xp_logs | (no subject)

Set for earlier today, Lorna gets the call about her mother. Alex tries to calm her down and ends up making plans for the trip out to California. Lorna wants him along for support and he can't help but agree to go with her.

Lorna went from the kitchen up the stairs to her room at a dead run, ignoring entirely every person she passed. Though far from winded by the run, she was breathing hard as she threw herself in front of her computer and dashed off a quick journal post. She was looking up flights when Alex—one of the half recognised blurs from her run—came in to find out what was wrong.

Alex had been going done to the kitchen fro something to eat for a snack, when an unmistakable blur went by him that him totally forget about food. Immediatly he turned around and dashed up the stairs toward Lorna and Alison's suite. "Lorna?" He called once he entered the suite then noticed her door was open and quickly made his way over to it, leaning in the doorway. "Hey, hun, I just saw a blur running up the stairs that i just barely recognized as you...what's going on?"

“Mom. Accident. Hospital. Have to go home.” Hysteria fragmented her voice. She whimpered and clicked viciously at a fare, willing the website to go faster and wondering if she shouldn’t just go to the airport and deal with flights once she got there.

Alex's eyes got bigger, then he sighed as he crossed the room. He put his hands on her shoulder and began to rub them gently to try and calm her down. "Lorna...your not helping you mother be freaking out...take a deep breath." He whispered gently in her ear. "The internet isn't going to go any faster no matter how many times you click the mouse."

She whimpered again and swivelled in her chair to cling to him. “Daddy said it was bad. How bad is bad? He wouldn’t tell me to come home if it wasn’t bad,” she babbled, still gasping for most of her words.

He knelt in front of her chair, his arms wrapping around her. "Shhh...I don't know how bad is bad, but freaking out is not going to make it better. " He rubbed her back gently, still trying to calm her down.

Lorna drew in a deep, shuddering breath that came out again as a sob. “What if she’s not going to be okay?” She lifted her head and glared at the computer, “And why isn’t this thing giving me what I need?”

Sighing again, Alex took her hands and pulled her up out of the chair, over to the bed and into his lap. "It's not going to go any faster if you glare at it either. Relax sweetie..." He kissed her temple. "Now, tell me again what happened? In more then four words preferably..."

“Dad called. Mom is in the hospital. There was a car accident or something and she’s hurt. He said I should come home as soon as possible.” She choked on another sob and buried her head in his shoulder. “I’ve never heard him sound like that. He doesn’t panic. He’s like the opposite of panic.”

Alex thought back to his encounter with Mr. Dane almost a year ago and had to agree. "Shhh...I'm sure she'll be okay. We'll get you on the soonest flight out there so you can be with her, but it's going to still take time. Be patient okay?" He spoke softly and rubbed her back, trying to get her to at least breathe normally.

“I don’t want to be patient. I want my mom to be okay,” she said into his shoulder.

"I know love, I know...And she will be." He hugged her close. "You got to be strong for her and part of being strong is to calm down and realize freaking out isn't going to get you anywhere." Alex pulled her back a bit so he could look at her. "I'll help you okay? I'm sure between the two of us we can find a flight that leaves tonight."

She sniffled and nodded, clearly not actually any calmer but making an effort nevertheless. She had a sudden vision of staring at her father across an empty table with no Mom to mediate. She shivered and mentally cursed herself for a coward. “I…I hate to ask but…I don’t want to go by myself…”

Alex froze for a moment, remembering his last encounter with Lorna's father before he had run off. But Lorna needed him and he wasn't going to back out on her. "Of course love," he said with smile, "Besides I wouldn't be able to sleep while you were gone." He added the last part kiddingly, hoping she would at least attempt to smile.

She didn’t and actually looked a bit more distraught, “I didn’t even think of that. I’m sorry. I…oh Christ.” She shifted, agitated and bit her lip hard.

Now Alex cursed himself. "Shh...Lorna I was kidding..." He wrapped his arms around her tighter. "Shh...I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I want to go to help you, case closed." He sighed, still cursing himself. Way to be an idiot, Summers...

She nodded and repeated her efforts to calm down. She shoved the thought of her mother dying in a hospital out of her head and focused entirely on how to get through the next fifteen minutes. “I’m sorry. I’m just not really finding anything funny right now.” She continued to cling to him for dear life. Maybe fifteen minutes was ambitious. Five seemed doable. “I should call the airline.”

Alex hugged her back with equal force, as to prove how sorry he was. "No, let me do it. You are in no condition to be making arrangements. Don't worry, I'll have us in California by tomorrow afternoon, I promise. You on the other hand, you need some rest."

“Tomorrow?” Her voice rose stridently, calm threatening to fracture into hysteria again, “But he said… They have flights at night. Red-eyes.” She pulled at his shirt, almost unconsciously.

"Sweety, it's a five hour flight, not to mention getting to and from the airport, plus I still have to make flight arrangements...tomorrow is the best I can offer and I'm sorry it's not good enough." He kissed her forehead.

She started crying again, helplessly, “Alison can drive us there. And arrange for a car while we fly. Please, Alex, I can’t wait.” It never even occurred to her that Alison wouldn’t be able to pull off exactly that.

"Alright alright....shhh..." He held her and rocked her slowly, starting to panic a bit because he had no idea how to calm her down anymore. "You stay here. I'll go to talk to Alison or Scott or Paul or someone who can make arrangements while we fly." he kissed her forehead, then both her cheeks, tasting her tears and almost wanting to start crying himself. "Shhh...everything will be alright."

Lorna let him ease her off his lap and onto the bed, unable to stop crying and hating it. “I should pack.” She curled up and didn’t move. “I have to get home.” It was the first time home had meant California in a long time. The realization made her cry harder.

"I'll get Alison to pack for you, don't worry about that." He rubbed her back gently before standing up, kiss her once more on the cheek, as he pulled a blanket up and over her. "Don't worry Lorna, everything will turn out fine. We'll get you home..." I just hope it's soon enough... Alex thought to himself as he dashed out of the room to find someone to help him.