Chapter Five

Chapter Five


It had been two years since Sidney had last seen Cameron. After that night, he had realized the extent of the mistake he had made. That Christmas, he nervously stood at her doorstep, a red rose clutched in his hand, praying she would answer. But, to his dismay no one had. He had tried several times since then to regain contact with her, but never had. Looking at her now, she was as beautiful as he had remembered. Although it was not how Sidney had imagined meeting up with her again, he thanked God that he had placed her back into his life. He knew now he would not let her go again.

"Sidney, put me down!" She screamed once more.

"Sid, seriously. I don't feel good," she pleaded.

He contemplated his decision for a few, short seconds. 'What if she runs off? I do not want to lose her.'

Cameron began to cough and soon Sidney felt something trickle down his back.

"Shit," he muttered, setting her gently on the ground.

"I told you to put me down, but no. You have to be the same stubborn asshole you've always been," she sneered at him, before quickly kneeling to the ground to throw up again.

Sidney knelt down beside her, sweeping her hair up into his hands and softly rubbing her back with his other hand.

"No... no. Just go away, I don't need your help. I... I don't need you." She coughed again and turned her head back to the pavement.

His heart broke at the sound of her words. Did she really mean that? Was it just the alcohol talking? She must have meant something by it. Even so, he refused to leave her side.

"No, I'm not leaving you. Cam, you're a mess. You need someone here."

"You didn't have a problem leaving me two years ago. What makes things different now? Sid, just leave."

She continued to vomit on the sidewalk. He deeply regretted what he had done two years ago. Now more than ever. At the time, he thought it was the best thing for the both of them. But now, now he knew how much it had hurt her. He wished he could take back everything.

"You need to get her off of the sidewalk now," a man in black demanded from beside them.

"Excuse me?" Sidney questioned, angered.

"She can't be on our property. Get her out of here."

"Can't you see she's sick? I'll get her out of her as soon as she's feeling better and that'll have to be soon enough," Sidney snarled back, still kneeling by Cameron's side.

"Get her off the property now or I'll have the police handle this."

Sidney sighed. "Fine. Don't think I'm ever coming back here though."

"Are you going to be okay, Cam?" He asked her, concern evident in his hazel eyes.

"I think so," she replied, attempting to stand back up.

"Oh no, you're not walking."

Sidney carefully lifted her into his arms, carrying her bridal style towards the parking lot.

"I'll call my friend to come take me home," she slurred.

"No, you can come stay with me for the night. I wouldn't feel right leaving you with anyone else."

"Sid, really. It's okay. I... I don't want to ruin your night."

"You could never ruin my night. It's fine. And if you don't trust me taking care of you, Natalie makes a great nurse," he smiled.

"Okay," she smiled back.

Even though she had convinced herself she hated Sidney, she was happy she had stumbled over him. She could not think of anyone else that would kneel with her and take care of her after she threw up all over their shirt. Maybe, she was being harsh with him.

"Are you going to be okay if I put you down for a second to get my keys out and open the door?"

"Yeah, I think."

He slowly set her on the ground and steadied her against himself. He fumbled for his keys and quickly opened the passenger side door.

"Alright, let's get you in here." He scooped her into his arms again and delicately lowered her into the seat. He then fastened the seat belt and hurried to the hatch of the car.

"Here. Just in case," he winked, handing her a plastic shopping bag.

"Thanks," she laughed as he shut the door and ran to the other side of the car.

The drive to the house went by slowly and quietly. Neither knew what to say to the other. Confused thoughts continued to pour through Cameron's mind. Meanwhile, Sidney reflected on that night and on the note he had written. He pondered how he could apologize to her. He knew, "sorry" would never be enough and no excuses could ever cover his actions.

"Welcome to the Lemieux's," Sidney grinned, pulling up to the colossal house.

"Wow," Cameron uttered.

The name seemed familiar to her, but she was too drunk to remember at the moment. She pulled at the door handle as Sidney got out of the drivers side.

"Woah, woah. No walking for you, missy. I don't need you getting hurt."

"Sid, come on. I'm fine," she said, stumbling out of the car.

"Yeah, fine," he mimicked, catching her and pulling her up into his arms once more.

He carried her up the walk and rang the doorbell.

"Sid? Who's that?" A woman with blond hair questioned, opening the door.

"Remember when I was telling you about that girl that I grew up with? Well, this is Cameron Wilson. She's not feeling very well, so I figured we could take care of her for the night. I didn't feel right leaving her with anyone else."

"Oh, okay! Poor girl! Don't worry, sweetie, we'll take good care of you. Let's get you set up in one of the guest rooms. Take her up to the room across from yours Sid," Natalie smiled sweetly.

Sidney carried her up the staircase and down a carpeted hallway. He swiftly kicked a door open and walked inside. He gingerly lowered he into the bed and kneltdown beside the bed.

"I'm going to go change out of this. I'll get you something to wear. Nat, should be up in a bit. But in the meantime if you need to use the bathroom, it's right down the hall on your right."

"Alright."

"Okay, I'll be right back," he got up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Just as Sidney had said, the door creaked open a few seconds later and Natalie popped into the room.

"Hi Cameron. I'm Natalie, just in case Sidney didn't tell you. How are you feeling?" She smiled, setting a tray of saltines and ginger ale on the night stand and putting a bucket at the side of the bed.

"I'm starting to feel a bit better. And thank you for letting me stay the night. I feel like I'm putting you guys out."

"Oh, it's no problem, hunny. We're glad to have you here. Sidney's told me so much about you."

"Really?"

"Yes. From what I've heard, you're a real sweet girl. I just wish we could have met on better terms... I'm sorry. My husband's calling. But we really are glad to have you. If you need anything, just give us a yell," she smiled, walking out of the room.

"Thank you, Natalie."

As Natalie walked out of the room, Sidney walked back in holding a pair of boxer shorts and a black tee-shirt in his hand.

"Feeling any better?" He asked, seating himself on the edge of the bed.

"A little. I still have a massive headache though. I'm going to go change real quick. I'll be right back."

"Okay."

Cameron returned a few minutes later, dressed in the clothes Sidney have given her.

"So, who are the Penguins?" She questioned him, laying back down on the side of the bed opposite of where he was laying.

"They're the NHL team here. I play for them."

"So that's where you were drafted."

"You didn't know?"

"No, I stopped following hockey after... well, you know."

"Oh. Cam, listen..."

She cut him off, "No. Not tonight, Sid. I'm not ready to talk about that."

"Okay."

The room fell silent. Sidney looked up to the clock on the wall.

"It's getting late and I have practice tomorrow morning, so I think I'm going to bed. If you're not up before I leave, you're more than welcome to hang around. Actually, I'd feel better if you did. And Cam, it's great to see you. I really missed you. Anyway, goodnight," he smiled, his hand on the light switch as he began to close the door.

"Sidney," she called.

He turned back toward her.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Anytime. Goodnight."

"Night," she smiled, snuggling into the covers.