Shining Through The Shadows
[Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley Masterlist]
Pairing: Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley (F!OC)
Book: Open Heart, present day
Word Count: ~1,200
Rating/Warnings: general, no warnings
Synopsis: Olivia prepares a special eclipse viewing party for her patients.
"Where should I put this?" Bryce questioned as he carried a plastic foldable table beneath his arm into the hospital's healing garden.
"I was thinking right over here," Olivia gestured. "Near the entrance."
Within seconds, he had it open and set up.
"Thanks!" Olivia rocked up on her tiptoes, placing a kiss on his cheek, before turning back to the task at hand.
"Anything else I can help with?"
"Bring me that bag over there?" She motioned her head toward one of the blankets she had set up as she placed a yellow tablecloth over the table. "Grab that basket too, please."
"Is this all just glasses?" Bryce dug through the bag. "How many do you have here?"
"100... give or take some more," she offered casually while organizing a display of Capri Sun, Sun Chips, and Moon Pies on the table.
"I thought you only had 31 kids that could come out?"
"And the nurses and the doctors," Olivia defended.
"But more than 100? Did you leave any for the other departments?" he teased.
"Yes!" She stuck her tongue out playfully toward him. "Besides, the children need at least 2 each."
"Dare I ask why?" He handed Olivia the basket, which she placed on the table beside the snacks.
"For their stuffed animals and dolls," she answered as though it were common knowledge. Carefully, she placed the glasses in the basket, smiling as she continued, "Of course, they need protection, too."
"I'm not sure that's true," he laughed.
"Will you be the one telling them their stuffed friend isn't real so they don't need protection?"
"Not a chance. Ramsey might, though—we'll have to keep him away," Bryce decided with a chuckle.
"Woah," the ten-year-old Christopher marveled at how the healing garden had transitioned into a picnic area with snacks and art stations.
The effervescent seven-year-old Savannah bounced with excitement, pulling on her mom's hand. "There's clay! And paint! And crayons! And snacks! This is the best day ever!"
Her mother smiled down at her. Despite all the medical challenges her daughter had faced, she never let it dull her spirit. "Looks like you had a lot of choices, my little Picasso. Where'd you like to start?
One by one, the children entered the garden with their parents. Nurses and doctors mingled throughout, guiding them through the art choices, each station allowing them to explore the eclipse with different art mediums.
As 2:00 approached, Olivia called all the children back together to start their viewing party.
"We are very lucky to be able to come out here today and see something really special," Olivia began, her eyes wide with excitement as she spoke with the children.
"Who has seen a shadow before?"
All of the children raised their hands.
"What is the biggest shadow you've ever seen?"
"My dad's really tall so he has a really long shadow," one child called out.
"The shadow of the playground by my house is big in the afternoon," another shared.
"You have a shadow right there, Dr. Olivia!" Savannah pointed eagerly to the ground beside her.
"That's right! We all make shadows. Most things leave behind a shadow," Olivia explained. "My shadow is created because I block sunlight from getting to this area. Did you know there is something that looks kind of small but is actually really big and can make day look like night?"
The kids looked around, whispering to their parents in surprise.
"That's what's going to happen today. During a Solar Eclipse, the moon moves in front of the sun and blocks sunlight from reaching Earth." She held up a model to help demonstrate. "When the moon is in front of the sun, its shadow will make some places get really dark. Dark enough to see stars."
"I don't like the dark," Noah whimpered, holding his stuffed Koala a little tighter.
"You don't have to worry," she gently reassured him. "Just like my shadow only makes part of the area dark, it's the same with the moon,"
"So we won't see stars?" Savannah frowned.
"Not until it's actually nighttime. Sorry, Sav! Where we are, we will only see part of the eclipse." Olivia held up an Oreo, twisting the top off to expose the frosting. "In just a few minutes, the moon—" she held up the half without the frosting, "—and the sun—," she held up the half with the icing, "—are going to cross paths." She moved the "moon" half slowly in front of the "sun" half. "As the moon moves, it covers up more and more sunlight. With our special glasses to help protect our eyes, we will get to see the sun seem to disappear until it's just a sliver. It'll still look bright outside, but if we put on special glasses we can see that it'll really look like this."
The kids marveled in excitement and curiosity, eagerly discussing the event with their parents.
"Me, nurse Laura, nurse Tim, and Dr. Bryce will be around to give you glasses. You must wear them anytime you look up at the sun, okay? Can you give me a big thumbs up if you can do that for me?" The kids did as requested. "Great!"
The doctors and nurses moved through the group, passing out glasses to each group.
"Here you go." Bryce knelt near Savannah, offering her a pair of glasses.
The young girl looked around her blanket, raising one finger at a time as she counted. She held her hand toward him. "We need four, please."
"Four?" Bryce looked around, his brow raising curiously.
"Dr. Olivia said everyone needs glasses," she nodded to agree with her previous statement. "Me, Mommy, Teddy, and my American Girl doll."
"You are absolutely right; that is four!" Bryce shook his head with a smile. "How could I have counted wrong?"
"Maybe you were distracted by Dr. Olivia," she smiled. "She's so nice and pretty."
"She really is, isn't she?" His gaze flickered to Olivia, who was showing another patient how to wear the glasses.
"You should go hold her hand. She would like that," Savannah whispered with a giggle.
"You think?" His eyes widened in consideration.
Savannah nodded excitedly.
"I'll see what I can do. Thanks for the tip," Bryce winked as he continued on his way.
As the eclipse began and all the children were busy watching in amazement, Bryce slipped his hand into Olivia's as she watched over them. "You are incredible, absolutely incredible."
"It's nothing." She shook her head, trying to dismiss him.
"Liv, look at them! All of this, this is you! None of this would be possible without you."
"Anyone could have organized this."
"Maybe, but they didn't. You did!" He took her other hand in his, turning into her. "You made sure these kids got to experience something they wouldn't have without you. You made understanding the science relatable for them. This is something they're never going to forget. You gave them something special to remember."
Her face warmed under his compliments. Her gaze shifted toward the children engaged in viewing the once-in-a-lifetime experience, their parents beside them sharing in the moment. "They deserve this and so much more. They're so strong and so brave." Her eyes threatened to tear up, knowing that for some, they wouldn't have many other big days ahead of them.
"They're so lucky to have you, Liv, and so am I." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "There's no one else I'd want to share this with."
"I feel the same about you," Olivia smiled, wrapping her arms around him. After a moment, the pair turned their attention to the heavens and the celestial event growing in front of them, their hands laced together between them.
A/N: I know I'm late with this. This week has been crazy busy. It's taken all week to finish this. It is not proofread or edited! So please forgive any mistakes.
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