The Unextraordinary Life of Alexandra Jane (Editing)

Chapter Twelve: Cuts & Bruises

Thankfully she notices and unfolds herself from the couch and walks toward the side of the bed. I feel a pang in my chest as I take in the bandages around her hands and legs. 

"Alex-" I whisper when she gets to my side "What the-"

She hushes me taking my hand in hers, fixing her eyes on the doctor

She's hurt and it's my fault, I shouldn't have let her follow me into the shop, I should have just stopped and talked to her as soon as I noticed she was following me, I should have but I didn't, I let her follow me all the way into the club just to so she could see me and Rosalyn. I wanted to hurt her but now that she's here next to me, my heart hurts at the sight of her. 

"Well Harry you're not dead and you don't have any brain damage" Dr. Peters blunt remark makes me chuckle but grimace at the sharp pain that follows. I can't even fucking laugh without it hurting

"So that's good, you received minor injuries and you fractured one of your ribs which is probably why it hurts to move and breath, we've given you something to help with the pain."

Thank god I smile at Alex squeezing her hand, she squeezes back but doesn't look at me

"However, the impact of the car followed by your body hitting the pavement caused damage to your spinal cord." 

I stay silent letting his words sink in for a bit

"Your spinal cord wasn't crushed but in response to the trauma, lymph flooded the area and you developed a hematoma, a pocket of blood that's putting pressure on your spinal cord."

He probably notices the confusion on my face because I can't understand a single word he's said. My heart is racing at a very dangerous rate, I know because the machine that beeps with every pulse has begun to beep at a very fast rate. 

"Harry, the impact of the car caused the lower region of your spinal cord to swell resulting in paralysis. You're paralyzed from the waist down."

Alex's POV

I close my eyes as the words leave Dr. Peters lips. My lip quivers and I force myself not to cry. I squeeze Harry's hand, bringing his arm to my chest, hugging it. As if that will make anything go away. As if that will somehow change anything. 

"That's impossible," I hear the desperation in Harry's voice as he tries to convince himself this is all a dream. I know because ever since Dr. Peters told me what had happened to him, that's what I've been doing. 

"I-I can't be paralyzed! I can't!" I look over when Harry pulls his arm away from my grasp and rips the covers off his body. He tries to move off the bed but only begins to panic when he can't. I watch his face twist in pain making the ache in my chest grow. 

"Alex why can't I move my legs! Why can't I feel anything! Alex help me!" his scream low and hoarse

Tears spill out the corner of my eyes as I hear Harry beg for me to help, even when we both know I can't 

"I'm fine! I need to get out of here, I'm fine!" He begins to claw at his arms, legs and chest, yanking off the all the tubes that are stuck to his body. He yells out in pain as he yanks the patches that are stuck to the skin all over his body. He's hurting himself.

"Harry stop!" I reach over and grab his wrists in my small hands before Dr. Peters and the nurse can get to him. If they think he's going out of control they'll sedate him and he'll think it was a dream, but when he wakes up it'll be worse to realize it wasn't. They can't sedate him. I won't let them. They nod when they realize what I'm doing and exit the room. Thank god. 

He's not looking at me as he tries to pull away, in other circumstances he would have easily over powered me, but right now he doesn't and I don't know if it's because he can't or he just doesn't want to. 

I wrap my arms around him feeling him flail in my hold for a second then relaxing. He buries his face in the crook of my neck and begins to weep. I run my hands through his hair as I quietly shush him.

"Shh It's going to be okay Harry, I promise." My voice cracks and I know he heard it

"Please Alexandra Jane, please don't lie to me" He mumbles, his breath warm against my neck 

"I'm not" I say confidently

Harry moves his head and looks up at me, he has dark circles and his skin is pale. The whites of his eyes are tinted pink from his crying ultimatly draining the color from his iris's. His nose is pink and his lips are are set in a frown. 

"You need to get some rest" I say as I pull away from him. As much as it hurts me to accept it, he is my half brother, nothing more. 

"Can you lay with me?" He asks lowering his head as if he's asked an embarrassing question

"Um I don't-"I begin

"Jesus fucking Christ Alex I need you right now, please?" he runs his hands through his hair 

I walk over and scoot on the edge of the hospital bed in hope it can handle our combined weight. He struggles to move but when I offer to help he just waves me off. Harry lays down at the other end of bed and pats the space next to him. I lay down on my side bringing my knees to my chest about a foot away and wait for him to drift off too sleep. 

Suddenly Harry pulls my by my wrists, bringing me to his chest. He wraps his arms around me and when I look up at him, his eyes are closed and his lips are slightly parted. He's asleep. 

I stay like that for a while not wanting to wake him. My eyes begin to flutter as my own lack of sleep begins to take it's toll. When I feel a hand on my shoulder my eyes fly open and I shift to lay on my back slightly. When I look up  I notice a pair of crinkled blue eyes looking into mine.