AUTHOR'S NOTE:

The plan is for each of the upcoming chapters to feature a one day of Liv's hospital stay, and during that day, flashback to that month of their relationship (so, this chapter features day one, and month one; the next chapter features day two, and month two). Present Day takes place eight months after they met, so you do the math. ;-) Once we hit the Eighth Day/Eight Month we'll be in present-day full-time. :)

-DAY ONE-

*7am*

Liv was finally settled into a room in the Intensive Care Unit. She was comatose, Doctor's said as a result of brain swelling from head trauma. Normal visiting hours weren't until noon, but because he had been there all night long with her, the nurses gave him a pass to stay, with the understanding he would have to leave when visiting hours were over that evening.

Every time Alec thought about the list of injuries she had sustained, he started to feel nauseous. He sat by her bed, gently holding her hand, stroking her knuckles, feeling the pulse in her wrist under his fingers, watching her chest rise and fall. Every time he looked at her face he felt himself tremble and his emotions start to crumble – her face was so bruised and swollen, a tube going into her mouth and one down her nose. So, he focused on the rise and fall of her chest, though he swore he could almost see her bruises through the hospital gown, surely, he was imagining that. There were fingertip bruises on her arms that he gently brushed his hands over as he stroked her arm. He focused on his own breathing as he looked her over again, raising her hand up to his mouth, letting her knuckles brush his lips as he spoke.

"Daisy is terribly worried about you, but I made her go to school today. I'm hoping school will distract her from worrying all day, but if she's anything like her father, it probably won't help at all. I told her there was no use in her coming to see you for now, with you—sleeping. I'm hoping I can hold her off a few days at least. If she sees you like this she'd be so distraught, and I know you wouldn't want it that way."

*Flashback – Month 1 of Alec and Liv*

The month after they met was something of a cat and mouse game, though who was playing what part depended on the day, it seemed.

At the time, when Alec thought to himself about it, he blamed curiosity for those first few times he showed up at McEwen's Pub to pick up lunch. If anyone else had pointed it out, which Ellie did once, he blamed the roast beef sandwich, explaining McEwen's had the best in Broadchurch and since regaining his appetite after the surgery, it was his favorite.

It was only a few days after the Friday night Live Music event that he and Ellie had attended with their teenagers that first showed up for lunch. He had overheard Liv telling Ellie that she worked lunch hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the pub, and was going to begin regularly singing on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights, as the regular singer had moved away.

The first time he came in to pick up his lunch order, with his usual social awkwardness, he didn't say a word to Liv. In fact, he totally ignored her presence, even though she stood no more than ten feet away as he paid for his pre-ordered lunch. It wasn't that he hadn't seen her, and hadn't gotten a good look at her when he first entered, but as soon as she had caught his eye, he acted as if he hadn't seen her.

His second visit, only a few days later, she called him out on it. He had come in, seen her, and proceeded to the counter to let them know he was there to pick-up his order. It was a quiet day, and she had a few extra moments to spare before delivering orders to tables, so she approached him, waiting till he turned with his bag of food.

"You planning on ignoring me again today, DI Hardy?" she questioned quietly, but accusingly.

"I wasn't ignoring you," he mumbled as he held up his bag. "I was getting my lunch."

"Right," she said with a slow breath, before stepping close to his side and looking the few inches up into his eyes. "I know you saw me. I know you were looking, and you know I was looking. So, let's not play games, shall we Hardy? Have I done something to offend you?"

He was a little taken aback, but also somewhat impressed by her forthrightness and tenacity. "You've done nothing of the sort—"

"Then, If you're going to purposefully come in on days when I work, then have the good grace to speak to me, at least a 'hello'. Otherwise, would you mind picking another day to have roast beef?"

*Present Day*

*Day One - Noon*

Paul stopped in when official visiting hours began—he had stayed all night in the waiting room with Alec—gone home to rest, and come back with lunch and tea in hand. He was headed out to make parishioner visits, but promised to check in with Alec later in the evening.

Alec's monologue to Liv continued after he drank some tea, and had a few bites. "Doctors say it's going to be a long recovery. Your left ankle and right leg were severely broken, and most likely you'll need to be in a wheelchair for several weeks, and physiotherapy, before you'll be walking like normal again. Your right wrist is in a cast and your arm is wrapped close to your side to keep it from moving while your shoulder heals. You're all wrapped up tight to help the ribs heal properly as well." He paused and his chest began to heave. "My God, Liv, what did they do to you?" He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing again. "Anyway, it's—it's better you—" his voice was shaky. "It's better you sleep through this first part of the healing anyway. They've got you pumped so full of drugs and saline, and tubes are going everywhere. You'd go stark raving mad if you had to sit here through all this. But I'll be checking in as often as the nurses will allow me in. I'm going to do everything I can to be here when you wake up."

*Flashback – Month 1 of Alec and Liv*

The next Tuesday when Alec showed up to pick up his lunch, Liv was nowhere in sight. He frowned a bit, but approached the counter and without asking for a name, the man at the counter yelled out the back. "Lunch order for Hardy!"

A moment later the kitchen door swung open and Liv walked out, holding Alec's bagged lunch in her hand. A smile tugged at the corner of Alec's lips and he nodded his head in her direction. "Hello, Liv."

Liv smiled in return, and responded, "Hello, Hardy. Good to see you today. Enjoy your lunch." She handed him the bag and walked back towards the kitchen, smile still on her face.

Tuesdays and Thursdays continued to be Roast Beef Sandwich days for Alec Hardy for the months that followed.

*Present Day

*3pm*

Alec had found himself dozing on and off in his chair next to Liv's bedside, but had just woken back up at the moment that Ellie Miller stepped into the doorway of the hospital room.

"Have you slept?" she questioned.

"A few minutes here and there. Not really. You?" He looked over her, fairly certain she was still wearing the same outfit she had been the night before when he came upon her at the crime scene.

"No. I'll sleep tonight, too much to take care of now. I wanted to bring you up to speed, but first, give me the update." She nodded towards Liv as she came over and sat on the edge of the bed by the woman, on the same side Alec sat on. He released Liv's hand, allowing Ellie to get closer for a moment. This woman was like her sister, she deserved her moment too.

Ellie took the woman's hand as Alec explained as calmly as he could the details of Liv's condition. Ellie shuddered and stood when Alec was done. In a moment of emotion, Alec stood and pulled his partner, his friend, into a hug. Ellie stood rigid a moment before relaxing into the hug and allowing herself a moment of unguarded emotion.

"We'll get her through this," he mumbled into her shoulder and felt her nod. "We'll get through this, Mill—Ellie. We'll get through it together." He pulled back and released her, examining her for a moment. "I threw this case on you last night. But you're as close to this as I am—are you up to it?"

She nodded firmly. "Yes. Elaine and I have already discussed it."

Alec nodded. "Alright, fill me in."

Ellie began, "First, the best news. The rape kit was negative." Alec breathed out a deep relieved sigh and she continued, "And still good news, she got a good chunk of one of them, SOCO got blood, skin cells, and hair—not hers- from under and around her nails. They're running DNA through known databases now, and we'll have it to match against any suspects we come across."

He allowed himself a small grin at that as he looked down at Liv. "That's my girl, I knew she wouldn't go down without a fight."

Ellie nodded and gave a small smile as well. "She always has been a fighter. I still remember coming home with a black eye one day after we got into a cat fight over a boy," she chuckled at the memory, before getting back to business. "I'm supposed to have CCTV waiting for me when I get back to the office. I've got uniforms interviewing other business owners from the area who might have still been around. McEwens is usually the last place to close, though, so I'm not sure we'll find anyone who was still around. Still checking though."

Alec nodded as he thought through the information. "What's the condition of the site? Do we know what she was doing when it happened?"

Ellie sighed. "It appears they got in through the back door. Jack McEwen came down as soon as we called last night and took me through the regular closing routine. As best as we can tell, she had taken the rubbish out the back door into the alleyway and when she came back in, the door didn't shut tight. They got in while she was finishing up and about to leave."

"And why the bloody hell was she alone?" Alec's growl was coming out in his questions. "Doesn't Jack know well enough not to have one employee closing up the place?"

Ellie nodded. "I already gave him hell about that. He feels terrible, as he rightly should. But apparently the cook who was supposed to be closing up with Liv started feeling sick and Liv offered to close up on her own."

Alec's hands went to his hips. "And the cook?"

"First on the list to question this afternoon."

Alec nodded again. "Good. Fine job, Miller."

Ellie nodded and looked softly at the man. "Get some rest, Alec. Okay? She's not going anywhere, and you'll only make yourself ill if you don't sleep."

"The nurses are kicking me out at eight o'clock," Alec said.

"I'll come by and pick you up and take you back to your car at the pub.

Alec nodded and Ellie was soon gone back to work.

*Flashback – Month 1 of Alec and Liv*

After a few weeks of his regular Tuesday/Thursday lunch appearances at the pub, he showed up on Wednesday night for dinner, alone. He sat at a two-seat table, as far away from wandering eyes as possible. He was grateful that the Wednesday night crowd was less than Friday nights. He was almost finished with his dinner when Liv took the stage for her first set. He would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that he was taken with her voice. He found it enchanting and soothing even to his still somewhat tormented soul.

She was halfway through her first song when, as she glanced around the room as she sang, she saw him. He could see the smile come across her lips from behind the microphone as she swayed and sang the intense song she was in the middle of.

Later, after she finished that set, he had finished his meal and was sipping on a beer, deciding if it was time to leave, when she slipped into the chair across from him.

She merely smiled at him a moment. He watched her as he took another sip from the glass in front of him. She leaned in close, glancing around as if keeping a national secret. "Alec Hardy, you really have gone and ruined your reputation."

He smirked as he responded, "With a reputation like mine in this town, it can only get better."

"Exactly. You've shown up here without someone to blame for your public appearance! No threats from Ellie, no crime scenes to investigate. What will people think? That you actually came out in public of your own accord?" Liv was really beginning to enjoy the banter they had picked up on. There was also something about having someone to talk with her native accent that delighted her. She had spent summers in Broadchurch growing up but being in her native land the rest of the year meant she kept her accent. Even after moving to Broadchurch near the end of her final year of secondary school, she was proud of her Scottish heritage.

Alec's left eyebrow raised at her banter. "You know, I wasn't always the grumpy hermit that I'm made out to be."

Now Liv's eyebrow raised, almost a mirror of the man across from her. Was Hardy actually engaging her in meaningful conversation by opening up about his past? "Oh really? Do tell me, what turned you sour?"

"Alcoholic father, ill mother. Failing marriage with a cheating, hateful wife. Daughter who hated me because I kept the truth of her mother's failings to myself and took the fall on a case that remained unsolved for too many years. It all ruined my heart, quite literally." Alec let the words come forth and as soon as he was finished, he almost cursed himself out loud. He knew Olivia MacDonald knew most of that information on her own but baring the emotional side of the story to her was a bit more than even he expected to do. Perhaps it was the beer. Yes, he'd blame the alcohol. But rather than mock him, make a joke, or belittle his experiences, she sat quietly a moment.

When she did speak again, it was quiet and spoke into his soul almost as deeply as her singing voice. "Probably ruined it a bit figuratively, as well, didn't it?"

He tried to remember his own words to understand her meaning. "What?"

"Your heart." She spoke slowly, quietly, and watched him the whole time. "You said it literally ruined your heart. I'd hazard to guess it probably did as much emotional damage as it did physical—if not more." He shrugged and stared back at her. She continued their conversation, not needing more from him, which he thought was nice. "Well, Hardy, I'm glad you took the chance at improving your reputation and came out tonight."

*Present Day*

*6pm*

Alec was surprised to see Mark Latimer walking into the hospital room with a paper bag and paper cup in hand.

"Mark?"

"Hello Hardy. The girls sent me by on my way home from work to check in. Daisy asked me to pick you up some dinner—she pre-ordered it." Mark then smirked and plopped down in the chair that sat against the wall opposite the hospital bed. "And Beth said I was to sit here and make sure you ate it."

Alec smirked too, "Look at us both, being ruled by the women in our lives."

"Yeah—" Mark drew out the word. "But I don't think either of us would have it any different, would we mate?"

"S'pose not." Alec said as he fished around in the bag and pulled out a wrapped sandwich from his favorite shop. "Glad it was my daughter and not Miller putting in my order, otherwise I'd end up with greasy fish and chips."

Mark snorted, then grew quiet a moment as Alec took his first bite since dinner the night before. He then nodded towards Liv, "How is she?"

Alec took a long look at her, finally able to look at her in the face without shuddering, then back to Mark. "No change, it might be a few days before anything changes. By then the swelling should be going down—everywhere—and hopefully she'll wake up. I'm going to try and keep Daisy away till then, if at all possible.

Mark nodded. "When are you going to get some sleep?"

"I'm going home tonight—only because the nurses are forcing me. Bloody hospital visitation hours," Alec grumbled. "Miller's coming to pick me up at eight. She'll take me to my car. I'll be by after that to pick up Daisy.

"Alright, well." Mark nodded towards Alec's half-eaten sandwich. "I think I've watched you eat long enough to satisfy my wife. We'll see you tonight then."