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A Slice of Lex Ch. 2

By: Jen Harlow

The hospital was the same as most, the hum of the fluorescent lights, the reek of disinfectant, and everything in the same four colours: white, off blue, gray, and black, even the tiles were white with the other three colors speckled through them. Lexi was quite uncomfortable walking into the building, having her own bad experiences in such places. She walked up to the nurse's station, "Can you tell me where I can find Christine LeBlanc?"

The nurse smiled and checked the chart in front of her. "She's still in the triage area of the emergency room. She's in bed twenty three."

"Thanks," following the nurse's directions, Lexi and Victoria arrived in the wide room, filled with beds separated by curtains. Each curtain had a placard with a number printed on it above the curtains. They walked up to the one labeled 23, and carefully pulled the curtain aside.

Daren was sitting next to her in a small chair, Christine herself had rolled up in the blankets, and was clearly asleep. "Hey, she fell asleep on the ride over." He said standing.

"That's good." Vic said, gently running her hand through the sleeping mouse's hair.

Mat arrived soon, the friends pulled the curtain shut as they stepped out into the wider area. "She's resting well, poor thing needs it." Lexi said, pulling the curtain open just enough to see inside. "I'll be right back," she said, "little tradition to take care of." She walked off in the direction of the main hospital area.

The nurse, a mouse as well, came up checking a clipboard. "Hello," she said surprised at the number of people gathered at the bed, "I'm Britney Hewitt, and you all are?"

"We're Christine's friends, almost her family." Daren said.

"Okay, well I was just about to come in and check up on her." The nurse pulled the curtain aside, and gently woke Christine up. "Good afternoon Ms. LeBlanc, I'm Britney Hewitt, but you may call me Britney." Christine took her outstretched hand, shook it gently, then mimed writing. "I know sign," Britney said.

Christine relieved, signed "I can hear, but I can't talk."

"I know, I checked your file before coming." The nurse grinned, "That's actually why they sent me, I understand sign."

The nurse gently took her arm, wrapping a small pressure cuff around it. "We're double checking your vitals, just to be on the safe side." She also placed a small thermometer under her tongue. "Everything looks normal, the doctor should be by to see you in a little while. Is there anything you need?"

"Apple juice, please," Christine signed, sitting up a little. Her eyes still looked heavy, but she was definitely happy to see her friends. She looked for Lexi, but didn't see her. She started to ask, when the wolf came around the corner.

"Hey Chrissie," She sat on the side of the bed, "I had to hold to tradition." Lex said, producing a small stuffed bear from behind her back. Christine took it, nuzzling it against her cheek, then leaned her head against her friend's shoulder. "You're welcome," Lexi said, gently rubbing the mouse's shoulders.

"What's this about tradition, and how come I'm not aware of it?"

Lex sighed, "It's kind of something I started not long after we met." Victoria sat next to her, putting her head on her other shoulder, giving her that 'tell me more' look. "When I first found out that she had epilepsy, she had been in the bathroom. A storm had caused the lights to flicker. I didn't know at the time what had happened, but I heard a loud banging coming from the bathroom. I opened the door to find her laying on the floor head under the sink, and her legs near the tub, wrapped in a towel. I'd never really witnessed a seizure before, so I didn't know what to do. I called nine one one, and waited until it passed. She bounced back fairly quickly from that one, but she was panicked. Her foot was already beginning to swell from where she had kicked the tub. So while she spent the night in the ER with a broken ankle, I couldn't be with her, but I left her a teddy bear so she wouldn't be quite so lonely. I know it sounds silly right?"

Vic looked at the mouse, who had laid back on the bed, the bear hugged tightly to her chest. "No, I really think it's sweet."

"So, now whenever it looks like she's going to be here for a while, I get her a bear."

"Well, you're certainly not lonely now, Missy Mousie, you've got four people and a teddy bear. Lucky little thing you are." Victoria said, poking her gently on the tummy.

Christine smiled, laughing silently. The doctor came in, pausing for a moment to simply enjoy the happiness of the scene. "Looks like you've got more than enough care, maybe I should just go visit my next patient, eh?" The rabbit said, smiling. He walked over to the side of the bed, pulling the curtain behind him. He reached up and dimmed the lights on the wall, using a small penlight to check her eyes. "Hmm, eyes dilating properly. Pulse, heart rate and blood ox look good, and temperature's normal." The doctor said, flipping the lights back up. He tapped his pen to his cheek, looking over the clipboard. "The only thing that concerns me is how long you were unconscious after the seizure." He put his hand gently on her shoulder, "I'm sorry little miss, but it looks like you'll be our guest tonight. We'll have someone take you up to a room in a little while. I just feel like it's a good idea to keep our eye on you tonight." He started to walk out, then paused as he remembered. "Oh yeah, and I brought you this, Britney caught me on my way back." He produced two small cartons of apple juice, and a small foil packet of graham crackers.

Despite all the given circumstances, Christine couldn't have looked happier, or indeed more like a small child than she did now, with her teddy bear, her juice and her honey grahams. Victoria giggled softly at the image the little mouse presented. "Anything I can get for you?" She asked.

"My hairbrush, some clothes to go home in tomorrow, and my slippers." Christine signed, pausing to think if she needed anything else, then she signed "That's all."

"Okay, I can do that." She said, "Lexi do you want to come with me or do you just want to hand me your keys?"

Looking around, Lexi began to have that nervous feeling creep over her again. "I think I should go with you," She said trying to hold back the shake in her voice, "Would you be okay with that," She locked eyes with Christine, who nodded with a slight smile. Everyone there knew how much Lexi hated hospitals, for just as many irrational reasons as any rational ones. "Text me with her room number and some directions Mat, we'll be back in a little while." Lex said, waving and walking out towards the main entrance.

"You're thinking about your great gramma again, aren't you?" Victoria said, hugging Lexi with one arm as she walked down the stairs.

"Yeah..." She said looking distant, "Listen, I appreciate your support, but can we not talk about it just now?" She said trying to keep happy memories with Christine in her head, some of the few times that a hospital held good memories.

"Yeah, sorry." Vic said, hugging her tighter, "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"Thanks." The two got into the car, quickly changing the topic to the show they were working on, and other topics less serious.

The apartment was about forty-five minutes away from the hospital. Christine's apartment was mirrored to Lexi's, bed in one corner, kitchenette in the other, light blue carpet, white walls. The differences being a smaller computer desk, with a leather backed office chair in front of it and a massive stereo system underneath. It was decorated with ocean related decor, a fish mobile swung in slow circles on the ceiling, and a model ship set atop her small dresser, the lamp on her end-table had a shade which cast blue fish all over the room. Lex walked over to her closet, stopping for a second to admire how neatly organized everything was. It always amused her how much of a neat-freak her friend could be. She grabbed a blue-green top with short black sleeves, and a pair of blue-jeans. She held the pants up in front of her, "Jesus, you could comfortably fit two of her in a single pair of my jeans..." She said to Victoria.

"You're just realizing how tiny she is now?"

"No, I just find it funny. We're polar opposites in so many ways, yet she's still one of my best friends."

Victoria was looking through her chest of drawers, attempting to find the hair-brush. "I wish Christine told me where her brush was in here..." She grumbled slightly, "It's no fun seeing her underwear without her in them."

Lexi just shook her head. She looked over at Christine's end-table. "Oh she's going to want this, I don't know how she forgot to mention it." Lexi picked up the small blue DS that had been sitting there.

After checking that they had everything she'd requested, the two headed back. When they returned, Christine had been moved up to her room for the night. The two guys sat next to the bed, a group of cards in the middle of the table. "Whatcha playin?" Victoria said, sitting on the bed next to Christine. "Ah good old Cards Against Humanity. What are you guys waiting for, deal us in!"

It was a good evening. The other bed in the room was vacant, a lucky stroke because the group surely would likely have been annoying to any potential roommates. Finally Britney came into the room, a rather sad look on her face. "I know you guys are having fun, but visiting hours are over." She said, "I hate to break you guys up, it seems like you're making the best out of this. On the bright side though, one of you can stay the night here."

"I think I would be best," Mat said, "I have a car so I can take us both home tomorrow, and I don't have work tomorrow either."

Christine nodded. Suddenly her expression shifted, she put a hand over her stomach. "What's the matter?" Britney asked, walking over to the bed. Christine picked up her phone, typing something quickly. The nurse looked at the screen, "Ah I understand, I'll get you some midol. Anything else you need?" The mouse, lifted the blankets slightly. "That's okay, I'll get you some clean sheets." The nurse said, patting her shoulder.

The group broke up, Mat walking them outside so Christine could deal with her current situation in privacy. "Poor girl, just hasn't been her day..." Lexi said, shaking her head as they walked into the elevator. "First she ends up in the ER and then that whole mess has to start."

"I agree, poor Mousie." Victoria said.

The girls dropped Daren off back at his place, before heading on to Victoria's. Victoria's was a fairly decent two story house, and it was quite comfortable, from it's large living room to Victoria's bedroom, the second largest in the house. The house had wood floors, and gray walls. Lexi always marveled at it walking up the driveway. As soon as the door opened, Victoria's younger sister delivered a flying tackle of a hug to her sister's hips, almost bowling the older Vixen over. "Vicky, you're back. I haven't seen you all day, you weren't here when I got home."

Victoria had one of those 'get me a crow-bar' expressions. She loved her little sister, but usually this level of greeting indicates something being amiss. "What did you do Kylie?" She said, her voice full of calm annoyance. Anything her sister did at this point was a lot less of a surprise than it once might have been.

"Well..." Her sister began, before hastily sliding Victoria's High School UIL shirt out from behind her back.

Victoria picked it up defeatedly. It was covered in a mixture of grass stains, purple grape stains, and what could only have been Victoria's favorite black lipstick. Her face looked as if it were about to melt off her skull. "I'm intrigued as to how you messed this up THIS BADLY." She said, marveling at the destruction of one of her favorite mementos.

"Well, I wanted to have a picnic with my dolls." Her sister began, "I couldn't reach any blankets, but I saw this and thought it would make a nice picnic blanket. Then Mrs. Wuggles wasn't happy because she didn't think she looked nice, so I borrowed your lipstick to make her feel better. Then we had peanut butter and jelly, and she got jelly on her face, so I went to wipe it off and... Don't kill me." Her sister looked on the verge of tears.

Victoria sighed, the stains on her shirt being really well rubbed in. "MOM!" She yelled, rubbing under where her glasses set on her nose, a favorite habit when she's annoyed.

"What is it Vic?" She said, popping up at the top of the stares, "Oh, hi Lexi!"

Lexi waved but didn't say anything, for fear that Victoria would explode if the conversation shifted right now. "Did you know that the Gremlin destroyed my UIL shirt? How did you not know she was doing this? I mean, didn't you make the sandwiches?"

Victoria's mother was confused, "what sandwiches?"

"The P B and J for her "picnic" earlier."

"I have a feeling I'm not going to like what I find in the kitchen. It's clear Ryan wasn't keeping an eye on her while I was at the store."

"No mama, Ryan was watching. He ran away laughing when I found Mrs. Wuggles a royal staff in Vicky's closet."

Victoria looked as if she was going to pass out. "I'm going to kill Ryan, then I'm going to injure something and join Christine in the hospital right now."

"What's she talking about Victoria?" Mrs. Adams asked, walking down the stairs, "What royal staff?"

"Mom, do yourself a favor and stop wondering about it. "

"But I just..."

"If you must know, it's something a bit personal. Something I usually keep to myself, and the only other person that ever even knew of its existence was Lexi." She said, still rubbing circles under her nose-piece.

"Oh." Her mom said quietly, "I guess I shouldn't have kept on pressing..."

"Now if you excuse me, I'm going up to my room with my girlfriend, with what little is left of my dignity."

"Well on the brightside," her mom called behind her, picking up the shirt, "I think I can get these stains out."

"Thanks, at least one person in this house cares about my personal property." She said, climbing up the gray-carpeted stairs. Her mom came into her room for a moment, sitting on the bed next to her.

"What's this about Christine in the hospital, now? Is she okay?"

"She's alright, she just had a seizure earlier and it took her a while to come back around. The doctor just decided it would be best to keep her overnight."

"Ah, well I'm glad she's alright. It could be a lot worse than it is, she didn't hurt anything at least."

"She did break her glasses," Victoria groaned, "we're so stupid Lex! We forgot to pick up her spares from her apartment."

"I think even she forgot them," Lex said shrugging, "She'll be home tomorrow, I'm sure she'll be fine tonight, after all Mat's with her."

"Well, you're having a rough day," Mrs. Adams said, kissing her eldest on her head, "I'll leave you two girls alone now, have a good night." She started to walk out the door, she turned around grinning mischievously, "Not too good though, you kept your dad and I awake last time, I mean have fun but-"

"OH! MY! GOD! MOM! I'm going to die!"

"Sorry, I'll, I'll just go."

"I take it back," Victoria said, flopping backwards onto her bed. "There is absolutely NO ONE in this house that respects my privacy, or my property."

Lexi laid gently down next to her, both of them letting their feet touch the floor off the side of the queen-sized bed. "Well, look on the brightside. You're mom is totally okay with the fact that you are having hot lesbian sex in her house." Lex said, sticking her tongue out at the fox.

The immediate response was a pillow impacting on her face. "Stop it you," The fox said grinning wildly. "I already told you you were in for a punishment earlier, didn't I?"

"I'm just, so, afraid, I can't, even stand, it." Lexi said, doing her Shatner impression.

She was awarded with another pillow to the face. "Let's start said punishment with a simple request." The Fox said, standing up and locking the door. "Take that top off, really slowly."