Page 61 of Time After Time
“Gen?” My voice cracked when I said her name, surprise and something else rising in my chest.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner,” she said, stepping inside and closing the door behind her quietly, like she was afraid to disturb the stillness of the room. “I… I had to take a bunch of buses to get here. Sylvie and Aria—they’re still at the convention. I told them to stay... but I had to come. I just... I had to see you.”
I couldn’t say anything.
My throat was tight, that damn knot back and twice as big, choking me.
She looked at me like she was expecting me to break or fall apart at any second, and I wanted to tell her it was fine. That I was okay. That she shouldn’t have rushed here, soaking wet and exhausted, begging nurses to let her in after hours. But I couldn’t. Because as soon as I saw her, something inside me cracked wide open.
“Cora told me everything,” Gen said softly, walking closer to the bed. “Your arm... Seb, I’m so sorry.”
I looked down at my functional brace, which I already hated more than the temporary cast I’d worn for just half an hour. At least the cast had hidden everything. The brace exposed my skin, and every time I looked at it, I wanted to tear it off.
Gen’s eyes were full of understanding, and it was too much. The dam I had been holding together, keeping it all in, trying to convince myself I would be fine, that I could handle this—it shattered the moment she sat down next to me.
“I thought... I thought I could hold it together,” I choked out, my voice barely a whisper. “But, Gen... I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know if I’ll ever be…”
She shook her head, grabbing my hand, her fingers warm and soft despite the rain still clinging to her clothes. “Seb, don’t say that. Don’t even think it. You’ll get through this. We’ll figure it out. But you don’t have to be okay right now.”
Her words hit me harder than I had expected.I didn’t have to be okay right now.
For hours, all I’ve heard from everyone is how I would get through it, how I would heal, how physical therapy would help me regain most of my mobility, how I would still be able to live my dream. But no one had said this. No one had said I didn’t have to be okay right now. And maybe it was exactly what I needed to hear.
I attempted to hold it in, to swallow down the overwhelming surge of emotions that had been sitting at the back of my throat since the accident, but it was no use. The tears came, hot and fast, and I couldn’t stop them.
I pressed my left hand over my face, ashamed of how weak I felt, of the way my body was shaking with sobs, but Gen didn’t let go.
“I’m so scared,” I whispered, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “Gen, what if I can’t bake again? What if I’m just... broken now? What if this is it for me?”
Her grip on my hand tightened, her eyes full of fierce determination as she leaned in closer. “Seb, you’re not broken. You’re not. This is just a setback, okay? It’s going to be hard. I won’t lie. But you’re still you. You’re still the same guy who got that apprenticeship because you’re talented as hell. And this? This doesn’t take that away from you.”
I shook my head, tears still blurring my vision. “But what if I can’t do it, Gen? What if this is too much?”
Her gaze softened, and she leaned her forehead against mine. “Then we’ll figure it out together. You’re not alone in this, Seb. You’ve got me. You’ve got your mum, Robert… everyone who cares about you. We’re all here for you.”
I let out a shaky breath, trying to absorb her words, but it was hard. All I could see when I closed my eyes was the bakery of my dreams slipping away, the future I had dreamed of since I was a kid, crumbling in front of me. But Gen… she was here. She wasn’t letting go. She was holding me together when I felt like I was falling apart.
After almost an hour, the tears slowed, but I still couldn’t bring myself to pull away. Gen sat there with me, her head resting against mine, her hand in mine, and for a long time, neither of us spoke. I was still shaking a little, the weight of everything pressing down on me, but in this moment, it felt bearable… even if for just a bit.
When I finally pulled back, she wiped at my eyes with the sleeve of her cardigan, a small, tentative smile tugging at her lips. “Sorry for barging in like that. The nurses didn’t want to let me in at first. But I begged. I told them I had to see you.”
“Gen,” I croaked, my throat raw from crying. “You... didn’t have to.”
She rolled her eyes, but I noticed the tears… forme. “Of course I did. You’d do the same for me. Sylvie and Aria didn’t want me to leave them, but I told them to stay at the convention. I knew I had to be here.”
I looked at her—really looked at her—and realised just how much she must have done to get here. She must’ve taken three, maybe four buses just to reach the hospital. It was already past visiting hours, and she was soaked from the rain, exhausted from the trip. But she came anyway. Because that’s who Gen was.
“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice shaky but full of something close to gratitude, close to relief. “I don’t think I could’ve handled this without you.”
She squeezed my hand again, her smile growing just a little. “You don’t have to thank me. I’m your best friend, Seb. I’m always going to be here, no matter what.”
Pain. Again. The arm or me being her best friend?
Chapter 19
Sebastian
“Fuck.” I hurled the white t-shirt I’d been clutching toward my desk with rage, sending a couple of things tumbling in its wake and hearing something fall to the ground and shatter. Taking two quick steps toward my bed and nearly missing the edge, landing hard and almost toppling to the floor, I decided I didn’t care what had broken.
