For the Sake of Saving Us

Alex gets a full rundown of Poppy's injuries from Marky when he arrives back with the two steaming cups of coffee, the girl having drifted back into a drug-filled sleep mere minutes before.

"You've obviously seen all the bruises." Marky sighs, "Her collarbone is broken, hence the sling. He's managed to crack a couple of her ribs on her left side too."

"You mentioned her leg. Is it broken?" Alex can't tell under the mound of blankets.

Marky shakes his head, "It's deep tissue bruising. It's ugly as hell. I've never seen anything like it."

"How the hell did this happen, Mark? What fucking higher powers decided he had to see her? That he had to be around at that very moment? I don't understand why something out there thinks she deserves this amount of bullshit."

"You've got me, man. I'm just glad I decided to cut out early as well. God knows what state she'd have been in if I'd gotten back any later." Marky scrubs his hands over his face, "I think he was gonna-. Oh fuck. He had his pants unzipped and buttoned."

Alex literally has no words. He's afraid that if he opens his mouth, such a slew of curse words and profanities would fall out that he'd be thrown from her bedside without any hesitation.

"Do you think he ever.. Before? She never said anything." Mark carries on, "God, if he did-."

"Just shut up, please." Alex can barely contain the pure rage he's feeling, "I can't even think about him touching her. Period. Never mind like that."

"Sorry, man." Mark chews noisily on the edge of his polystyrene coffee cup, "If it's any conciliation, she busted his nose."

Alex laughs despite himself, "Of course she did. Fucking trooper she is."

"Stronger than anyone I know."

-----

Over the next two days there's a constant influx of police officers interviewing her and then the both of them, asking about the past and why it wasn't reported sooner, that only making Alex feel guiltier about not doing anything at the beginning of the year.

Poppy's Mom finds out from Jack, who had rung her to see if she knew anything more than the snippets that Alex was supplying, not realising that until then, she'd been completely unaware that her daughter was hurt, never mind in a hospital. Poppy had been awake enough to talk her Mom down from visiting, promising she'd keep in regular contact but being adamant that she wasn't going to return home for now.

Alex and Mark end up holed up in a nearby hotel, Marky's apartment still a crime scene for the majority of time, not that either were comfortable with returning after what had taken place there.

Alex had caught the police towards the end of the second day, pulling them aside to ask details. He needed to know if Poppy was required to stay in the state for the foreseeable future or if it was OK for her to travel. He needed to know how long Rick would get when, not if, he was found guilty. If he was allowed a few moments alone with him to give him a taste of his own medicine.

It's almost time for the last set of visiting hours to end when Alex breaches the subject with her.

"I know it's probably the last thing on your mind at the moment, but where are you planning on going after you're allowed to leave?"

Poppy sighs, "I honestly don't know. I don't want to be here anymore. I know I'll have to come back for the trial and to see him put down but Chicago is so tainted for me now. I can't stand the thought of being here any longer than I need to."

"So, back to New York then?"

"It's not like I can work at the moment." She laughs, a hand constantly hugging her ribs, "Maybe Baltimore."

"I thought you didn't want to see your Mom at the moment."

"I don't particularly, but I know people there. Well, at least more than one. I'm gonna go stir crazy sat alone all day."

"Come back with me."

"Huh?" She looks genuinely confused at the statement, "To LA?"

"I don't see why not. We're all there, and I know you're not my biggest fan but-."

"You've grown on me again. I get why Mark asked you to come, by the way. He explained it to me."
"I worry."

"Too much. He told you how I broke his nose, right?"

Alex laughs, "He did. Well done, by the way. He's a big guy."

"Puny, in my opinion." She looks down into her lap, "I hate the fact that he can do this too me. That he can cause such a deep set fear in me. I have to sleep with the light on. The poor lady in the other bed hates me."

"I suppose you've just go to tell yourself that he isn't hiding in the shadows anymore. He won't be anywhere near you from now on. I promise."

"I suppose we'll see."

-----

It doesn't occur to Alex until the end of the week, when Poppy is allowed to be discharged, that he never got an answer of her intentions.

"Have you decided where you're headed?" He's helping her slip on a hoody to help protect her against the typically bitter winds of Chicago, her injured arm causing her trouble with dressing.

"If it's not going to cause too many problems, I wouldn't mind LA. Maybe the sunshine will help." She shrugs her one good shoulder, "Jack's been pestering me."

"Don't think you have to because he's fretting. I'll travel wherever you feel most comfortable. Get you settled. "

She stays silent and Alex supposes that's the end of it. She's made her decision, or at least, Jack has made it for her.

She's not the same.
Not in the slightest.
She's too quiet. Too reserved.

She agrees without argument to any suggestion handed to her, barely engages in any conversation unless someone actively invites her to say something and Alex has caught her more than once, flinching at loud noises only to stare into the distance straight after.

"I'll book us two tickets then."

-----

Alex never even considered how Poppy would be in a public place.

The only people she'd had contact with since the incident were the doctors and nurses assigned to check on her and Marky and himself.

Even wheeling her out of the hospital he notices how she curls in on herself, doesn't meet anyone's gaze.

The airport is worse, the sheer amount of people and noise has her huddling close to Alex, relying on him to help her limp through the terminals instead of using the crutch she'd been provided with.
Alex had Marky pack up her things, not wanting Poppy to have to return to the apartment and potentially relive anything that happened.

The flight back to California is worse.

Alex is beyond tired, he barely having slept at all over the past week but Poppy is to nervy to settle the entire journey, twirling her hair, slipping back into the old anxiety fueled habit of scratching her nails down her arm until Alex has to reach over and stop her.

She's completely spaced out when they land so he waits until the majority of people have already exited the plane before snapping her back into the real world.

"Hey, P. We've landed."

"Yeah." She sighs, "I'm OK to stay with you guys, right?"

"Don't be stupid, of course you are."

He's never noticed how rude some people can be until they're walking through the arrivals gate to go collect their bags, other travelers blatantly staring at her as she passes, some even stopping their conversations to look and Alex can feel when she starts to be aware of it too, with the way she shakes and her breath hitches as she tries not to cry.

"A few more minutes, Poppy and I'll have you out of here, OK?"

"Please."