Within the Script (A Stanathan Fanfiction)

Chapter Sixteen: Calling for Help

After thirty minutes of being awake, Nathan started to feel fatigued, but kept it together. Molly and the boys were on their way. He needed to stay awake for them. While Stana sat beside him and held to his hand, however, she could see him struggling to keep his eyes open. "Nathan, you know they aren't going to hold it against you if you fall asleep."

"I know," he cooed, "But they'll be here any minute."

As if by magic, before Stana could manage a word, Jon and Seamus stuck their heads through the door. Stana smiled up at them as they came in while Nathan struggled to see them. "Hey, bro," Seamus whispered, not missing the fact that Stana's hand was laced up with his.

"Hey, I'll get out of your way and wait for Molly," Stana said, rising and starting to leave. He stopped her, his hand still gripping hers, and she turned around to see his thoughts. She happily leaned down to place a gentle kiss on his forehead and promised, "I'll be right back." He nodded as she walked away.

While Nathan laid in bed, the boys came closer as the door closed behind Stana, their eyes widening in his direction, interrogating Nathan for answers.

Outside, Stana picked up her phone from her pocket and dialed the number she hadn't yet called. Her sister picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Gigi," Stana said softly.

Her sister perked up on the other end. "Stana, how is he? What's happened?"

"He woke up," Stana said for the tenth time in a short timespan.

"That's great!" Gigi said on the other end.

Her sister laughed lightly in exhaustion, "Yeah. He- he's doing really well. He's tired, but the doctor said that was pretty normal."

"That's great, Stana," her sister said.

A fraction of hesitance was still in Stana's voice when she muscled out, "Yeah, it's- it's great."

Gigi responded with deep severity. "What's wrong?"

"He kissed me," she stated, waiting for her sister to react. There wasn't a word breathed until Gigi told her sister to go on. "He kissed me, Gigi. He kissed me. And-," Stana hesitated on the words and waited to say anything else to her sister for a moment. She couldn't quite comprehend the words she was about to say, but she had to tell her sister. "He told me he loves me."

At first, Gigi had no words aside from, "Wow," a statement filled with shock and understanding for her sister's call.

"I know," Stana stated.

"What did you say back?"

"Nothing. He said, 'I love you,' and then continued to talk about how he knew I would think he was rushing this and how long he's known me and how he wasn't just saying this because he almost died. Then, of course, he particularly contradicted himself because he said he was saying it because he almost didn't get the chance to. And he kept talking so I did the only thing I could think of to get him to shut it and I kissed him."

"Wait," Gigi stopped. "You kissed him? I thought he kissed you."

Stana replied, "Well, he certainly didn't fight it, but he wasn't the initiator."

"And you didn't say, 'I love you,' back?"

"Of course not. I have no idea how I feel about him. I mean, Kris just left like a few weeks ago and Nathan and I have been friends for a really, really long time. This is weird to me. I'm not just going to tell him from out of no where that I love him because I don't know if I do. I mean, I like him. I really like him, but that's all I know. He's a great friend and I care about him, but that's all I know," Stana said as she took her seat in a chair outside a stranger's hospital room.

Gigi then laughed on the other end, only slightly so as to not sound rude. "You know what this sounds like, right?"

"No," Stana replied. "Do I want to know?"

"You two sound like your characters," Gigi stated. "Aside from the fact that he's the injured one, he said, 'I love you,' and now you're freaking out. Now you're unsure what to do. Only, this time you don't have a gaping bullet wound to hide behind."

Stana's eyes slimmed as she became more thoroughly unamused. "I hate you a little right now."

Gigi ignored the declaration of hate. "What are you going to do? I mean, you know Nathan better than I do, but I feel like not hearing you say, 'I love you,' back might actually bother him. I mean, you said he's looking for something serious. Nothing could be more serious than love."

"Yeah, he's looking for something serious, but- I doubt he's going to just end this because I don't say, 'I love you,' back. He's not that type. If he's serious about it, he will wait. He's not going to just end it because of that," Stana said, having experienced that with him before when he had been with other girls.

Gigi then questioned, "So what's the problem? You can figure out how you feel about Nathan while you're with him." Stana didn't know what to say, but didn't get the chance to answer before Molly showed up.

"Hey, Gigi, I'll call you later. I have to go." Her sister said alright and got off the phone while Stana hung up and stood up.

Molly then asked the woman before her, "How is he? Is he good? He's awake?"

"Yes, Molly, he's fine," Stana said, putting her hands on the child's arm as Molly searched the hall behind Stana.

"Why are you out here, then? I'm sure he would rather have you in there with him."

Stana laughed a bit in her own head when she told Molly, "I think the boys wanted a minute with him."

"Why?"

She hesitated. "I don't know, just a feeling."

"Can I see him?"

"Of course, he's waiting for you. I'll go in with you." With that, Stana took Molly back to the room. When she got inside, after Molly nearly crushed Nathan with boa constrictor arms, Nathan looked up at Stana and watched her eyes as she smiled, his hand once again reuniting with hers. For a moment, as she stared into him, she brightly grinned and thought to herself that she didn't care about the oddness of it. In many ways, she loved this man. She just couldn't tell him that yet.