Disclaimer: Sadly enough, I don't own anything. This is written for pure enjoyment only and no profit to be gained!

CHAPTER: 12

It was exactly 7:17AM. Unlike Alex, it was a restless, dark night, or morning depending on how you look at it, for Bobby. He was having no luck sleeping…though all he wanted to do was relax. Sleep. Sleep off all of the pain and thoughts he was thinking. He tried shifting positions numerous times, but it was no use. Along with the pain in his side from his lung, and his throbbing head due to a migraine, he was unable to sleep through it; even with all the medication he was doped up on. He could still feel the medication and it made him feel like he were back at Tates…with the exception of the fact that he knew he was free now.

It didn't trouble Bobby, though he knew he would never go back there…he just never liked the feeling of what medication did to him in general.

Bobby slowly shifting into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. He sat that way for a few minutes and then stood up.

Too quickly.

Oh fuck. Stupid medication hasn't even come close to wearing off.

He remembered Alex's warnings about him getting up, but he shrugged it off. He was a big boy…he could handle it. At least that's what he thought.

He wavered a bit when he lifted himself off the bed and immediately knew he'd gotten up too quickly because the room started to spin. His room was deathly silent and it frightened him somewhat. He brought his hands up to his head like he did every time he had a head ache, and after a few moments, the dizziness subsided.

He managed to push out most of the pain that was engulfing him and ever so slowly he eased his way to the bathroom. He used the restroom and tried to wash his face to awaken him, but it didn't help. He still felt like shit.

I look like shit. He looked in the mirror in disgust.

Walking back into his room, struggling to stay on his feet, Bobby stretched only to wince at the pain. He looked down at the patch job the hospital had done and noticed that some blood was soaking through it now.

Just fucking perfect. I guess I should change it.

Bobby figured he'd better sit down and do it; otherwise he feared he'd end up falling to the floor before he knew what hit him…literally.

He didn't want to bother Alex, so he decided that he would do it himself. How hard could it be? In all honestly, he wasn't even sure if she was still in his apartment or not and something frightened him at the thought of that. He didn't want to call her name out because, if she were gone, the realization would hurt him even more. All he held onto was the hope of her still being here with him.

Maybe she left. I wouldn't be surprised…hell I wouldn't even blame her...I couldn't. Bobby mused as he ripped off the bandage and tossed it aside.

As his large, lengthy frame made its way over to the bag that carried numerous bandages and other medical equipment, he bent down only to feel sick. His large frame becoming wobbly as Bobby, once again, stood back up too fast. He began to feel disoriented and tipsy. The medication he was on only intensified the effect.

Fucking medicine!

He tried to steady himself again, but this time he was unsuccessful. Everything combined with the anti-biotics, pain medicine, Xanax and sleeping medication did not help him as he tried to control his body, only to fall forward, hitting his head on a nearby dresser.

There was darkness for a few seconds and then, "Ah, fuck!" Bobby hissed as his eyes fluttered open. He reached for the spot on his head where it came in contact with the sharp corner of his dresser, only to find a bump and liquid coming out of it. "Oh perfect!" He mumbled as he tried to get up once more. He managed to get to his knees, but collapsed back down onto his stomach as the room danced in front of him.

He thought he heard himself silent scream, but he wasn't sure…he wasn't sure of anything.

Bobby couldn't get up. He felt like he was going to puke…then he was numb. A comfortable numb. Bobby hit his head hard, but luckily he was already halfway hunched over when he did collapse. Pain swallowed him along with the dizziness and knew he was in trouble. He wanted to just collapse here…stay on the floor and let the fuzziness swallow him whole, but he didn't think that would be such a great idea. There was only one other option and he felt ashamed to do it.

It almost scared him to do it.

"E—Eames." He rasped out, barely audible. He thought he was screaming, because everything was echoing in his head with the room swimming before him, but it was barely above a whisper.

He Listened. He waited. Nothing.

"Eames!" He spoke a little louder even though it was killing him to do so.

More waiting and then nothing.

She did leave me. Good for her! He thought as he rested his head back onto the floor and closed his eyes.

Bobby didn't mind dying. He wasn't afraid of it and actually didn't care one way or the other, but the only thing that kept him from it was, Alex. Always Alex. Before, when he had shot himself, all he thought about was himself and his sorry life. Now, all he was thinking about was her. His Alex. He forgot about her before…until he heard her on the other side of the door. Guilt. He didn't want to die in front of her. She didn't need to witness that. He knew that it would break her heart and she would blame herself for it…

Besides, what's a little bump on the head going to do to me? He rationalized. It's not like it's going to kill me… He deduced.

Bobby wasn't thinking clearly at the moment, so nothing seemed right to him.

Alex stirred when she heard what she thought was some sort of thump. She thought she heard her name, so she sat up straight and listened. She heard nothing. Get a grip, Alex. Now you're hearing things? She was about to lie back down when her heart skipped a beat.

She remembered.

Bobby! What if he was calling my name? Shit! She gasped as she got up and quickly made her way to his bedroom.

"E—Eames…" He tried one last time and then murmured, "Sorry." Before his body went completely limp.

He gave up fighting the dizziness. He couldn't hold off any longer.

Alex got into the room right as he said her name in a daze. "Bobby!" She exclaimed as she spotted him lying on the ground next to his bed; face down.

She ran over to him for what seemed to be the hundredth time in the past week and grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him slightly. "Bobby…come on, I need you to wake up. Open your eyes, Bobby."

You stupid idiot, I told you not to get up. And then. Fuck, this is my fault! Why did I fall asleep…again!? I said I'd watch him more closely and look what happened!

She continued to shake him, lightly at first, but then more forcefully. She tried as best as she could to assess the damaged, but she needed to turn him over.

I need to get him on his back. With all her might, she rolled the man almost three times her size over and onto his back. His head wound looked painful.

She figured he had fallen and hit his head and she knew that it couldn't be good from his height. She also knew that he had been standing because of the placement his body was in.

What the hell did he get up for? Her eyes then trailed down his body and noticed that he had ripped the patch off of his wound.

"Dammit, Bobby." She mumbled. "What the hell were you—"

"Hmmm." He moaned, cutting her off.

"That's it…" Her eyes shot back up to his face. "Bobby, come on. Come back to me." She whispered, trying to keep her voice steady. She placed her warm palm on his face.

The dizziness started to slowly recede and he felt a warm hand on his face. He leaned into it, hoping it were Alex. Bobby slowly opened his eyes and stared directly into the woman's eyes that were caressing him.

"You stayed?" He admitted, confused. He thought he was possibly dreaming now. His vision was still a blur but he knew her voice as well, if not better than his own.

Besides, no one else would touch me like this…

Alex cocked her head to the side, trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about. A few moments later she had summed it up to him hitting his head too hard.

"Come on, Bobby. You need to get back into bed."

He swallowed hard, the room still spinning. "Why?" He chocked out.

"Why what?" She asked. "Why do you have to get back into—"

"Why did…did you stay?" He interrupted her.

It was as if someone had taken a sledge hammer to her heart. She hurt.

"Bobby, did you honestly think I left you? Abandoned you here?"

Bobby didn't speak; his expression told her everything she needed to know. His sad, brown eyes told her things that he could not do with words until he tightly shut them. He really did think she'd left him and she could tell by his reaction that he feared it.

"I'm not leaving you, Bobby, ok? " She stroked the side of his face now. "Can you stand up?"

Bobby started to sit up and felt a wave of sickness come over him; he collapsed back down onto his back. He shut his eyes uncontrollably, praying that this was all just a dream.

"Bobby?" He only groaned. "Bobby! You have to wake up." She shook his shoulders again. "Goddammit, Bobby, if you don't open your eyes, so help me god I'll call an ambulance right now!" She hissed at him. She knew he was in pain but this was the only way, though a very cruel way, to get him to open his eyes.

He needs to stay awake.

He started to stir again and rapidly blinked. "Eam—" He didn't even finish his statement. He was too tired and too dizzy.

"Bobby? How do you feel?"

He swallowed hard and started to calm down long enough to answer her. "I feel wonderful, thanks for asking." He said sarcastically.

"Well then…" Alex decided to play into this a bit. "Since you feel so well, you won't mind standing up and getting back into bed now, will you?" She smiled and though he couldn't see it, he could tell by the tone in her voice.

Once again, with the help of Alex, Bobby sat upright. His eyesight was beginning to come back, but his head hurt badly. Bobby, all of a sudden, missed the numbness he was feeling earlier. He couldn't admit it to her though; he didn't want to go back to the hospital. Utterly, he felt like hell.

"You good still?" Bobby only nodded as he began to get back up with the help of, Alex.

Bobby winced and hissed in a painfully loud manner as he finally managed to stand up. Alex had an arm around his waist once again but she knew she couldn't hold him if he began to fall.

When he made it to the bed, he collapsed onto his stomach.

"Bobby…Bobby you have to turn over." No response. "Bobby?" She placed a hand on his arm. "Bobby?" She was getting worried now. Alex took a chance and placed her hand on the middle of his back and shook him slightly. He felt reassuringly warm.

Bobby groaned in response.

"Bobby, can you hear me? I need you to open your eyes and look at me."

"Hmm…I can't…it hurts…" His words were muffled by the bed. "Stupid…stupid medicine…"

"Please, Bobby, for me?" After a few moments and with the help of Alex, he complied. Though in pain, Bobby managed to turn around and lie on his back; stretched out in the middle of his California king size bed.

"That's it, good." She cooed as she soothed his hair with her hand. She knew she shouldn't be touching him like that, especially when he was conscious, but she didn't give a damn right now. She had already crossed too many boundaries to care right now. To care at all.

"Eames…I'm so…sorry." He choked out as he began to close his eyes again; his movements not as precise. He felt so dizzy.

"Bobby, don't close your eyes, ok? You have to keep them open. Keep looking at me, ok?" He nodded but his eyes stayed closed. "Promise me, Bobby."

This time he opened his eyes. "I promise."

"Good, that's good. Bobby, can you stick this in your mouth?" She held up a thermometer that she snatched off the side table. "I need to take your temperature." She declared as she began to hand him the thermometer. She watched as he was barely able to lift an arm. He was exhausted. Alex shook her head and placed it in his mouth for him.

While Alex was waiting for the thermometer to beep, she reached up to his face and cleaned the cut and bump on his head. A small line of blood was trickling down his forehead, but it didn't look as bad as she first thought. At least she hoped. She knew she'd have to keep an eye on it though.

When the thermometer beeped, Alex reached for it as she watched Bobby fighting to keep his eyes open.

"100.1, Bobby. If it gets much higher, I'm hauling your ass straight back to the hospital where you will stay and be monitored by professionals." She declared. Not waiting for a response, she continued. "Bobby, what the hell happened?"

"I—I couldn't sleep. I stood up but I guess I got up too quickly." He briefly closed his eyes but opened them again when he felt her hand on his. "I went to…to put a new bandaged on my…I…I noticed that I…my…blood was soaking through it…so…I got up to change it. I got too dizzy and when I stood up again I—I fell and hit my head on…something." He said.

"Bobby, why didn't you come and get me? Or yell for me."

"I—I thought about it but…"

"But what?"

"But—I figured you had left. I didn't blame you…I don't blame you. Then, when I fell…I was hoping you were still here. I was hoping that you were still here before…but…" He stopped. "I called your name a few times and then…nothing." He said as he started to shake.

"It's ok, Bobby." She squeezed his hand and then let go of it.

Alex got up and left to go get an ice pack, but Bobby didn't know that and started to cry. A few tears at first, but then more poured on.

She left me… And that was what he feared the most.

A/N: So…with this chapter, I thought of the song, "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd. Listen to it. It fits this chapter rather well I think. Love the song and I just watched a Youtube video, which is an LOCI video that has to do with "Untethered." It's one of my favorites. If you'd like to watch it, let me know and I can send you the link. Amazing vid!

So…what do you think overall?

-Snyder-