Can’t Look Away

“I’ve already called dibs on the nice bathroom”

Sasha smiled as she vaguely poked at the food on her plate, watching as Cassie slipped into the seat next to her. “Do I look that rough?” she countered. She hadn’t slept well. Despite Cassie taking her mind off of her impending wedding by announcing her pregnancy, Sasha had still found her mind drifting back to what was to come that day, and it meant that she had spent most of the night tossing and turning, flitting between excited and nervous.

Cassie grinned, but shook her head, swallowing a mouthful of her tea. “It’s probably good that you’re going to see a hairdresser and a makeup artist before we leave, but you look fine. Maybe a little pale, but nothing we can’t hide” she mused.

Sasha rolled her eyes before she leant forwards, resting her forehead on the table. “Is there room in my schedule for a quick nap?” she mumbled.

“Not unless you want to show up late” Cassie replied.

Sasha let out a quiet groan, something which made Cassie laugh before she gently reached over, her hand rubbing reassuring circles against Sasha’s back. “You’ll be fine” she said “I mean, you got through Arlo’s fussy phase. I am sure that you can get through this” she added.

Sasha huffed out a soft laugh before the sound of footsteps approaching caused her to sit back in her chair, watching as her mother swanned into the room, trailed by her brother and Ellie. Fighting off the urge to yawn, she slowly clambered back to her feet, allowing Carina to rush towards her, pulling her into a tight hug. “Good morning, bride-to-be” she cooed “How are you feeling this morning?” she added.

“Grumpy” Cassie chirped.

“You’re supposed to be helping” Sasha retorted, fixing Cassie with a glare that made the other woman grin impishly.

“It’s the truth” Cassie replied.

Sasha shook her head before she turned back to her mother, allowing Carina to gently tuck her hair behind her ear. “I didn’t get a lot of sleep” she mused “But I will be fine. What do I need to do first?” she asked.

Carina offered her a slightly dubious look, wordlessly asking if she was sure, before she nodded. “You need to take a shower” she mused “And hopefully, by the time you’ve done that, your hairdresser will be here and we can start getting you ready. Do you think that you can handle that?” she asked with a soft, doting smile.

It was easy for Sasha to smile back. “I think so” she mused.

“Good” Carina cooed “Now, get upstairs. I will coordinate everyone and everything else. Try not to worry about anything” she added.

“But she’s so good at worrying” James chirped as he ducked around his mother, greeting his younger sister with a warm hug.

Sasha shoved at his shoulder playfully before she broke out of their hug, padding towards the stairs. “James, try not to get in the way” she teased over her shoulder.

Smiling to herself, she wandered up the stairs, passing her father who offer her a slightly tight smile in return. Furrowing her forehead slightly, she progressed up to the bathroom and stepped towards the shower, turning the taps on. Moving back, she pulled off her pyjama shorts before she heard a clatter from downstairs, followed by a series of shouts.

Surprised by the noise, Sasha pulled her shorts back on before she rushed out of the room, only to be met at the top of the stairs by Cassie who reached out to her, squeezing her shoulders gently. “What’s going on?” Sasha asked.

“We need to call Leo” Cassie replied.

“Why?” Sasha pressed “Everything was fine two minutes ago” she added, a slightly anxious laugh falling out of her mouth. From just a single look at Cassie’s face, Sasha had been able to guess that there was something wrong. She looked like she had seen a ghost.

“Your papa” Cassie breathed “He just...He collapsed, Sasha” she added.

Sasha’s eyes widened before they filled with tears, something which caused Cassie to gather her into her, hugging her tightly.

~#~
“Sasha?”

Sasha, who was quietly brushing her thumb over the back of her father’s hand, looked up at the sound of her name, her eyes glossing over when she spotted Lionel in the doorway. She hadn’t had the chance to talk to him. After her father had collapsed, everything had happened so quickly, and in the blur of activity, she had forgotten to make the call. She had assumed that someone would. Cassie and Ellie had both been at the house when it had happened, and she had trusted that someone would call him, but still she felt a little guilty that she hadn’t done it herself. He should have heard that she wasn’t going to make it up the aisle from her.

“Where’s Arlo?” Sasha whispered, gently detaching her hand from her father’s so that she could move towards the door.

“With my mother” Lionel replied “She was happy to take him. Where’s everyone else?” he asked.

“My mother is taking a break in the waiting room” Sasha replied “James went to get coffee with Leila. They should be back soon” she added.

Lionel stared at her for a moment before he opened his arms, causing Sasha to let out a slightly sniffled laugh before she shuffled into them, more than happy to accept the hug. “I don’t even know why I am crying any more” she whispered, nuzzling closer to him “The doctor has already been by, and he’s going to be fine. The heart attack was mild, and there’s no sign of lasting damage. I just can’t seem to stop” she added.

Lionel rubbed her back. “You’re probably still in shock” he murmured.

Sasha tightened her grip on his shirt before she looked down at it, recognizing the material that she was gripping. “This is your shirt” she whispered.

Lionel laughed. “Well, it’s not yours” he teased.

Sasha pulled back to look at him. “Your wedding shirt” she clarified “This is the shirt you were going to wear when...” she trailed off on a sniff.

Lionel gently brushed her cheek with his thumb, getting rid of the tears.

“We were supposed to be married by now” Sasha whispered “We were supposed to be walking out of the church as husband and wife, and you didn’t even hear that we weren’t going to be from me. I don’t even know if it was Cassie or Ellie that called you. You were almost dressed, and I...I didn’t call” she spluttered.

Lionel gently cupped the back of her head, tugging her closer until their foreheads touched. “Listen to me” he murmured “I don’t care who called me. I don’t care that today didn’t happen like we thought it would. Right now, I just care that you’re OK, and that your father is OK. When I got the call, all I could think about was how I needed to be here. I needed to be reminded to pull on a pair of trousers before I left. I just needed to be here with you” he added.

Sasha sniffed. “I’m glad you’re here” she whispered.

Lionel closed the small gap between them with a short kiss before he pulled back, wiping her tears away again.

Sasha smiled up at him tearfully. “We’re going to need to pick a new date” she whispered “My papa is going to insist on it when he wakes up” she added, sparing a glance over her shoulder towards Eddie.

Lionel followed her stare before he leant over, kissing her temple softly. “Just name the time and the place, and I’ll show up, no matter what it looks like” he assured her gently.