go. We’ve controlled the internal bleeding,
but the next few hours are critical.
” He said.
He hesitated, the continued.
“He suffered significant trauma, including a severe concussion, a
fractured rib, and internal bleeding that we managed to control. Right now, we need to monitor
him closely.
”
I exhaled sharply, my body sagging with relief. He was alive.
“He’s unconscious,
” the doctor continued.
“It may take some time before he wakes up.
”
“How long?” My voice cracked, betraying the storm inside me.
“There’s no way to tell for sure,
” he admitted.
“But we’ll keep you updated.
”
I nodded quickly.
“Can I see him?”
The doctor hesitated for a second before nodding.
“Only for a little while. He needs rest.
”
I barely heard the last part. I was already on my feet, following him down the hallway, my pulse
pounding in my ears. The door to his room loomed ahead, and I braced myself before stepping
inside.
Leonard lay on the hospital bed, motionless, hooked up to machines that beeped steadily,
measuring his heartbeat. His face was pale, almost ghostly against the stark white sheets.
Bandages wrapped around his forehead, a dark bruise forming along his cheekbone.
I inhaled sharply, my chest tightening. He looked so… vulnerable.
Slowly, I approached the bed, my fingers gripping the side rail.
voice barely audible.

“Leonard…
” I whispered, my
He didn’t stir.
I blinked back the sting of tears.
you risk your life like that?”
“Why did you do that?” My voice broke.
“You idiot… Why would
There was no answer.
I sat down beside the bed, my hands trembling as I reached for his. His skin was warm, solid
beneath my fingertips, but his lack of response sent another wave of fear through me.
I had nearly lost him.
And that terrified me more than I was willing to admit.
I laced my fingers with his, tightening my grip as if that alone could bring him back to me.
“You have to wake up, Leonard,
” I whispered.
“Please.
”
Silence.
Tears burned in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Instead, I leaned forward, resting my
forehead against his hand, my breath shaky.
I didn’t care about the past. About the pain. About the mistakes we had made.
All I cared about was him.
And I wasn’t ready to lose him.
Not now.
Not ever.
The doctor’s words echoed in my head like a haunting refrain.
“He’s stable… but it’s still touch and go. We’ve controlled the internal bleeding, but the next few
hours are critical.
”
Critical.
My stomach twisted painfully as I stared at the closed doors of the operating room. The red IN
SURGERY sign glowed mockingly above me, a barrier between life and death.
I hated how powerless I felt.
Then I decided to enter his room.

The cold metal of the chair bit into my skin, but I barely noticed. My fingers dug into my palms,
nails biting into flesh, but the pain was a dull hum compared to the war raging inside me.
I had thought I knew fear before. I was wrong.
Real fear was watching someone you love lie motionless, knowing you couldn’t do a damn thing
to save them.

I sucked in a sharp breath. Love.
The word lingered in my mind, unspoken yet undeniable.
I didn’t know when it happened—when my guarded heart had cracked enough to let Leonard
slip through. Maybe it had always been him, always been us, no matter how much I fought it.
A sharp knock on the door jolted me from my thoughts. I turned just as Emily stepped in, holding
a cup of coffee. Her face was lined with worry.

“You need to drink something,
” she said softly, handing it to me.
I stared at the cup but made no move to take it.
“Tris,
” she pressed, crouching beside me.
care of yourself too.
”
“You’ve been sitting here for hours. You need to take
I let out a shaky breath.
“I can’t. I can’t leave him, Em.
”
Emily exhaled, rubbing her hands over her arms as if bracing herself.
“You’re terrified,
” she
murmured.
“And I get it. But he’s here. He’s fighting. And you—you can’t fall apart on him now.
”
I laughed bitterly.
“Too late for that.
”
Emily sighed, but before she could say more, a low groan from the bed had me freezing.
My heart stopped.
Leonard.
The sound was faint, almost nonexistent, but I shot up from my chair so fast it scraped against
the floor.
I moved to his bedside, my breath catching as his fingers twitched.
“Leonard?” My voice was barely a whisper, my hands hovering over him, afraid to touch, afraid
to break him.
His eyelashes fluttered, a slow, painful movement, but his eyes remained closed.
I swallowed hard, my throat tight.
“Leo, if you can hear me… please wake up.
”
Silence.
My hands clenched the sheet beside him.
“You don’t get to do this to me, you don’t get to make
that decision” I choked out.
“You don’t get to be reckless and throw yourself in front of a car for
me and then—then leave me like this in tears like this.
”
A tear slipped down my cheek, and I didn’t bother wiping it away.
“You fight,
” I whispered, gripping his hand.
“You hear me? You fight, because I’m definitely notready to lose you.”

The steady beep of the machines filled the room, each second stretching unbearably long.
Then, barely perceptible, his fingers curled weakly around mine.
A broken sob left my lips.
He was still here.
And I wasn’t letting go.

I didn’t know how long I had been sitting there. Minutes. Hours. Time had lost all meaning.
The world outside the hospital kept moving—nurses rushing past, stretchers rolling down the
hall, machines beeping—but I was frozen in place. Trapped in an endless loop of fear and
helplessness.
Leonard was still unconscious.

Every breath I took felt heavy, like my lungs couldn’t expand properly. The air in the hospital was
too sterile, too thin. Or maybe it was just me. Maybe the weight of the uncertainty pressing down
on my chest was too much to bear.
I stared at him, lying so still against the stark white sheets, his face pale, his body unmoving
except for the shallow rise and fall of his chest.
That was the only thing keeping me together.
The proof that he was still here.

My hands clenched into fists in my lap. I had never been this scared in my life. Not even when
I’d been at my lowest, when life had thrown everything at me. I had always found a ways to fight
back.
But this…
I feel so helpless, and I have never felt this way before.
This was a battle I had zero control over.
I couldn’t fight for him even if I tried.
I couldn’t pull him out of this with sheer willpower, if not I would have done that long time ago.
I could only sit here and wait. And that was killing me slowly
A strangled breath escaped me as I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, pressing
my palms against my temples. My head pounded, a sharp, relentless ache from the hours of
stress, exhaustion, and unshed tears.

“Please wake up, Leonard,
” I whispered, my voice breaking.
The silence that followed was deafening.
I gritted my teeth, frustration and pain warring inside me.
hissed, my eyes burning as I lifted my head to look at him again.
in front of a car for me and then just—just leave me like this.
”
“Damn it, you don’t get to do this,
” I
“You don’t get to throw yourself
My breath hitched as my vision blurred. I hadn’t realized I was crying until a tear slipped down
my cheek and landed on the back of my hand.
“I hate you for this,
” I choked out, my voice barely above a whisper.
way. For making me need you.
”
“For making me feel this
The truth clawed its way to the surface, raw and unfiltered.
I needed him.
Not just as someone from my past. Not just as a complicated, frustrating, stubborn man who
had once broken my heart.
I needed him.
And the thought of losing him now—when I had barely begun to let myself want him again—was
unbearable.
I exhaled shakily and wiped at my face, my fingers trembling.
The door creaked open, and I barely registered Emily stepping in, her expression hesitant.
“Tris,
” she murmured, crossing the room cautiously.
“You need a break.
”
I shook my head.
“I can’t.
”
“At least eat something—
”
“I said I can’t.
”
The sharpness in my voice made her flinch, and regret shot through me instantly. But I couldn’t
bring myself to apologize. Not when I felt like I was barely holding myself together.
Emily sighed, rubbing her hands over her arms.
out loud would make it true.
“He’s going to wake up,
” she said, as if saying it
I swallowed hard, my gaze drifting back to Leonard.

“What if he doesn’t?”
She didn’t have an answer for that.
Neither did I.
So I stayed.
And I waited.
And I prayed that somehow, he would come back to me.
I didn’t even realize I was rocking slightly until Emily placed a hesitant hand on my shoulder.
“A sob clawed its way up my throat, and this time, I couldn’t stop it. I covered my mouth,
squeezing my eyes shut as my shoulders shook.
I was unraveling.
Completely and utterly unraveling.
I barely registered when Emily pulled me into a hug, holding me as I crumbled.
“He’s strong,
” she whispered.
“He’s going to make it.
”
I wanted to believe her.
God, I needed to believe her.
But as I sat there, drowning in the uncertainty, I wasn’t sure if I had any faith left to hold on to.