Oh, How Lovely~ Lams

19.

Alex sat beside the hospital bed, reading one of the love books Eliza had constantly tried to get him to read when they were in college. He never did but after she passed, he liked to read them when he was worried or stressed.

Right now, he was both.

Frances was still knocked out from the anesthesia from surgery. It had been about two hours since it ended but he was glad Frances was sleeping. She was a lot like Alex in the sense she didn't sleep as much as she needed.

The doctor had come in a few times to she if she had waken up, surprise she hadn't. It was about two in the afternoon. They had gotten there a little after eight, Frances really annoyed with him that morning since she wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything before surgery.

Alex continued to read, until he heard her wining as she began to wake up. He smiled, setting his book down and sitting on the edge of the bed by her head, gently running his fingers through her hair.

"Good morning, mi amor." Alex said, kissing her head. Frances leaned on her father, yawning. 

"Morning, Daddy." Frances said, hugging the stuffed bunny that was beside her. 

"Do you feel okay, princess?" He asked, looking down at her and moving some hair off of her neck. 

"My hand hurts a little." She explained. "Just a little?" Alex asked, getting a nod. "well, the doctor is going to be back soon so he can give you more medicine." He explained. 

"I'm hungry." Frances said, having not been able to eat all day. 

"You're hungry?" Alex laughed softly. "Well, what do you want to eat, mi mariposa." He asked sweetly. 

"Pizza!" Frances said. Alex laughed a bit. "Pizza? Alright, I'll get Uncle Laf to bring a pizza." He smiled, grabbing his bag and pulling out a granola bar and juice box. "Eat this right now, baby." 

Frances nodded and did so as Alex texted Lafayette, who had been staying with them the last few weeks. He didn't like not being with his family in France so Alex offered him to stay with them. 

The doctor came in as Frances was eating. "Oh, awake already?" He said, putting his clipboard down. "Well, her chart is normal and there are no signs that anything went wrong, however, we won't be able to test fully for two weeks, when we remove the brace and do some physical testing. I am going to prescribe her some morphine. Instructions will be on the bottle on when to use them. What pharmacy do you use?" 

"Uh, CVS on 35th and St. Charles." Alex said, kissing her head. 

"Here is a list of care instructions. We want to keep her for a few more hours, just to make sure everything stays alright." The doctor said, handing Alex the list. "The nurse will be in momentarily to give her a small dosage of morphine for her pain." He said before leaving. 

Alex laid on the bed with Frances and turned on the television, relaxing with his daughter. In a way, this reminded him of being in the hospital with Frances and Eliza after the car accident. Eliza passed before Frances was able to leave so he spent a long time laying in her hospital bed alone with her.

And as if Frances could read his mind, she whispered "I miss mommy," laying her head in Alexander's lap. 

"Me too, baby. Me too." Alex frowned, running his fingers through her hair again. "But you know what? She would be so proud of you. You are such a brave girl. And she loved you so much." His voice cracked a bit. 

"I want mommy here!" Frances started to cry. 

"Oh, baby girl..." Alex said, picking her up and sitting her down in his lap so she was facing him. "I know you want mommy. I want mommy here too." He sniffled, starting to cry too. 

"Just come here, honey." He said, putting her head in his chest and holding her close. 

Helping Frances grieve was one of the hardest things Alex ever had to do. He talked to many doctors and therapist and read so many books. But it didn't make it any less hard. Explaining to a child that they will never see their parent again was hard. Really, it was hell. 

All he knew to do right now, was to hold her and let her cry. 

They were able to leave the hospital around eight that night. Alex took Frances to get some McDonalds. Once they got back in the car to finish the drive home, she quickly fell asleep. Even if she slept a lot that day, it was a long, tiring day and she needed her rest. 

He got her out when they got home, being careful and quiet to not wake her up. He went in the house, smiling at Lafayette and mouthing "she's asleep," before he went to carry her up to her room. Alex debated on changing her clothes but decided she was okay in what she was wearing. He turned on her night light and left, going back downstairs to Lafayette. 

"Are you alright, mon frère?" He asked, doing some work at the kitchen table. 

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I'm just... I'm just tired." He explained. "The Alexander is tired! Inform the news!" Lafayette pretended to gasp. 

Alex rolled his eyes, chuckling quietly. "Shut up." 

Lafayette smiled. "Adrienne says she is going to come home next week. She says she is feeling much better now." He says. 

"That's good. I know you missed her and the kids." Alex said, getting a glass of water. 

"Oui, I do. And I am. Mon amours are coming home after almost two months." Lafayette sighed. "I'm just glad to have my wife back." He said softly. 

Alex swallowed hard and nodded, letting out a sad laugh. "Yeah, I bet. I'm going to bed." He said, putting his glass in the sink. He went to his room, popping his neck. He went to his connected bathroom, taking a hot shower, needing to relax. He changed and laid in bed, looking at the ceiling. 

He laid there a long time before groaning and grabbing his phone, opening his contacts. He looked at John's name for a good few moments before pressing the call button. 

It rang a few times before John answered, loud music playing in the background. 

"Aye, Lex! What's up?" John said, sounding like he was yelling. 

"Is this a bad time? Do you want me to call you back?" Alex asked. 

"Nah! Nah! Hold on a minute!" John yelled. Alex heard shuffling through the phone. It didn't take long for the loud music to just be a very quiet background noise. 

"aight, I'm back. What's up, lex?" John asked. 

"Nothing. Frances had surgery today and it was just a really emotional day. I needed to hear your voice." Alex explained with a shrug. 

"Well, I'm here. So tell me everything." John said through the phone. 

And Alex smiled softly, doing just that. He had missed John and that conversation just made him feel so much better.