Chapter 2: Chapter2
#Chapter2
Please wake up
Piper
After a few days, I could see Lex. My dad took me to his room in a wheelchair. They were releasing me tomorrow. He wheeled me in, and it shocked me. Lex was lying in a bed, hooked up to machines. Nash and Maggie were there.
Dad rolled me over to his side of the bed.
/"How is Lex?/" I asked Nash and Maggie.
/"Lex slipped into a coma right after the surgery. So, the doctors won’t know anything until he wakes up,/" Nash told me.
Oh, God.
/"They say if you talk to him, he can hear voices,/" Maggie told me.
I nodded, reached over, and touched his hand, then I held it. His hand was so warm. /"Hey, Lex. It’s me, Piper. Wake up, baby. We’re getting married in a few months and starting a family./"
Nash rubbed his face in frustration.
/"I still remember when you confessed that you loved me. You dragged me into an empty classroom. You were so jealous, and I forced you to admit your feelings. Well, I have a confession. I was in love with you before you ever confessed. But, I wanted you to admit it first./" Tears fell down my cheeks.
Nash, Maggie, and my parents watched us.
/"Lex, you need to wake up. People want to see you open those beautiful steel-grey eyes of yours. I want to see them. So, please open your eyes, baby./" I tried not to break, but I felt like I was breaking.
I kept talking to him as they stood there. Then someone walked into the room.
/"It’s time for Lex’s therapy,/" Lakin said.
I pulled back my hands.
She walked over, pulled off his blankets, picked up his one leg, and worked it. /"Come on, little brother. Work with me./" Lakin worked with his legs and arms. /"You’re so damn stubborn. But that’s okay because I won’t give up on you./" Lakin administered Lex’s physical therapy. When Lakin finished, she placed a blanket back over Lex.
/"How is he doing?/" Nash asked Lakin.
/"It’s a wait and see, but I’m working with him. The hospital almost didn’t let me perform his physical therapy. So no one will touch my brother except for me,/" Lakin told Nash.
He wrapped his arms around her. /"I know./"
/"Lyric, Lark, and Luna will be by later./"
/"Okay./"
She hugged Maggie, then attended to her next patient.
/"Nash?/"
/"Yes, sweetheart?/" Nash asked, keeping his composure.
/"Do you mind if I hold off starting at the bakery until we find out if Lex will wake up?/"
/"Not at all. Take your time./"
I sat there with Lex. Even when they released me, I wasn’t leaving him. He would wake up, and we would get married. We would have our happily ever after together.
Later, I snuck out of my room and made my way down to see Lex. I walked into his hospital room, and he was still lying there. I didn’t see anyone in his hospital room, so I walked over and climbed into bed with him. I laid with him, took his arm, and wrapped it around me as I cuddled up next to him.
I fell asleep.
The following day, Nash and Nixon caught me.
/"Nash, look at this,/" Nixon said, chuckling.
Nash smiled and shook his head. Then, he walked over to me and gave me a gentle shake.
I awoke and rubbed my eyes. /"I must have fallen asleep. Sorry./"
/"Don’t be sorry. We need to get you back to your room before the nurses find that you’re missing./"
I nodded.
Nash helped me off the bed and took me back to my room.
/"I hope you don’t mind that I stayed with him./"
/"Piper, trust me. With you staying with him, it makes things feel normal. Because we don’t know what will happen./"
/"Where’s Maggie?/"
/"Mags is checking in at the bakery. She and Kat are coming up in a few minutes./"
We reached my room. I hugged Nash because he needed that hug.
*****
Nash
Piper went back into her room as I returned to Lex’s hospital room. I came upon Nixon talking to Lex.
/"You know, with you lying around all day, it isn’t helping anyone. See, people need you to open those eyes and say, I’m okay, especially your folks and Piper. I’m good with you being lazy. But your folks and Piper aren’t. See, don’t tell anyone, but your ma cries a lot. She’s an enormous baby, anyway. Your dad doesn’t think anyone hears him, but I catch him crying. So I don’t tell him. I don’t want to make him feel like a crybaby//" Nixon wiped his eyes.
I stood there and watched Nixon with Lex.
/"Come on, Lex, you’re a Gray. We, Grays, are tough. Nothing can take us out. Even Grammy is still kicking./"
Maggie and Kat walked up, and I stopped them. I put my finger on my lips, silencing them. Then I pointed to Nixon and Lex.
/"Lex, I don’t know how to do this mushy crap. It’s not me. Even with your ma and dad, I have a tough time doing mushy crap. But for you, I’ll make an exception. See, don’t tell anyone this, but you remind me of your dad. You’re like a mini version of him. Your dad and I are close, and I know he needs you to wake up./"
We walked in.
He turned to us with red eyes and wiped his eyes. /"How long have you been standing there?/"
/"Long enough, brother, long enough./"
/"Yeah, well./" His voice broke.
I pulled him into a hug as he cried. /"I know, brother, I know./"
Nixon seems like he has a tough exterior, but he was like the rest of us with the family. My brothers all took it hard, as did the rest of the family. Everyone came to see Lex as he laid in bed in a coma.
*****
Piper
We didn’t know when Lex would wake up. I hope it was soon. I miss those steel-grey eyes of his and his touch.
They had released me from the hospital, but I spent more time there. I had worried my parents but didn’t care. I wasn’t leaving, not until he woke up. Lex, please wake up.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone