𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞

R E E D

"I can't. I'm sorry. It's just all too much all at once, and—"

"You don't need to explain yourself to me, Reed. I know better than anyone," Charlie smiles warmly up at me, no trace of the disappointment that I expect to find in her eyes, but I begin to feel stupid for thinking that way. Charlie has never been anything but an amazing friend, captain, teammate, and roommate; everything that she is to me, she excels at. "Don't beat yourself up about it, nobody in your program could do it alone. And nobody could have predicted Maddie's emergency situation. You're going through a lot right now. You don't need this on your resume," She reassures me and it gives me peace of mind.

I nod. "I know, but..."

"Bugger off if you're going to keep on. You're preaching to the wrong choir," She waves me off, making me laugh. I take the empty chair beside her bed instead, laying my head on her hand that rests atop her covers. She looks thin and paler than usual, lacking sunlight and warmth. Her smile, though smaller than I've seen it most of the time, still warms me from the inside out and I breathe out a content sigh.

"I miss you."

"I bet bunking with Farris isn't all that bad," She says and I can hear the smirk in her voice. Sure enough, when I glance up, there it is. My smile grows as well.

"No, not bad at all," I say and proceed to tell her any details I'm comfortable with sharing, not that Farris and I have gone very far. He still seems intent on taking it slow with me. "He's much clingier than I thought he'd be. Begging for my attention..." We laugh and continue to talk about anything and everything and I begin to feel lighter, sharing a conversation with her that isn't about anything specific, anything remarkable.

I catch her looking towards the small window in the hospital room, closed so as to not let any dust or other allergens that could cause infection into the room. All of us are being extremely careful, not coming in to visit if we so much as sneeze that day.

"I miss the sun," Charlie says. "And the ocean. Let's go to the beach as soon as I'm out of here," Her eyes light up and I nod along, unable to deny her though I know that when she's able to leave this place, it'll be under strict instructions that nobody would dare veer from.

"You know what," She pushes my head off of her and I sit up, watching her curiously. "You go. Gather the troops, and go to the beach or something," She insists and I furrow my eyebrows.

"You were just saying how much you miss the sun, and you want all your friends to go enjoy it without you?"

"Oh, don't you dare pity me that way. I am not to be used as an excuse to be a bore."

My eyebrows raise. "You're serious?"

"Dead. Go on. I need sleep. Patient in a hospital here. Look at the gown," She starts pulling down the sheets and I roll my eyes, tucking her back in as I stand up.

"Jeez, alright. We'll go enjoy the sun on your behalf."

"Don't come back without photographic evidence!" She calls out as I walk away and I give her a little wave before I make my way out of the room, phone in hand as I message the group chat that we've made without Charlie in order to plan her welcome home party, whenever that may be.

"Beach?"

"Stop pouting, it was her idea," Farris says, pushing Xander's bare shoulder. The latter has been bothering the former about his moping since we arrived, despite the fact that he has been parked under umbrellas because they can't enjoy the sun for long without turning a particularly uncomfortable primary color.