Summary: Alexa goes in for a routine check-up. The last thing she wanted to see was her best friend Katie, unconscious, being rushed through the hospital doors on a stretcher.

Chapter 1

"One Checks Out, Another Checks In"

Alexa leaned back deeply into the pillows of the slightly upright bed she was laying on, attempting to ignore the needle prick as the nurse took yet another vile of blood from her arm. As happy as she was that she was feeling better and could run her fingers through the re-growing short brown locks on top of her head, Alexa still wasn't a huge fan of check-ups.

Ever since she had gotten sick, it had been a flurry of lab tests, anxiety, shaky limbs, and nights feeling like her stomach was attempting to flip itself inside out. Although she wasn't nearly as sick now as back then, a part of her still felt fear at the prospect of the doctors discovering something that showed she was getting sick again. That some lab test would come back positive for crusading cancer cells.

It was mentally and physically exhausting. The kind of exhausted a nap couldn't quite solve in one go.

"You doing okay, hun?" A supportive hand patted her arm.

Alexa looked to her side and smiled at her mom, who was watching her with motherly (but this time not smothering) concern. "Doing great," Alexa replied, putting on a brave face. "Just can't wait to get this done with."

Her mom nodded in sympathy. "I know, but it's just a precaution we have to take," she said, running Alexa's arm soothingly.

She suddenly became aware of a lack of presence in the room. A certain someone who always seemed to be hovering around her daughter…

"Where's Katie?"

"I'm not actually sure," Alexa admitted with a sigh. A frown creased her brow. "She said she would meet me here a little bit later. But it's definitely later." She craned her neck around the nurse to glance at the doorway to her room, hoping to see a tall, svelte frame and blonde hair popping in from the hallway.

The hospital staff was quite familiar with Katie and her various antics, especially when it came to Alexa's health. Needless to say, they often let quite a bit slide when they saw the supportive attraction in their friendship, but sometimes they also drew the line and would keep her out of certain procedures. Sometimes for simple things like the fact that her long limbs were clumsy and there happened to be very, very expensive medical equipment in the patient rooms.

But it takes a lot more than a simple 'No' to stop Katie. Alexa had to hand it to the girl: she was creative. With a capital C.

But the doorway remained empty.

Still no Katie, Alexa noted. She usually always comes to my check-ups. A certain incident involving Katie smuggling herself into her mom's trunk in order to come to one of her appointments came to mind and Alexa smiled slightly at the memory. But it soon faded. If Katie was willing to go to such lengths, it didn't explain why she wasn't here already.

"You're all done," the nurse said with finality, snapping Alexa out of her thoughts, capping the blood vile with one arm and removing the needle from her arm with the other. She quickly covered the spot with a bandage in one smooth, practiced motion. "It'll take about a week for the results to come back. The doctor'll give you a call."

Alexa and her mom nodded and gave their thanks to the nurse as Alexa swung her legs down from the bed and sat up, waiting for any dizziness to subside. She took a sip of the juice box from the bedside table as she stood up, glad to be on her feet and one step closer to leaving the hospital. She didn't want to stay here longer than absolutely necessary.

"Maybe Katie will meet us in the lobby or outside," Alexa suggested hopefully as she her mom left the room and fell into step with one another down the long hospital hallway decorated with patient art. She checked her phone and grew increasingly perplexed at the lack of messages.

Lori pursed her lips thoughtfully. "It's definitely not like her to miss one of your appointments." She laughed slightly. "Maybe she smuggled herself into my car trunk again," she suggested playfully.

Alexa rolled her eyes. "Yep, that sounds very… Katie of her," she joked, using her friend's name as an adjective. It was definitely fitting at times. There was no one else who had Katie's optimism, supportive spirit, loyalty, and most importantly, quirks. Lots and lots of quirks.

But Alexa loved Katie's quirks, just as they came. She wouldn't be Katie without them.

Lori tried again to comfort her daughter. "Maybe she got caught up with something and she's waiting for you on that little tree thingy between our houses."

Alexa laughed. "Tree thingy? It's a…"

She trailed off as an ambulance siren, blaring on nearly full volume, promptly cut off as the vehicle came to a rapid stop outside the sliding glass doors of the emergency room entrance. Alexa and her mom watched from the lobby as the paramedics walked quickly to open the ambulance doors.

Alexa sighed. This was yet another reason she hated hospitals. She didn't like the atmosphere of it, of knowing that yet another person was coming to the hospital because they were suffering from something. Yeah, hospitals were a place of healing, but they didn't quite offer the feeling of being home.

Alexa and her mom continued walking towards the exit to get to the parking lot when Alexa caught snippets of what the paramedics and ER doctors were saying as they quickly examined and prepared to move their newly arrived patient with a controlled sense of urgency.

"… fifteen year old female, unconscious, suspected head trauma, possibility of internal bleeding…"

"… move to surgery…"

"…her pulse is rapid—"

"…high impact collision—"

Like seeing a car accident on the side of the road, Alexa couldn't help but glance over to see the damage. The person's frame was a little hard to see through the bodies of the nurses, but she caught sight of the face behind the oxygen mask. The sight nearly made her heart stop and she grabbed her mom's hand in shock. "Mom, that's—!"

A tall, svelte frame, blonde hair, and the most familiar face.

Katie.

Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading! I discovered Alexa & Katie on Netflix a few weeks ago and absolutely fell in love with the series. I hope this fanfiction does the series justice.

Feel free to review, criticize, or add to your watch list. Let me know how much you're enjoying this fan fiction. You readers out there really keep me motivated! :-)