Chapter 101

Alex woke with a start taking in her surroundings. Confused. Until it all came back to her why she's in hospital. The familiar voice of her husband and daughter made her eyes drift across the room to where the two of them were playing, a small smile creeping onto her face.

"Good morning sleepy head." Ryan greeted when he saw she was awake looking at them.

"Morning." She croaked sitting up slowly when she noticed the one of her bags on the floor and looked up at him questioningly.

"I went home around 7AM for a shower and grabbed a few things I thought the two of might need." He explained before she could even ask the question, smiling gratefully at his gesture. Extending her arms towards her daughter so she can greet her, since they didn't really see much of each other the day before.

Phoebe slinging the car keys around, amused by the jingling sound effects it made.

"Hello sweet girl." Alex tried but Phoebe was more obsessed with the keys in her hand than with her mother's voice.

"Phoebe. Don't you want to greet me?" Alex asked and only then did the blue eyed, curly haired, ten month old look at her mother, giving her a small lopsided smile hitting herself in the face with the keys her bottom lip poking out on the verge of crying.

"Let's kiss it better." Alex intervened, kissing her continuously before there was even time for tears. It seems to be working because she seemed to forget that she was hurt a few seconds ago, her attention shifting to the remote on the side that controls the bed. Keeping her occupied for long enough as she stroked her little fingers over it, picking it up trying to put it in her mouth.

"Did you get some decent sleep when you got home?" Alex asked her husband who was yawning on the couch where he made himself comfortable.

"Not really, I took a quick shower and some people came over asking how you were, delivering some presents." He started seeing the confused look on her face, who would be over at their house at 7 in the morning.

"And I didn't want to leave you guys alone for too long, so I just grabbed a few things and came back here as soon as I could. I don't feel my back anymore." He stated. Sleeping on that small hospital bed next to his wife certainly wasn't made for two people.

A nurse soon came into the room, smiling at the family greeting them warmly. Checking the IV fluids they gave Alex and taking the bag off since it was empty, and taking the needle out of the vein it was in.

"I can give her a bath if you don't have a problem with it." The nurse offered smiling down at the baby.

Alex looked at Ryan who nodded towards the nurse. She took Phoebe from her mother talking to her all the way to the bathroom across the room.

Ryan got up from the couch and walked towards his wife's bedside, taking her left and in his. Stroking over her empty ring finger.

"Are you okay?" He asked looking into her eyes, both of them smiling at the squeals of delight coming from the bathroom, hearing the nurse laugh at their daughter.

"I'm fine." She nodded avoiding eye contact with him.

"Aleeex… you were restless for most of the night, even though they gave you something to help you sleep." Ryan told her as she's still avoiding eye contact with him.

She sighed deeply before talking. "I've been having nightmares for most of the night. It constantly felt as if it was replaying in my head, and I really just want to forget about it."

Before they could continue the conversation the nurse came back with a freshly bathed and dressed Phoebe on her arm, interrupting the conversation of the adults.

Ryan offered to take Phoebe to the children's ward so she can play in the playroom and Alex took this opportunity to go to take a shower. Wanting to get the hospital smell out of her hair and get out of the blue hospital gown and into some comfortable clothes of her own.

She stood under the water for some time, letting her body get used to the too hot water as steam started to build up in the small bathroom, but she refused to open the cold tap anymore than it already was. She scrubbed herself way too hard until her skin turned a light shade of pink, trying to erase the past 24 hours. Those men's hands on her, the way they kissed her. She needs to get it off her body uncertain if it will ever be erased from her mind, but she really wants to forget about it. Once her skin was burning from both the water pouring down on her and her constant scrubbing she stopped and place both her hands on the wall, leaning her head against the cold tiles, shaking with silent sobs.

Running it over and over in her head, how the one opened her blouse, and there was nothing she could do about it. If her team hadn't shown up when they did she don't even want to think about what would've happened next.

Upstairs in the playroom, Phoebe was in her element laying with the rest of the kids in the middle of the room with some building blocks. The multi colored room clearly brightening up the white walls in the rest of the hospital. Nursing staff watching over the kids and some parents watching their little ones from the recliners they were seated in.

Alex was busy packing the last of their stuff after the doctor came to check up on her for one last time. Giving her something to help her sleep, when her husband and daughter returned.

"You ready to go?" Ryan asked when he saw the bags on the made up bed.

"Yeah, I need to get out of this place. Hoping I won't have to see it anytime soon." She answered as he handed Phoebe over to her mother while he took their bags.

"Let's go home, bub." She smiled ruffling Phoebe's hair as they signed the last discharge forms.

When they entered the house Alex stopped in the doorway. Happy to be back in her own home but it was actually the bunches of flowers all over their dining room table that made her stop in her tracks. With Phoebe settled on her hip she walked over to the table taking a card from the yellow and white bunch, reading through all of them one by one. All well wishes from her colleagues, and even some from the neighbors. She had no idea how they knew about what went down.

"How did all of this get here?" She asked when Ryan came back.

"Most of them were delivered around the time I was home this morning." He explained kissing the top of her head. Smiling gratefully at her support system knowing she can count on them when she needed them.

Just something small not much happening here, I just felt like I needed to post a new chapter. I have a little family drama planned for the next chapter. Thanks for reading.

Lovies-S