xp_logs | Paige wakes up... (Reply)

Angelo sat alone in the medlab, curled up in a chair and wrapped in the throw Moira had offered him. He was not asleep but drowsing, one hand running automatically over the beads of his rosary. He didn't take his eyes off Paige, waiting and hoping for some sign that she was waking up.

True to Angelo's prayers, the fingers in her hand stretched straight, quivering there for a moment in exertion before relaxing. Her lids followed suit as best as they could, slow to respond and with eyes unwilling to focus. A low, almost frustrated cry come through slightly parted lips as Paige blinked again.

Angelo straightened up sharply, suddenly wide awake. He stared at Paige, unsure if what he had heard meant she was waking up, or if she had simply moved from coma to sleep, and was dreaming.

Fingernails digging into her comforter, Paige's eyes opened, the room blearily shifting to something sharper and back again. A wrinkle formed at her forehead as she tried to concentrate on awakening.

Angelo realised that she was quite definitely awake, or getting there, and leaned forward. "Paige?" he said quietly.

A sort of hum sounded in her ear and she turned her head towards it. Paige couldn't make out the blur exactly, but it was in all the right shades of grey so to speak and she tried words, or word in this case, voice breaking. "Angel."

"Yeah, I'm here", he answered, relief rising in his voice. "I'll just go fetch Dr McCoy."

Paige tried to protest but nothing would quite come past her vocal cords and instead she just coughed, a dry hack of sorts, into her shoulder. She lifted her hand and placed it over his, fingers tightening.

Angelo let her hold him back, frowning in concern. "Are you okay? Should I go get some water or something?"

"No, just stay." Angelo had finally shifted into focus, as if the cough had knocked all the clouds in her head away, and she smiled a bit. "I haven't had a good conversation in... what is today?"

"It's Saturday", Angelo told her. "You've been out for... four days now..."

"I hope you've been sleeping," is her instant reply, reaching up to stroke the blackness under his eyes with her thumb as if trying to smooth it away.

He grinned ruefully. "Not so much", was the answer. "Someone had to stay here..."

Paige chuckled, not daring to try a full laugh. "Oh, chickpea. Does everyone hate me so much that they're unwilling to take shifts?"

"They've all been down to visit. And Doug's parked outside the door, for some reason. But I was the first to get there, after it happened, and it felt like I should be here..."

She doesn't like how that was answered and a slight line of worry trails across her face. "How... how is everyone?"

"Everybody's fine. Well, physically anyway. Jono has been down here, you know. I tried to get him to stay, but..."

"No, no. I understand. I wouldn't want to see me either." She smiles, as if this balances out her words. "He's all right, though?"

"No, I don't think you do understand", Angelo said, trying to get his point across. "He doesn't not want to see you... he thinks *you* won't want to see *him*..."

"But I'd never!" she cried, voice ringing through their previous low whispers. "I couldn't."

"I know that", Angelo hastened to reassure her. "But you know what he's like. He was already convinced that he was a monster, and *now*..."

Paige stared blankly at Angelo, almost as if seeing through him for several moments. "I should have just left him alone."

"No... that's the last thing you should do", Angelo said quietly. "He needs you, and the only reason he's staying away is because he thinks you'll hate him, like I said. If you stay away from him now, he'll just think he was right."

"He *needs* me? I'm the reason he blows things up half the time, and if not blows things up then hates himself and he needs me?" Paige's voice rose again, almost in a panic. "I could never hate him, believe me I've tried, but all my being close has assisted in is mass destruction!"

"He's done that just as much without you", Angelo pointed out. "He needs *you* to show him that he's not a monster. To give him hope. How do you think he'll react if you stay away from him now? He'll think he was right all along, and that he doesn't deserve help."

Paige leaned back, closing her eyes, beaten. "Why is it I'm the one with four days sleep under my belt and you're the one who keeps making sense?"

"I've talked to him. Since the accident. I know how he's thinking right now. And believe me, he does need you."

Opening her eyes, Paige regarded Angelo almost as if for the first time. The lines were so apparent now and she sighed. "You need sleep, Angelo."

"That's what everybody's been telling me", he joked weakly. "The coffee helped."

Paige gently pushed back his hair with a hand, shaking her head. "You don't even like coffee. I'm a tough girl, chickpea. You should have known I'd come through."

"I did, but... I wanted to be here anyway. Couldn't let you wake up by yourself."

"You're an angel." She smiled, her arm suddenly very tired and let her hand slip.

Angelo looked suddenly worried. "Are you OK? Maybe you should get some real sleep..."

"Fine, promise. I'm not sleeping until you do, anyway."

"Well, I've been telling everybody I wouldn't leave until you woke up. But you have. I still don't really want to go, but I will if you say so."

"I want you to sleep," she said. "We don't need another person in the medlab."

He nodded reluctantly and stood up, staggering slightly. He quickly reached to brace himself against the wall, hoping she wouldn't notice.

Paige let him off with a look at this stumble, mouth curved in something like a smile. "Sweet dreams. And... thank you."

"What are friends for?" he asked. "Promise me you'll sleep when I'm gone. And that you'll talk to Jono."

"Promise."

"Oh!" Angelo said, remembering. "I'll have to tell Doug you've woken up. So expect a small hurricane in here, right after I leave."

Paige laughed, pushing herself up straighter. "Thank you for the warning. Now, shoo, before I have to scoot over to make room. I don't think the medlab was built for so many patients."

Angelo pushed himself away from the wall, and headed for the door. He waved as he left the room, upon which Paige, to her amusement, heard the following: "Doug. *Doug*. Listen. She's awake.". This was immediately followed by a crash as Doug dropped his empty plate and came flying into the room.