Promises
Disclaimer: Sadly I own neither Saving Hope nor Daniel Gillies.
Pairing: Joel & Alex (Jalex)
Rating: T
Summary: Alex makes a wish. Joel promises to make it come true.
Author's Note: References a line of dialogue from 01x04: "The Fight."
As Alex Reid drove to the hospital, all she could think about was how badly she wanted today to be a normal day.
I just want to go to work.
Get home at a decent hour.
Cook dinner for my kids and put them to bed.
Have a glass of wine.
Maybe make love to my husband.
Lately it seemed like their lives had been filled with drama, and it was exhausting.
But it looked like the day was shaping up to be pretty average and Alex had a stupid grin plastered on her face all morning.
"What's gotten into you, Reid?" Joel had asked, flashing her one of his own trademark grins as he kissed her and poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Nothing." She replied, taking a sip of coffee," I just have a feeling it's going to be a good day."
Joel smiled, again and brushed a strand of her hair that had come loose from her ponytail behind her ear, "Is that right? Well if we don't get the kids up soon, they're going to miss the bus. And then we'll be late and it will most definitely not be a good day."
Alex nodded and pulled him close again, "I know. I'm going upstairs to wake them up now." She gave him a quick kiss and held his hand for a moment longer before she disappeared up the stairs.
They'd gotten all three of the kids fed, dressed, and ready for the day with nearly ten minutes to spare.
Joel had to be at work earlier so he said goodbye to the kids and kissed Alex before heading to the car.
"I'll see you later, Doctor Reid." He whispered as he walked out the front door.
"Is that a promise, Doctor Goran?" She asked, smiling as she watched him go.
"Yes, ma'am." He shouted back without turning around.
Alex smiled at the memory of the perfectly ordinary moment as she turned into the parking garage of the hospital and parked.
She checked her purse and made sure she had the keys, before she got out of the car still smiling.
Maybe it'll be a normal day after all.
It was at that moment that she realized that she'd left her cell phone in the center console.
"Damn it," She whispered, biting her lip as she took a few steps back to the car and unlocked it, grabbing her phone and tossing it into her purse.
Yep, it's going to be a nice normal boring, predictable day.
I'm not going to get shot today.
I won't get attacked or taken hostage by any disgruntled patients.
It's going to be a good day.
That was Alex's last thought before she walked around the front of her car. And directly into the path of a car that was heading in the wrong direction in the parking structure.
Alex raised her hands, trying in vain to get the speeding car to stop.
But there simply wasn't enough time before the car hit her.
Well there goes my normal day.
She thought seconds before she lost consciousness.
When she came to, she was lying on her back on the cold concrete of the parking garage and there was a fire in her chest with every breath.
Cracked or broken ribs.
She thought scanning the ground around her which was littered with the contents of her purse.
I need to find my phone.
She tried to ignore the way her entire body ached and the way her vision blurred. Or the way her usually agile and nimble fingers stretched awkwardly toward her fallen cell phone.
There was only one person she needed to call.
Joel was sitting in the doctor's lounge, after finishing a surgery when his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and smiled, "Hey, Reid. I thought I'd see you about a half an hour ago. Where are you? Are you on your way? It's crazy in here today."
"Yes and no." Alex answered breathlessly as she relished in the sound of his voice.
There was something off about her voice.
It was soft.
Too soft.
Barely more than a whisper.
Something was wrong
"What do you mean?" Joel asked, confused. "Alex? I can barely hear you. What's going on?"
Alex took an uncomfortably deep breath, "Joel baby, I need you…I need help." She replied, the words catching in her throat.
"Okay Alex." Joel said, trying desperately to keep his voice calm and steady even though he was panicking on the inside. "Just tell me where you are."
"I'm in the parking garage. A car hit me…I think I'm okay. But…"
Joel couldn't hear anything else because he nearly dropped the phone, "I'll be there in less than five minutes."
Promise? She thought to herself.
But all she managed to whisper was "Joel, I love you…" Her voice trailing off.
"Alex, I love you too. Alex!" He shouted as the line went dead.
"I need a trauma team with me right now!" Joel yelled as he grabbed a stretcher and ran toward the elevator nearly running into Zack on the way.
"Whoa. Where's the fire?" Zack asked, joining him in the elevator.
Just before the doors closed Maggie snaked her arm inside, "Where we going? Do you guys need help?"
Joel nodded, "Parking garage. Alex is down there. She's been hit by a car."
"Oh my God," Maggie whispered, "How is she?"
Before Joel could reply, Zack answered, "I guess we're about to find out."
They rode the elevator the rest of the way in silence. When it stopped Joel all but jumped out and ran toward the parking garage calling out his wife's name.
"Alex!"
He shouted her name three times as he ran through the parking structure with Zack and Maggie following behind.
It wasn't until he turned the corner that he saw her lying still on the concrete.
"Alex! Can you hear me?" He asked, sinking to his knees at her side, assessing her for injuries. "Tell me what hurts."
With his free hand, he touched her arms and legs to ensure they weren't broken.
It wasn't until he pressed his hand against her ribcage that she winced in pain and finally blinked back to consciousness, and whispered, "That hurts. Broken or cracked ribs. Joel, baby? Is that you?"
"Sorry, love. Yeah, It's me. I'm right here." He replied, kissing her forehead.
"I just wanted to have a normal day." Alex said softly.
Joel nodded, "I know, Reid. Let's get a collar on you. Just to be sure your spine's stabilized."
"Sounds like the time she wanted a nice quiet Saturday night in the ER." Zack said with a chuckle, "We can't always get what we want."
Zack looked at Maggie, "Let's get her on the cart, okay?"
Maggie nodded, "On three? It was Zack's turn to nod and together they lifted Alex onto the cart.
Joel took her hand again, and walked beside the cart as Maggie and Zack moved it towards the elevator.
"I want X-Rays of every extremity." Joel called out to Zack. And then he looked at Alex, "Did you hit your head Reid?"
"I don't think so." Alex replied so softly that Joel nearly had to press his ear to her lips so he could hear her. "But I think…I think I'm going to be sick."
She must've hit her head.
Joel thought as Zack stopped the cart and placed an emesis basin on the cart next to Alex as her husband carefully removed the collar and supported her head.
"I've got you, Alex." Joel whispered, his lips brushing against her ear. "I've got you, love. You're okay."
Alex opened her mouth to say something, but before she could utter a word, she threw up.
Once the retching subsided, Joel met her eyes, "Alex, I'm going to lay you back now all right? And put the collar back on. I know you probably don't need it but…"
She squeezed his hand as he fixed the collar back in place, "Joel, baby please don't leave me."
He met her eyes once more, "I'm not going anywhere. Do you hear me, Alex Reid?"
"Promise?" Alex whispered.
And Joel nodded, "I promise."
"Let's get her an MRI and a head CT too." Joel said as he, Maggie and Zack began to slowly move the cart toward the elevator. "And let's get her some anti-nausea meds and a warm blanket."
"Joel, the kids…" Alex mumbled her voice trailing off when the pain in her chest from her injured ribs became too much.
"The kids are fine, Reid." Joel reassured her, "Luke and Charlotte are at school and you dropped Theo off at daycare. That's why you were late this morning. Remember?"
"Mmmmhmmm." Alex replied, "Love you, Joel baby."
Joel leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, not caring that she'd vomited just a few moments before.
"I've got a question," Zack said as the elevator opened, and they got on, and Maggie spoke up, "Can the rest of us call you "Joel baby" too?"
Joel glared at both of them, "Do it and die. Only my wife gets to call me that."
The next time Alex awoke she heard the sound of her children's voices followed by her husband's.
"Now, remember guys you have to be quiet because Mommy's head might still hurt.
"Hey Dad?"
"Yeah. What's up, mate?"
"If Mom's really okay, why do I have to miss soccer practice?"
"Because Mom's going to want to see you when she wakes up."
"But Mommy's going to be okay right, Daddy?"
"Yes, angel. She's going to be just fine." Joel replied, wrapping his free hand around his daughter and hugging her while he cradled a fussy Theo with the other.
"Promise?" Charlotte whispered, sounding like a tiny echo of her mother.
Joel smiled, "Yes, Charlotte. I promise."
"What's the matter, little man? Are you hungry? Do you need a change?"
But Joel checked his diaper and found it clean and dry.
He must know something's wrong.
Alex thought as the veil between sleep and waking finally lifted and moments later Theo was silent.
"Hey Reid." Joel said, softly getting to his feet so he could kiss her. "How're you feeling?"
Alex sat up slowly wincing at the pain that the movement caused in her chest, "Disappointed."
Joel cocked his head and gave her a strange look, "What you wanted some broken bones to go along with that concussion and those broken ribs?"
"No." Alex answered, "I just wanted today to be an ordinary, normal day. And I ended up here.
Again.
Joel flashed her own of his trademark grins, "Oh you'll have your ordinary day Doctor Reid."
He whispered as he leaned in to kiss her once more.
"You promise?" She asked, pressing her lips against the mole behind his ear.
Joel nodded, relishing in his wife's gestures of affection after a day spent worrying that she'd been seriously hurt.
"Yes ma'am," He insisted, "I promise."
Just not today.