Thirty-eight

                                    

                                          

||SEVEN DAYS LATER||

|Serena|
I was so ready to leave this hospital.
And luckily, today I could.
I could walk on a single crutch, which was good enough for me.
Marco still felt the need to stay by me all the time.
I love Marco.
A lot.
I crutched down the hallway, a pair of fresh clothes on.
Marco and I walked down the hallway, finally able to leave.
Marco spent every night with me at the hospital.
I made him go home a few times a week to shower, but other than that he was with me.
I saw Niccolo in the distance, with Virginia. 
They were looking through the glass of the NICCU.
His eyes were fixed on the small cots.
Small little faces with closed eyes and beeping machines.
That's gotta hurt.
If your own child was in there.
"I want to check on him". I tell Marco.
Marco was going to protest but he stopped.
I came beside Niccolo.
"Is the one on the right yours?" I ask.
He jumped a little.
"Sorry- didn't see you there.. But yeah. That's my Aria". Niccolo says proudly.
"That's a beautiful name". I inform him, mesmorised by her.
Niccolo smiled. 
He looked at me.
"Why are you in crutches?" He asks, eyebrows furrowed.
"For my ankle".
"Wow." He says.
"Mhm". I agree, looking over at Aria again.
Virginia glared at me.
I took it as a sign to leave.
"I wish you the best, Niccolo". I say, before walking to Marco and walking down the hallway with him.
He's a family man now.
And I need to move on.


||TWO MONTHS LATER||
|Serena|
School had ended two weeks ago, and summer was amongst us.
Virginia finished the year online, and Niccolo still went to school.
We never spoke, not once.
He would occasionally glance over at me when I crutched through the hallway but other than that, we were done with eachother.
I was walking down to my favorite coffee shop, texting Marco.
He had flown to a diffferent part of the country to see his grandmother for a few weeks.
He had been gone 6 days, and I missed him.
I had gone into the shop, and ordered a coffee.
I sat down at a table, and sipped it.