I held Tara's hand as Wes replaited my hair, the whole group bar Liv, had sat together in Tara's hospital room keeping her company. Nobody should have to be alone like this, and I sure as hell wasn't leaving my best friend in her time of need. Our conversation about the best chocolate flavour was interrupted by the door swinging open revealing Sam and some dude none of us recognized. "You're okay." Sam sighed in relief as she rushed to hug her big sister, then hugging each of us in turn, except for Amber.

"Hey Lexi, what the fuck happened to you?" Sam asked as she pulled me in for a hug and squeezed my shoulder in comfort.

"A dude in a ghostface mask decided to see what I looked like inside." I joked, Wes and Kris groaning at my antics.

"This is my boyfriend Richie. These are Wes, Kris and the twins Chad and Mindy, I used to babysit them all since they were little, and Alexandra who I started looking after when she was about eleven or twelve." Sam explained, pointing at each person as she mentioned their names.

I waved when she mentioned me, slightly regretting it at the pulling pain in my ribs and shoulder. "And that's Amber, hey." Sam's relaxed smile tightened a little bit as Amber returned the gesture, the two not hugging like everyone else had. "Where's mom?" Sam asked as she noticed the lack of their mother's presence in the room, I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Stuck at a conference in London." I explained, raising my eyebrows as Sam nodded before looking back to her sister.

"She did call me." Tara tried to reason, knowing that none of us was happy that her mom didn't bother to come back when her daughter almost died.

I scoffed and felt Wes squeeze my hand slightly, telling me to calm it down. "Yeah, for all of ten fucking minutes." Tara rolled her eyes and sighed at my comment, Wes lifting me out of the wheelchair and onto his lap as he sat down, my head automatically leaning into his shoulder.

"Lex, calm it down a bit, yeah?" Kris looked at me, miming with his hands lowering my voice and temper.

"Guys. Tara's really tired, maybe we should give her some space." Amber interrupted, sending Sam a pointed look as everyone got up to leave, minus me and Wes as he helped me back into the wheelchair. I winced slightly, wiping my eyes as tears came up before Wes kissed me on the lips and wheeled me out the room.

"Bye T, be safe and rest!" I called out, wiping the tears away furiously as we all left, Sam staying with her sister. "Do you have your extra inhaler with you T?" I asked last minute as Wes tried to wheel me out the room, but I held onto the doorframe.

"Yes mama bear. Now go." Tara smiled as both Carpenter's waved at us.

"So babe, am I taking you home, or do you want to come round mine for a while?" Wes asked me as he helped me into his car before loading the wheelchair into the back.

I pulled out my phone and clicked on my dad's contact, holding up one finger to Wes, signalling one second. "Hey dad, can I go round to Wes' for a while?" I asked as Wes started driving, my dad agreed telling me to be home by four in the afternoon before he hung up. "Yes, he said it's fine, I need to be home for four pm, even though he is staying in the trailer tonight, so I'm home alone, again." I sighed frustratedly as Wes rubbed my back, driving in the direction of his house.

"Well, I can ask my mom if you can sleepover, explain the situation, if it's okay with your dad, or you know you can always stay at Chad and Mindy's place, Mrs Meeks-Martin loves you." Wes smiled as he texted his mom, I raised an eyebrow at him.

He cocked one up back at me, an inquisitive expression on his face. "The goody-goody son of the sheriff, texting and driving. Someone call his mommy." I laughed as he playfully punched me lightly in the shoulder.

Around ten minutes later we arrived at the Hicks' residence as Judy came outside at the sound of the car's engine. "Hey sheriff Hicks." I smiled politely as Wes helped me into the wheelchair again.

"Alexandria, how many times do I have to tell you, when I'm off duty, it's Judy to you, none of the sheriff nonsense. You're family, and maybe you two will give me some grandbabies one day." She laughed as she held the door open for us. "I'm okay with you staying over tonight, as long as there is no funny business under this roof, as long as your dad is too." Judy explained as she and Wes helped me onto the couch and collapsed the wheelchair.

"You look a lot better than when I last saw you." I smirked sarcastically.

"Yeah, not being covered in blood nor having a knife in you will do that. I look a new woman." I laughed as Wes played with my hair, knowing it helped me to relax when I was tense and nervous.

Wes handed me my phone to call my dad once more to see about sleeping over, instead of being home alone. "Hey dad, it's me again. I was wondering if I could sleep round Wes' tonight. Judy has said it's okay as long as you're happy with it." I explained, fiddling with the promise ring on my finger, that Wes gave me when we were fourteen.

"Lexi, you have a perfectly comfortable and safe bed at the apartment." He countered as I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Yeah I do, but it doesn't feel safe. Two days ago I almost died in that apartment, and I am not ready to be alone there yet. And since you decided to abandon me to sleep in that shabby trailer, I want to be with people, where I feel safe." I argued anger coating my words as my tone turned cold, Wes massaging my shoulders to calm me down slightly, knowing I was tense with the situation.

"Fine, but I did not abandon you. You are seventeen, almost eighteen, you can handle living on your own, and I am only five minutes away." He sounded annoyed and irritated at my comments before he hung up on me, I gave the okay sign to Wes as he put on my favourite movie, the final destination.

"Hey, babe. Can we not watch anything scary tonight? What about a comedy instead? I just can't watch people die right now, I'm sorry." I sighed, covering my eyes as the images on screen brought back horrific memories from two nights prior.

Wes nodded and apologised profusely as he quickly changed the film to my favourite comfort movie, Grown Ups, it always made me laugh. Adam Sandler and Kevin Heart were my favourite actors growing up, the film always sending me to sleep with a smile on my face.

"You know me so well Wes Hicks." I smiled, snuggling into his side, resting my head on his chest as he pressed a loving kiss to my forehead, knotting his hand in my hair. "I love you." I mumbled as he pulled a blanket up to my chin before focusing his attention to the film on the television set.

Not even fifteen minutes into the movie my phone rang, making me jump and then wince straight after as the jerking movement pulled at my stitches. "Who is it?" Wes asked, taking the phone from my shaking hands as I took deep breaths.

He answered the phone for me as I tried to calm myself down and slow my breathing. Beads of sweat collected on my forehead, Wes noticed my current state and rubbed slow and soothing circles into the small of my back as he spoke with the person. "Hey Mindy, yeah she's okay. We'll see you guys there in a few." I raised an eyebrow in confusion wondering where we were going and why.

When he hung up the phone he slowly sat me up and helped me into the wheelchair. "We're going out to corner pocket with the group. Do you want to get changed into some of the clothes you keep here?" He asked as he kissed me, I nodded and leant further into the kiss, deepening it as his hands explored my body.

Wes brought my clothes out from his room and wheeled me into the bathroom, waiting outside as I changed. It took a while for me to sort myself out due to the increased amount of pain when moving.

Wes laughed at my panda bag and pushed me to his car and helped me into it once more. I texted my dad where we were going and for how long for, promising to tell him when we left and when we got home and if we were going anywhere else.

"How long are we going for?" I asked slightly agitated and worried, but pushing through for Wes and our friends.