Forty minutes was all the time Jon could spend in the hospital with his friends before he left. Molly stayed for another half an hour before having to flee, and Seamus walked her to her car on the way out. When the couple was once again alone, Nathan told Stana, "Well, the boys were easy going about this."
She smiled in response, stuck on the knowledge of the fact that he was in the hospital. They wouldn't be harsh on him. However, she was expecting a call at very least. For him though, she smiled and told him, "Good, I'm glad."
He then curiously questioned, "How did Molly take the news?"
Her brow then bent. "Well, considering she didn't blow up on either of us while she was in here, I'm going to say she took it pretty well."
"You- you didn't tell her?"
She hesitated for a second. "No... why would I tell her?"
"Because I told the boys," Nathan replied.
"Nathan, don't you think that's something you should do? I mean, I love Molly, but you're like a father to her. You should really be the one telling her, not me. Unless we do it together, that seems like a you-her thing not a me-her thing."
He sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right."
Then she had to ask with tender hesitance, "Why does that suddenly sound like a bad thing?"
"No, no, that's- that's- not what I meant to imply. No, I just know she's not going to take it well. After all, I can't explain to you how many times I've had to swear to her onscreen romances don't mix with real relationships very well too often and that the job comes first in things like this. Like, for instance, do you remember the massive crush she had on the actor playing Ashley before he came on the show?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I spent almost an hour trying to convince her that she should try to act professional and that she didn't want the label of dating all of her romantic opposites off screen because that could potentially make her a risky hire in the future."
Stana scoffed a bit in amusement. "Nathan, we're adults. It's a little different."
"Try explaining that to her," he stated.
Again, Stana rationalized, "She's been older than us maturity wise since she was fifteen. She will understand. You're making a bigger deal of this than it is."
Once again, he sighed. She knew he just didn't want to upset Molly in any way or make her think he was being hypocritical or reckless. In his eyes, however, it was more than obvious he was tired and she knew he needed rest. She lifted her hand to his cheek and told him more kindly, "You know, we can talk about this some other time. Why don't you get some rest, alright? I'll talk to you when you wake up."
"I'll only go to sleep if you're here with me," he tried.
She smiled at the thought of resting in his arms and said, "I can't."
"Why not," he half whined.
She replied, "Because you have thrown up seizures and cardiac attacks every other night for the past week."
"But that has passed. I'm alive and well here now."
"Nathan, I can't. Besides, I think your doctor has been breaking the rules a bit by letting me stay here over night anyway. I dont want to push my luck."
"Over night? When was the last time you were home," he questioned in concern for her wellbeing.
She quickly answered, "Just yesterday. I mean, I go home for a bit in the morning to keep clean and eat, but I'm generally here at night, waiting for you to wake up." He laughed to himself a bit as he watched her pale pink lips say this as though it was a casual remark. Looking into those hazel eyes that drove him mad, he got her to ask, "What?"
"You are just-... amazing, you know?"
Stana replied, "I'm just lucky to have a guy like you around."
"Come on. The nurses will never know," he coaxed. She thought a moment, looking over her shoulder at the door and then checking his IV to be sure it was fairly full. Giving in and ignoring her better instincts, Stana climbed in beside the man she adored and laid her head softly on the hardened surface of his chest. As she drifted asleep, he waited until her breathing leveled out before he told her again, "I love you, Stana. Sleep well."
CZYTASZ
Within the Script (A Stanathan Fanfiction)
FanfictionStana and Nathan have known each other for years now, and never have they once been anything more than friends. Their on-screen chemistry was just that, on-screen. Then, on his way home from work, Nathan is mugged and beaten, head smashed several ti...
