Alex paced back and forth in her hotel suit thinking about her argument with Piper.
Alex knew she was disappointing Piper by not being able to make it to PoPi's grand opening. Alex begged Kubra to let her off for the week, but he just shook his head and said, "Alex you know how big this deal is. If you finish early then you are free to go. Until then I expect all of your attention on this deal"
Alex couldn't stop thinking about how hurt Piper sounded on the phone,
"W-What do you mean you can't make it?"
"Piper, baby, please. You have to understand this deal is huge. Kubra needs me on this. Even if I finish this deal early there is no way I can fly back from Thailand before Friday."
Piper didn't respond. Alex sighed and called Pipers name, "Piper? Pipes? You there? Seriously Piper the silent treatment. Real mature. Ugh! You think the vacations and the places we go are free? They cost money Piper, and this is how I make it. It's my fucking job! I figured you would be a little more understanding. But that is probably my fucking mistake cause you and your WASPy privileged ass has never had to work or want for anything."
Piper clenched her jaw and sadly said, "I guess I know where your priorities lay Alex. Kubra needs you? Well so do.. did I. You know what, forget it. It doesn't fucking matter. See you whenever Alex."
Alex tried to call Pipers name again but was met with her heartbreaking sound of the dial tone. Alex knew she fucked up.
Alex had just finished this deal and got the final ok from Kubra allowing her to fly back to the states.
Alex called Piper as soon as she got the ok from Kubra, but her call went to voicemail.
Hmm.. maybe she is busy. PoPi's opening is tomorrow.
Alex packed up her stuff and booked a flight back to JFK. Her flight from Bangkok would leave at 12:10am, which would mean she doesn't touch down in New York until 9:00pm
Alex then sent Piper her itinerary hoping that she would be able to pick her up from JFK at 9:00PM.
It was 8am in Bangkok, 7pm in NYC, when Alex decided to get some sleep.
Alex figured Piper would see the text and reply. Piper never responded.
Alex's flight was delayed do to strong wind and rain. By the time Alex got on the plane she knew she would barely make her connecting flight in Seoul.
While Alex was in the air she checked her messages and noticed that Piper never responded to her text, nor did she call her back. Odd. Maybe she is working with the store. Come on Vause she is probably pissed at you for missing her grand opening.
Alex sighed and wished the plane could get her to NYC faster.
Alex barely made her connecting flight in Seoul. Alex breathed a sigh of relief when she plopped down into her seat. When she was able too, Alex took out her phone and called her mom.
"Hello?"
"Hey mom, it's Alex."
"Well no shit, I only have one ass wipe for a daughter."
"Oh how you wound me."
They both laughed at their sarcastic comments.
They talked for a few minutes about Alex's trip and about how long she would be home for.
Alex then asked, "Mom, have you heard from Piper? I can't reach her and she hasn't called me back or answered my texts. I'm kinda worried. I wanna know she is ok"
Diane sighed and said, "The last I talked with her she was getting ready to open that soap shop, but was exhausted. Said she had a cold that she just couldn't shake. Why did you two get into an argument? Alex don't fuck this up, Piper loves you."
Alex then went on to tell Diane about what happened and what she said, "I'm not surprised that she hasn't been in contact with you. You were a grade A asshole. You knew how much this soap business thing means to her."
Alex gave a sad sigh and said, "Thanks ma. I feel so much better."
Alex could almost feel the eye roll through the phone, "Alex if you wanted to feel better you would be talking to a shrink. What you need is to hear the truth. YOU my dear dumb ass were wrong."
Alex groaned and said, "I know.. I know."
Diane said, "Looks she will come around. She'll be upset but she loves you, which means she this is just a bump in the road for you two."
Alex smiled and said, "Thanks mom. I'm gonna try and get some sleep before I land."
Diane said good-bye and hung up.
Alex's flight landed late. It was already 10:30pm. Alex knew there was no way Piper was going to be picking her up tonight.
Alex groaned and walked outside jumping into one of the open taxis.
Alex got to her apartment and almost expected for Piper to be there, sleeping in her bed.
Alex opened the door and frowned. Piper wasn't there.
Alex dropped her bag and walked to the bedroom. It felt different. Alex looked around and noticed the open drawer and the perfectly made bed.
Alex's heart started beating three times it's normal rate. Alex ran to the bathroom and looked around. Piper's make up, face wash, and toothbrush were gone.
Alex frantically went to the closet and threw the door open. The few items that Piper left there were all gone.
Alex was breathing heavily trying to calm herself down. Alex ran her hand through her hair and grabbed onto a fist full and pulled welcoming the slight pain. Alex wiped away the tears that she didn't even noticed had started to fall. She took her stuff. M-maybe she just stayed at her place and needed those things. Yeah...
After a few minutes Alex got up and grabbed her phone. The clock displayed 11:25pm.
Alex didn't care she needed to talk to Piper.
Alex dialed Piper's number and held her phone to her ear. Ringing Ringing Ringing.. Voicemail.
Alex tried again, and again, and again.
It wasn't until the fifth call did someone answer.
Alex sighed relieved, "Piper!"
The person on the other line paused and said, "She can't talk right now."
Alex got angry. The person on the other line was male with a dee voice. Why was some guy answering Piper's phone? Who the fuck is that?
Alex growled and said, "Who the fuck is this, and why are you answering my girlfriends phone?!"
The person sighed and said, "I'm Danny." Something seemed to be going on in the background since Alex heard a few raised voices. "I gotta go."
Alex listened to the dial tone for a second before throwing her phone against the wall.
Alex paced her apartment wracking her brain trying to think if she and Piper had ever met anyone named Danny. Unfortunately for Alex she was coming up blank.
Alex couldn't take it, she needed to know what the fuck was going on.
Alex grabbed her jacket, her phone off the ground, and her keys before running to the front door and down the stairs. Alex got into a taxi and headed towards Piper's apartment.
When the taxi pulled up outside of Piper's building she got out threw a couple of bills at the diver and quickly left.
Alex ran up the four flights of stairs and down the hall to Piper's door.
Alex slammed her hand down on the door. Alex continued to pound on the door until she heard someone start to undo the locks.
When the door swung open Alex was expecting a sleepy looking Piper, but what she got was a frantic and scared looking Polly.
"Holly. What are you doing here? Where is Piper?" Alex then barged into the apartment hoping to spot the blonde.
Polly shook her head and quickly said, "Piper isn't here. You need to leave."
Alex looked at Polly and angrily asked, "Is she with that fucker Danny?!"
Polly looked shocked and angered by Alex's outburst. Before she could say anything Alex was going off, "How could she? Is she fucking him? It's been like three days! Was our relationship that much of a fucking joke?! I love you my fucking ass! She is such a hypocritical, narcissistic, bitch! "
Alex was still ranting when Polly couldn't take anymore, "Shut the fuck up! You know nothing about the shit show that has been going on! You have your head too far up your own ass to notice anything else! Not that you deserve to know this, you sure as hell proved that Piper is on the bottom of your list of priorities when you failed to show up for one of the biggest fucking days in her adult life! Piper isn't fucking Danny! Danny is her brother. The brother that is a doctor and is at the hospital right now trying to make sure that his baby sister doesn't fucking die, you egotistical cunt."
Alex froze, "What?"
Polly had tears running down her face, "She was sick. It was just a cold. She was so fucking stressed about the opening that she kept putting off going to the doctors. We were closing the store after the opening and headed to dinner with her family and my boyfriend Pete. She couldn't stop coughing so she went home. On her way home her car was hit by a drunk driver." Polly then scoffed and said, "So my best friend could be dying right now and you are pissed because her fucking brother answered her god damn phone."
Alex felt like the air was just forcefully yanked from her lungs.
"Why, why didn't anyone call me? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
Polly looked at Alex and asked, "Would it have mattered?"
Alex snapped her eyes to Polly's, "Of course it would have! Piper could fucking die and no one thought to tell me!?"
Polly sighed and said, "To be honest I didn't think it would. There have been numerous time when Piper has asked you to show up for something but your job got in the way. Obviously your job trumps Piper. So no, no one called you because if you were a good girlfriend, hell a good friend you would already be here supporting her. No one would have to tell you shit because you would have been here. Also to everyone except me you two are just 'friends'. You are just her lesbian friend!"
Alex tried to argue with Polly when Polly's phone rang.
Alex huffed and watched Polly.
"Hello. Yeah. I'll bring the papers to the hospital. I'll be there in 10 minutes"
Alex looked at Polly with big, scared eyes, that were begging to be told what was going on.
Polly sighed and said, "That was Danny. Pi-Piper is being taken to surgery to try and relieve some of the pressure on her brain."
Alex stood up and wordlessly ran to the door, non verbally telling Polly that she is going with her to the hospital.
Polly and Alex arrive at the hospital and find the ICU. Alex looks at Piper's family and sees the terror in their eyes.
Polly walks to the front desk and hands the nurse a folder of papers. Polly reluctantly hands the papers over. She then wipes her eyes and heads back to Piper's family sitting down next to Piper's mom, Carol.
Alex quietly says hello and sits next to Cal. Alex then hangs her head and lets her hair create a shield around her vulnerability.
Alex has silent tears streaming again. She didn't even know she was crying. Cal taps Alex on the shoulder and passes her a tissue.
Alex takes the tissue and says, "Thanks."
Cal just nods and says, "Thanks for showing up."
Alex looked at Cal a little confused. Does he know about us?
Cal just smiled and stood up to comfort his mom.
Alex, Polly, and the Chapman's have been sitting waiting for almost an hour and a half when Danny and Piper's doctor, Dr. Wessler, walk out.
Cal stood up and asked, "How is she?"
Danny looked at the ground while Dr. Wessler cleared his throat, "We were able to relieve the pressure, but she wasn't stable enough for us to repair the internal bleeding. We are going to be trying again in a couple of days, and hope that her vitals are strong enough."
Bill Chapman then spoke, "um, what- what if she needs surgery before then?"
Dr. Wessler pursed his lips and gently said, "Then we do surgery but the likelihood of her waking up is severely diminished."
Alex can't think, she just wants to hold Piper and tell her everything is going to be ok.
Cal then asks, "Can we see her?"
Dr. Wessler says, "Yes. But only two people are allowed in the room at a time. And it has to be quick, Ms. Chapman needs her rest."
Bill and Carol were the first to go. They held her hand and kissed her on the forehead telling her, "Your family is here. We will be here when you wake up, but you need to wake up."
Cal and Danny went next. Cal tried to tell a joke but couldn't get the words out. He roughly wiped his tears and said, "You need to wake up. Please! I can't lose you." Danny didn't say anything, he just held her hand.
Then Polly and Alex went in.
Alex could barely stand when she saw Piper laying in the hospital bed surrounded by machines, wires, and tubes. Alex gently lowered herself into the chair that was next to Piper's bed. Alex shakily picked up Piper's hand and gave it a kiss.
Polly took Piper's hand and said, "You better wake up before the 30 days is up. If you just made me hand over the papers that could end your life I swear I will wake you up just to kill you for making me do that."
Alex then snapped her head up and said, "What did you just say?"
Polly had forgotten that Alex was still there, "Shit." Polly then looked at Piper and whispered, "Sorry and when you wake up don't give me any shit, you know she would have found out."
Alex then glared at Polly and sternly asked, "Found out what?"
Polly sighed, "After 30 days Piper has legal documents that say if she is on a ventilator and there are no signs of her waking up, then ventilator is to be turned off."
Alex gaped at Polly then to Piper. Alex ignored the tears and asked Piper, "Why? Baby, why would you ever want that? What would I do without you?"
Polly sighed and gently said, "She doesn't want to be kept alive by a machine. She said being kept alive by a machine isn't living, its just existing. She doesn't want to just exist."
Alex shook her head and squeezed the hand that she was holding.
Polly walked to the door and before she left she turned to Alex and said, "To answer your question from earlier no. You're relationship isn't a joke. No matter what you do she always forgives you, she always defends you, is always in your corner. She really does stupidly love you." With that Polly walks out the door leaving only Piper and Alex in the room.
Alex sighed and stroked Piper's cheek, being careful to not stroke over the bruises and scrapes that littered Piper's face.
Alex then bowed her head placing her forehead on the mattress. Alex wasn't a religious person but right now Alex was praying. Praying that Piper gets better, praying that she forgives her.. again, praying that Piper just wakes up.
Alex has been sitting with Piper for the last couple of hours. The doctors tried to get Alex to leave but Alex refused. When the doctors got tired of arguing they allowed her to stay. Alex knew that she was lucky, they could have called security and thrown her out.
Alex stood up and stretched cracking her back and shoulders. Alex kissed Piper on the head and said, "I'm going to call my mom and use the bathroom, but I'll be back. I promise."
Alex used the private bathroom that was in Piper's room and then walked down the hall to call her mom.
Diane answered on the third ring, "Hello."
Alex couldn't hold in the sob, "Mom."
Diane stopped what she was doing and said, "Alex? Alex what's going on? Are you ok?"
Alex took a deep breath and said, "Piper was in a accident last night, it's not good. Mom, what if she dies? I can't lose her."
Diane's heart broke for Alex, she knows how much Alex loves Piper and how much she means to her. "Baby I'm so so sorry. Do you want me to keep you company at the hospital? I can call in today."
Alex shook her head, "No, I just.. I don't know. I don't know what to do."
Diane said, "There really isn't anything you can do. Just be there for her and don't let a day go by without telling her how much you love her."
Alex was nodding when she heard fast footsteps and 'Code Blue' rang out over the PA system.
Alex started walking towards the commotion. After she rounded the corner she saw all the nurses were in Piper's room.
Alex dropped her phone, not caring if it broke, and ran into Piper's room.
When she entered the room she could hear the doctor giving orders, "Charge 200. Clear. Charge 250. Clear."
Alex was restrained by a nurse as she screamed, "No Piper!" Alex tried to fight the nurse off "No, let me go! Please! Piper!"
The nurse held tight and kept saying, "Just let them work."
Alex watched as the doctors shocked Piper's chest one last time.
Alex cried with relief when the monitors started beeping again with a steady heart beat.
The doctors too sighed with relief and said, "Let's get her to surgery. She won't make it through the night if we don't repair the damage."
The medical team then rolled Piper out of the room and to surgery.
Alex was led to the waiting room where she was told to sit, and that a doctor would be back with information when they could.
The surgery took 4 hours. 4 hours of Alex pacing and praying that Piper would be ok. The Chapman's and Polly came as soon as they go the phone call from the hospital.
Even Diane came to the hospital after her shift.
Alex was sitting in the wait room chairs nervously turning her bracelet waiting for news.
The doctor cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
Alex grabbed her mom's hand and held her breath. Dr. Wessler then smiled and said, "The surgery went really really well. We were able to fix all of the damage. Ms. Chapman should make a full recovery. Seems her body was a lot stronger than originally anticipated."
Alex loosened her grip on Diane's hand and took deep breaths. Diane pulled Alex's head into her chest and cradled her head, "She's gonna be ok"
Alex cried into her mom and thanked whatever higher being that was out there for pulling off this miracle.
It took Piper a few hours to wake up. When she opened her eyes she saw green. Green eyes. Scared, happy, glistening green eyes.
Alex was crying as she looked at Piper. Alex kept saying 'I'm sorry, so so so sorry."
Piper weakly raised her hand to Alex's cheek and wiped away the tears. Piper gave Alex a smile and croaked out the the words, "It's ok. I love you."
Alex leaned forward and kissed Piper on the lips where she softly said, "I love you, so much. Don't ever scare me like that ever again."
Piper smiled and slowly turned her head. She gave an odd snort and started blushing. Alex turned her head and realized that she and Piper had just kissed and said I love you in front of Piper's family.
Alex chuckled and whispered so only Piper heard, "Guess I can't pretend to just be the lesbian friend can I?"
Piper smirked and shook her head.
Alex gave Piper another kiss, not caring about Piper's family and the stares she was receiving.
Piper was alive.
Piper forgives her.
Piper loves her.
And to Alex, those are the best things in the world. That is all Alex wants.