After All This Time

Awakening

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Gemma hurried down the hall to Marty's room, not sure how to feel. She was beyond thrilled that her best friend was back among the living but unsure of what she was going to find behind that door. Was she going to be whole or would there be parts of her missing? She had agreed with Clay that they should hold off telling Tig until she had more information. He may be the one paying the bills but Gemma was the contact for the home, and there was no reason to get his hopes up if things weren't as rosy as they both hoped.

When she opened the door to Marty's room, her knees almost gave out under her and she had to put a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. There was her best friend, sitting up in bed and arguing with the nurses. Gemma reached up and wiped away the tears that were now streaming down her face as she walked into the room and shut the door.

"I'll be damned. Ten years and still bitching at people."

Marty turned her head and stopped mid-sentence, grinning and holding her hands out. "Oh my God! Gemma?" As Gemma hurried to her to wrap her arms around her friend, Marty sobbed into her shoulder. "It's so good to see you!"

The nurse smiled and stepped back toward the door. "I'll leave you two alone for a bit, but we really do need to get some blood samples, Ms. Simon."

Marty nodded as she waved Gemma to the chair beside the bed, wiping her own eyes with her hands. Gemma shook her head as she sat down, staring at her friend in wonder. From what she could see, she was still the same Marty.

"Sweetheart, I never thought this day would come. I can't fucking believe my eyes."

Marty sighed and nodded. "I know... well, I've been told that this is rare. Has it really been ten years? That's what the doctors said, but I can't believe that. How have I been asleep for ten years?"

Gemma shook her head, giving her a small grin. "They're right, baby. It's been exactly ten years since the accident. Do you remember anything?"

Marty sighed and shrugged. "I remember we laid the bike down. I was pinned but... Tig... did he... "

Gemma shook her head, making Marty sigh with relief. "No, sweetheart. He's fine, just had a little road rash."

Marty breathed a sigh of relief before looking down at her hands clasped in her lap. "I hoped that he was alright." She looked up at Gemma and the other woman was struck with how sad Marty looked. "I know from the nurses that I've only ever had one visitor. I want to thank you for sticking by me all this time."

Gemma nodded as she reached over and covered Marty's hands with her own. "Baby... he just can't get past the guilt he feels. That's the only reason he hasn't been here."

Marty grinned and shook her head. "You don't have to make excuses for him, Gem. Alex never was good at the long haul." She waved a hand when Gemma started to speak. "It's fine, really." She looked around the room before smiling at her friend. "I'm probably going to be here a while longer but eventually they'll spring me. I'll need to prepare for that."

Gemma scoffed and shook her head. "Well, don't worry about that. Me and Clay... the whole club will help you with whatever you need."

Marty nodded before clearing her throat. "So, how is Clay? Still as handsome as ever?"

Gemma chuckled. "Yeah, he hasn't changed any. He told me to give you a kiss. It's a good thing I know there was nothing between you two or I'd start to worry right about now."

Marty snickered. "Nah, I only ever saw Alex, so you're safe. How is Jax? He's what, in his twenties now? That seems so unreal."

Gemma nodded and smiled as she thought of her son. "Yeah, he's a man now, has a son. He's the VP of the club."

There was a knock on the door followed by a younger man walking in with a smile on his face. "Hello, ladies. I'm sorry to interrupt but I really need to run some tests. You can come back and visit tomorrow."

Gemma nodded before standing and giving Marty a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back tomorrow and we'll talk more."

Marty nodded as she watched her best friend walk out. She looked at the doctor with a raised brow and shrugged. "Okay, I guess I'm all yours."

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Later that night, Marty stared at the tv in the corner while she tried to process everything that had happened. She didn't know why she was still here, or even why she had woken, something that seemed to have the docs baffled as well. They had told her that other than a few things like muscle density loss and needing exercise, she was in good health and would most likely be released in the next week or so.

She didn't know what she would do with the rest of her life, but she felt like she was here for a reason, even though she had no idea what that reason was. Her thoughts turned to Alex and she frowned. She knew that what Gemma had said was probably true, and that he hadn't refused to come because he didn't love her, but she couldn't help but feel hurt at the fact that he had stayed away for ten years.

She sighed and shook her head as she used the remote to turn off the television. She'd let the past lie and let the future sort itself out. Right now, she had to focus on the present, and that meant focusing on what she had to do to get back to her old self again, with or without Alex Trager by her side.