Cherry Wine {lex luthor}

chapter twenty three

My cold stuck around for another week-a week where I was on strictly enforced bedrest. The doctor that visited the mansion said my body had been under extreme stress; the wound in my leg, my first ever exposure to alcohol, sitting outside in freezing temperatures had all culminated in, for lack of better words, my system melting down. He explained that for some it resulting in ulcers, some in migraines, and in my case, I had passed out. It was my body's way of telling me to slow down, take it easy.

Which meant, to Lex, that I was not to leave the bedroom. I slept through most days, waking long enough to eat or shower. On the plus side, it gave my body time to heal properly, something I hadn't been letting it do. On the downside, it meant that by the time my week was up, I was stir crazy, but Lex, as overprotective as ever, would not leave me alone for even a second. I knew my episode on the driveway had shaken him up, but his insisting that I stay within sight at every moment seemed like overkill. 

His office had become my second bedroom, with a nest of blankets on the couch and a stack of books on the side table. While he worked, I read, or wrote, or doodled little flowers onto his letterhead. I knew for a fact he sent memos on the papers I had drawn on, and more than once his employees had commented on the tiny gardens at the top of the page.

"Please." I begged from my spot on his couch. "Just for five minutes I need some air."

Lex looked up at me from his desk, a pen between his teeth. There was ink smudged on both his forearms, and on his left cheek.

"No, Ruth." He said. "For the hundredth time. You can't go outside alone. You've barely gotten better. You still cough at night!"

I pouted, and in my pettiness, decided not to tell him about the pen marks on his face. The heat of the room felt stifling.

"The fresh air will be good for me!" I protested, standing up from the couch and making my way over to his desk. "Only a few minutes, I swear."

Lex sighed, and I sat on his desk, swinging my feet. He pushed his chair back, looking at me. I tried to make my chin wobble, or muster up some convincing tears, but only succeeded in making him laugh.

"You are a terrible actress." He said. "Simply awful. I'll tell you what. The senator will be here in a few moments. If you're good, and don't cause distractions, we can go for a walk once she leaves."

I grinned and kissed his cheek.

"You have pen on your face." I giggled, and made my way to the door. "Should I wait in the bedroom?"

Lex wiped at his face.
"No, why don't you go put your shoes on? This shouldn't take long."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Oh, so I can walk downstairs by myself now?" I teased. Lex rolled his eyes at me, and made shooing motions with his hands.

"Off you go, you nuisance. Wait for me at the bottom of the stairs."

I scampered off, breathing a sigh of relief when his office door closed behind me. It felt good to be alone for a moment. Even though there was barely feet from where Lex sat and where I stood, it felt like miles. I was excited, too, to see the senator. She had been kind to me, and out here in the country, I didn't meet many new people. Or kind people, for that matter. The staff all whispered behind my back, and the businessmen mostly ignored me.

I coughed a little as I made it to the bottom stair, my throat sore and my lungs unused to so much exercise after a week in bed. I sat, trying to catch my breath, when the door swung open, and the senator entered. She jumped when she saw me sitting in the foyer, but smiled warmly as she made her way over to me.