gabbie
i see liza standing before me with red, puffy eyes. i quickly invite her in, and we sit down on my bed. i don't say anything for a second, and she avoids eye contact with me. when she finally meets my gaze, she looks like she can't hold it in anymore. she breaks down crying and leans into my welcoming arms. i don't say anything as she cries into my shoulder, waiting for her to let her emotions out before i start talking.
after a few minutes of her crying and me rubbing her back, her tears slowed to sniffles. she pulled away and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "sorry, i didn't mean to break like that," she muttered. "don't worry about it," i assured her "do you want to tell me what's wrong?" i asked gently. she nodded and wiped some moisture from her eyes.
"i, uh, went to get some tests done today. they found a mass. i'm going into surgery on tuesday," she said, avoiding looking at my eyes. my heart sank for her. she didn't deserve anything she was going through. "oh, liza. i'm so sorry. everything's going to be okay, i'm sure the surgeons are very good at their job," i mentioned. she nodded. "yeah, i'm just scared," she said, her voice breaking.
i pulled her back in for a hug, trying to comfort her the best i could. she just needed someone to be there for her. "you shouldn't be alone right now. you need support and people to stand by your side. i'm not letting you isolate yourself from me," i said in a serious tone that still came across as caring. she nodded hesitantly, knowing i wasn't bluffing. "do you want me to take you back to your apartment?" i asked. "you must be exhausted." she shrugged. i lead her out to my car, and we drove back to her place.
the music was softly playing, and neither of us said anything the whole ride. i walked her up to her apartment when we got to her building. she unlocked the door and turned to me. "would you mind staying?" she asked in an embarrassed tone. "i don't want to be alone," she admitted. i was a little surprised at first, but i quickly accepted without hesitation.
i walked in as she set down her bag. i took my shoes my off in the doorway and did my best to act natural and casual as opposed to awkward. "geez, i didn't plan anything beyond this point. i'm an awful host," she muttered. "hey, it's fine. wanna just watch netflix and hang out?" i asked, not wanting her to be upset at all. she shrugged and went to turn on the tv.
we put on friends as mostly background noise and talked super late into the night. she was still super upset in the beginning, but she was able to lighten up and try to forget about it for a little while. the difference from when we came in and when we started getting tired was astounding. some highlight quotes included: "i just don't get the point of that many mattress stores", "pineapple belongs on pizza, stop!", and "meredith grey has been through way too much stuff, there's no way it's logical". most of the time, the things we found funny wouldn't make sense to anyone else.
eventually, when it was closer to morning than night, we started to get tired. i began getting ready to let her sleep and go back to my dorm. "hey, don't go. just stay here. you don't want to be on the road with all the drunks leaving the bar," she said drowsily. she started scooting over in her bed, and i shrugged, sliding under the covers on the other side. she started sleeping, and i felt glad that she was able to find some happiness, even if it was just for a few hours.
