Author's Note: I'd like to send out a HUGE thank you to all of my reviewers...I was blown away by the amount of reviews the last chapter got. In tribute, pretty much this entire chapter...well, I think you'll like it.-Can I leave it at that? ;)...
Anyway, read and review, please. Enjoy!
The lights circled overhead, a beeping sound penetrating her sleep. As Addison opened her eyes, everything slowly came into focus. The lights were those of a hospital room, the machines were those that monitored her own health, as well as her baby's. It wasn't until then that it hit her. She was out, she was free.
"You're awake."
She slowly turned her head to see Alex sitting next to her bed. "Alex..."She managed to say.
He stood, pouring her a glass of water. "You thirsty?"He asked, bringing the cup to her lips. "You were...dehydrated."He offered, smiling through his concern.
Greatfully, Addison felt the water pass through her lips, a welcome change. Her eyes followed Alex as he set the plastic cup back on the table. "What happened?"
Alex nodded, pulling her hand into his as he sat back down. "I got a call from the station saying that Officer Collins, along with a few others were headed out to go and find you and Meredith. Derek was...with me at the time and we, uh...we kind of went to where they were going. Anyway-"Alex said, taking a breath. "When they...got there...Jason, you and Meredith...he was...forcing you into a car. The officers came close, but not too close...just as we were pulling up, you..."He said, watching as her eyes clouded, slowly remembering as he spoke. "You fainted. It was enough to distract Jason. He put up a fight...but they arrested him. Then they brought you guys here."
"I was...actually talking about your hand. What happened?"Addison asked. "Are you okay?"
Alex stared down at the brace on his hand, shyly looking away. "I, um...I punched a wall."
"You punched a wall?"Addison asked, not bothering to cover her surprise.
"It's a long story...are you okay?"Alex asked.
"Yeah, I'm...I feel better. Is...do you know how the baby..."
"Doctor Cornwell's supposed to come in when you wake up. She wants to do an ultra sound, but as far as any preliminary tests show, the baby's just fine."Alex said, thankful that he had Addison back. "I'm...I'm gonna go have her paged. I'll be right back-"Alex said, feeling her tug on his arm. He turned to face her, a questioning look on his face.
"Thank you, Alex."Addison said, the faintest hint of a smile visible.
He nodded, smiling. "I'll be right back."
Alex returned shortly after, Doctor Cornwell and an ultra sound machine in tow. "You ready?"He asked.
"As I'll ever be. Are you sure you wanna be here for this?"Addison asked, knowing that he was still worried.
"Of course. I don't want to be anywhere else right now. This-This baby...it's mine, too."Alex spoke softly, the events of the day still fresh in his mind.
"Well, Addison...Doctor Montgomery...this is a few days earlier than your scheduled appointment, but it's right in time...are you experiencing any pain at all as far as the baby is concerned?"Doctor Cornwell asked, examining her stomach, checking for any possible bruises or signs of obstruction.
"No. I'm...I'm not really...in pain."Addison replied.
Doctor Cornwell nodded, taking it into consideration. "Did anything occur..."She paused, unsure of how to complete her question. She knew Addison somewhat, and knew that she was very well respected at the hospital, and therefore didn't wish to upset her. Especially after what she had gone through. "During your time of captivity that would have caused your baby harm in any way?"
Addison closed her eyes, sighing. "I...fell. It didn't hurt really, but it could have caused something."She admitted sadly. The last thing Addison would ever want to think about was if her baby had been harmed.
"Very well then..."Doctor Cornwell replied, sounding slightly concerned. "Well, your health has checked out from what we can tell, though you are slightly dehydrated. I'm going to perform your ultra-sound now...just to make sure that the baby is fine. If all goes well, we should be able to see a healthy baby forming. Now this may be a little cold..."
Addison stared down at hers and Alex's hands, slowly twined together. Tears formed in her lids, a smile managing to break through her emotions. "It's definately going to be a change...being on the recieving end of this whole thing."She remarked with a laugh.
"Don't worry, Addison...I'm sure everything will turn out to be fine."Doctor Cornwell said.
While Doctor Cornwell applied the gel and started up the machine, Addison turned her head towards Alex. "Have you seen Meredith?"She asked, worried. "Is she okay?"
Alex nodded. "Yeah, she's fine. In fact, when I was out in the hall I ran into Mark who said he saw Derek taking her home. Everything's going to be fine, Addison."
She leaned back, knowing she should relax.
"And there we have it..."Doctor Cornwell said, pointing to the screen. "As I'm sure you already know, it's still a little early to determine the sex of your baby..but...he or she appears to be healthy. Heartbeat is regular..."
"Could we...Could we hear it?"Addison asked, amazed at the black and white image projecting onto the screen.
Doctor Cornwell agreed, adjusting the sound on the ultra-sound machine. "That would be your baby's heartbeat, Doctor Montgomery. I'm taking measurements, and determing the D.O.C...and from this, we'll be able to determine your due date."
Addison nodded greatfully, still feeling tired. Still, as she stared at the screen, she vowed silently that she'd do whatever she could to protect her child. She was safe, away from Jason Warden. As she felt Alex sitting, staring at the screen next to her, Addison realized perhaps truly for the first time, just how at home she was going to be.
"Are you hungry?"Alex asked as they entered the apartment that night. The light turned on, a welcome invitation to a place that Addison had once feared she'd never see again. As she stood frozen in the middle of the room, taking a moment to take in her surroundings, Alex shut the door quickly walking over to her. "It's gonna be okay. I'll make sure of it."
Addison felt his arms, strongly wrapped around her waist. Her hands felt the laces that tied up the brace on his hand. "So you never really explained the story of how you got the brace on your hand. Why is it exactly that you punched a wall?"
Shaking his head, Alex knew there was no avoiding it. "I'll tell you what, Adds. I'll make you dinner, and you can...sit, relax...rest...and then after we eat, I'll tell you the story. Just...promise me you won't insult me or laugh."
Turning in his arms, Addison managed a smile. There were still so many things left to say, but in that moment, Addison had never felt more safer. She knew she'd have to explain to the police her side of the story, and as Alex explained to her on the ride home, she'd go down to the police station the next day to explain to them, careful in explaining every detail. But for now, Addison decided as she found herself suddenly lost in Alex's eyes, she was perfectly content in the way things were.
Reaching foward, Addison slowly let her lips linger against his. Pulling back, she nodded. "I think I can handle that."
"Are you sure you're okay?"Alex asked, not wanting to pressure her.
Addison closed her eyes, shaking her head. "No. Things are still...well, right now...all I need is to feel safe. And right now all I need is for this baby to be safe, so...Yeah. We'll be fine."She assured him, knowing Alex would allow her to taking her time. "We will all be fine."