For Better Or For Worse

t e n

A/N- we're just gonna pretend it hasn't been a month... Life has been hard...

"I may have crashed the car." She said again her voice dropping even lower. "I know I should have told you and Anna said I had to tell you but, it's just the last thing you said was 'don't crash my baby' and I managed to do it literally one day after you leaving. I promise I didn't mean to, this car came straight through the light and into me and I broke the new phone you gave me and I, I."

I could now tell she was sobbing down the phone but I couldn't understand why she had been so scared to tell me. This had happened days ago and I had been worried sick and it turned out I was right to worry. I felt awful though, she clearly thought I was going to react badly and yes, I was slightly upset that my car and been wrecked but I was more upset that Rachel had been hurt and by the sounds of it, it wasn't her fault at all.

"Rach, listen to me. I don't care about the car or the phone. We can replace them. I care about you. Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I said, I could hear the game in the background of the stadium but all my focus was now on Rachel.

"A few broken ribs and I've broke my wrist but that's all. The doctor said I'm still allowed to fly, that's if you want to see me still, I know you might have changed your mind now."

I told her not to be so stupid and that I still wanted her to come and visit and although it did take some time, eventually Anna and I convinced her to let me change her flight to fly out on the next available flight out. I knew it would be pretty late by the time her plane arrived but I was sure Jill wouldn't mind me using her car especially now she knew the reason why I had been so distracted while playing. I also knew that it would be tight for time for Rachel to actually make this flight but Anna was determined she could get her there and onto the plane to me in time.

Once I had changed all her flight details and sent them over to her I knew I could go back out and watch the remainder of the match from the bench but I decided to just stay in the locker room and take my time showering and getting changed knowing that all the girls would want to ask questions when they were back. After the match, Alex instantly came over and pulled me away from everyone else to find out what had happened. I explained that Jill had pulled me when I finally confessed I hadn't heard from Rachel and let me contact Anna. Alex seemed just as panicked as I had been when I told her about the crash and although the circumstances were anything but ideal, it was nice to see Alex cared about Rachel as well.

Jill also called me over to check in on Rachel and when I explained her injuries and that I had changed Rachel's flights and accommodation so she would arrive tonight, Jill immediately gave me permission to take her rental car to the airport to pick her up and also permission to take Alex with me seeing as she was my roommate.

As it was late by the time we left the hotel, most of the girls were already in their rooms but it was still amusing for Alex and I to run about the hotel as we tried to sneak out without any of the other girls spotting us. The airport was around 45 minutes' drive away from where the team was staying and Alex had decided to drive us as my mind was all on Rachel, something that was becoming a bit of a common theme recently.

We parked up and headed to the arrivals gate to wait for Rachel to appear. The arrivals area was pretty empty so it was clear she hadn't come through the big security doors yet. The electronic boards on the wall showed that her flight had landed around twenty minutes ago so she was most likely just waiting to get her baggage and then come through the doors towards me.

When I saw Rachel, she was definitely not the same girl I had left back in Washington. In just a short matter of days, her entire look had changed. Her hair was scraped back now and she wasn't wearing any makeup but that wasn't what was wrong. I could tell the car crash had taken a huge toll on her, physically and emotionally. Rachel's skin was pale and she now had huge bags under her eyes indicating she hadn't been sleeping well. Even the way she walked towards us looked sluggish and indicated just how much she was struggling. Finally, she looked up and started looking around for me. There weren't many people around so it didn't take long for her lock eyes with me and force a small smile when she noticed Alex and I.

When she was close enough to me, she dropped her bag, not caring where it landed, and wrapped herself up in my open arms. I was glad that after our time apart, Rachel accepted my affection without any hesitation though I had a feeling she was she needing some care right now and would have taken it from anyone. I was just happy that Rachel was safe now and back with me but I could feel my shirt start to get wet as she buried her face into my chest.

"Shush now baby, it's okay. I've got you." I said still holding her. It took maybe a minute but eventually she looked up at me and I couldn't help but lean down and give her a soft kiss on the lips. "I don't care about the car or the phone, I'm just happy you're not too badly injured. Are you in any pain right now? Do you need medicine? I'm sure we can get you some."

"Kelley stop fussing over her." I heard Alex say from beside us. She had stepped aside to give us a moment but had now came over to introduce herself properly to Rachel.

"I've got pain meds from the hospital that I'll need before bed but I'm okay Kel. Hey Alex." She said suddenly turning shy. Alex ignored her obvious shyness and came over and gently joined our hug, being careful of her injuries.

"Alex is my roommate but she's the only one who knows you're here besides Jill so you've got some time just to rest before you have to meet the rest of the team but for now, let's get you back to the hotel and into bed."

Alex grabbed Rachel's bag for me and I wrapped my arm around her waist leading her back to where we had parked the car. As we walked Rachel leaned into me and I already felt better knowing she was with me again. I had no idea how I was going to survive being in France this Summer or even worse, the whole season when I went back to Utah.

In the number of days that I had been away, I had already started to miss sleeping with Rachel next to me. Rachel was my first 'relationship' for a while and most of my hook ups didn't end with sleeping over so Rachel was the first person to be that close to me for a long time.

Obviously, sleeping was different now that she was injured and although she was taking pain killers, it was obvious she was still in a lot of pain and couldn't get into a comfortable position, meaning my sleep was also affected. Normally, Rachel subconsciously curled her body into me as she slept but with broken ribs, that position was almost impossible. I knew she was trying not to disturb Alex who was asleep in the bed next to us but eventually, I sat up slightly against the headboard and pulled her between my legs so her back was against my chest. It seemed to work but I knew my back would probably be killing me come the morning.

Alex and I both got up and got ready for today's recovery session but I told Rachel she was to rest and under no condition was she to get out of bed. It wasn't too hard of a request as I knew that under normal circumstances, Rachel loved her bed and loved to sleep. Alex awed at us as I kissed her forehead goodbye and went to join the team. Immediately, the team noticed there was something different about me.

"Kel, are you sure you're okay? Jill pulled you after 45 minutes yesterday yet you look exhausted. We're worried." Christen said speaking on behalf on the team who all nodded their heads in agreement. I looked towards Alex for advice or support and she nodded at me, giving me the encouragement I needed to tell them.

"Jill pulled when she found out I hadn't been able to get in contact with Rachel since I left for camp. When I did manage to get in touch with someone who could check on her for me, I found out there'd been a car crash and Rach ended up being taken to the hospital. She is hurt but it isn't too bad and she's currently in Alex and I's room resting as neither of us got much sleep last night." I explained quickly, hoping they all wouldn't rush up to the room.

"Hang on, so Rachel is here? How?" Mal asked. By now, I had the whole team's attention on me.

"Kelley and I went to the airport late last night and picked her up. She's pretty exhausted just now." Alex said answering for me.

"If she's feeling better later on, I'll ask her if she wants to come say hello but it's up to Rachel. The accident has really shaken her up." I told them, already knowing Rachel would freak out when I tell her they all want to meet her.

The team all promised to be on their best behaviour and to try and not intimidate her. I think Alex must have been telling them that Rachel was pretty quiet and shy because they said if I just wanted to bring her to team dinner, they would give us both space and let Rachel get used to them all naturally. Now I just had to convince Rachel to meet them.