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Chapter 26 :

Mum dashed into my room frantically two minutes later, her stethoscope dangling awkwardly around her neck as if it were about to fall off. My eyes were glassy and puffy, something she put down to pain; physical rather than emotional. I didn't bother to correct her when she insisted on getting me some stronger pain relief. I didn't want to feel right now.

Thankfully, I was taken off for my CT scan before she could faff over me any more. It came back clear, thankfully, and I was given a clean bill of health. Well, aside from the road burn along my right forearm and face, plus a rather bruised shoulder that ached whenever I moved it. I looked like I'd been in a nasty punch up. I texted Will to tell him the news, but he didn't reply. I wasn't really expecting him to, but I thought he'd at least be relieved that I was okay.

Despite this, Mum and the nurse looking after me both insisted on me staying the night, and not going back to school tomorrow, even though I felt fine. Apparently it was hospital policy for someone with a severe concussion, and just because my parents worked at the hospital did not make me exempt. Grudgingly I accepted their decision- not that I had much choice in the matter. Besides, I could hardly turn up to school late on the first day. I was told to stay awake until at least 2am, as even though my CT came back clear they still liked you to remain conscious for at least eight hours after the accident to make sure nothing else was wrong. Apparently it was easier to deal with someone when they were conscious.

"Right, so I'll ring Mrs Lee tonight to tell her your not going in tomorrow." My Mum said as she sat perched on the end of my bed. She was supposed to be back doing her rounds by now, but was instead tending to me.

"Mum!" I moaned. "Is this really necessary? I can't miss the first day back after the holidays!"

"You can, and you will." She replied adamantly, leaving no room for compromise.

"Surely there must be someone who can cover you for a day. I'm sure Mrs Lee will understand. You have been in a serious accident." It was clear that Mum had never met the headmistress of my school, Mrs Lee. If she'd met her, she'd remember- she was horrible. Trying to get her to let me miss a day off school to go to the soulfinder convention on the pretence of going to a relative's funeral had been difficult enough, and I'd only missed flipping toy day! Still, there was nothing I could do; Mum was a force to be reckoned with, even Mrs Lee stood no chance against her when she had her mind set on something.

"Okay, fine. I've already written out my lesson plans for tomorrow, and I've got my powerpoint ready- it's all on my laptop. I could email it to her if I had it. The supply teacher would be able to work from it; it's pretty self-explanatory." I was teaching maths to nine year olds. Surely anyone could teach that.

"I'll get it from your flat and bring it over." She promised, making a note of it.

"Oh, and Monty, Mum!" I was a terrible owner; I'd forgotten all about my little puppy. Thank God he'd already been on a long walk, and I'd filled his food and water bowls before I'd left. Still, I was only going to leave him for half an hour, and I'd ended up leaving him for nearly four.

"I'll ring Jack." She said, fishing out her phone and dialling his number. "He can pick Monty up and your laptop while he's there. I'm sure him and Savannah can look after him tonight, and bring your laptop over here on their way." I sighed in relief. I was lucky to have such a supportive family; I wouldn't cope without them.

"Thanks, Mum." She stood up and leant over to kiss my forehead.

"I'd better get back to work now, Lex. I'll ring Mrs Lee and Jack on my way- don't worry about anything. You just concentrate on getting better." I nodded, feeling like a child, rather than a responsible, legal adult. She turned to leave, before stopping and turning to look at me.

"Oh, and there was a young man wanting to visit you. Should I send him in?"I felt my stomach flutter against my will. Maybe Will wasn't so mad after all- he'd come back! My heart leapt in my chest.

"He says his name's Sam." I tried not to let my expression drop too noticeably, but I think she saw it nonetheless.

"Oh. That's nice of him to pop by." I tried to recover. "I was on my way to see him and his soulfinder, Elinor when I got hit."

"Ah, I see. So, is Will dropping by? I mean, does he know?" She asked, feigning nonchalance. I wanted to strangle Angela for telling her Will's name. Mum was like a bloodhound- she just wouldn't stop until she got what she was after.

"He's already been." I admitted, looking down at my nails.

"Oh" Her eyes were wide- she was desperate for any scrap of information I threw at her. I didn't say any more, and after a few beats of awkward silence, Mum didn't press for more, obviously accepting that I didn't want to talk about it.

"I'll tell Sam to come in then." She said. "Now, don't worry about everything else- I'll sort it." She closed the door softly behind her, and I grabbed my phone as soon as she'd left, desperate to see if Will had replied. He hadn't. I decided to ring him to apologise once more, but it went straight through to answer phone. Swallowing the hurt, I quickly dropped my phone back into my bag, and dabbed at my eyes. I didn't want Sam to see me crying.

He arrived a few minutes later. There was a soft knock at the door, and he poked his head round once I said he could come in.

"Hey." I said with a smile, beckoning him to come and sit in the chair by my bedside.

"Alexis, I'm so sorry! I didn't realise-"

"I'm fine, Sam. Don't worry about it."

"But it is! It's my fault, Will said-" I interrupted him.

"What?" When had he seen Will?

"On the phone. He rang me, and then he saw me outside when he left. I convinced you to come and see me and Elinor, and I'm really sorry, truly. I could have killed you! I didn't realise that it would put you in danger, honest. If I had known, I never would have insisted! It's just I wanted you to meet Elinor before we left and-"

"Wait: you've seen Will?"

"Yeah, he was walking out when I was coming in. I swear the guy nearly punched me he was that mad at me."

"Really?" I asked. That was extremely out of character for him.

"Alexis, you could have died today. I'd kill anyone that tried to hurt Elinor- unintentionally or not."

"Sam, you didn't try to kill me. And I'm sorry about Will. I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"He meant it alright, and I don't blame him: I'd have punched me too, but he didn't. There's nothing to apologise for."

"Likewise." I replied. "It was my decision to come and see you, Sam. These things happen. I didn't know how Will's gift worked, and now I do. No serious harm has been done- I'm fine." He tried to refute my claims, but I shushed him, instead diverting the conversation. "So, how's Elinor?" I asked.

"Good. Well, really upset about what happened with you, but well apart from that. She wanted to come and see you, but she's got a bit of a phobia about hospitals, so I told her to go home. We'd like to pop in and see you when you're feeling better, if that sounds okay?" He asked.

"That sounds lovely. I'm looking forward to meeting her." He smiled at that.

"Good. She's great- I think you two will get on really well."

"I'm glad you're happy- you deserve it. So, what happened when you went to Edinburgh to find her?" I asked. He grinned knowingly.

"You'll have to wait for that story until Elinor's with me. Apparently I don't tell it correctly." I laughed. He was obviously already well under her thumb.

We chatted happily for another hour, before Sam left to get back to Elinor. We agreed to meet at some point before they left for Edinburgh, and I was looking forward to it.

Jack popped in with my laptop soon after. He didn't stay for long as Monty was in the boot of his car, and he didn't want to leave him in there for any longer than necessary. Apparently he'd done nothing but snooze since I was out, so my accident hadn't affected his routine in the slightest. According to Jack, he was looking forward to a night of pampering at the hands of Savannah. Of course he was; Monty did not do loyalty, and if he did, I think he would be more loyal to all my family members rather than me!

With my concussion, I wasn't allowed to go to sleep until 2am at the earliest. Thinking about it, it was probably better that I wasn't at school tomorrow. I would not be able to deal with my class on less than five hours sleep without losing my temper- they tested me at the best of times. To distract myself, I emailed my lesson plans to Mrs Lee, and looked over the work I'd planned for them to do on Tuesday. Mum had come through with her, and she was, somewhat unhappily, arranging cover for me. Apparently she'd kicked up a royal fuss about it all. I wasn't surprised- I'd expected as much. I just didn't know why she insisted on being so difficult- it wasn't as if I'd deliberately gotten into an accident just so I could inconvenience her! God knew how her long-suffering husband managed to put up with her! Thankfully, my classroom helper, Annie, had stepped in to save the day, and was taking my class tomorrow. The kids all loved her, and she they. We got on well together too, so I knew she'd be fine taking over from me, which eased my worries.

Two o'clock rolled around slowly. I'd managed to go over my lesson plans for the next week twice, and watch about six re-runs of NCIS before trying to sleep. What a time to be alive!

My sleep was fitful, mind. I was moved to a regular ward once Jack had left, and had to put up with people snoring, coughing and shouting all night. I'd be glad to be back home.

I discharged myself as soon as possible, and at eight the next morning Dad dropped me home. He'd been in surgery nearly all night as there had been a really nasty collision on the M1, and three of the people were so badly injured that they'd needed immediate surgery. He was supposed to have gone home hours ago, but he always ended up volunteering to help out- he couldn't help himself.

Sam and 'Van had taken Monty to the vets with them this morning, and I was off to pick him up this evening from their house at his insistence. Apparently, he'd told Jack he'd like to spend the day at the vets making friends, rather than in the flat with me. Charming. It was nice to know my pet really loved and appreciated me.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you, Alexis?" My father asked as he stood in the living room of my flat. "I can sleep in the spare room, and I'd be there if you needed me."

"Dad, I'll be fine; go home an rest! God knows, you need it!" I said, eyeing the black bags under his eyes.

"Okay, if you're sure…" Even in my twenties Dad was still convinced I was unable to look after myself properly. "Just remember to take your antibiotics. Don't miss one, Alexis, because if you miss one-"

"They don't work." I finished for him. "I won't forget, Dad. I'll be fine- I've already taken one today."

"Good. Well, just ring if you need anything." I promised him I would, and after a cup of tea and some biscuits he was on his way home. Taking a few painkillers to numb my road rash I fired off a quick text to Rach to tell her what happened- I didn't want her to feel out of the loop. She didn't reply, but I didn't think she would- she was teaching. Undoubtedly, come break time she'd be ringing me to see what had happened.

I spent the next couple of hours sleeping and feeling sorry for myself. Will still hadn't messaged or rang me back, something I was definitely taking personally. He used to respond to all my messages immediately. Still, I guessed he must be busy with Tom in London. Well, at least that's what I told myself. I didn't like to think that he simply didn't care anymore.

At break time, as predicted, I received a worried phone call from Rach. She promised she'd come over and see me as soon as she finished at school, even thought I told her it wasn't necessary.

I also managed to ring Annie during break to see how the kids were behaving. Apparently, they were all rather well-behaved, aside from Luke Hall, not that that was surprising. Luke Hall never behaved himself… ever. She seemed to be doing fine, not that I was expecting it to have gone badly, and I looked forward forward to catching up with her tomorrow.

I was just about to head to bed to catch up on some much-needed sleep when I heard a knock at the door. It was only half ten, and I wasn't expecting any visitors.

I opened the door cautiously, wishing I had Monty here with me. He wasn't exactly a good guard dog, but he was better than nothing. He may be fickle, but he was protective of me too. I was greeted by a couple: a tall girl that looked like a model, and a man stood beside her, who was equally as handsome.

"Hi, I'm Crystal, and this is Xav." She said, indicating to the man beside her. He waved at me as she did so.

"Erm, hi." I said, wondering who on earth they were. I didn't usually get many cold callers, but when I did, they were not like these pair. "Look, if you're selling something, I'm sorry, but I'm not interested." I began to shut the door on them.

"Wait, no! We're not cold callers!" She exclaimed. "We're with Will- he's just parking his car." I opened the door fully then, and looked over them both once more. Now I thought about it, they did look familiar. They were two of the figures I'd seen in the family photograph he'd shown me.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry! I'm just over-tired I think."

"Don't worry, it's fine. I-"

"Xav, Crystal!" I heard Will call as he came around the corner, interrupting whatever Crystal was about to say. "Oh." He said, noticing that I was stood in my doorway. "I thought I told you to wait until I got here before knocking."

"Did you hear him say that, cupcake?" Xav asked, ignoring his brother and looking at Crystal.

"Now that you mention it, I did hear him say something, but I thought it was 'Don't wait until I get there.'" Crystal replied.

"You two are terrible." He growled, reaching us. "Alexis, this is my brother, Xav, he's a healer, and he's here to check you over. This is Crystal, his soulfinder. She's a soulseeker."

"Nice to meet you." I replied woodenly, holding out my hand for them both to shake. I couldn't believe Will was here: here for me! They ignored my blank expression, and shook hands with me politely. "Come in, come in." I said, ushering them into the lounge.

"Do you mind if I use your loo, Alexis, I'm bursting?" Crystal asked, crossing her legs together. It was odd, she'd seemed fine a few seconds ago.

"Sure." I replied. "Second door on your right." She nodded.

"Don't you need the loo too, Xav?" She asked him. "We've had a very long drive."

"No, cupcake, I'm fi-" She elbowed him in the ribs.

"Actually, yes, now that I think of it I do." He managed to get out, rubbing his stomach, and following her out of the room.

"We'll just leave you to, you know, chat and…" I didn't hear the rest as Crystal had dragged him out of the room before he got to finish, leaving us two alone.

Review? I hope you liked meeting Xav and Crystal!