Saved By A Bad Boy

[45]. Hospital Room...

~ ALYSSA'S Point of View ~

I didn't remember falling asleep. In fact, there were a lot of things I didn't remember quite perfectly. I found that out when I woke up on the hospital mattress, blinking lazily as I tried to work my memory around this foreign environment. It came back to me in flashes, to the point that I was suddenly afraid to move. A part of me was worried that I wouldn't be able to--that I was still tied down in his bedroom. But a fleeting moment of panic gave way to calmness when I recognized the figure sitting beside me, one hand over mine while the other was writing something down. I blinked a couple times, trying to expel the darkness and the memories. As if he sensed my awareness, he suddenly looked over.

"Lis, hey," he said quickly, hastily setting down a clipboard full of paperwork. He fixed me with a small smile and leaned over my bedside. His fingers brushed my cheek. "Hey...how are you?" I shifted, trying to ease the discomfort in my head and neck. Everything looked and felt weird. I couldn't grasp this new sense of reality.

"Hey," I said wearily, sitting up.

"Careful," he whispered, putting his other hand on my shoulder. "Are you thirsty?" Oddly enough, I discovered that I was thirsty, after realizing that my tongue seemed to be void of any moisture whatsoever. I nodded (carefully, as Jax insisted), and he poured me a cup and brought it to my lips. I brought my own hand slowly up to hold the bottom of it, but he didn't let go, as if he thought I might spill it everywhere. I probably would. My fingers were shaking, and I didn't know why. "Alright, baby. Let me call in a doctor to check on you, alright?"

Something was triggered in my senses. I didn't want some man in a white jacket to look me up and down and put his hands all over me, even if it was his job. Jax reached over to press the call button, but I managed to put my hand on his wrist. It wasn't like I was strong enough to keep him from moving it, but he stopped anyway.

"Jax...wait..." I began desperately. Tears welled in my eyes as I tried to tighten my shaking fingers on his hand. "Don't. Please, I just...I just want you here. No one else." I could see the pain take hold in his features. He understood what I was trying to say. 

"It's okay, baby," he assured me, leaning down to press a gentle kiss against my cheek. "It's okay, don't worry. I won't leave your side, alright? But I need to make sure you're okay, and I don't know how to read any of those fancy doctor charts." I managed a smile--a tiny, little smile--and he pulled me against him (carefully). Less than a couple minutes later, a woman was standing at the door.

"Alyssa Herron?" she began, smiling. "It's nice to meet you while you're awake. How do you feel?" I had to consider that question for a moment. How did I feel? My muscles ached just about everywhere. My head throbbed distantly, and my stomach pinned me with discomfort. I could feel the bruises and the scrapes all over me, biting into my skin. But none of it was too bad. Not nearly as bad as before.

"Okay," I said, because that seemed safe enough. Another flash of him stumbled through my brain, and I pressed my head against Jax's chest, my eyes shut tight. I swallowed, and Jax gently ran a hand down my quivering spine. He pressed a kiss against my head.

"Well you got pretty banged up," she said. "I'm Dr. Brennigan. I'm just here to make sure everything is going alright. Would it be okay if I inspected some of your more severe injuries?" My shaky fingers dug into Jax's hand. Another kiss.

"Lis, it's okay," he whispered. "Shh." I swallowed again, and reluctantly allowed Jax to lay me back down on the bed. I kept my eyes on him while Dr. Brennigan came over to my bedside and pulled back my sheets, making sure he was still there. Another memory came through my mind, the one of Jax holding me in his arms again, and crying because he had found me.