Back in Town

Chapter 5: Post-Trauma Day One

-DAY ONE-

*7am*

Liv was finally settled into a room in the Intensive Care Unit. She was comatose, Doctor's said as a result of brain swelling from head trauma. Normal visiting hours weren't until noon, but because he had been there all night long with her, the nurses gave him a pass to stay, with the understanding he would have to leave when visiting hours were over that evening.

Every time Alec thought about the list of injuries she had sustained, he started to feel nauseous. He sat by her bed, gently holding her hand, stroking her knuckles, feeling the pulse in her wrist under his fingers, watching her chest rise and fall. Every time he looked at her face he felt himself tremble and his emotions start to crumble – her face was so bruised and swollen, a tube going into her mouth and one down her nose. So, he focused on the rise and fall of her chest, though he swore he could almost see her bruises through the hospital gown, surely, he was imagining that. There were fingertip bruises on her arms that he gently brushed his hands over as he stroked her arm. He focused on his own breathing as he looked her over again, raising her hand up to his mouth, letting her knuckles brush his lips as he spoke.

"Daisy is terribly worried about you, but I made her go to school today. I'm hoping school will distract her from worrying all day, but if she's anything like her father, it probably won't help at all. I told her there was no use in her coming to see you for now, with you—sleeping. I'm hoping I can hold her off a few days at least. If she sees you like this she'd be so distraught, and I know you wouldn't want it that way."

-*-*-

*Flashback – Month 1 of Alec and Liv*

The month after they met was something of a cat and mouse game, though who was playing what part depended on the day, it seemed.

At the time, when Alec thought to himself about it, he blamed curiosity for those first few times he showed up at McEwen's Pub to pick up lunch. If anyone else had pointed it out, which Ellie did once, he blamed the roast beef sandwich, explaining McEwen's had the best in Broadchurch and since regaining his appetite after the surgery, it was his favorite.

It was only a few days after the Friday night Live Music event that he and Ellie had attended with their teenagers that first showed up for lunch. He had overheard Liv telling Ellie that she worked lunch hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the pub, and was going to begin regularly singing on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights, as the regular singer had moved away.

The first time he came in to pick up his lunch order, with his usual social awkwardness, he didn't say a word to Liv. In fact, he totally ignored her presence, even though she stood no more than ten feet away as he paid for his pre-ordered lunch. It wasn't that he hadn't seen her, and hadn't gotten a good look at her when he first entered, but as soon as she had caught his eye, he acted as if he hadn't seen her.

His second visit, only a few days later, she called him out on it. He had come in, seen her, and proceeded to the counter to let them know he was there to pick-up his order. It was a quiet day, and she had a few extra moments to spare before delivering orders to tables, so she approached him, waiting till he turned with his bag of food.

"You planning on ignoring me again today, DI Hardy?" she questioned quietly, but accusingly.

"I wasn't ignoring you," he mumbled as he held up his bag. "I was getting my lunch."

"Right," she said with a slow breath, before stepping close to his side and looking the few inches up into his eyes. "I know you saw me. I know you were looking, and you know I was looking. So, let's not play games, shall we Hardy? Have I done something to offend you?"