Forget-Me-Not (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfiction)

(38) Last Rites

Nina ate her dinner that evening with a huge smile on her face. She went to bed grinning, and she woke up grinning. She had kissed Tom, and she didn't feel at all guilty. She felt...right.

She felt a pang in her chest as she realised that this was the last morning that she'd be here. Nina had been in quite a daze when she was gathering up her things and packing the non-essentials away ready for leaving a few days back, and she hadn't really registered what little time she actually had left with her new friends on set - Benedict, Annie...Tom...

Nina travelled to set on her own that morning, deciding to walk and enjoy the scenery for a last time. She admired the forget-me-nots in the field, clumped together in random spots, swaying gently in the wind. Nina paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, her mind beginning to wander.

You haven't finished packing yet. You haven't given Tom a definite answer yet. You haven't contacted Kyle about your possessions yet. Though she wouldn't be surprised if he'd try to sell all her clothes, books, and the like, or even given them away to charity shops.

Nina sniffed as she thought of her much-loved piano being played by somebody else. What if the didn't play it right? What if they had small children, or animals, and it got damaged? The overwhelming amount of jealously that filled her was almost too much, rendering her fit to burst.

Eventually, after much daydreaming she made it to set. The mood was undeniably melancholy, but everyone still put a smile on their face as they went about getting their costumes on for the last time - after all, they were all actors.

Nina managed to get a much needed hug from Benedict on her way to where she needed to be, and she too wore a smile, but it was very much genuine, especially when Captain Nicholls was already waiting for her in all his handsome glory.

"Ma'am." He took her hand in his gloved one gently and pressed his lips to her knuckles. He looked up a moment later, puzzled to see Nina fighting off laughter.

"You missed." She giggled quietly, cocking her head slightly to the side. Tom smiled, standing back up straight and rubbing his hands together.

"Shall we get started?"

*****

By mid-afternoon, there wasn't much left to do. Tom was having a whale of a time, everyone seemingly a little more relaxed since it was the last day, rather than it being a last minute rush to get things done, like he had experienced before. He looked around Nina for breaks in between shots, but he couldn't see her and he figured she'd just be attending to someone like Ben, or riding another cheeky horse.

After he was given a break, he went to where Nina would usually be, but there was no sign of her, yet her stuff was still scattered around. Tom half expected to turn around and find her creeping up on him, but that didn't happen. Instead, he found himself somewhat anxious for her return.

He let out a breath of relief when he saw Annie a little way away. As he crossed the set, he couldn't help but hear hushed whispers from some of the other crew members. Surely they should be on set, not back here, Tom thought, not noticing that filming should have restarted about fifteen minutes ago.

"Annie?" He called out uncertainly. Annie's head snapped up, but he got no smile, instead just a look of sorrow and...pity? "Have you seen Nina?" Annie just nodded weakly in response, not managing to form any words. "Where is she, Annie?" Desperation filled Tom's voice and he couldn't help it.

"She...oh god, Tom, the ambulance came, and...the...the blood...They took her. Nina's in... in hospital..."

*****

Tom got to the hospital as quickly as he could, still fully clothed in his army uniform as he burst into reception. "Nina Ferguson?" He said hopefully at the desk, panting as he leaned against it.

"Sorry, she's not open to visitors just yet, but we will notify you when. How are you related?"

"We're not. I'm her...her..." Tom hesitated for a moment. "I'm just her best friend. I need to see her." Then an idea snapped into his head quickly. "Do you have a phone I could borrow?"

Twenty minutes later Nina's parents were hurrying into the reception, to the reception desk where Tom was still waiting. He figured her parents might want to know, and maybe they'd be able to get information out of the receptionist quicker. He just wanted to know that she was alive, because he had no idea whatsoever about what had happened.

Still, Tom heard nothing pertaining to Nina's health. He sat down for a moment, receiving some funny looks from people around him, and Nina's parents sat themselves beside him. He didn't have the heart to ask where her brother was at that moment.

"Thank you so much for calling us, Thomas." Nina's mother dabbed dramatically at her eyes. "We owe you."

"No, no, no. I only did what anyone else would have done in my situation. Did anyone hint at how she was?"

"No, nothing. Now it's just a game of waiting." She blew her nose. "Goodness, I do wish they'd tell me what happened."

And about an hour later, they were to be told. A doctor emerged from a corridor opposite them, looking quite grave but lightening up somewhat when he told them that Nina was ready to be seen. However, he seemed to presume that the three of them knew what had happened, and only showed them to the room where Nina was lying on a bed in a hospital gown that seemed to drain her of all colour.

"Nina, Nina, oh my goodness!" Her mother was the first to rush over to her, and her father went and sat beside her, squeezing her hand gently, tears forming in his eyes. Tom stood silently by the door until Nina motioned for him to come over, pointing to another chair beside her which he gladly took, picking up her other hand and running circles over the back of it with his thumb.

"Stop worrying, Mum..." Nina sighed quietly, and it seemed in that moment that there was no confidence left in her. "I'm fine...I'm not hurt...physically..." She pulled her hand away from her father and rubbed at her eyes, still keeping a firm grip on Tom's gloved hand.

"Not physically?" Tom's brow furrowed.

"More psychologically." Nina sniffed, taking one glance around at the worried faces around her bed, trying not to burst into tears herself. "I...I lost...lost the baby..." She started crying softly and Tom felt his heart drop. She'd gained so much confidence and happiness in the past few weeks and he just hoped that she didn't build her walls back up again.

If Nina was broken, Tom would fix her.

[A/N] i got quite emotional at this chapter! drop a vote if you did too and maybe things can lighten up soon...oh, they will...
yours truly :) x