Baby
And there she was.
Leah was sat up in the hospital bed, her hospital gown hanging loosely around her shoulders, a cannula taped to her arm. A thick white dressing covered part of her forehead, and scrapes and bruises painted her skin in shades of red and purple. Her leg, encased in a temporary cast, rested on a stack of pillows outside the blankets.
She looked tired. Beaten up. But she was smiling. Tooney squeezed her hand before letting go, heading over to Leah and pulling her into a gentle hug. Leah reciprocated, nodding into Ella’s shoulder when asked if she was okay. As Ella sat herself on the arm of the chair Beth had claimed, Leah brought her attention back to Alessia, her lips quirking up into a small smile.
Something unfamiliar took hold of Alessia then. She decided, in that moment, that nothing else mattered. Not the fear. Not the uncertainty. Not the endless thoughts she had about what people would think, or about how she thought of herself. All that mattered was Leah. And before she could stop herself, before she could overthink it, she stormed across the room, cupped Leah’s face between her hands, and kissed her.
She kissed her.
Leah’s lips were slightly chapped, but soft. Warm. Sweet and all kinds of addicting.
A distant wolf whistle rang through the room, followed by a yelp as Beth elbowed Ella so hard she nearly fell off the chair. But Alessia didn’t hear it. Didn’t care. All she could focus on was Leah. Her feel. Her taste. The way her hands trembled slightly as they came to rest on Alessia’s waist. She poured everything into that kiss; her relief, her fear, her overwhelming, terrifying feelings for the woman in front of her.
And then she pulled away.
Leah was staring up at her, lips parted, eyes wide and completely, utterly stunned.
“Never do this to me again,” Alessia demanded, voice shaky as she glared at her.
Leah nodded wordlessly, still looking like she’d been hit over the head with a frying pan. Alessia stared at her, but Leah soon became blurry as tears filled her eyes.
Shit.
She backed away abruptly, pressing her hands to her face as she stifled a sob. Panic flashed across Leah’s features as she turned to Beth and Ella, silently begging them to explain.
Ella sighed. “She was terrified, mate. Thought she was gonna lose you.”
Leah’s stomach churned. “Less,” she called softly.
Alessia didn’t move. She couldn’t. Her breath came short and sharp, and her whole body trembled with the force of her sobs. Leah tried again, her voice a little more urgent, the nickname slipping out before she could stop it.
“Baby, please.”
That got Alessia moving. She hesitated only for a second before making her way back to the bed, allowing Leah to coax her onto the mattress beside her. She buried her head against Leah’s chest, tears soaking through the thin hospital gown as she sobbed.
Leah wrapped an arm around her shoulders, her fingers slipping into her hair, the other hand coming to rest over Alessia’s where it clutched at her stomach. Beth and Ella shared a look before nodding in silent agreement, slipping out of the room to give them some privacy.
Leah pressed a soft kiss to the top of Alessia’s head, her voice gentle, soothing.
“I’m okay,” she murmured. “I promise, love. I’m okay.”
Alessia clutched her even tighter, afraid to let go. Afraid she might disappear, and Leah just held her closer.
*
Alessia spent the next couple of hours exactly where she wanted to be. Curled up in Leah’s arms, her head resting just over her heart as she listened to its steady rhythm. Leah’s hand moved absently between rubbing her back and combing through her hair, her fingers occasionally lingering in soft strokes at the nape of her neck. It was grounding, soothing in a way Alessia hadn’t even realised she needed.
Beth and Ella were still there, chatting with Leah, filling the room with easy conversation. Alessia half-listened, only picking up snippets of words as exhaustion crept in around the edges of her consciousness. She didn’t contribute much, barely spoke at all, but Leah didn’t seem to mind, letting her just exist in the safety of her arms.
It felt like minutes had passed, but all too soon, visiting hours were over.
Alessia tensed at the nurse’s reminder, gripping Leah just a little bit tighter, her jaw clenching as she tried to suppress the immediate panic that threatened to rise in her chest.
She didn’t want to leave.
“Less,” Leah murmured softly, pressing her lips to the top of Alessia’s head. “You’ll see me tomorrow, okay? I’m not going anywhere.”
Alessia shook her head stubbornly, but Beth and Ella were already moving, standing from their chairs, waiting for her.
“Come on, Less,” Beth urged, her voice gentle. “You need to get some sleep.”
Alessia swallowed hard. Sleep. The idea of it felt foreign, impossible. How was she supposed to close her eyes, to let her guard down, when Leah was here, injured, when she couldn’t be there to watch over her?
“Alessia.” Leah’s voice was firm this time, but still patient. “Go. Rest. You’ll feel better for it.”
She exhaled shakily as she pulled away from Leah, nodding, even though every part of her screamed to stay. She didn’t kiss Leah again. Not because she didn’t want to -God, she wanted to- but because the thought alone made her stomach twist with something she wasn’t ready to acknowledge.
Instead, she hugged her. Not too tight, because she didn’t want to hurt her, but she made up for it with length. Leah’s hand cupped the back of her head, fingers threading through the strands at the base of her neck, and they held each other like that for nearly a full minute.
Eventually, Alessia forced herself to pull away, blinking rapidly to push back the sting of fresh tears.
Beth squeezed her shoulder gently, nodding towards the door. “Come on, love.”
Alessia nodded, reluctantly following as they made their way out. The second she stepped into the cool night air, exhaustion hit her like a tonne of bricks.
A fresh wave of tears welled in her eyes before she could stop them; silent, slow trails of relief and something else she didn’t quite know how to name. Beth turned to her, catching the way her lip wobbled, and without hesitation, she pulled her into a tight hug. Alessia melted into her, gripping the back of her hoodie as Beth rubbed her back soothingly.
“You did good, Less,” Beth murmured, squeezing her once more before letting her go.
Alessia sniffled, nodding as she wiped at her face. Beth then turned to Ella, pulling her into a quick hug before heading to her car. Alessia watched her go, standing still until Ella’s fingers wrapped around her hand and squeezed gently.
“Come on, Less,” she said, her voice softer than usual.
Alessia nodded again, allowing Ella to lead her towards the car. The drive back to hers and Leah’s flat was quiet. Alessia stared out of the window, mind still too full, body too drained to even attempt conversation.
When they arrived, Alessia turned to Ella. “Stay the night?”
Ella hesitated for all of a second before nodding. “Yeah, course.”
Alessia led her inside, straight to her room, digging through her drawers until she found a spare pair of pyjamas for Ella.
“Shower’s free if you want it,” she murmured, handing them over.
Ella nodded. “Yeah, thanks. You?”
“I’ll use Leah’s.”
Ella gave her a knowing look but said nothing. Alessia turned before she could change her mind, slipping into Leah’s en-suite. It smelled like her. Shampoo, shower gel, something that was just undeniably Leah. Alessia pressed her forehead against the cool tiles for a moment, inhaling deeply before stepping under the water.
By the time she emerged, clean and in fresh pyjamas, Ella was already curled up in her bed, scrolling mindlessly on her phone. Alessia climbed in beside her, pulling the duvet up to her chin as she let out a long, exhausted breath.
Ella shifted onto her side, propping her head up on her hand.
“So,” she began, a smirk tugging at her lips. “You kissed her.”
Alessia groaned, dragging the duvet over her face. “Don’t.”
Ella cackled, tugging the blanket back down. “Nah, nah, we’re talking about this. Because you; Alessia ‘I don’t know what I want’ Russo, full-on kissed Leah bloody Williamson in the middle of a hospital room.”
Alessia felt her face heat. “I panicked.”
“You panicked and kissed her?” Ella teased. “Mate, that’s a new one.”
Alessia let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head as she turned onto her side.
Ella grinned. “You happy about it?”
Alessia hesitated. Then, finally, she nodded. Ella’s grin widened.
Alessia swallowed. “I just…I hope I still feel the same in the morning.”
Ella’s expression softened. “You will,” she assured her. “And if you don’t, we’ll figure it out, yeah?”
Alessia exhaled, nodding as she closed her eyes. Ella flicked off the lamp, rolling onto her back with a yawn.
“Night, Less.”
Alessia hummed sleepily. “Night, Tooney.”