Chapter 2:

Birthday

She sat idly at her desk, flipping through case files with a bored look on her face. Her mocha had long since gone cold and her right foot was numb. The clock on her desk read 2:48pm and she resisted the urge to bang her head on the table. She settled for a groan instead. Some birthday.

Yes birthday. Today she turned 26 to be exact. A birthday it seemed that she would be spending alone, as she was stuck in New York's District Attorney's office, going over casework that she needed to be shelved while her husband was off in Japan, hoping to make deal that would make the already richest company in the world even richer. She sighed. She understood why he had to go, she really did, but it had been four days since he left and she was, to put it lightly, quite over him being away. Deciding that this bit of rambling was a need for a new cup of coffee, she dumped her old one in the trash and headed out in search of sustenance.

"You're only 26! Quit moping!" Were the words that her Assistant District Attorney, Alexz Lausch, greeted her with as she stepped into the main lobby.

"Jimmy's in Japan." Her secretary Margaret explained before Cindy could.

"He's not back yet? But girl it's your birthday!" Alexz responded, her eyes wide.

"Thank you for the cruel reminder that I will be spending my birthday alone with half of bottle of wine and every Nicholas Sparks' movie ever made." The blonde retorted as she sipped her fresh cup of coffee.

"Unacceptable. It's our job to take you out tonight in your husband's stead. We can invite Ashley, Maya…"

"Absolutely not." Cindy said, stopping the redhead before she got any further. "No."

"Oh, c'mon Cindy!" Margaret interjected with glee. "My brother owns McNally's Pub, the new one that just opened on 45th! We can go there!"

"Perfect!" Alexz squealed. Seeing the skepticism still on her friend's face, she sighed. "Oh please Cindy! Do you honestly think Jimmy would want you moping in your penthouse all night?"

Knowing when she was beat, and that Alexz would not give up until she relented, Cindy sighed, "Fine."

Her two friends squealed in delight as Cindy shook her head, a slight smile on her face. "We'll pick you up at seven!" The ADA shouted at the retreating back of the DA whose only response was to raise her coffee cup in recognition.

"Damn you look hot!" Margaret noted as Cindy slid into the back seat of Alexz's Honda Subaru. "Did you send your hubby a picture? Cause that would get him stateside fast."

Cindy smirked as she smoothed the fabric of her black dress. "Nope. Tonight's girl's night!"

At her declaration the other two whooped as Alexz pulled onto the interstate to head across town. "This is gonna be great! We've invited a ton of people!"
"And I was thinking we could hit up the new club over on Andover Street later." Margaret added. "They're supposed to have a killer DJ."
"Sounds great!" Cindy chimed in. She looked over to the right of them and frowned, "Alexz, does it look like that car is…?"

Screams. Then black.

Alexz paced back and forth in the lobby of the hospital, her phone in her hands. She had been trying to dial this particular number for about 5 minutes now but could not bring herself to do it. "Come on Alexzandra!" She chided herself, "You can prosecute a serial killer but you can't do this?" Taking a deep breath she dialed.

"James Neutron speaking."

"Jimmy? It-it's Alexz. From the DA's office?"

"Alexz?" The business tone was completely dropped now. "What is it? What's wrong? Is-is Cindy okay?"

"I-we-no." She bit back a sob. "We were taking her out for her birthday. We were on the freeway, some guy hit us and-"Another sob. "I only got a couple of scrapes and bruises. Margaret and Cindy got the worse of it. Margaret just got out of surgery and Cindy is still in it."

There was dead silence on the phone for what felt like an eternity. When Jimmy finally spoke, the authority was back in his voice. "I'm leaving Tokyo right now. Go home and rest. I'll call you when I've landed. Let me know if anything changes." Then the line went dead.

Fourteen hours later, Alexz was back in the hospital lobby waiting for Jimmy, biting her nails nervously as she watched the enterance. Margaret was awake and resting comfortably after having surgery on her leg. Cindy wasn't so lucky. There was severe trauma and she was in a coma. Alexz hated to be the one to tell her already-over-protective husband that.

The door of the lobby swung open as Jimmy rushed in. The usually put together CEO was anything but as he made his way over to her. His shirt was untucked, his hair was sloppy and he had bags under his eyes. "Where is she?"

As they made their way to Cindy's room, Alexz explained how a drunk driver had hit them and how Cindy had hit her head, hard, and had sustained the worst injuries of the group. Alexz stopped outside of room 304 and looked at him. "You should go in alone."

Every thought, every fear that had ran through his mind on the plane was confirmed to him as he stared at his wife who was lying in bed. It couldn't be her, it just couldn't. His Cindy was never this weak looking. His Cindy never would have let the doctor's put those tubs and IVs in her. Never. "Mr. Neutron?" The voice of the doctor from behind him pulled him out of his thoughts.

"I don't care what it takes. I don't care what it costs. Bring her back."

The doctor nodded. "We've done all we can. Now we wait."

He refused to leave her side. NeuCo could be run well enough from his iPhone, laptop, and pager. He had watched the medical team like a hawk as they tended to her, asking questions when he did not understand something and threatening several of them along the way. He was scared. He hated to admit it, but it was the truth. He couldn't lose her when he had barely had her. But all he could do was wait.

Why was it so bright? Cindy blinked once, then twice, then three times attempting to adjust her vision to little avail. She winced and tried to shake her head, but it felt sluggish and full of sand. In defeat, she stared up at the ceiling attempting to gain some control over her being but also attempting to figure out where the hell she was. Her eyes scanned across the room and that's when she noticed the figure sitting in the chair to her right. "Jimmy," She managed to croak out, her throat scratchy.

Her husband froze. The next thing she knew he was standing over her, staring at her with a mixture of disbelief and unbridled joy. "Cindy! You're- you- hold on!" He ran out of the hallway and after a moment, rushed back in with a man in a white lab coat whose name tag read Dr. Martin.

"Well, Mrs. Neutron, it is lovely to have you back with us," The doctor said with a smile. "How are you feeling dear?"

"Like I got hit by a truck."

"You did," Her husband said darkly.

In response to the look of confusion on her face, Jimmy filled in the details as Alexz and the police had told him. "Alexz has been back at work for a week now. Margaret will be in a cast for a while but she's at home resting. You on the other hand, you've been in a coma since your birthday. Alexz called me, and I took the jet back right away."

Dr. Martin smiled, "And he has been at your side ever since."

At this news, the blonde was startled. She stared at her husband in disbelief, "But NeuCo-"

"Doesn't mean as much to me as you do. Plus it is remarkably simple to run everything through the NeuCo main frame on my laptop." He assured her. "You're top priority."

The medical team came in that afternoon. Grumpily, she sat through more tests, MRI's, and CAT scans then any person should ever do in a four hour period. "If you keep this up my dear, you'll be able to be at home in a week!" Dr. Martin assured her, which gave her some cheer.

Back in her hospital bed she settled against her pillows and watched her husband as he worked. He would type something on his computer before looking up at her, catching her eye and smiling.

"You can go home if you want. I'll be okay until tomorrow morning."

"Not a chance."

She sighed and looked at him, "Jimmy-"

"Nope." He closed his laptop and moved from his chair to her bedside. He leaned forward and gave her a kiss on her forehead, letting it linger. "I almost lost you." He whispered. "We've barely been married a year and I almost lost you. I am not leaving your side until you are well enough to go home."

Knowing better then to argue, and knowing that she, admittedly, felt a lot better with him here, she scooted over in the bed so he could lie down beside her. He immediately understood and did so, slipping an arm carefully around her waist.

"Then at least get some sleep," she chided him, taking in his flustered appearance. "And maybe get a shower."

He chuckled. "Yes dear." He laid back against the pillows and Cindy moved herself as best as she could until her head was on his chest and she was curled up against him. She sighed happily before falling asleep.

When the nurses came in an hour later, they couldn't help but smile at the two asleep on the bed. The older nurse moved to cover them with a blanket before gently turning off the lights.

A/N: To be continued in the next chapter. Please R&R! :D