A/N: Thanks to Vausemania and WB79 for some nice reviews of the last couple of chapters. Hope this piques your interest guys! Piper is still unconscious at the start of this chapter, so another from Alex's POV here. Does she get to Polly before Nicky? Let's see...
ALEX POV
Alex dialled the store number for Popi on her home phone while her cell was trying to get through to Polly's cell phone. With both phones hands free in front of her she grabbed a pair of skinny blue jeans and a white tank to get dressed as she pressed both phones to redial. There was no answer on the store phone and Polly's cell was still busy. She pulled on a pair of black biker boots and a grey hoodie before grabbing her car keys and heading towards the store.
She had no idea where Piper lived and one of them should be in the store at this time to pick up the phone anyway. It sounded like it was urgent though, so hopefully all this running around with wet hair wouldn't be over a box of broken soaps.
Alex continued to try Polly's cell phone from her hands free in the car and eventually Polly picked up.
"Where the Hell have you been Alex?! I've been trying to call you !"
"I know, I got your messages but your phone has been busy ever since. Have you been voting on X Factor contestants or something?"
"Very funny. Anyway, I need you to come to the store for me."
"I'm already on my way. You sounded weird, like worried weird and you mentioned something about Piper needing me? What's going on?"
"You're on your way here now? How far away are you?"
"Like 5 minutes, I'm just around the corner at lights."
"OK, best if I explain when you get here then. See you in 5."
Polly hung up and Alex tapped her hands on the wheel impatiently waiting for the lights to turn. On go, she turned the corner and drove down the street, looking for a parking spot. She jumped out and locked the doors as she crossed the street to Popi. The front door was locked and the 'closed' sign was displayed. It was odd that Polly was at the store today, but it was closed. Alex could feel her heart beating faster as she knocked on the door for Polly.
"Hey, thanks for coming over. Come in. I've had to shut the store while I sort this out as there were too many people coming in and I couldn't serve and do this."
"Do what Polly? What the fuck is going on? Where is Piper? Is she here?"
"OK. I don't know all the details and I don't have time to go through everything with you right now. But I need you to do me a massive favour and look after the store this afternoon for me. I'd close it but we need the sales with Christmas coming-"
"You haven't answered my question. You said Piper needed me. Where is she Polly?" Alex's heart was thumping so loudly she started to worry she wouldn't be able to hear Polly's reply over the sound.
"She's in hospital Alex. There's been an accident. Well, she's been attacked. When she was out last night. I don't exactly know what happened, which is why I need to get to the hospital."
As much as Polly wanted to quickly state the facts and switch to showing Alex the cash register, she allowed her a moment to take the news in before continuing.
"I don't know how serious it is. I don't know who was involved or where it happened or…well, anything really. Other than she's in Mount Sinai right now and her family are with her…..Alex, I know this is a lot to take in right now and I'm sorry to drop this on you…I just really need you to help me out here and run the store for a few hours while I can get to the hospital and find out what is happening. Can you do that for me? For Piper?"
Alex stared back at Polly, not even blinking. Suddenly aware of Polly's hand on her arm, she looked down at it and then back at Polly. "Is she….do you think she will be OK? I mean…are they just keeping her in for observation or something now? Maybe just as a precaution you know?"
"I honestly don't know Alex. I only found out an hour or so ago and I'm as shocked as you are right now. I made some notes while I was trying to contact you to explain how things work, but I'll quickly show you the ropes if that's OK?"
"Yeah, of course." Alex spoke quietly, walking with Polly to the counter as she explained the store layout on the way. She was trying to listen as this was the only thing she could do to help right now, so she should at least try and do it well.
Polly went through the basics of how to run the purchases through the cash desk, said not to worry about the gift wrapping thing and where to get the pricelist information. She thanked Alex and was on her way out of the store when Alex shouted after her. "Polly!...Can you let me know how she is as soon as you get there? Please? Let me know if she is OK?" Polly smiled and nodded as she switched the sign to 'open' on her way out of the store, closing the door behind her.
Alex leaned against the wall at the back of the store, running her hands through her hair and rubbing her neck. Fuck, she wasn't expecting this to be the emergency. Then she thought back to when she saw Piper in Sandy's bar last night. She seemed to be OK when she saw her….Did that fucking dark haired bookworm she was dancing with try it on with her? She balled her hands into fists as she thought about them dancing together, him stroking Piper's hair all innocently. If he was responsible for harming a single hair on her head, she'd break his legs so help her…
The door opened and a couple of customers came in, so she went to the counted to try and read Polly's notes and remember what the Hell she was supposed to be doing here.
XXXXX
Polly arrived at the hospital just before 3pm and called Mrs Chapman as soon as she got off the subway to find out where Piper was. She was in the ICU, so Polly made her way there and saw Cal getting a drink from the coffee machine at the department entrance.
"Hey Polly, good to see a friendly face around here. Thanks for coming over." He hugged her briefly before picking his cup out of the dispenser and leading them towards Piper's room.
Piper was in her own room and Polly could see her in the bed through the open blinds of the window as they approached. Polly stopped outside to look at the scene in the room, shocked by all of the tubes and wires surrounding her best friend.
"It looks pretty scary with all those machines doesn't it?" Cal noticed Polly was hesitant about going inside the room. "It's mostly there for monitoring apparently. Checking her heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and stuff. There's a lot of beeping and machine noises in there, but that's all good and if anything changes they come straight in."
Looking through the window, Polly could see Piper's Mother and Father sitting by the bedside silently. It was as though they were willing her to wake up just by staring at her stoically.
"Is she asleep from medication or…." Polly couldn't bear to finish the question with the suggestion that it could be anything worse than a nap.
"She was unconscious when they brought her in ad they've decided to put her into a medically induced coma until they know for sure that there isn't any bleeding on her brain or damage there that could be made worse by her being awake. So they have been doing lots of scans and checks today. They can bring her around when they rule it out though, so hopefully we can talk to her soon."
"Good. That's good then isn't it? Am I allowed to see her Cal?"
"Yeah, as long as you signed in at the desk on your way here I think. Shall we go in then?"
Polly followed Cal through the door and greeted Piper's parents before standing on the opposite side of the bed to where they were sitting to see Piper properly for the first time. Tears started to fall silently as she looked at Piper's swollen face and split lip. There was a purple bruise over the awful swelling that covered the side of her face, completely covering her eye. She picked up Piper's hand and held it tightly while the monitors beeped steadily.
"Do you know what happened ?" She looked over at Piper's Father now and saw him looking at the floor before he spoke.
"She was attacked by someone who was out with the group she was drinking with at a bar last night. They found her outside at the back of the bar. She was laid unconscious on the floor when Steve found her…." His voice started to break and he stopped to compose himself before continuing. "The police have arrested him, so they are gathering evidence now. Of course, they will need to speak with Piper when she awakens…" Mr Chapman looked at his daughter as though he was hoping those words would be enough for her eyelids to flutter open.
"Is there anything I can do to help? Maybe I could pick up some things from Piper's flat for her? Actually, why don't I sit with her a while so you can get some rest? You have been here all night. Have you got somewhere to stay? I'm sure Piper would be fine with you staying over at her place, though there's not much room."
"No. We wouldn't want to be in Piper's apartment without her being there. It wouldn't feel right. We can sort out a hotel though, if you wouldn't mind sitting with Piper for a while. It's been a long night and we didn't really think about packing overnight bags at the time. The Doctors are planning to keep her like this for a few days before bringing her around, just so they are sure there is no long term damage. I'd like there to be someone here with her though so she isn't alone. I know you have the store Polly, but do you think you could be here for a while if we went to Connecticut to pack some things and return first thing in the morning?" Piper's Dad asked.
"I'm sure between me and some friends we can be here around the clock for her, don't you worry about that. As long as friends can stay if we aren't family that is? They might have strict visiting times for non-family members I guess?"
"When she is in ICU, they are more flexible about that. You can be here as much as you like. I know she'd like to have you here and that is what matters." Piper's Dad squeezed Polly's shoulder by way of thanks and said they would be back as soon as they could in the morning. Her parents kissed Piper on the forehead and Cal squeezed her hand and told her to be thankful of the break from them before they left.
Polly looked at all of the machines and wires attached to Piper, who suddenly seemed even smaller than usual in here. "What the fuck happened Pipes? This is some serious drama you've got involved in here you crazy cat. And now you'll have to lie here and listen to your mother for hours on end. That ought to wake you up sharpish!" She laughed gently while holding Piper's hand.
XXXXX
It was nearing 6pm and Alex was prowling the store like a caged animal, checking her phone every couple of minutes to make sure she still had a signal in case Polly was calling. She was desperate to lock up the shop so that she could drive to the hospital herself and see what was going on. But she promised she would stay open and keep things running normally until their usual closing time, so she gritted her teeth and watched the clock.
Twenty minutes later Polly called. Alex pressed the answer button on the first ring, almost shouting down the phone. "Hello?!"
"Hi Alex. Sorry it took a while to call, I've been with the Chapmans and you know how her Mother can be…Well, actually you probably don't I guess. But anyway, sorry."
"How is she Polly? Is she going to be OK?" Alex dared not breathe while she waited for Polly to answer.
"She's in an induced coma at the moment, so they can monitor her for any signs of brain injury or bleeding. She's got a Hell of a swelling on the side of her face, so I'm guessing they are worried about what damage that caused on the inside as well. She's taken quite a beating Alex…."
Alex couldn't get any words out to acknowledge Polly as she spoke. All Alex could think about was the dark haired guy with Piper and the fact that she could have prevented all of this if she'd pulled Piper away from him. Piper might have hated her for it, but at least this wouldn't have happened.
"Did they catch the guy who did it?" Alex managed to choke out the words.
"Yeah, the police have him. It was someone she was out with last night apparently."
"Can I see her Polly?...Do you think that would be OK?...I know I'm not like family or anything, but I'd really like to be able to see her. We were talking again before this and…I just need to see her. Please Polly."
"Look, I really, really, don't think you being here with Piper's family is a good idea. They know Piper was with you when she got involved with the drugs thing and I honestly think her Dad might kill you if you show your face here. But…they just left to pick up some clothes and stuff from home in Connecticut and won't be back until the morning. You might be able to see her tonight if you promise me you'll behave AND you're gone by the time they get back. Can you promise that Alex?"
"Yes! I will be on my best behaviour I promise. Can I come now?" Alex was already closing the store as she hung up the phone after Polly agreed it was OK and gave her the room information so she could find her. She drove to her apartment first to pick something up and got some flowers on her way to the hospital.
XXXXX
Steve had been at the police station for most of the day with a Lawyer, providing a full statement of the events on Friday night. It had been frustrating and tiring to keep going over the same points and he was conscious of being asked the same question several different way to see if his story changed. It was hard not to feel like he was the guilty party here and his Lawyer kept quietly telling him to calm down when she sensed he was getting agitated by the constant querying over his version of events. Darryl was pressing charges for unprovoked assault and it made Steve's blood boil that someone who he thought had been his best friend could turn out to be such a low life. It made him sick that he had ever trusted this guy to hang out with while they were studying. They roomed together in the early days and he had never even suspected Darryl could be capable of anything like this. For him to state Steve had attached him in an 'unprovoked assault' was absurd.
He'd been back to his hotel room to get some rest after being up for over 36 hours at that point. After a lot of tossing and turning, he did manage to get a few hours of sleep. He wanted to check on how Piper was doing as he was conscious the Chapman's will have been there all night and could use some rest. If they would even let him anywhere near their little girl now. Hopefully they could forgive him in time, but it didn't stop him from feeling constantly guilty about not finding her sooner.
It was 10pm by the time he arrived at the ICU ward and he could see there was a dark haired woman sitting in Piper's room. There was no sign of the Chapmans, so he knocked and opened the door slowly, not wanting to disturb them. The brunette didn't turn around as he walked over to the bedside, so he spoke quietly.
"Hey, how's she doing?"
Alex had expected Polly to return with some coffees, so when she heard a man's voice, she whipped her head around to see who it was in case the Chapman's had come back early. Seeing the dark haired man from Friday night looking for a chair, she lunged at him and knocked him to the floor.
"You fucking bastard! How fucking dare you come to this hospital to be anywhere near her!" she snarled as she pinned him to the floor by his throat. Steve was trying to push her off him to get the Hell out of there. She didn't seem to be in the mood to listen to explanations and he could see the fury in her eyes as she stared him down.
"What happened? Did she hurt your fucking ego when she refused to put out for you at the bar on Friday night, so you thought you'd teach her a lesson?!" Alex punched him in the face.
"W-what?! NO! It wasn't me!" Steve struggled to free himself from Alex's hold on his throat. "It wasn't me that raped her OK! It wasn't me!"
Alex froze. What did he just say?