Chapter 43

I had no idea how much time had passed. His breathing had gone from the short, staggered breaths to long, even and deep. He had fallen asleep in my arms. As much as I wanted to hold him all night, I knew I couldn't. I slowly pulled away and laid his head down gently on the pillow. When I was completely out from under him, he was restless for a moment but quickly settled himself on the couch. I covered him with a blanket and took a few steps back. I stood staring at him. He looked so peaceful, in many ways child-like and I felt an overwhelming calm wash over my entire body. I bent down, kissed him gently on the cheek and whispered good night. I took his phone from the coffee table, turned off the lights and went to my room. I scrolled through his contacts until I found Mario's home number and dialed.

"Hello?"
"Hi Mario? It's Bekah. I didn't wake you did I?"
"No," he said with concern evident in his voice. "Is everything OK?"
"Yes, everything's fine. I just wanted to let you know that Sid came here after the game tonight. He was pretty upset about the Olympics. He's asleep on my couch right now, so I doubt he'll be making it home tonight. I wanted to let you know so you didn't worry."
"Sid's fine, he's at Bekah's," Mario told Nathalie, and I heard her say 'Thank god!' "Thank you so much for calling Bekah. We were worried when so much time had passed after the game and he hadn't come home yet. He doesn't handle this kind of thing very well so we were concerned. How is he?"
"He's hurting, but I think he'll be okay. We talked through it and he knows he's got lots of time still, but he's still very disappointed."
"Well, this is a first. You must be a miracle worker," Mario chuckled.
"What do you mean?"
"This is not normal behaviour for Sid. When something like this happens his reaction is to shut down. He holes up in his room and doesn't talk to anyone. He's been like that well, his whole life...until now. You must have some kind of hold on the boy."
"Oh I don't think that's the case Mario. I think he's just growing up."
"You underestimate your influence over him. In any case, I'm glad he's okay and we appreciate you letting us know."
"Well I would hope that someone would do the same for me if it was one of my kids." Realizing that Sid wasn't actually one of his kids, I added "you know what I mean."
"Yes. Good night Bekah and thanks again. Take care of him okay?"
"I'll do my best. Goodnight Mario."

I went into my bathroom to get ready for bed and when I took a glimpse in the mirror, realized I was still in my scrubs. I had been in such a hurry to get to the arena I hadn't bothered to change. 'Explains some of the weird looks' I thought to myself. I brushed my teeth and headed towards my bed. As I lifted my shirt over my head, the most heavenly scent wafted into my nose. I inhaled deeply. It was Sid. The perfect combination of his natural scent, his body wash and the body spray he used after every game. I slipped the shirt back over my head and crawled into bed. 'He may not be next to me, but this is the next best thing' I thought to myself. I know it's kind of silly, but with his scent gently tickling my nose, if I closed my eyes, I could almost feel his arms around me. I held my eyes shut and let my mind wander. My thoughts drifted to him lying on my couch, so close yet so far away. For the first time in a very long time, I yearned to have someone beside me in this bed. Not just someone...him. I snuggled deeper into the covers and let his magical aroma soothe me to sleep.