The next morning I woke up with extreme pain in my hand, and upon inspection it had turned a lovely shade of purple over night and the swelling hadn't improved either. After using the toilet and moving to attempt to wash my hands, I came face to face with my own face in the mirror, and my lip was busted. Who knew a bitch slap could do so much damage.
Although that was the least of my worries, my lip would heal up, my hand was another story. And it wouldn't look good for Alex. If I ended up in hospital, the socials would be all over it. But I was almost certain I needed an X-ray, having been through my fair share of injuries, I had a good idea that the pain I was in wasn't something that would go away on it's own.
The stress had me pissed off, and I could feel a massive headache coming on. Plus I felt completely exhausted, and when I picked up my phone I saw it was 8.30am so I hadn't slept a wink. Obviously that was why I was so tired.
I expected that Alex and Madison's late night drama might make them sleep in, but when I got to the kitchen I found both sitting there, Alex engrossed in something in his MacBook and Madison looking pretty subdued. Awkward.
I wasn't a big fan of interacting with people in general, but I especially didn't like being in a room when two people clearly had beef. While I wanted to simply turn on my heel, I needed pain relief. It was horrendous, and I couldn't ignore it for much longer. The fact that my dirty laundry got aired, I was attacked and somebody I trusted betrayed me all made me feel rather emotional. And the last thing I wanted to do was be forced to talk it through with either of them. But especially her.
Alex looked up, a concerned look etched on his ragged face, his usually bright eyes were puffy and red rimmed. Madison looked like shit too. I briefly wondered why she hadn't dipped, I would have ran for the hills as soon as possible if I was in her shoes.
Alex putting two painkillers on the counter and a bottle of water and nodding his head towards me for me to come take them distracted me from my thoughts.
"How's your hand?" He asks, his voice hoarse. I briefly wondered had they had a screaming match, but I didn't hear shit after I went to bed so I doubted it.
"Broken." I tell him, holding it up as I awkwardly knock back the two painkillers. I knew I needed something stronger than Advil but I had no desire to argue that morning. I was already falling apart mentally. Alex hums, inspecting it, looking like he also agrees that it's fucked. "What am I supposed to do about it? There'll be stupid social workers breathing down your neck if I have to go to the hospital. This is the exact thing they take kids out of foster homes for." I whine, immediately cursing myself for airing my concerns to him.
He chuckles a little, before giving me a look to say I'm being silly. "Don't worry about that, I've organized for Dr Williams to come over and have a look at it this morning." He tells me, grabbing another ice pack before leading me to the seat next to his at the island.
Alex was like unbelievable at not giving a shit how tense an atmosphere was, from the moment I met him he was completely not phased by awkwardness. Madison hadn't even looked up, and I certainly didn't thrive in these situations. But he was striding around the kitchen like nothing was wrong.
After a few unbearable minutes, he comes back across the room and puts bacon and pancakes down in front of me, and sliding into the seat next to me and goes back to his MacBook.
I do mutter a thank you, picking at the delicious food while watching him out of the corner of my eye. Without looking up from the MacBook he speaks, a blank look on his face.
"Didn't you say you've some errands to run today?" He asks Madison, though it's not a question. It's a fucking dismissal.
She looks mortified, turning red, but ducks out of the room immediately. I feel bad and I know I shouldn't, but I do. Maybe I shouldn't have said a word about it to Alex and let him think I just kicked off again. It would have been totally believable.
As if reading my mind he speaks. "Eat your food, and mind your business. Not your problem." He says to me, not even looking in my direction. I guess he was as unwilling to talk about his problems as I was about mine.
But I don't push the matter, opting to finish my food before disappearing from Alex's cold company. He was so rude to Madison, and I had no idea how the situation had played out so maybe she deserved it but she didn't deserve for me to have witnessed it.
I met Madison at the top of the stairs, both us stopping dead in our tracks.
"I'm sorry about my sister, I'm gonna go talk to her right now. I really didn't want to embarrass you or make you uncomfortable." She rushes out, her voice small and quiet.
I shake my head in understanding. "It's okay, I'm sorry that it's causing trouble for you and Alex I really didn't mean for that to be the case."
She smiles, shrugging. "Don't worry about Alex, he's just in a mood. We just need some space. I was thinking of later on today inviting him to my apartment for some dinner. Do you think you'll be okay?" She asks me, nodding towards my hand.
"I don't think going to the emergency room on a Sunday is wise. So yeah. But he doesn't deserve the invite he's being such an asshole." I chuckle and she giggles. "If I was you, I'd tell him to go fuck himself." I tell her and she nods, smiling sadly.
"I did, hence the mood." Well that makes sense.
"Okay Jaida I better get going, don't try arguing with him today he's grouchy and tired and YOU don't deserve to take the brunt of it, okay?" She warns, putting her hand on shoulder before heading for the stairs.
"Okay." I agree, but not committing to that agreement. I probably would argue with him. But as soon as I round the corner into my room, Alex stomps in behind me. Where the fuck did he come from?
"I was stood at the end of the stairs to come and apologize to Madison until I heard you talking." He answers my unspoken question, looking extremely mad. "I'm an asshole?" He repeats my own stupid words back to me. "I should go fuck myself?"
I hear the front door slam, and curse myself. Why did I have to meddle. "You humiliated her right in front of me." I defend myself, though I fear I'm fighting a losing battle. He scowls at me.
"I told you to mind your business."
"So keep your business to yourself, and don't bring it to the kitchen." I argue, and I hear the attitude creeping into my voice. Though I'm not sure where it's coming from. I'm in pain and slightly terrified of getting my ass whooped.
He cocks a brow, folding his arms across his chest, that wide stance. I wonder briefly where he learned it, but it made me feel about 2 feet tall.
"Are you seriously arguing with me right now?" He challenges and I take that last opportunity to back down.
"No I'm not." I back down immediately. "I'm sorry, it's just she looked so close to tears, but you're right it's none of my business. Point taken."
He nods his head once before unfolding his arm and pointing at me.
"Get dressed for when the doctor arrives. And get your attitude in check, I have one bitchy woman to deal with today, I don't need another." With that he slams my door and storms off.
Boy, is he mad. Definitely on his period. While his attitude seemed more the problem than mine and Madison's combined, I did heed his warning and get dressed, brush my hair and teeth. With great difficulty.
Ella had called to check in with me, and Jamie was texting non stop but I had no time for anybody cause I was too concentrated on not being in pain anymore. I was sitting on the sofa in tears when Alex found me, and he abandoned his previous stone cold attitude and replaced it with a concerned one. Opting to rush to my side, and put a hand on my back.
"What's wrong?" He asks, giving me a once over as if to look for where the issue was.
I shake my head, attempting to wipe away the tears that wouldn't stop. It was a combo of being in severe pain, feeling guilty for derailing Alex's previously scheduled perfect life and being so overtired.
"Nothing I just feel so bad about being here, and ruining everything for you and Madison." I say quickly, my voice cracking towards the end. He immediately shakes his head, pulling me towards him into a side hug.
"You did not derail anything, I decided what I wanted to do. And I wanted to get to know my daughter that I already had. That was my decision to make, and it was the right one." He tells me, kissing the top of my head. "Madison and I never even touched the subject of kids, and I hadn't proposed. What does that tell you?" He asks me.
I pull back, looking up at him in confusion. "That you didn't cause you knew I was a fucking mess." I say as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.
He adopts a stern look, only holding back from whooping my ass because I was clearly in pain, mentally and physically.
"Jaida, I am not going to repeat myself. Watch your mouth. Broken hand or not, there's gonna be trouble the very next time I hear that language."
I drop my head, agreeing to stop before looking back to his perplexed face. "She wanted to get married and have kids, I just wanted her. I don't like the idea of getting married and complicating things. I never did. That was all her using you as the reason that it didn't happen. And even she's figuring out that's not the case. But what happens next for her and I is not your concern." He explains, and I nod. Feeling somewhat relieved that I didn't ruin his life. I knew I had ruined my moms, one kid was bad but two lead to her heroin addiction.
"My hand is so sore." I pout, cause I can't stop myself. I was over it. He chuckles, gently lifting my arm to inspect it.
"Won't be thumping anymore walls, hey?" He murmurs as he looks at it. "I'd wrap it but I think it's better to let the doctor decide. She'll bring something for it, okay?" He tells me, reaching over to grab his phone. He was worse than a teenage girl with being on the phone all the time.
But the doctor did arrive, and suggested I get an X-ray ASAP. Alex agreed, but with the idea of waiting until the morning so we don't have to go to the emergency room for something that's "not an emergency" so the doctor wrapped it up and gave me some anti inflammatories and stronger pain medication with strict instruction not to let me take it unless I'll be resting.
Her only opinion was that something was broken, and only an X-ray could say what. She thought something in my wrist rather than my hand. But I didn't care for any of that, all I wanted was the pain killers and to relax for the day. I told Jamie I was too fucked to meet up, unfortunately but after a particularly heavy night I knew I needed to be near my dad.
It still felt weird calling him that. But he was. And he was the best person in the world, as far as I was concerned. Even if he was difficult and sometimes plain mean.
When Madison reached out to have dinner, he turned her down but invited her to come to us for a movie night and while he wasn't willing to eat any junk food, he cooked up an amazing roast beef dinner, and Madison had baked brownies so with a fully belly and high on pain relief, I passed out lying on Alex, feeling a lot better than I had when I woke up that morning, even if I did have to go to the worst place in the world the next day. The hospital.