Prompt-"Tom or Jack takes care of Alex while he's recovering from injuries or a cute fic of Alex trying to catch up on school work in the hospital. Something highlighting Alex's recovery in ark angel or crocodile years is a good start or anything really. Just something light and domestic with hospital hating and recovering Alex and a worried Jack and Tom."
Day one
Jack stood in the door of the hospital room with tears sliding her face.
Alex Rider lay on the hospital bed. He was pale and surrounded by tubes in the way no lively teen should be. But Jack wasn't thinking about that. She was just glad, so glad, that Alex had survived.
Because Jack knew, it was only a matter of time until Alex hit a wall he couldn't climb. Until Alex found an enemy he couldn't run from. Until Alex Rider ran out of luck.
But today he may have survived. And right now, that's all that mattered.
Day two
Jack sat by Alex's bed. She was trying to stave off her already growing boredom.
A pile of magazines were haphazardly stacked on the table. One was in her hands, and being distractedly read by the woman.
Well what was she supposed to do while waiting, just stare at Alex? That would be creepy.
Day three
Miss Tulip Jones was no stranger to hospitals.
"Hello Alex. You have people waiting for you to wake up." Jones stoically explained.
There was no one else in the room but her. She used to be a field agent after all. If she had gotten rusty, she'd have already been killed by assassins.
"You saved thousands of lives. Hundreds of families." She said what she always said. If someone was there they might scoff and say how the words meant nothing to the unconcious teenager that was used by the agencies that should have protected him.
Jones hesitated, then slowly placed a packaged peppermint on the bedside table.
Peppermints were the symbol by which she was known. Some poisoned her enemies while the regular ones were a sign of agreement to her allies. To her agents they were the sign of the subtle sympathy and remaining humanity of Tulip Jones.
"I'm sorry." The words were cheap. They were necessary and sincere. They would change nothing.
Day four
Tom had a sour look on his face. An open chemistry textbook was on his lap. He'd been on the same page for the past three hours. Who cared about the weight of the atoms of table salt when his mate looked half dead?
Alex came to with headache, all around pain, and the wish to knock himself unconscious. A annnoying stream of beeps-from his heart monitor, his brain helpfully filled in-hurt his head.
"Tom?" Alex raspily inquired. The blond's eyes shakily opened.
"Alex. Alex, you're alive. Congrats on living." Tom enthusiastically replied. A grin broke out on the face of the raven and the textbook was happily slammed closed.
Alex cleared his throat and closed his eyes due to the bright light above him. "How long was I out?" Alex questioned. The blond's voice sounded like his mouth and tongue were made of soundpaper.
"Four days. Oh yeah, I should hit the button for the nurses." Tom promptly smacked the appropriate button.
A nurse and Doctor Gill hurriedly arrived.
"How much pain do you feel?" "Where do you feel pain?" "You keep wincing when we talk, do you have a headache?" Came the quick and calm question and answer session. Alex just had to have one every time he went to the hospital, didn't he.
"Jack will flip if I don't tell her the news soon." Tom said by way of convenient excuse. Tom gave Alex a thumbs up and walked out.
Alex telepathically tried to ask his friend not to leave him with the doctor and nurse who were giving him the-fortunately metaphorical-third degree. Alex failed in his quest.
Day one
Doctor Isaac Fibre was new. He marveled when he heard of the severity of the injuries the patient in room 302 had survived.
Several doctors stood in a rough circle, they had a little down time and decided to talk. Nurses stepped around the group as they ran errands.
"How is he alive?" Doctor Fibre mused aloud.
Doctor Jeffrey Gill clapped Fibre on the shoulder with a smile. Doctor Gill assuredly stated. "Alex's survival is...a miracle by all accounts."
Day five
"Hello Alex, does anything hurt today?" Doctor Gill asked.
"Uhh...everything?"
"What can you currently do? Move your fingers and toes, change the tv channel, feed yourself?" Doctor Gill questioned.
"Yes to the first. As to others...I can't do things for myself." Alex said bitterly. He tried to clench his hands but was only granted a small tremble in his fingers.
Doctor Gill remembered what he said into days before. "It's a miracle you survived so far." Doctor Gill murmured. He didn't mean necessarily for his patient to hear.
"I feel like my existence is more of a curse then usual." Alex half joked.
Doctor Gill shook his head. "No human's existence is a curse. I used to think the same way though, it may feel like it sometimes. But I assure you, every human exists for a very good reason." Gill said with sincere conviction.
"What, you believe in God?" Alex asked with a snort.
Doctor Gill smiled. "Yes, yes I do. Now lay back down or I'll set Nurse Meacher on you."
Alex shuddered at the threat. "Okay, okay. No need to use the witch against me."
"I think the problem is less physical and more psycological. So we're going to try some small mental and physical exercises with a hand. You should at least be able to feed yourself after this." Doctor Gill hid his grin behind his hand as Alex perked up as if the teen was a man who just found water in a desert.
Day six
A paragraph about the American revolution blurred before Alex's eyes. Alex decided to eat and take a nap before he fell asleep on his textbook.
Hospital food...joy. Alex poked at the soft carrots on the tray. The vegetables were the only stomachable hospital food for Alex.
Of all the way things on the tray, Allex hated the jello the most.
"Can I make a formal complaint about the food?" Alex asked as Jack stepped into the room.
"You can, but I doubt it'll change anything." Jack replied with a grin.
Day seven
Jack and Tom had things to do, and so had left Alex alone for a few hours.
"The hospital version of cabin sickness just returned." Alex told the empty room. It was time to attempt escape.
Alex's hardest obstacle would be one nurse in particular. Nurse Meacher was a woman who had the weirdest ability to pop up almost every time Alex tried to escape.
"Alex Rider decides to rest from the cramped tunnels he has chosen as his escape route." Alex monologued in third person.
Alex popped out the vent opening with practiced hands.
The supply closet was on the other side of Alex's room. So Alex was pretty confident that no one would looked for him here.
Alex leaned against the wall for a minute. The spy wanted to sleep. He felt somewhat safe here.
The knob of the door to the supply closet turned. Alex glared at the door as if he could stop it from opening by sheer will power.
The door opened with a creak. Nurse Meacher and an unknown male nurse walked in.
"Alex." Meacher gasped. "What are you doing here." Meacher sternly demanded an answer.
Alex grinned sheepishly. "I've come across two wild beasts, my only hope is to run."
Alex had a sudden realization while hoisted over the shoulder of a especially strong male nurse.
"I should stop monologuing out loud while escaping." Alex groaned.
The male nurse chuckled. "That would probably help. I'm Scott Wyther. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Alex, Alex Rider." Alex introduced himself. "I'd love to shake your hand but I'm currently in a very awkward position."
Meacher harrumphed. Scott chuckled again. "Sorry about all this."
"Don't be too sad, Scott. It's just another one of his escape attempts. He's a regular patient for fractured legs, broken ribs, and concussions." Meacher said in a exasperated tone.
Scott grimaced. "That's pretty serious. What happens to you to cause that?"
"Some of my friends are rough football players and I love free climbing." Alex shrugged as best he could in his position.
Alex didn't have to fear being sedated, he wasn't by any means a regular patient.
Alex shivered as he remembered Meacher's glare. "I hope my enemies don't start employing her, they'll actually catch me." Alex muttered.
Alex perked up when Tom walked into the room.
"Perfect timing." Alex muttered to himself. Alex grinned. "Hey Tom. I need you to do some things for me."
Tom raised an eyebrow but gave a grin of his own in reply. "Oh really, what crazy plan of yours is it this time?"
Day eight
Someone shook Alex's shoulder.
"Five minutes Ian." Alex mumbled.
"Cub, they're going to get here soon." A man's voice-who was not Ian-replied.
"Wha..?" Alex grogily asked.
"Wake up Alex, K-Unit is almost here."
"What, come again?" Alex sat up. The teen's previous sleepiness was completely gone at the word 'K-Unit'.
Ben aka Fox stood beside Alex's bed.
"How did they find out?" A terrified Alex asked.
"They check up in you every once in a while. They texted me about visiting you at 1400." Ben answered with a shrug.
"What time is it?" Alex warily asked.
Ben glanced at his phone. "One minute till two PM."
Alex gasped. "You woke me up with a one minute warning." Alex shot Ben a look of childish betrayal.
"London traffic." Ben shrugged.
"Touche." Alex conceded.
At that moment, a grown man that usually did not act his age, ran through the hospital room door like a bullet fired from a AR15.
"Cubbie." Eagle happily exclaimed.
"Eagle, stop bouncing around like a child." Wolf grumpily snarled.
"I see your personality hasn't gotten any better." Cub snarked with a small smile.
"Same goes for you, kiddo." Wolf shot back.
"Calm down children." Snake quipped. Fox let out a bark of laughter.
Wolf and Cub glared at Fox and Snake. The latter two received the glared with innocent looks.
Eagle suddenly sat down on Cub's hospital bed. Eagle glanced to the hospital door and then looked to Cub.
"We got you something." Eagle half whispered, his eyes almost seemed to sparkle.
"What?" Cub asked, half confused and half terrified.
"Aww, scared of what they got you, Cub?" Fox teased. Cub stuck his tongue out at Fox.
Wolf rolled his eyes.
"Come on, Wolf." Snake reminded with a slight smirk. Fox grinned.
Wolf rolled his eyes again but pulled a McDonald's bag out from under his coat.
"Its a cheese burger and fries. Thought you'd be getting tired of hospital food..." Wolf gruffly said. The bag was placed on Cub's bed.
"Close your mouth, Cub." Fox joked. Snake chuckled. "It looks like he's trying to catch flies."
Cub scowled at Fox and Snake.
"If you keep making that face you'll get stick like that." Eagle warned with a suppressed smile.
Cub stuck his tongue out at SAS members.
Day Nine
Alex had given Tom a envelope, within was a sticky note and hand drawn map. 'Go into my room at my home. My climbing rope and grappling hook are in the brown cabinet's lowest drawer. Feel free to use the mundane things (stay away from obvious weapons, they could accidentally go off and I'd be short a best friend). At 10:45, walk from the closest tube station (you know the one) to the hospital. Use the grappling hook to give me a escape route from the window I marked on the layout.'
Tom went into Alex's room, and found Alex's stash.
Tom stuffed ths grappling hook, rope, and two nifty pairs of night vision goggles into a grey backpack.
After Tom had the items he wanted, he had the sudden realization that he didn't know anything about grappling hooks.
Tom facepalmed. "Alex is the type of person to assume most people know how to use stuff like that."
Tom quickly googled it. Multiple videos popped up. "...Thank God for YouTube."
Doctor Gill knew what Alex was going to attempt tonight. "Make sure to wear gloves. I do not want to treat burns or tetanus tomorrow." The Doctor warned.
Alex froze up for a second-'how'd the doctor know?'-before Alex grinned. "Thanks for the tip."
Day ten
Alex crept though the white halls of St. Dominics. A doctor rushed by on his way to the Emergency room.
Outside, Tom had failed about a dozen times at getting the grappling hook to naturally wedge itself on the roof. Tom tried once more and gave a quiet whoop of victory as the grappling hook stayed up.
Tom put weight on the rope to make sure the rope could support a human.
Alex glanced out the hospital window. A rope hung outside. Alex grinned.
Alex slithered down the rope with ease, regardless of the protest from his muscles.
Tom grinned and clapped Alex on the back with a whispered 'mate'.
"Owww..." Alex complained. "Don't do that..."
"You're breaking your tough spy facade pretty badly right now." Tom teased.
Alex scowled at Tom, not that Tom could see it. "Let's just go." Alex grumpily said.
"Stop acting like Wolf, lighten up Alex." Tom half joked. "What, you want me to light myself on fire? That's the only way I could lighten up right currently." Alex retorted.
"Now I can't tell if you're acting more like Fox...or Eagle." Tom mused. At that jab, Alex punched Tom in the shoulder.
Tom stuck his tongue out at Alex. Alex threw his hands up in the air.
The sound of a car driving into the back parking lot broke the two teens's playful atmosphere.
"How about we stop fooling around and leave before we're caught?" Alex suggested with a wry smile. "Good idea." Tom dryly shot back.
Day 11
The hospital noticed his escape.
Fluff? You mean angst and banter, right?
Merry Christmas!
-Silver