Chris stirred slowly, feeling fingers comb through his hair lightly. He started to sit up, his back aching from his previously slumped position. He opened his eyes, forgetting where he was for a moment before he sat up completely and turned his complete attention to Alexa.
"Hey there," Alexa said quietly, a gravelly shake still in her tone.
"Hey, baby. How yah feeling?" Chris asked, much more awake now that he fully remembered why they were here.
God. There was so much blood.
"Okay," Alexa answered.
Chris tried to stretch out his aching limbs, "What time is it?"
"Mm. Almost nine."
Chris had only drifted off for an hour or so then. And he knew Alexa had fallen asleep far before he had. So at least she got some rest. But Jesus. How was this awful day not already over?
"Are you finally all settled? No more pokes and prods?"
Alexa nodded carefully, her body looking stiff and achey from the movement.
A small knock echoed from the doorway.
"Hey there!" A woman in a white coat said, holding a clipboard, quickly reviewing whatever was written on it.
"Hi," both Chris and Alexa said together.
"I'm Dr. Erin Gamble, Thank you for being patient with me. I've been getting called left and right tonight."
"That's okay, I mean...not seeing you is sort of...a good thing, right?" Alexa said breathy and light as if it pained her to speak for too long.
Dr. Gamble laughed, "That's true. That's true. Which I guess that takes us right to this." She held her clipboard up for them to see before she brought it back down to look at it again.
"You already talked about the 14 stitches in your forearm earlier with Dr. Greece," Dr. Gamble said, gesturing to her freshly stitched arm.
Dr. Greece had been the doctor on call when Alexa came in, but his shift had ended a few hours into her time there. They had liked Dr. Greece, very informative and patient. So far they liked Dr. Gamble as well.
"So...you do have four broken ribs on your left side. Obviously because that was the side of impact. Those will, in most cases heal on their own. We also found that the impact bruised your left lung. That's what is currently causing the pain when you're speaking, or you breathe too deeply. You just have to take it easy for a while. You mentioned your current job was being a class instructor at a gym?"
"Yes," Alexa said simply, Chris assumed to avoid the tenderness in her neck and chest again.
"Well, we'll get something written up for you for them. Because you will have to avoid heavy exercise and movement for around six weeks to allow those to heal."
Chris looked at Alexa, trying to gauge her reaction to this news, but she kept her face stoic and serene. Listening carefully to the doctor as she continued.
"The main concern we had," Dr. Gamble continued, "was your ankle. We weren't able to tell right away if it was sprained or broken. After consulting about your X-rays, we noticed that you didn't break your ankle per se, but you did chip a piece of the bone off."
Dr. Gamble held the X-ray up to the light for Alexa and Chris to see, pointing to the area that looked uneven, not smooth like the rest of the bone around it.
"You'll have to stay completely off of it for a few days. Short bathroom trips won't do any harm, but everything else is a no-go. And heck, you might not even feel like doing that unassisted, and that's okay. But you'll come back to see me in three days, to take off this cast, and if it's still doing okay, we will get you a walking boot for the next six weeks as it heals. If it doesn't look like it's progressing when we meet, then we may have to discuss the idea of surgery."
When Chris glanced at Alexa this time, he could tell she was holding back tears. He took her hand in his and gave it the lightest of squeezes, but he was surprised when she gripped it back tightly, as though it were the only tether holding her down to Earth.
"Everything else is looking pretty good. The facial abrasions as well as the few others will heal up just fine. And the stitches will come out in about a week or two." Dr. Gamble smiled and Alexa and Chris tried to smile back, but it was difficult.
"I'm going to keep you overnight for observation to make sure nothing spikes but you should be good to go tomorrow afternoon."
"Thank you, Dr. Gamble." Alexa said hoarsely.
"Yes, thank you so much." Chris stated after her.
"Absolutely," Dr. Gamble said, flipping the clipboard to the starting page. She gave Alexa's right leg a pat, "try to get some rest, okay?"
"Okay." Alexa said simply as she watched Dr. Gamble head out of her room, the door clicking shut behind her.
As soon as the click echoed through the room, Alexa started to cry.
Chris stood in an instant, pushing the chair he was sitting in back with the backs of his knees and leaned down to kiss Alexa's forehead, a stray tear fell down his own cheek before he realized it.
"I know I've said it already, but fuck, I'm so glad you're okay, Sweets." Chris said, a wobble to his chin and his words a bit softer than he expected them to be. "There was a chunk of time before getting to you that I thought—"
"I'm here," was all Alexa said her own tears sliding down her cheeks. Her words made his face crumple and he ducked into her right shoulder. "I'm here."
He looked up at her and she tried to show him a small smile. He nodded as she reached up with her right hand to cup his cheek and wipe away the tear lingering there. Chris sighed after a long moment and rested his hand on top of hers that was still on his cheek.
"Being down and out for six weeks is better than a lot of other things that could've happened." Chris whispered.
Alexa nodded slowly in agreement, her tears waning, but then her brow furrowed carefully, "I just wish..."
"What, baby?" Chris asked, waiting for her to reply.
"I can't remember...if the walk signal was on...or not. I barely remember...any thing that happened before...—" Alexa's words drifted off but Chris understood.
"I don't honestly know, I just saw the car going way too fucking fast for a New York street and then saw you in front of him and I just...started running for you."
Chris continued, "There's gotta be cameras on the street though. There's definitely a bank on that block. We'll find out sooner or later."
"Yeah..." Alexa said with a follow up yawn that she looked to be fighting off.
"Why don't you catch some sleep? Hmm? I'll be right here when you wake up."
Alexa nodded sleepily with no contest, as Chris kissed her once more, and she closed her eyes.
——————————
Once Alexa had drifted to sleep, Chris took out his phone to check the slew of messages he had received over the last few hours and never answered.
Megan
How is Alexa?
How are YOU?
Call me when you get a chance dear.
Sebastian
We're here if you need anything brother.
Love you guys
Kevin F.
Thinking of you both
Take whatever time you two need.
So many more texts blended together. Well wishes, thoughts to pass along, advice. Chris felt bad for not wanting to answer anyone, but he really just wasn't up for it.
He at least made it a point to answer Sebastian, Megan, and Kevin.
He thanked both Kevin and Sebastian, appreciating them for reaching out and for the love. And instead of texting Megan back, he decided to step out into the hall and call her.
"Hey, Chris," Megan's surprisingly soothing voice said through the line.
"Hey, Meg."
"How's Alexa doing?"
Chris proceeded to explain Alexa's current state, but overall made sure to say that she was doing well and would probably be able to leave tomorrow.
"That's good to hear. How are you doing?"
Chris ran his hand through his hair and sighed, "I'm okay. Still just can't shake off the anxiety..."
"Just remember to focus and breathe. This is out of your control. All you can do is be there for Alexa and support her."
Chris nodded, though Megan couldn't see him do it. He needed to hear that. To hear that this was out of his control. His anxiety had been humming through his body as soon as his adrenaline died down. Almost like a phantom itch he couldn't scratch.
"I know this is a shitty thing to talk about right now. But what do we want to do about everything...media wise."
Chris knew he would have to talk to her about this eventually. They might as well get it out of the way sooner rather than later.
"What's being said?"
There was a pregnant pause before Megan continued, "A lot."
"I'm a big boy. I can handle it."
Megan sighed but dove into listing off the things she had seen and read, "You two got into a fight. She was drunk. She did it on purpose. She found out you were going to break up with her. Honestly, Chris, this list is fucking, exhaustingly endless."
That anxiety blossomed even deeper in his gut now. He had an idea of how to deal with it, but he didn't want to make the call about it without talking to Alexa about it first. And he told her just that.
"I want to talk to Alexa about it first. But my gut reaction is to put out the truth. She was upset that the media not only outed her, but also misconstrued her job into something it's not, trying to damage her reputation."
"Okay. You talk to her whenever appropriate and get back to me. For now, we won't comment."
"Okay. Thanks, Megan."
"If there's anything I can do for either of you, please don't hesitate to ask." Megan replied softly.
"We appreciate it, Meg. Thank you."
They said their goodbyes and soon, Chris was alone in the hall again. He leaned against the wall and let out a heavy sigh. He tucked his phone into one of his pockets and shook out his hands.
But he couldn't shake the feeling in his chest. His breaths became a bit labored. He looked up and down the relatively empty hallway and noticed a few nurses at their station looking his direction. He wasn't sure if it was because he was him, or because he obviously had the start of an anxiety attack rushing over him.
Was it that obvious? Maybe it was. He felt like it was. There was a ringing in his ears as his breathing still continued to shallow out. He clenched his hands into fists, the feeling of his palms clammy against his fingers.
He found the bathroom two doors down from him quickly and pushed his way inside, locking the door behind him.
Chris immediately slid down the wall to the floor, his knees meeting his chest as he rested his elbows on them. He ran both his hands through his hair, but tugged at the ends.
Stop.
Stop.
Stop.
Alexa is going to be okay.
But there was so much blood.
Stop. That doesn't matter anymore.
She's not on the pavement anymore.
She's been taken care of.
She is okay. You are okay.
He didn't realize he had tears starting down his cheeks until he tried to catch his breath but couldn't. He moved his arms to cross above his knees while he leaned his head back against the cool tile wall. Chris felt like he was on fire. His throat was tight, and sweat was threatening to drip down the back of his neck.
He felt like he was going to pass out. He sucked in air through his nose gently but steadily. He counted to five and slowly let out his breath. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing as much as he could. He lost count of however many times he inhaled and exhaled, but he eventually got himself relatively calm.
Calm enough to stand from his scrunched position, attempting not to falter as he rose. He turned towards the sink counter and leaned his palms on it. He looked into the mirror, taking in the shape of him.
I look like a fucking mess. Jesus. Get it fucking together Chris.
He shook his head and turned on the water. He cupped his hands underneath the cool running water before he splashed it onto his face.
Come on. You've gotta get it together.
For her.
Chris straightened up, grabbed a paper towel to dry his face and threw it out as he headed for the door. He reached for the handle and took another deep breath before he let it out and opened the door, heading back out to the hallway.