Dorcas rushed past the mass of people congregating at the entrance to the great hall and sprinted toward the nearest person she recognized.
“Molly,” She gasped, “Where’s Marlene?”
“Well, I can’t say I've seen her, but that doesn’t mean anything. She’s probably just lost in the chaos. In any case, she’s bound to show up here eventually.” Molly replied smartly as she ripped some bandages off a roll, bending down to place them on her patient.
“Right— You’re right. She’s probably fine,” Dorcas breathed, and tried her best to believe it. Molly went back to her work tending to what seemed to be a burn victim, but Dorcas couldn’t quite tell underneath all the bandages. She wrung her hands, eyes darting around the great hall, searching for any sign of Marlene. The more she searched, the more apprehensive she became, to the point where it took actual effort not to crumple to the floor and cry.
“Dorcas,” Molly said, reaching a hand up to rub between Dorcas's shoulder blades.
“Hm,” Dorcas turned towards Molly in acknowledgement.
“Would you like to sit down, dear. I’m not using my chair, and, frankly, you look like you need a rest,” she offered as she led Dorcas over to the chair. Dorcas sat quietly and looked out one of the windows nearest to her seat. From her perch, she could see the wreckage strewn across the grounds, a somber reminder of the last few days.
“Dorcas!”
Dorcas glanced up at the sound of her name from across the great hall, and her eyes locked with a pair of honey brown ones. Immediately she was out of her seat and running across the hall, jumping over empty cots strewn on the floor. Marlene was running too, and in the blink of an eye, she was crashing into Dorcas with a force that almost toppled them both. Marlene grasped at the back of Dorcas’s shirt to steady herself and shoved her head into the crook of the brunet’s neck. Dorcas wrapped her arms around Marlene and buried her face into Marlene’s hair, inhaling the scent of flowers and dirt. “I was so worried,” Dorcas whispered, words muffled by Marlene’s hair.
“Me too,” Marlene admitted, raising her head to look Dorcas in the eyes.
“You better not do that again,” Dorcas joked halfheartedly, her breath catching in her throat as she met Marlene’s eyes. Marlene seemed to study her face for a moment, as if searching for something. Apparently she found whatever she was looking for because the next moment she slid her arm around Dorcas’s neck and pulled her into a heartstopping kiss.
Dorcas pulled Marlene in by the waist, hands clenching around the cotton of Marlene’s button up. Marlene’s other hand reached up to cup Dorcas’s cheek, and Dorcas couldn’t imagine how she would have lived without Marlene. Sweet, kind, patient Marlene, who would bring Dorcas flowers when she was sad and stayed by her side even when she would lash out. Dorcas was in love with Marlene, some part of her knew she always had been, and Dorcas felt so stupid that it took her so long to realize.
When Marlene pulled away it was only to whisper into the space between their lips, “I love you.”
And what could Dorcas do with that except pull Marlene back in and close the distance between them once more.