SHIELD [Book 1 of Alex & Allie Save The World]

Chapter 3 Brain Dead

Scarlet Sentinel and Batman help with search and rescue for hours and hours, keeping their minds busy with the needs of others.

By nightfall Alex is by Allison's side, making a semi-permanent residence in her hospital room.

III

Allison Gray sleeps for days in the hospital. Flowers, cards, and colorful blankets cover the unpigmented and plain decor of her room. A miniature satellite office is set up next to Allie's bed where from Alex runs the Gotham City Sentinel. Alex rarely leaves Allie's bedside and even Bruce Wayne visits with some frequency.

Miraculously Allie is due to recover with no long-term physical damage done but she has yet to awaken.

At times when Alex speaks to her things will shuffle in the room and tip over and a strange feeling of being hugged will come over Alex. When Bruce comes in he feels squeezes on his hands and the flowers he brings tilt towards the unconscious girl. Barry stops by occasionally and jolts every so often as if he's been prodded at.

All who see her agree that witnessing Allison Gray in such a state is a tragedy in itself.

Purple casts cover her left leg and right arm and under her hospital gown her midriff is wrapped tightly.

A question raises in the very back crevice of Alex's mind but they never admit to its existence consciously.

They remains in the bleach room and hospital, never venturing further than a hallway away from Allison Gray.

III

"Come to dinner, Aldridge," Bruce invites on the fifteenth night. "Come get a good rest, take a shower, and eat a home cooked meal."

"I won't leave her. She wouldn't want to be alone here," Alex responds.

"She is fast asleep and she would want you to take care of yourself," Bruce retorts.

"What if she wakes up and panics because she's alone?"

"The nurses will call if anything changes-"

"I can't risk it."

"Then you leave me no choice, I have to bring in the big gun," Bruce decides and waves in someone who was waiting outside. Alfred walks in and Alex has the decency to look afraid.

"What, with all due respect Ms. Aldridge; the absolute fuck are you doing?"

"What?" Alex splutters in shock and the older butler crosses his arms.

"I am quite cross with you. Look at yourself, you're wasting away in this hospital. Come home and replenish so that when you return you'll be in tip top shape for Ms. Gray."

"Okay," Alex agrees with wide fearful eyes. They've never seen the man so angry before. "But only because I want to," they add quickly to preserve their stone facade in front of Bruce.

III

Fifteen days after the fall of Metropolis at the strike of midnight Allison Gray snaps open her eyes and sits straight up. For a second she feels no pain only the anomalous sensation of phantom limbs sprouting from her spine and hanging around her. The only sound is her gasping breaths as she is overwhelmed with questions and then stabbing pain radiating through her body.

"AGH!" she yelps out and sags over the railing on the side of her bed. Still panting Allie grips the rail with one hand and with her other reaches around to her back. Her hands bumps into something solid and then upon inching up hits something else and then again further up. Allison squeaks and jolts in shock and slight fear. She shoves down the rail and throws herself from the bed but stumbles and hits the wall when something tugs back at her. Blindly she gripes at her attachments and shakes them off. She braces herself when a lightning rod of agony shoots up her leg and throughout her chest. One of her arms gives out and she nearly screeches at the torture of it all. When the pain subsides Allie takes notice to a hollow feeling and a tingling in her back.