Falling For You [Tom Hiddleston]

31

Claire's POV

I didn't remember leaving my apartment, but even before I managed to pry my eyes open I knew that I wasn't there anymore...nor at Tom's.

I was in the goddamn hospital.

I hated everything about hospitals, including the rough, itchy sheets, the ever present and annoyingly beeping monitors, the bland white walls, and the sterile smell of antiseptic cleaners.

"Are you finally awake, Angel?" a familiar voice asked as I blinked, trying to clear my hazy vision.

"Hey Ris," I rasped, finally focusing on the beautiful brunette sitting in the chair beside the bed. I cleared my throat because I hated sounding like a chain-smoker. "Where am I?"

I raised the head of the bed so my neck wasn't in such an awkward position and so I could look around my room. I wasn't sure what I felt when I realized Tom wasn't there - disappointment, maybe? Not that I'd expected to see him, of course; he'd probably decided by now that I was more trouble than I was worth.

"St. Bart's; where else?"

"Why?"

"Well, you did collapse at your flat and scare the living daylights out of your poor boyfriend-"

"Tom's not my boyfriend; you know I don't do relationships."

"Lover, then," she shrugged.

I flipped her off, much to her amusement, but didn't protest that label; it was more accurate than boyfriend. "Doesn't explain why I'm here, though; I better not have come by ambulance."

"You didn't; I asked him to bring you in himself. He's getting coffee right now, in case you were wondering; I told him I'd text him if you woke up before he got back."

I looked around for a clock but didn't see one. "How long was I out for?"

She glanced at her phone. "Almost two hours now." I stared at her in disbelief, unable to believe I'd been out for that long. "Don't give me that look, Claire. I can't believe you refused treatment earlier, by the way; that's a new level of idiocy for even you."

I ignored her insult because she wasn't wrong; I could be a stubborn little shit at times and we both knew it. "Well, what's wrong with me this time?" Best to get the lecture she was itching to give me out of the way now; I probably deserved it.

"You mean other than the concussion, multiple contusions, split lip, three broken ribs and failing implant that you already knew about?"

I sighed, realizing exactly how she knew that; I wasn't even angry - how else was she to know what had or hadn't been done earlier? But at the same time I knew I was really in for it if she was leading off with that.

"You talked to the EMT's."

"Yes, since I have your permission on file-"

"And I wasn't awake to protest-"

"Well, that too. And you can't tell me you wouldn't protest, Claire." I waved a hand dismissively; we both knew I would've. "So I've already run all of the necessary scans and tests as well as giving you a round of broad spectrum antibiotics while you were out. I also removed what was left of your contraceptive implant. How on Earth did you manage to break it that badly, by the way?"

I raised my non-injured eyebrow. "I'm talented."

"You think?"

"It really doesn't feel great when they break, just so you know. Burns, kind of."