Leah and her soldier

The meeting

I'm currently getting ready to go to the gym. I'm taking Bella with me because Kat is at work and Freya is going to uni soon. I phone a taxi, I hate not being able to drive but until I have 2 consecutive years without a seizure I'm not allowed. When the taxi arrives I go down and it's a 45 minute drive to the gym from here. I hate taxi's I always find them awkward.

When I arrive Catherine and Michael are on reception "hey you two" "hi Chris" "I'm going to go up and see Tony I will see yous upstairs in 10 minutes." I go upstairs and knock on Tony's door "hey mate how's it going?" "Chris it's good to see you, yeah alls going well. How you doing?" "Getting there you know" "you know you don't have to do this" "I do Tony I can't have my staff thinking I've abandoned them." Everyone starts to gather in the gym I go and greet them but I can feel the coldness towards me. Once everyone is in the gym "thank you all for coming, I know a lot of you think I have abandoned this place and I can understand why, I haven't that I promise you but I have had to take a step back for a good reason" I take a deep breath and Tony joins my side "oh here she is finally!" I turn around and see Jemma stood there "sorry Jemma but the gym is closed for a meeting an email was sent out" "oh I know about your email, how could you just drop us like that" "it's not like tha.." "oh but it is your a disgrace" my head starts to feel funny "Jemma I don't have to explain myse.." "oh but you do!"

~Tony's POV~
I see Chris blinking like crazy and looking spaced out "Chris?" She is just stood there her breathing is heavy "Chris?" Shit. I sit Chris down on the floor against the wall and FaceTime Leah "Tony? What's going on?" "I think Chris is having a fit" "show me!" I turn the phone "Tony is Bella there?" "Yeah" "call her over please" "Bella come." Bella comes over and Leah shouts through the phone "Bella fit!" Bella sits on Chris' lap gently licking her face and I am astounded by it "what happened" "we had just started the team meeting and Jemma came in shouting at her and then it started" "after she finished working last weekend she had a massive one 9 minutes I nearly had to phone the ambulance" "is that because of everything that happened here?" "Yeah, you said Jemma was shouting at her why?" "Because Chris is no longer her personal trainer" "TUFF FUCKING SHIT HER HEALTH COMES FIRST AND IT HAS TAKEN A LOT FOR ME TO GET HER TO UNDERSTAND THAT! I HOPE THAT BITCH IS HAPPY NOW" "Leah she is still here" "I DON'T FUCKING CARE I HOPE SHE HEARS THIS ARE YOU FUCKING HAPPY NOW!" "I'm sorry I didn't know" "not even most of the staff knew Jemma she has had to deal with this life changing condition, I think you need to leave and I will be thinking about what we will be doing with your membership and wether it should continue or not" "I'm sorry Tony." Jemma leaves the gym "what's happening Tony?" "Chris has her hand on Bella and giving her gentle pets" "good she should start coming around soon, Tony thank you for looking after her" "anytime Leah you never have to worry about Chris when she is here."

~Chris' POV~
I start coming around and Tony is holding his phone up in front of me "Leah?" "Hi baby how are you feeling?" "Alright, how did I end up on the floor?" "I sat you down Chris you had a seizure" "oh" "baby I'm going to phone mum and ask her to pick you up ok" "baby I'm alright I can get a taxi" "Chris I'm phoning her" "ok sorry baby I love you" "love you too baby I will phone you when training is finished" "can't wait." We end the call and Tony helps me off the floor "ok so now you know why I have had to take a step back" "Chris where so sorry" "don't worry about it Dom I get it I really do, but I couldn't tell you's yet not until I accepted it myself" "how did they start?" "After I got concussed at Christmas I started smelling gas and getting funny feelings in my head, I even started spacing out then when I was dress shopping with my mum for her wedding dress I had a full fit, it turns out it is because of my head injuries I got whilst at war then the concussion added to the damage already caused" "will they stop?" "I hope so, but at the moment we are just trying to get them under control" "we are with you every step of the way" "thanks Catherine, well that's all I wanted to tell you so yeah yous are free to go" I go downstairs and go to my office. I phone Amanda "hi Amanda" "hi sweetheart how are you?" "I'm good thanks you know you don't have to pick me up" "I'm on my way Chris I won't be long" "oh right ok see you soon."

~Leah's POV~
When I get off the phone I am steaming "you alright Leah?" "Yeah good Millie" "ok it's time to get back on the pitch" "ok." I take my anger out on my training by time I'm done I am so out of breath "what's going on Leah?" "Nothing I'm fine" "you're not, talk to me" "I'm fine Kiera just leave it Jesus" I walk away go to my room. My phone starts ringing "hi baby I was phoning you later" "I know my love but i just had a phone call from Beth" "why?" "She is worried about you, what's going on baby your shouting at your best friend" "why is Beth stressing you out she has no right" "baby she cares about you" "yeah and if you have another seizure then what?" "Leah what's going on?" "Nothing" "Leah Catherine Williamson don't you fucking lie to me, talk to me baby" "I don't want to be here I want to be with you" "baby I'm fine I promise I am you promised me you would enjoy yourself" I sigh "I know I'm sorry" "I think you should be saying that to Kiera my love" "I know, I will go see her after I get off the phone to you" "ok good, now get naked" I burst out laughing "what the fuck?" "Just trying to make you smile but I got a laugh so that makes me happy" "I don't believe for one second you were joking there" "maybe I was, maybe I wasn't" "you really weren't" she gives me a cheeky smile "right I'm going you behave and I will phone you later" "ok my love speak later."

I go downstairs to find Kiera, she is sat with Beth, Millie, Rachel and Lucy. I walk over sheepishly "can I join you?" "Yeah of course" "thank you, Kiera I'm sorry for snapping at you" "I just care about you Leah" "I know and I just had my arse kicked by Chris thanks for that by the way mate" "hey you weren't going to talk to us and I know she can get through to you" "yeah ok but she has already had one seizure today I don't need her having any more" "sorry Leah I never thought of that" "since when has Chris been having seizures?" I sigh I realise I haven't told Kiera or Georgia "since January it's what she's been left with after too many head injuries from Iraq and the concussion she got in December was just too much" "how did she end up with a concussion?" I put my head in my hands "pushing me out of the way of a drunk driver, this is my fault" "is that what you think?" "I don't think I know Lucy if I hadn't of went running after her this wouldn't of happened" "you don't know that Leah it could of happened either way if she has already had head injuries" "but.." "don't make me phone Chris again" "don't you dare Beth I swear down" "then listen to us Leah" "I'm listening Beth I'm just not believing." I sit there quietly until we go up to our room.

~Chris' POV~
Amanda drops me off at Kats reluctantly but Katie is due to finish work soon so I asked Amanda to come in for a drink. I make Amanda a coffee then settle on the sofa with Bella "are you coming to the first game Chris?" "I want to but with the way my seizures have been I don't want to travel that far by myself" "why would you be going by yourself sweetheart?" "Who would I be going with?" "Us" "oh then yeah but can we keep it a surprise though?" "Yeah that sounds like a plan, is it ok to use the toilet?" "Of course it is the first door down there" "thank you." Amanda goes to the toilet and I lie on the settee singing all by myself again "why are you all by yourself?" "Who's by themself?" I look up and see Amanda and Kat stood there "yous never let me get to the good part do yous?" "I see what Leah means about you being dramatic" "who's dramatic?" "Me Freya I am very dramatic" "how are you dramatic?" "I went to the toilet and she lies on the sofa singing all by myself" "you really are dramatic aren't you" "you have no idea Amanda would you care to tell them how my staff meeting went" "I don't think they would believe me if I told them" "what happened in the meeting Chris?" Kat comes and sits beside me showing me her sympathetic eyes "so I started my staff meeting with my staff hating me, then when I started talking Jemma came barging in shouting at me for it all to become a bit much and ended up having a seizure in front of everyone, Tony had to FaceTime Leah because he had no idea what to do" "oh Chris" "luckily for me it was just a focal seizure so was only slightly embarrassing" Amanda comes and sits the opposite side of me "sweetheart there is nothing to be embarrassed about" "everyone keeps telling me this but yet it doesn't change how I feel" "Chris your still getting used to them" "how lucky am I for this to be the thing I have to get used to" "are you feeling sorry for yourself?" "No" "you are look I'm just going to give you this in the most delicate way I can, Chris yes this condition sucks but you have it so start getting used to it and learn to adapt to it" why did this make me angry "yous have no idea do yous!" I stand up "get used to it! Adapt to it! You have no idea what it's like being constantly scared that the next fit could be the one to end your life, that when you need time on your own you can't because you might have a fit, going to the gym to help straighten my thoughts out, can't do that at the moment because they are so fucking out of control I may hurt myself or someone else!" I go and get my coat "let's go for a drive? Oh wait I can't, Bella come" "Chris where are you going?" "I'm going to do the one thing I can do and that's take Bella for a walk." I leave the apartment and go for a long walk everyone has tried to phone me but the only person I have spoke to is Leah. When I get back I go straight to Kats room and put my headphones on ignoring everyone.