EDITED AS OF NOVEMBER 4, 2016.
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Rachael yawned and put a bookmark in her book. She checked her phone and saw no messages from Stephen. She shrugged and decided to go to bed without checking in on him. His speaking engagement had probably just run late, that was all. She curled up in bed and fell asleep, exhausted from her performance and safe in the knowledge that when she woke up in the morning, Stephen would probably be in the kitchen getting food.
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RING! RING!
Rachael woke up, blinking and wondering what (or rather who) had disturbed her sleep. She looked at the caller ID on her cell phone. It was Stephen. She wondered why he was calling her so late at night as she picked up.
"Hello?" She said groggily.
"Is this Rachael?" an unfamiliar voice asked.
"Yeah...who's this?" Rachael asked.
"Do you know Stephen Strange?" the voice asked.
"Yes, why? Did something happen to him?" Rachael was now worried.
"He was in a pretty bad car accident. You should get down here." the voice said.
"Where is he being held?" Rachael asked.
"New York Hospital." the voice said.
"Okay. I'll be right there." Rachael said.
Rachael flung herself out of bed, grabbed her phone and purse, and ran out to the parking garage. She hadn't even bothered to fix herself up. She drove to the hospital, praying that Stephen would live. She parked the car and ran inside. Fortunately, everyone knew her due to her friendship with Stephen and she was taken to the waiting room right away. She was given a rundown of what was wrong. Probably due to the rain, Stephen had lost control of his car, had hit another car (that driver was okay, just shaken), flipped, and landed right on the front bumper. There had been cuts and broken bones, and things were pretty bad. They told Rachael that it would be a long wait to see him and when she did, he would probably either be so out of it that he wouldn't even know she was there or asleep.
"If you want, you can go home and get changed." the doctor concluded.
"No, I'll stay here." Rachael said. She went and sat down on the couch. She looked throughout her last texts with Stephen and felt guilt wash over her. Why hadn't she called him?
Stop it, Rachael. You didn't know he was going to get hurt. He does this all the time, so you didn't think anything of it. She thought, trying to lessen her guilt.
Hours passed without any news of Stephen. Rachael did anything to distract herself. She played on her phone, watched TV, went to the drinking fountain. She even got up and paced for an hour. Finally, the doctor came out. Rachael stood up.
"He's stable." the doctor said. Rachael breathed a sigh of relief.
"May I see him?" she asked.
"Yes, but be warned. He doesn't look to good, and he's unconscious. He won't hear or understand a word you say." the doctor said. "Come on."
Rachael followed the doctor to Stephen's room. He was laying down on the bed, but Rachael barely recognized him. No longer was he the handsome doctor who all the female employees in the hospital dreamed of dating. His face was bloodied and bruised, and his right eye was swollen. Rachael saw that a bruise was already beginning to form. Stephen's hands had stitches in them. His nose was broken. There were bandaged cuts that decorated his face.
"Oh, Stephen..." Rachael's eyes filled with tears. She couldn't help it. Why had this happened to Stephen? It was so unfair. "Will he be okay?"
"The nerves in his hand were severely damaged. I don't think he'll be able to operate ever again," the doctor sighed. "Still, only time will tell. I think he should be able to carry on a normal life, though."
"Thank you, doctor. May I please be alone with him?" Rachael asked.
"Of course." the doctor nodded. He left.
Rachael pulled up a chair next to Stephen's bed. He was asleep. Rachael wondered how much pain he was going to be in when he woke up. She wondered where else he had been hurt. She guessed that his hands had gotten the worst of it, since they were being held up by some medical equipment that she didn't know the name of. A wave of tiredness suddenly crashed over Rachael. She yawned and stood up to kiss Stephen's forehead. When she did, he shifted slightly and his brow furrowed. Despite the situation, Rachael smiled. Stephen had always hated it when Rachael kissed his forehead.
"I'm not going to leave your side, Stephen. I'll stay until you wake up." Rachael stayed silent after this, not knowing what else to say. "I'll try to sneak up some pizza tomorrow night, if you want."
Stephen didn't reply. He slept soundly through the night. At some point, so did Rachael. When she next opened her eyes, it was morning. Stephen was still asleep. She kept vigil at his bedside. Finally, around ten in the morning, Stephen opened his eyes and looked around, panicked. Rachael put her hand on his shoulder.
"Stephen, shh" she said. "I'm here, I'm right here."
"Rachael, what happened?" Stephen asked. He sounded scared.
"You got in a car accident last night and were banged up really bad," Rachael said.
Stephen looked at his hands, his breath catching in his throat. "What did they do?"
"It's going to be a long road to recovery, but with time..." Rachael was choosing her words as carefully as she could.
"What did they do?!" Stephen's voice cracked.
"They tried their best," Rachael said. "I don't think anyone could have done better."
Stephen turned his head to look at Rachael. "I could have done better!" he took a breath before asking, "Who did it?"
"Nick," Rachael confessed.
Stephen continued to look at Rachael for a moment before turning his head in the other direction. Rachael's heart broke as she noticed his body start to shake with sobs. She knew she was crying because she could just barely hear it. Rachael didn't know what to do to comfort her best friend and make him feel better. She knew how much he enjoyed his work. She knew she would be devastated if she wasn't able to act ever again. As carefully as she could, Rachael wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his stomach.
"I know how hard this is for you," she whispered. "But it's going to be okay. I'll go on doing my shows so I can support both of us. I'll be with you every step of the way."
"Rachael, it's going to be hard for me to even pick up a fork to eat," Stephen's voice cracked. "I'm going to hold your life back."
"I've held your life back for the past twenty-three years. It's only fair," Rachael teased. "I'll help you with whatever you need. I'm going to call my agent and ask for a few weeks off so I can get you on your feet. You've been there for me, so I'll be here for you."
"You're too kind," Stephen said.
"I'll sneak in some pizza tonight, if you want," Rachael said.
Stephen let out a small huff of amusement. "Let's see what Nick has to say about what I can eat. Then we'll talk about pizza."
"I'm sure you'll be able to have pizza," Rachael scoffed. "Now, I feel gross, so do you mind if I go home to shower and change?"
"Not at all," Stephen said. "It's not like I can go anywhere."
"Okay. I'll be back soon," Rachael stood up and kissed Stephen's forehead. He grimaced, but couldn't push her away.
"Should I expect a lot of forehead kisses?" he asked.
"You better," Rachael joked, smiling at her best friend. "I'll be back in maybe thirty minutes."
"Okay," Stephen said. "Bye."
"Bye," Rachael said.
Rachael left the room and went to her car. She got in, locked the doors, put her head on the steering wheel, and started to cry. She'd been strong while Stephen was awake, but now... She was sad for him. She knew how much he loved operating. It was just so unfair! Rachael thought about all he'd done for her. She remembered when she had been stood up at prom and called him in tears. He had come to her school and picked her up. He had even let her rant to him even though he had a test the next day. She remembered all the opening nights of her shows he'd come to. They had a tradition that they always followed: Stephen would sit near the front (never in the front row because it hurt his neck) and bring her a bouquet of red roses. After the show, they would go out for pizza and then fall asleep watching a movie together. She remembered during the Battle of New York they'd both been panicking because they didn't know what to do. Stephen had finally dragged her down to the boiler room where they'd clung to each other in the darkness and prayed not to be crushed by the building collapsing. Stephen had saved countless lives and been there for her in her times of need. Rachael would have to be there for him now and step up.
Rachael drove home and showered. She got dressed before grabbing her phone charger along with her laptop and its charger. She also grabbed some movies and clothes for herself and Stephen before heading back to the hospital. She walked quietly into the room, not knowing if Stephen was asleep or not. He didn't notice her at first, and his expression broke her heart. He looked so dejected and sad. When he noticed Rachael, though, he smiled slightly.
"That didn't take very long," he murmured as she took her place by his bedside.
"Traffic wasn't too bad," Rachael said. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"
"Nick and I talked," Stephen recounted. "Oh, and Operation Sneak Domino's into the Hospital is go."
Rachael started laughing. Stephen started to laugh, too. When they had finally stopped, they both had tears of laughter coming down their faces.
"We probably shouldn't be laughing," Rachael said.
"I know, I know," Stephen said.
"What did he say?" Rachael asked.
"He said he doesn't think I'll be able to do operations ever again," Stephen's voice shook.
"I'm so, so sorry, Stephen," Rachael said, running her hand through his hair. "Go to sleep, okay? You'll feel better after you rest a little more."
"Whatever you say," Stephen said. "Can you get me a little water first? I'm thirsty."
"Of course," Rachael nodded. She got up and went into the bathroom. She found a few small cups and filled on with water. She went back to Stephen and tilted the cup up so he could drink. "There you go. Is that better?"
"Much," Stephen said. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Rachael sat back down. "Now, close your eyes and go to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up."
Stephen kept his eyes on Rachael as he fell asleep. He could feel her hand on his shoulder. He finally let himself drift off into a soothing nap.
Rachael watched her friend find peace in slumber. She put her hand on his shoulder and soothingly rubbed circles on it with her thumb. She wiped the tears that were coming back out of her eyes. She knew that the next few months were going to be some of the hardest Stephen had ever endured. Rachael swore silently that she would help him through it. It was the least she could do for him after everything he'd done for her in the past twenty-three years of her life.
"Everything will be okay," she assured in a hushed voice, staring down at her best friend with a sad smile.
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UGH, MY POOR BABY. I'M GONNA CRY WHEN HE GETS IN THE CAR CRASH WHEN THE MOVIE COMES OUT. WHEN I SAW THE TRAILER I LET OUT A RATHER LOUD GASP AND KIND OF REACHED OUT OF THE TV WHEN THE CRASH HAPPENED.