His eyes burned, but he dared not blink for fear of missing something.

(Truth be told, Matthew couldn't trust himself not to fall asleep if he closed his eyes for a second as he kept vigil over Alice's bedside.)

Rubbing a hand over his chin (he needed a shave), Matthew sighed and watched Alice's chest rise and fall with each breath - the room silent save for the faint hiss of her oxygen mask and the ticking of the clock. Her hand was cold to the touch - Matthew held it in both of his to warm it; he pressed a kiss to the backs of her fingers - barely acknowledging the tear that fell onto her knuckles.

'Please wake up, sweetheart,' Matthew thought as he swiped away his tears. 'Come home.'

His eyes burned and he blinked back more tears as the door opened. Rose peered around it - armed with a fresh cup of tea and a tentative smile.

"Ah, Rose," Matthew tried to smile back - it came out more like a grimace. "Come in."

She handed him the cup and pressed a kiss to his ruffled hair, "How is she, Uncle Matthew?"

"Still no change, it's not good, but it's not bad either from what Lucien said."

Rose sat next to him silently as he drank the much needed tea. Her hand was warm on his back - lulling him into an almost trance as she rubbed it in circles.

(Matthew thought it funny how much the tables had turned - time was he had been the one to comfort his niece and now here he was, leaning on her in Alice's hospital room.)

"You should get some sleep," she finally whispered.

Matthew shook his head before she even finished her sentence, "No."

"Uncle Matthew-"

"No," he shook his head again and ran his hand through his hair. "I… I can't, Rose… I can't leave her."

His voice cracked on the last word and suddenly Matthew couldn't stop crying. He vaguely felt Rose wrap her arms around him as he sobbed into his hands.

"I can't… I can't lose her, Rose… I dunno what I'd do."

His niece shushed him gently, holding him tight as she let him cry it all out. Matthew leaned against her - taking comfort where he could (Rose was just about the only person he'd let comfort him now, she comforted without pity).

"She's stronger than she looks, Uncle Matthew, she'll pull through," Rose soothed as his sobs lessened and he let the tears fall - no longer holding back.

"We… we fought, just before her accident," Matthew confessed. "I hadn't fought that hard with someone since… well I don't know when. It was such a stupid fight too… I don't even remember what it was about, but it ended with us shouting at each other and… probably saying things that shouldn't been said in the middle of a fight. I didn't… I didn't tell her I loved her before she left… I didn't chase after her like I should have - maybe if I had, Alice wouldn't be lying here like this."

"You had no way of knowing that, Uncle Matthew. No one saw the man coming in his car, least of all Alice… it was an accident… and not your fault."

"It feels like it is, Rose… I love her and she doesn't know."

Rose tutted and wiped away her uncle's tears, "She knows - you've both just been too stubborn to say it."

That got a watery laugh from him, "There's such a thing as respecting your elders."

She shook her head with a smile as she got the reference, "Such a thing as caring for them too. Alice will wake up, Uncle Matthew. And then the two of you can talk."

"God, I hope so."

She woke feeling cold. Shivering, Alice groaned slightly - her head aching every time she moved it. Her mind felt fuzzy and internally Alice knew she was on painkillers - though she didn't know to what extent her injuries were.

(She barely registered the oxygen mask strapped to her face as she slowly opened her eyes.)

Matthew lay sprawled across three hospital chairs - his hair a mess, stubble visible from here, and his uniform rumpled - as he snored lightly. Alice smiled, blinking through the haze of sleep and drugs, as another person stirred on the other side of her bed.

"Oh!" Rose's soft exclamation echoed in the silence of her hospital room. "You're awake… I'll wake Uncle Matthew and then go get a nurse."

Rose stood, pressed a kiss to Alice's forehead, and gently shook her uncle awake before Alice had time to process what was happening. Matthew lurched to his feet and limped to her bedside - pulling a chair behind him.

"Hey there," he whispered with a tired smile. "You had us scared there for a bit, Alice."

Alice reached for him and Matthew immediately took her hand in his - pressing a kiss to the back of it. She reached up to pull down the oxygen mask and he stopped her.

"Leave it, sweetheart, leave it… Lucien wants you to get a much oxygen as you can."

Alice ignored him and pulled it down anyways, "What… what happened?"

"An accident. A car came around the corner too fast and hit you as you were crossing the street… you got a concussion, a few fractured ribs, bruised clavicle, and a, uh, a broken leg. Lucien tells me, however, it was a clean break and below the knee so you should heal with little difficulty."

"Which… leg?"

Matthew gently replaced her oxygen mask and pressed a kiss to her forehead even as she frowned. "The left… bit ironic, really."

She blinked slowly and then smiled when she got the joke. "We're a pair now," Alice smiled beneath the mask - her voice muffled.

"That we are."

Alice squeezed his hands and gently pulled on them. Matthew understood what she was asking and eased himself onto the bed - sitting at her hip as he brushed the hair away from her face. He looked down at her with such fondness that it made her heart ache and she blinked back the sudden tears. She'd almost lost this - them, their companionship, the love (and she was sure it was love at this point) - all thanks to a distracted man in a car and her own distracted thoughts.

"Don't cry, sweetheart," Matthew softly wiped away her tears and kissed her forehead.

"'M sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. I'm the one who should be doing that."

Alice shook her head even if it hurt, her hands fisting so hard in his shirt that she left wrinkles. "No. I… have to… was the one who started it."

He kissed her forehead again and sighed, "I continued it. How about… we're both a fault and we're sorry and we'll try better in the future? How's that, sweetheart?"

She nodded and smiled when Matthew kissed her forehead again - it filled her with warmth. Shivering again, Alice soaked in the quiet between them, the feel of Matthew's shirt under her fingers, and his comforting warmth near her.

"Cold, sweetheart?" When Alice nodded, Matthew pulled another blanket over her legs and draped his wool uniform jacket over her torso. "I'll make sure to pick up a jumper for you later from home. Need anything else?"

"Water, please."

Matthew helped her sip at a small measure of water - steadying her shaking hands - as Rose returned with a nurse and Lucien in tow. Alice put up with the examination as long as Matthew stayed by her side. He held her hand throughout all of it, gently rubbing her knuckles as Lucien poked and prodded.

"You're doing nicely, Alice, and it's so good to see you awake," Lucien smiled. "You're going to have to stay here for awhile longer. If that leg of yours looks good by the end of the week, you can come stay with us for the second half of your recovery."

Her friend leaned in with a mischievous look, "Besides, we'll want to give the nurses a break after dealing with you."

Alice's swat missed by a mile, but she smiled as Lucien laughed.

"Now, Alice, I'll get the nurse to find you some food that'll be easy on your stomach and I'm going to send Matthew home in the meantime."

"I'm not going anywhere, Blake." Matthew frowned as Alice tightened her hand in his.

"Oh yes you are, Matthew. You look dead on your feet and a proper meal or two would do you some good. I'll look after her for you."

Alice squeezed Matthew's hand to get his attention and she softly cupped his cheek.

Matthew sighed and covered her hand with his, "You want me to go?"

She shook her head, but rubbed the sharp line of his cheekbone with her thumb with a smile.

"You don't want me to go… but you know I need to," Matthew smiled when Alice nodded.

Alice gave him a cheeky look when she rubbed the stubble on his face and he laughed.

"I do need a shave, sweetheart… alright, alright, I'll be back when I can."

Lucien put a hand on their shoulders and smiled, "I'll let you two say goodbye for now."

"Thank you, Lucien."

"You're welcome, Matthew, and yes, Alice you still have to keep the mask on for awhile longer," her friend grinned even as she huffed and glared at him. "The oxygen will help."

Lucien led the nurse and Rose out of the room, leaving Alice and Matthew alone. Matthew perched next to her hip again and smiled when she pulled the mask off as soon as Lucien was out of sight.

"You're going to be a terrible patient, I can see that now."

Alice gave him a non-committal hum.

He leaned down and kissed her cheek, "I'll be back before you know it."

"I know," Alice smiled. "You have… to take care of yourself too."

When Matthew shrugged, Alice reached up and curled a hand around his chin to get him to look at her, "For me?"

"Oh, foul play, sweetheart," Matthew groaned even as she laughed (he kissed her cheek when she winced). "You know how to get a man to do your bidding, Dr. Harvey."

"Only you."

Matthew kissed her cheek and then lightly on her mouth - warm against her cold and chapped lips. "I love you, Alice Harvey."

Warmth filled her - fizzing through her veins as she smiled up at him. Alice cupped his face in her hands and pulled him back down for another kiss. "Love you too, Matthew."

Dropping one last kiss to her lips with a grin, Matthew whispered his goodbyes and stood. She pulled on his hand and gestured to the uniform jacket still draped over her.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead, "Thank you, sweetheart. I'll bring you a jumper when I come back."

"Thank you."

She held his hand as long as she could, instantly missing his warmth as Matthew threw on his uniform jacket and limped from the room. Alice reached up to replace the mask, but didn't manage to do so before Lucien reentered.

"Just what do you think you're doing, Dr. Harvey?" Lucien chided, his hands on his hips even as his eyes sparkled. "That mask is there for a reason!"

Alice rolled her eyes, but let Lucien readjust the mask and her covers on the hospital bed. It'd be a long road for recovery, but with a love like Matthew's and that of her friends, Alice would pull through.