#if lewis bags out a pole they’re just gonna love him

[lewierre]

i guarantee you most offline tifosi just want ferrari to win they don’t care who’s driving it

[thebadgerclan]

Shots Fired: Part 3

Pairing: Alex Claremont-Diaz x Henry Fox

Summary: Recovery...

Part 1

Part 2

“You’re shitting me.”  “I am not, Mr. Claremont-Diaz.”  “Please, call me Alex.”  Emma, Alex’s nurse for the day, nodded.  “Alright, Alex, I am not.  Dr. Lewis wants you walking, so that’s what we’re going to do.”  Alex was hesitant.  He’d been shot only four days ago, and now they wanted him up and walking?  That seemed a bit…fast.  “I…” Alex began, trying to think of a valid reason he should stay in bed, other than that he was in pain and that he was scared.

“What if my organs fall out?” he asked, and Henry sighed.  The Prince hadn’t left Alex’s side longer than it took him to accept a takeout bag from one of the Service agents or to shower.  Alex’s recovery, while it was going smoothly, hadn’t been easy.  The numbness from surgery had given way to pain, requiring doses of his pain medication around the clock.  His surgical dressing needed frequent changes from the drainage, something the nurses assured him was normal, interrupting the sleep he was able to get, and his stitches had started to itch.

But so far, his kidney functions were holding steady, and his other labs looked good.  Alex’s incision, while it itched, showed no signs of infection either.  Emma smirked.  “I assure you, Alex, if your organs fall out, we have a team of wonderful physicians to put them back.  Physical therapy will be up in about an hour, and can come back in about a half hour to give you some pain meds, so they’ll kick in by the time they’re here.”

Alex hesitated.  He trusted his doctors and nurses, they knew more about these things than he did, but that didn’t erase his anxiety.  Emma pulled a chair closer and sat down, now eye-to-eye with Alex.  “I understand that you’re scared,” she said. “And I understand that you’re in pain.  But what I need you to understand is that you’re not doing this alone.  You have a whole team of people who are here to help you and support you.  I can’t promise it’ll be easy, but I can promise you that we’ll keep doing everything we can to help you.”

“What if I fall?” Alex asked, and Henry thought he heard his heart break at how fragile his boyfriend sounded.  “We won’t let that happen,” Emma replied.  After a moment, Alex nodded.  “Alright,” he said.  “I’ll try.”  Emma smiled as she stood.  “Fabulous.  I’ll come give you some pain meds in a bit.”  She exited the room, and Henry took Alex’s hand, squeezing gently.  “You’ll be just fine, my love,” he said.  “I’ll be with you the entire time.”  Alex smiled, leaning forward slightly, which Henry had learned meant he wanted a kiss, which he gave happily.  

As promised, Emma returned to give Alex his meds, and about a half hour after that, the physical therapy team arrived.  They brought a walker with them, which Alex scoffed at, but was soon after convinced to use.  “It’s not permanent, dear,” Henry reminded, and Alex nodded.  Emma brought a second hospital gown for Alex to put atop the second and moved his IV bags and pumps onto a pole that could be moved around.

“Alright Alex,” Rob, one of the physical therapists said.  “We’re gonna have you sit up and pivot to the edge of the bed.  Then, Jess and I are going to stand on either side of you and help you to stand.  Sound good?”  Alex nodded, and Henry stood from his seat at Alex’s bedside.  “Is there anything I can do?” the Prince asked, and Jess, the other physical therapist, shook her head.

“Right now, it would be great if you just observed.  Watch how we support and walk with him, so once he’s steadier on his feet, you’re more comfortable helping him.”  Henry nodded, moving to stand in the doorway so the therapists had room to work.  Henry watched as Alex slowly moved to sit at the edge of the bed, and as Rob and Jess hooked an arm beneath Alex’s armpits and helped him to stand.

Alex groaned as he got to his feet, weakened from days in bed and still sore despite the pain meds.  But he was standing, gripping the walker before him, so he supposed that was progress.  “Alright,” Rob said.  “When you’re ready, we’ll take a few steps.  Move the walker forward about an inch or so, then step forward to meet it.”  Alex nodded, taking a few deep breaths before stepping forward.

It was slow going, but Alex made it to the door, where Henry was watching with a smile.  “You’re doing well, darling,” he praised, and Alex managed a smile.  “Why does it feel like I just ran a marathon?”  “Well, you were shot, for one, and you’ve been in bed for four days.”  Alex nodded, taking a few more steps.  Jess had wrapped a cloth belt around Alex’s waist, which she kept a firm hand on, in case he fell, Henry assumed.  But Alex was steady, if hesitant, and he walked halfway down the hall before he needed to pause for a break.

It was hard to see his normally confident, strong boyfriend so tired and weak.  To see how he was hunched over slightly as he walked, his face pinched with pain.  At the end of the hall, Henry pressed a kiss to Alex’s forehead, making him smile.  “I’m so proud of you, my love.”  Alex let his eyes shut for a moment as he caught his breath.  “Thanks, baby.  I love you.”  “I love you too.”

The physical therapists helped Alex walk back to his room, where he promptly fell back into bed for a nap.  “You did a fabulous job, Alex,” Jess said. “If you keep at it and get your strength back, I think you’ll get to go home sooner rather than later.”  Alex offered the physical therapists a smile before falling asleep.  Henry resumed his post at his boyfriend’s bedside, watching him sleep for a while before opening the book June had brought him.

When Alex woke, the evening sun was streaming through his window, and he rubbed his eyes.  “Hey,” he said, and Henry looked up, smiling.  “Hi love.  Good nap?”  Alex stretched, wincing when he pulled at his incision a bit.  “Yeah, how long was I out?”  Henry consulted his phone.  “Almost 4 hours.  You needed it, though.”  Alex nodded, reaching for the water pitcher on his bedside table.  Henry intercepted his hand, pouring some into a cup and handing it to him.

“I think your Mum’s going to speak soon,” Henry said, fiddling with the remote until the T.V. was on.  The screen showed a live feed of the Oval Office on one side, a newscaster on the other.  “...President Claremont is set to address the nation in moments, let’s listen in…”  Ellen entered the frame, seating herself behind the Resolute Desk, her hands folded atop the desk.

“My fellow Americans,” she began.  “I want to begin this address by thanking you.  Not as your President, but as a mother.  The outpouring of support you all have shown for my son has been heartwarming, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  But my son was not the only one injured by this senseless act of violence.  7 other men and women were injured, and 3 were killed.  Angela Johnson, Brian O’Malley, and Alicia Smith.  They will not be forgotten, and they will not have died in vain.

“I will continue to fight to end this trend of violence in this country, and I will continue to urge Congress to pass gun control legislation.  You have my thoughts and prayers, yes, but you also have my word: I will do everything in my power to make shootings like this a thing of the past in this country.  Again, I thank you all for the support and love you have shown my family in this trying time, but please, do not forget the other victims of this tragedy.  Thank you, and God bless America.”

The camera cut, and the screen focused on the newscaster, who began breaking down Ellen’s speech.  Alex squeezed Henry’s hand, a smile on his face.  “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the fact that my mom’s the president,” he said.  “Like, she yells at me for not folding my underwear one second, and be on the phone with the Spanish Prime Minister the next.”  Henry nodded, completely understanding the sentiment.

“I guess I should post something more than a selfie, huh?” Alex asked, and Henry nodded again.  “I think so, love.”  Alex did, a simple post reading “Thank you all for the love and well-wishes.  I’m resting and recovering, and I hope to be back to my usual self soon.”  June and Nora came to visit that evening, bringing a bag of food from Alex’s favorite Mexican place (after clearing it with Emma and Dr. Lewis), and they spent the night as they would any other: sharing stories, making jokes, and simply enjoying themselves.

Over the next few days, Alex continued to make great strides in his recovery.  He continued his walks in the halls, getting to the point that he was stable enough to walk with Henry’s hand on his arm and Emma or Zack’s supervision.  His strides were longer and he was moving faster.  Alex was needing less pain medicine, and his labs looked fabulous.  On day 10 of Alex’s hospital stay, Dr. Lewis entered his room and delivered some much-anticipated news.

“You’re going home, Alex,” she said, holding a clipboard.  “We’ll send you home with a prescription for pain medicine, and you’ll have to take it easy for a while–avoid straining or lifting heavy objects for at least 4 weeks–make sure you’re resting and drinking lots of fluids.  You’ll have your stitches removed in about a week, but you can have that done at your PCP’s office.  You’ll be following up with me as well as a kidney specialist, but you’ve made a fabulous recovery so far.”

Alex smiled, shaking the doctor’s hand.  “Thanks, Doc,” he said, taking the clipboard she offered and signed the papers, eager to get out of here.  Henry stood and shook Dr. Lewis’ hand as well.  “Thank you so much,” he said, and Dr. Lewis smiled.  “You are very welcome,” she replied.  “But I don’t want to see you here again unless it’s to bring me flowers, got it?”  Alax laughed.  “Yes ma’am,” he said, giving her a mock salute.

Dr. Lewis collected her paperwork and left, leaving Alex to dress.  “So,” he said, pulling a t-shirt over his head.  “I guess you’re heading back to London?”  Henry gawked as he helped Alex to pull a pair of sweatpants over his hips.  “Darling, are you mad?  I’m not going anywhere.”  “You’re staying?”  Henry sat on the edge of the bed at his boyfriend’s side, taking both of his hands in his.  

“Of course I am, Alex.  There’s nowhere I’d rather be than with you.  I love you.”  “I love you too, baby,” Alex replied, resting his head on Henry’s shoulder.  “So, all I had to do was get shot to get you to visit?”  Henry sighed, playfully shoving Alex’s shoulder gently.  “You are a menace, you know that?”  “Yeah, your menace.”  Henry barely suppressed a smile.  “Yes, you’re my menace.”

They were transported back to the White House in The Beast, the presidential limo outfitted with bulletproof glass and hermetically sealed doors and windows.  “Is there really a bag of your blood in here?” Henry asked, making Alex laugh.  “Well, it’s Ma’s blood type, but it’s the same as mine, so yeah.”  Once in the Residence, Alex was swept into a near bone crushing hug by Ellen, who he knew was only holding back because of his injury.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there more, Sugar,” she said, kissing his forehead.  “It’s alright, Ma,” he replied.  “You’ve got a country to run.”  Ellen embraced Henry next before letting them retire to Alex’s room, where Alex immediately curled up on the bed.  Henry crawled over to him, resting his head on Alex’s chest.  “I love you,” Alex whispered, and Henry snuggled closer.  “I love you too, darling.” Henry nodded off shortly after, and Alex seized the opportunity to take a selfie of the two of them: Henry sleeping on Alex’s chest, Alex with a soft smile on his face.  He posted it when he woke from his own nap, simply captioned: Home sweet home.