COME TUMBLING DOWN
Disclaimer: They are not mine. Megan, Marie, and Nanny are mine, but the others are all Stephen Sommers and Universal Studios.
Chapter 3 : Healing
A week passed, and today Alex was going home. Dr. Brown had said they could take him home, but that he still needed to stay in bed for at least another week. Now Evelyn was helping him get dressed, while his dad packed his things to go home. He had gotten allot of presents, almost like having a birthday.
“Now your all set.” He was tired, just getting dressed made him tired, and he leaned back against the pillows watching his parents get the last of his stuff gathered. Uncle John came and took the last of his things, and it was time to go. Rick went to him, and lifted him into his arms. Alex yawned and rested his head against his fathers chest, and before they even got out to the car he had fallen asleep. After Evelyn got in, Rick eased his son into her arms, and Alex only opened his eyes once, before he fell back asleep.
At the manor, Marie had Alex’s bed ready for him, and Megan had come by to see her friend, though Marie had told her he would most likely need to rest for the day, so the little girl waited in the parlor playing with his trucks. She had just made a tower when she heard the door open and ran down the hall, into the front entry. Mr. O’Connell had Alex, who was asleep, which made her frown. Evelyn came in and put her finger over her lips, and Megan nodded, and got one of his bags helping to take things to his room. Upstairs, Rick eased his son onto the mattress. Alex sighed, but didn’t wake up, and after pulling the covers over him, he turned finding Megan frowning.
“Do you want to lay with him?” she nodded, and he helped her onto the bed, then left them, to get the rest of his son’s things Megan snuggled up to him, and Alex opened his eyes.
“Your dad said I could rest with you.” He nodded, and closed his eyes, as did she, and soon they were both asleep.
Downstairs, Evelyn had settled in the parlor with a cup of tea and a book. She was relieved that they had their baby home with them, and that he was on the mend. Though the Doctor had told them that Alex may experience bad headaches for a while. So far they had been lucky with that. As she read, Rick went into his office and made a few calls to business associates he had put off calling, while Alex was in the hospital. He worked independent, and sometimes for the British Museum, but as an independent he was a consultant on treasure, and people came to him to ask him to sell things they had found, and he usually got a very good commision from it. What he loved about his job is that he could do as little, or as much as he wanted. His calls found everything running smooth, so he went out to the Parlor, and settled next to his wife, who wasn’t really into her book, it was upside down.
“Evie, it might help if you held the book up right,” he said lightly. She sighed and set the book down.
“I’m just so glad he is safe Rick, but I’m so afraid for him now. When he gets better, how do I trust to let him go out into the world alone.” He pulled her against him and kissed her cheek.
“Just like when he fell, when he was learning to walk. We were both afraid of that happening again, but he did it on his own a few days later” She nodded remembering that well. Their son’s first real boo boo, with stitches and all. It had been a terrible experience, but they had moved him, and themselves beyond that, and in time Alex had learned to walk.
“Well he won’t be climbing anymore trees,” she stated.”
“I’m not sure he will agree with you on that one honey,” Rick told her. Her response was just to snuggle against him and close her eyes, and for once enjoy a time of being home with very little to worry about.
It was his head feeling like it was splitting into which woke Alex. He squinched his face, which made it feel a little better, but not much. He felt Megan shift against him, and woke her.
“Tell my mum that My head hurts,” he told her, once she was sitting up. She left, running out of his room, and down the steps where she found his parents asleep. She was about to wake them, when Jonathan put a hand on her shoulder. He led her into one of the halls.
“Alex says his head hurts him.” Jonathan had been there when the doctor said he would likely have episodes of bad headaches, and went up to his nephews room. Alex had his head covered with the pillow and was sobbing.
“Hey partner.” Jonathan said, settling down beside him.
“My head hurts,” Alex sobbed.
“All right let me go get some of your medicine for that. Megan will you sit with him?” She nodded, and lay next to him.
“What does it feel like?” she asked curious.
“It hurts.” he kept crying. Then his Uncle came with a glass of water and the aspirin, and set the glass down.
“All right partner.” It was dark in his room, and very gently Jonathan helped him sit up and Alex took the pill and managed to swallow it, still crying.
“I want mum,” he said, as Jonathan eased him back to the pillow.
“I’ll get them,” Jonathan replied, and left them, realizing that Evie probably had a way to make him feel better.
“I should go now,” Megan told him. He didn’t seem to hear her, and as she walked out, both of his parents came in. Evelyn settled on the bed with him, and began to massage over his forehead, gently. When she was younger she used to have bad headaches, not from a fall, but on their own, and her mother used to massage her forehead, and temples, which always made her feel better. As she did this, Alex’s crying lessened and he went back to sleep. She was still tired so she snuggled beside him and went back to sleep holding him in her arms. Rick settled on the other side, and together they all slept.
The headaches were a part of life for the next few days, and Alex was in more pain than when he had been in the hospital. Dr. Brown came by one day, and told them that his reflexes were good, and that the pain was just due to his healing. As a result of the pain , Alex also got sick to his stomach, and his appetite was very limited to mostly bland soups and water. As morning on his fourth day home began, he woke up in his parents bed expecting there to be pain, but there wasn’t. He was snuggled in his mum’s arms, and turned to face her.
“Mum? I’m hungry mum,” he said. Evelyn came awake instantly.
“You are? How is your head today?” he sat up slowly, and smiled
“Better.” Their talking woke Rick.
“Hey Buddy, good to see you up,” Rick told him.
“I feel better but I’m hungry,” he responded. Then a knock at their door caught all of their attention. Rick called out for whomever to enter, and Uncle John came with breakfast in bed. Food for them, and Alex’s special diet, though today he would eat normal.
“Hey there is my nephew.” Alex grinned.
“So Uncle John want to go climb a tree with me today.” Evelyn hugged him.
“Alexander O’Connell, that won’t even happen again,” she said ,and lightly tickled him, while they guys set up the breakfast trey. Once the food was ready Alex took some toast, and started to eat very fast, but Evelyn told him to slow down.
“I know your hungry, but you will make yourself sick if you eat to fast.” He nodded and ate at a slower pace, and oddly enough the toast was all he could manage.
“I want to learn to walk on my crutches,” he told them. That was something Evelyn had not expected, and she looked at her husband who nodded. Once breakfast was finished, Alex got his first lesson, and Rick demonstrated though the crutches were really too small for him.
“All right already I want to do this,” Alex said. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, and Rick came over and held him up placing a crutch under either of his arms, then stood away a little ready to catch him should he fall. His first couple attempts he did fall, but Rick held him steady, and it wasn’t long before he was all over.
“This is soo cool,” he told them.
“I want Max to come see me today.” While Alex was experiencing those awful headaches, his other best friend, Max had been by, but had not been able to stay.
“I think that should be all right, but first lets get you in a bath,” Evelyn said.
“Aww mum, I don’t need a bath,” Alex complained. In the end he got one anyway, more of a sponge bath with his cast wrapped in plastic as Rick held him up in the tub.
A little later the two boys were settled in the parlor playing with the trucks.
“Everyone at school thinks your never coming back,” Max informed as he pushed his car around the carpet in the parlor.
“Not till they are sure my head is okay,” Alex said. He was making a building.
“Do you remember falling?” Max asked. Both he and Megan had been very curious about that.
“I don’t know why, but I don’t. I remember me and Megan up in the tree, and she told me to stop standing on the branch, and I remember holding on to her foot and thats all. But I hated the hospital. There was this one nurse and she kept taking my temperature up my butt, then dad told her she had to do it the proper way, and I think she was mad, but it was very good. All done,” he said of his tower. They ran their cars into it, and it tumbled to the ground.
“You and me need to be architects when we are older,” said Max. Alex looked at him, a rather puzzled look on his face.
“Whats that?” he asked.
“They wreck buildings and make new ones.” That sounded good to him.
“Hey maybe we can go outside,” Max told him. Alex frowned.
“Mum’s a little worried about me doing that yet.”
“We can sneak,” Max told him. He did miss going outside, and that sounded fine to him. After Max helped him with his coat and his shoes, they went out the back way. Alex took it slow, and Max stayed next to him ,as they went out to the garden, finding Jack there pulling weeds.
“Hi Jack,” Alex said. He waved with one crutch and that put him off balance, and he started to fall back. Strong arms caught him, and he was lifted up, and turned to face his father.
“Oh hi dad, just thought I would take a little walk,” Alex said.
“Without your mum or I to say yes, and you would have fallen. “ Alex sighed.
“I’m tired of being careful.” He was carried back into the house where Evelyn waited ready to hug him, but Alex got mad at that.
“Mum quit it. I’m not hurt anymore. I have a owie leg, and my head is better just leave me alone.” He pulled away from Rick and fell, but caught himself.
“I hate this,”he yelled. Max took that as his cue to leave, and ran out, which only served to make Alex feel more isolated. Despite his protests Rick picked him up.
“Why did I fall out of that tree,” he was crying now, tired they both knew, and for that Rick carried him up to his bed.
“It wasn’t anything that was your fault baby,” Evie said as she pulled back the covers. He was resting his head against his fathers chest now.
“I’ll never ever climb anymore again,” he swore. Once he was in bed sleep came fast. His parents sat with him, until he was in a more peaceful state of sleep, then left to start dinner, and to pick up the toys he had played with. It would be nice when he could do normal things, but for now he just had to learn to take thing easy.
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