Rain Check?

~88~

  Two days passed as doctor's kept Dempsey heavily sedated in order to let her body begin the healing process. Chris continued to struggle and had yet to make it further than the wall he had leaned on before. No matter the amount of coaxing, no one could convince him to take any steps closer to her bedside.

Or so they thought.

By Monday morning, Lisa insisted that Leigh Ann and Conor both go home to shower and get a bit of rest. They all knew that at some point today a doctor would be by to start the weaning process from the sedation in order to try and check the function of Dempsey's legs.

"I can't," Dempsey's mother says sternly. "What if they do it while we're gone and she is in so much pain that they put her back under. I haven't heard my baby's voice in over two days, Lisa. I have to be here even if all I get is a moment."

"What if we talk to the nurse? See if maybe there's a game plan for what time of day the doctor will be by? I can make sure you're both back here by then," Lisa offers as she's already heading towards the door. Conor offers to go with her, giving Dempsey a kiss on her forehead before following down the hall.

Leigh Ann catches a glimpse at Chris who just continues to hold up the wall. She stands, sliding one of the chairs from the opposite side of the room over to him. "If you're not going to come any further, you might as well get comfortable."

He looks down, ashamed as he accepts the seat before pushing it against the wall. "If Archer was here he wouldn't be letting you get away with this, ya know?"

That causes him to lift his eyes only momentarily. "I'm sure he'd have kicked my tail right out of Dempsey's life a long time ago," he says, feeling even more rejection over his previous choices.

Leigh Ann chuckles lightly, the first bit of a joyful sound coming from the room in days. "No, son." Chris lifts his head completely, cocking it to the side. "While I'm sure he'd have given you a stern talking to, he would've still let that girl make all of her own decisions. He'd have sat with her, talked with her, held her as she cried. But he would've never bad mouthed you." She pauses, starting to tear up. "That man never could say a bad thing about anyone. Dempsey use to swear that someone could spit in his face and he'd politely ask them what they had enjoyed for lunch."

Chris leans up, his forearms resting on his legs. "I don't deserve her, Mrs. Abrams."

"No," she laughs again. "You certainly don't. But truly, no one will ever be good enough for my baby girl. But she still deserves to be loved, to be cared for, to be treated with respect," her eyes narrow a bit. "Archie would look at you right now, and ask you flat out what you want, Chris. And he'd expect an answer. An honest one, straightforward and to the point. And he'd tell you that if you're not in it for the long haul, whether that be for love or even just a friendship, to cut those ties no matter how much it would hurt her."

He opens his mouth to speak, seemingly stunned by her words, and faltering on how to actually respond to such a profound statement. The sound of his mother's steps coming up behind him at the door, pulls Leigh Ann's attention away.

"Alright. Looks like we've got about four hours before the doctor will be up. He's got another surgery so I'll make sure to have you back by lunch." They watch as Leigh Ann looks back at her daughter, truly torn about leaving her. Lisa walks closer, taking the woman's hand in her own. "The sooner we go, the sooner we can get back."

With the simple statement she moves to her daughter's side once more, leaning down and kissing her cheek. "See you soon, baby."

Lisa sends a side eye to her son, unhappy with him and the fact that he's yet to move any closer to Demi. She's been holding back her hand from popping the back of his head for the last forty-eight hours. She'd given him the first day, understanding how difficult it could be to see his former girlfriend in such a state. But by now? She feels there's just no excuse.