"Lindsey?" Karen's voice pulled him from his short sleep. "Lindsey, she's awake." She lightly shook his arm, not trying to startle him but also trying to get his attention.
Pushing himself up abruptly, his bloodshot eyes met hers through the dim room. "Is she okay?" He asked, blinking a couple of times as he stood up in a haste.
He'd only just closed his eyes an hour or two earlier- after he'd sat in the dark, looking at the wall for a long time, while everyone else slept... He just couldn't do it, but eventually exhaustion got the best of him.
Sighing softly, she patted his back. "She's very confused." She admitted with a gentle nod. "And still very tired." She added, slowly bending down until she fell onto the sofa to sit.
"Did you see her?" He wondered, running his fingers through his curls as he let out a deep yawn.
Shaking her head, she sank back slowly. "The doctors are in there talking to Jess and Barb." Karen brought her hand up to her face, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
His gaze fell to the floor as he casually scratched the back of his neck. "We probably have a little while before we can go in and see her, huh?" Lindsey wasn't sure Stevie would even want to be in his presence- he was just wishful thinking, that was all.
Glancing up lightly, Karen suddenly felt a little sorry for him, which didn't happen often... or ever. "We can go grab some coffee and wait?" She could tell he was already getting very antsy and that was the last thing she wanted to deal with that morning.
"That would be nice." He admitted, reluctantly.
It was weird for the two of them to have a civil conversation, let alone sit at the same table and have coffee, but that morning was different... It was weird, but in a good way.
They went downstairs together- Lindsey even held open the door for her on the way into the cafeteria and then they sat down at a circle table in the far corner.
It was empty- it was like they were the only two wandering the halls at five in the morning and they probably were.
"Are things gonna be different after this?" Karen wasn't trying to be mean- she was being serious and curious. "I don't want to argue with you, but..." she shrugged a shoulder, raising a brow as she held up her hand in defense.
Shifting in his seat, he let out a dry chuckle. "I really wanna make it right with her this time." Lindsey was staring down at the wooden table, cradling his paper cup in one hand.
"All the empty promises is what upsets her the most." She said that if it were news to him and it definitely wasn't.
"You know that if she would let me, I'd take care of her." He had said that before- quite a few times, actually, so Karen found it hard to believe.
In fact, she didn't believe much of anything that came out of his mouth- it was almost always a lie.
"How can you possibly give two women the world?" She wondered in a soft tone as she casually brought her cup of coffee up to her lips to take a sip. "Seems like your hands would be awfully full." She added with a soft smirk tugging on the corners of her mouth.
He nodded his head, silently agreeing that he was in the wrong and he had been for quite awhile. "I'm going to do my best to make it right with Stevie." When he said that, he meant it.
He was tired of the back and forth just as much as Stevie was... they were too old for that and this was just a wake up call for them, really.
She gave him a small smile, a soft chuckle escaping her. "I really hope so." For some reason, deep down, she knew he was being sentimental and honest... He was going to actually try.
~~~
Holding her hand in hers, Barbara stared down at her daughter, whose deep brown eyes were just barely open. "I've missed you." She whispered, gently pushing some of Stevie's hair out of her face. "You really gave us a scare, baby." She added, running her thumb under her eye softly.
Stevie stared back at her blankly, a soft sigh filling the air around them a moment later. "Yeah..." she nodded lightly, unable to really formulate much more of a conversation.
Her doctor said that she'd hit her head pretty hard, and it wouldn't be surprising if it took her a couple of days, or even a few weeks to recover fully.
"Everyone's sent cards, and flowers, and balloons." The older woman motioned around the room, showing off all the get well soon decorations that had taken up residency along every surface.
It was like Hallmark had thrown up in there.
Creasing a brow, Stevie tried to push herself up the bed but was far too sore to find any comfort.
"Are you okay? Do you need help-"
"No." She shook her head instantly, holding up a hand to stop her mother from jumping up to help. "I-is..." she hated that she couldn't find the words- it was beyond annoying. "Lindsey?" She was trying to ask if Lindsey had come to visit her, but she couldn't get all of that out into a sentence just yet.
With a soft smile, Barbara sat back down in the chair next to the bed. "He's out in the lobby, Steph." She assured with a nod. "He's been here since-"
"T-tell him..." she raised a brow, rolling her eyes playfully, only to make Barbara laugh. "to go home."
