'Is This Our Wonderland Alex?'

Chapter 12 - Waking up from this nightmare.

Alex P.O.V

"Your vitals are fine, your head doesn't hurt anymore?" I raise my eyebrows and feel a tiny jab of pain, nothing compared to before. Like a droplet replacing a storm.

"Negative." He smiles and glances at my chart. "What else?Come on cough it up Dr.Ravens." his smile is instant. What am I meant to call ya Ravens Brethren!? 

"Well your leg's still broken. Your wrist is still fractures and your ribs are still a mess-"

"HIGHLY MEDICAL ANALYSIS. TINY BRAIN DOESN'T UNDERSTAND." The door hits the wall as Jack makes his entrance eating the Jello from my lunch tray.

"Hey Jack. Seriously Alex, you are going to have to take it easy for a while, build back up to stage antics and back-flips off of drum kits okay?" He is holding something back and I can feel it. A glow in his eyes is beckoning me to ask again. Jacks beam is seconding that initiative .

"Can I see her? Come on! I can wheel myself, check it I've been practicing all week damn it. I wanna be a wheely-baller now." Dr.Ravens chorkles to himself as I weave between the beds in the physio room while Jack beat boxes like the skinny white kid he is. After a -depressingly- short amount of time I feel myself get to tired to carry on and stop, smiling and hoping with everything in my body.

"You can-" Fireworks. Doves. Explosions.

"FUCK YEAH!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Jack thrusts a yoga ball appreciatively and beams at me.

"GUYS. ALEX! Listen okay? She's not the same as before. You know that right? Because of her past she's had to be isolated. We are hoping that your appearance changes things. She knows nothing about what happened after the fight and she's unstable to say the least-" His eyes are saddened and his face bears a stummble shaddow that comes from seeing pain.

"Look. I've heard it all. I love her. if she's like this forever then You'll be seeing a whole lot of me, sorry about that." His hand grips my shoulder and he directs me to the lift.

My entire body is a messy of fluttering butterfly wings crashing into one another in an attempt to fly. My heart is burning and my mind clinging to the last great view of her I had. Wincing like a sneezing baby as she got her nose pierced. Not anymore. She got it taken away from her. I shake my head trying to remove the thought.

"Alex, she's kinda....different now. Lost. I just....I'll be in the waiting room. I erm.....I bought Twinkies."

"Oh.....well thanks." That was a punch in the stomach. Since 8th grade for every heartbreak, every lost friend and every weak day there was a Twinkie left on a door step or shoved into a hand. It was a mutual agreement that we'd be there even if we couldn't fix anything. 

 "Gotta go. Hot nurse." With that he ran off wildly screaming"I LOST MY NUMBER CAN I HAVE YOURS? TAKE MY TEMPERATURE?"

Alice P.O.V

The red string they'd given me knotted over and over between my shaking fingers as I hummed to myself.

"Take me away from this empty apartment

I stay and forget where your heart is

Someday if ever you loved me you'd say

I'm okay."

The crack in the reflective tile has begun to bother me. A chip and a tine, off center and near the top. The rust will get in. I have to fix it. But I can't. Bet Alex could fix it. Alex. Gone.

Stitch one over stitch three and knot. Stitch 2 over stitch 4 and double knot.

The door handle creeks the way it does each time a nurse come in, there is a bashing and awkwardness about the sound of them entering. Lunch? I swear I just ate breakfast. The trolly is so noisy. It makes me ears hurt. It makes my head hurt. 

Stitch one over stitch three and knot. Stitch 2 over stitch 4 and double knot.

There is a grunt and a thud as someone hits the ground, not hard but there is a clunk that sounds distinctly not like skin on marble. Consentrate damnit Alice. STITCH ONE...The thrud is followed by some shuffling and soon I see a shaddow come round the side of me and sit infront of me. I stare down at my thread, brows furrowed. Not now. Busy.

My fingers shake to much and I miss a stitch. Before I can fix it a hand is placed over mine and my heart stops. T.E.G. Pink and burgandy with a couple of leaves on one side, a red and black bracelette and bitten fingernails. A rose. My rose. 

His hand tips my chin up and I look into his chocolate eyes as the first tears spill over my eyelashes. I drop the string for the first time in weeks. My hands reach out and touch his stubbly face, warm and smooth and real. They trace his mouth, dip into his dimples and I cup his cheeks as he smiles at me.

"I here there has been trouble in wonderland Alice. I simply wont stand for it. We are very late for our happy ever after. My rabbit tail is a flustered power puff." Laughing. I'm laughing. And smiling. And not hoping for anything. He is here. He is okay. His hand moves up to the scar on my head and he runs it through my now short hair. I look down, embarassed but only can tear my eyes away for a second. His finger touches the small moon shaped scar on my cheek below my eye.

"Or should I be calling you Luna?" I smile and pull him close, tuck my legs under his cast and press mybody against his. His smell enevlopes me and he hugs me so tight.  I look up at him and he leans down slowly and then holds off, looking straight at my eyes, suddenly his eyes are sad.

"I'm so sorry little Luna. I'm so sorry this ever happened to you. I'm sorry I wasn't there sooner and I'm sorry I wasn't Mr. Muscle. I know you needed me. I hate tha-" I crush my lips against his cutting off any words he had left. His stubble grazes my cheeks and I press my forehead against his. Fireworks. Just like the last time.

"How long can I keep you?" He raises and eyebrow and I clear my throught a little. What if I can't speak anymore? It's been so long... I close my eyes and force myself to be brave.

"Forever. But let's just start with now. Can you stay?" I ask suddenly panicking that he is going to go again. He touches his fingers to my nose.

" They're going to let you out in a few days if you stay like this? Like you are right now okay? Deal?"

"Are you going to stay the whole time?"

"Yes" "I smile with no fear of ever turning back now.

"Deal." I take the ribbon and tie it in a bow round his pikie.

"I have the little mermaid and cheetos. Let's go check if there is somewhere we can go watch it?"

"Okay. I love you."

" I love you too." Alex shuffles to his feet awkwardly and sits himself into his chair. "Come on now woman, let's gooooo!"

"Where?"

"TO THE LIFT!" I laugh manically as I force my tired body to run with his chair through the halls as Doctors and Nurses stand in doorways shocked, taken back and utterly stunned.

"LOVE HEALS ALL WOUNDS LAADIES AND GENTS!?" Alex squeals. 

"COME ON RABBIT WE ARE LATE!"

 "Ah Yes! ALICE LET US BE GOING!"