Discharged
Alessia was at the hospital nearly half an hour before visiting hours even started, sitting stiffly in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs outside the ward, a bag full of things she thought Leah might need clutched tightly in her lap. Clothes, toiletries, snacks.
Ella had left early for training, and though Alessia had understood, it didn’t make her absence any easier. They’d promised to FaceTime later, but for now, Alessia was alone with nothing but her thoughts.
And her thoughts were all over the place. About Leah. About the kiss. About how not even a month ago, the idea of doing something like that had seemed impossible. But now?Now, she wanted to do it again.
Fear still lingered. It always did. But there was no regret. No immediate need to take it back or pretend it hadn’t happened. The shame, the self-doubt, the uncertainty…it was there, but quieter now.
She thought about how Leah was going to cope over the next few months without football, about how long it would take for her to heal, both physically and mentally. A car accident wasn’t something anyone just bounced back from. Her mind ran in endless circles until, finally, visiting hours started, and she was buzzed in.
Leah was already awake when Alessia stepped into the ward, sitting up in bed, arms crossed over her chest, looking…grumpy.
Alessia bit back a small smile.
The dressing on Leah’s head was gone now, leaving a row of neat, dark stitches running from her hairline to just above her ear. Alessia stared at them for a little too long, something tight settling in her chest. Leah must have noticed because she suddenly turned her head, meeting Alessia’s gaze with raised eyebrows.
Alessia flushed, quickly stepping forward, holding out the bag like an offering. “Brought you some stuff.”
Leah’s lips twitched as she gestured for Alessia to set it on the chair beside the bed. “You been stress-packing, Less?”
Alessia rolled her eyes but couldn’t fight the small smile tugging at her lips. “Shut up.”
Leah hummed, eyes flicking between the bag and Alessia before she held out her arms expectantly.
Alessia didn’t hesitate. She stepped forward, letting Leah pull her into a hug as she perched carefully on the edge of the bed.
Burying her face into Leah’s neck, she inhaled deeply, the faint scent of shampoo making her stomach flip. She knew that smell -had used Leah’s shower the night before. The thought made her cheeks burn, but she pushed it aside, letting herself sink into the warmth of Leah’s embrace.
After a moment, she pulled away slightly, hesitating only a second before pressing a kiss to Leah’s cheek. Leah stilled beneath her. When Alessia pulled back, Leah was staring at her, eyes wide, cheeks dusted pink. Alessia bit her lip.
Leah cleared her throat, a slow smile tugging at her lips. “Good job you brought that bag,” she said lightly. “I’ve been cleared to go home today.”
Alessia blinked, still focused on the blush creeping up Leah’s neck. It took a moment for the words to register, and when they did, she felt her own face heat.
Leah smirked, clearly amused. “You gonna say something, or just keep staring?”
Alessia quickly looked away, fingers twitching against the blanket. “Shut up.”
Leah chuckled, reaching out to squeeze Alessia’s knee. “Never.”
Alessia rolled her eyes, but there was no real bite to it.
Leah squeezed her knee again. “You alright?”
Alessia swallowed, nodding as she stood. “Yeah. Just…gonna go check when you’re actually allowed to leave.”
Leah tilted her head. “Less-“
But Alessia was already making her way to the door, ignoring the knowing look on Leah’s face. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Leah didn’t call after her, just watched her go. And as Alessia stepped out of the room, her heart hammering against her ribs, she wasn’t entirely sure whether she was running away or just trying to catch her breath. She forced herself not to think about it too much as she heads towards the nurses desk.
Turns out, Leah was already in the process of being discharged by the time Alessia made it there. The paperwork had been signed, all ready to go, and Alessia took it with a quiet nod of thanks before making her way back to Leah’s room.
As she stepped inside, she found Leah rummaging through the bag she’d brought, her brow furrowed in concentration. The clothes were already laid out on the bed next to her. Shorts, because they were the easiest thing to get over her cast, and an oversized hoodie, baggy enough that putting it on wouldn’t jostle her ribs too much.
Leah looked up as Alessia entered, her lips twitching.
Alessia held up the paperwork. “Looks like I’m officially breaking you out of here.”
It wasn’t really a funny joke. But Leah laughed anyway, shaking her head, and Alessia’s stomach twisted with something she wasn’t entirely sure she could name.
Leah’s laughter faded into a quiet sigh as she glanced down at her clothes, her expression shifting. “Alright, Less. You gonna help me or just stand there lookin’ pretty?”
Alessia rolled her eyes, but her cheeks warmed anyway. “You’re impossible.”
Leah grinned, but Alessia could see the exhaustion in her eyes, the way she was trying to hide just how much pain she was in.
“Alright, come on,” Alessia murmured, stepping closer.
She helped Leah shift around until her legs dangled over the side of the bed, then crouched in front of her, hands gentle as she guided Leah’s feet through the holes of her shorts. Leah braced herself on Alessia’s shoulders, fingers gripping a little tighter when she shakily stood. Alessia grabbed the waist band of the shorts and tugged them up and over Leah’s behind until they sat on her hips. She then placed her hands beneath Leah’s armpits, supporting a good amount of her weight as she lowered herself back to the bed.
Leah exhaled sharply as she landed back on the mattress. “Jesus, feel like I just ran sprints.”
Alessia bit back a smile. “Maybe if you behaved, you wouldn’t have to work so hard.”
Leah shot her a look. “Behaved? What am I, five?”
“Act like it sometimes,” Alessia muttered under her breath, but the amusement in Leah’s eyes told her she’d heard it anyway.
The hoodie was next. Alessia helped Leah slide her arms out of the hospital gown, doing her best to keep her gaze averted. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen Leah shirtless before. Shared changing rooms made sure of that. But it felt different now, now that the knowledge of what was between them was out in the open. She cleared her throat, grabbing the hoodie and stretching the neck hole as much as she could before sliding it over Leah’s head, careful to mind the stitches. Leah winced as she slides her arms into the sleeves, and Alessia apologised quietly as she pulled the material down over her torso, ensuring it sat comfortably.
She crouched again, sliding a sock onto Leah’s good foot, then sighed as she sat back on her heels. “Alright, you’re decent.”
Leah smirked. “You know, you didn’t have to try so hard not to look.”
Alessia’s cheeks flamed. “Shut up.”
Leah just laughed, reaching up to poke Alessia’s cheek, clearly amused by the intense flush staining her skin. Alessia swatted her hand away, grabbing a hair tie from Leah’s bag before stepping behind her and carefully gathering her messy blonde hair into a bun. Just as she finished, the door creaked open, and a nurse wheeled in a chair.
Leah immediately groaned. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
“Hospital policy,” the nurse said with a sympathetic smile.
“I can use the crutches,” Leah argued. “I’ll be fine.”
Alessia arched an eyebrow. “Leah, get in the chair.”
“I don’t-“
“Get in the chair, or I leave you here,” Alessia said, folding her arms.
Leah’s mouth snapped shut. She pouted for a second, glancing between the wheelchair and Alessia, before sighing dramatically. “You’re a bully.”
Alessia fought back a smile. “And yet you still like me.”
Leah narrowed her eyes, but the slight blush creeping up her neck betrayed her. “Not the point.”
“Sure it’s not.”
Leah huffed, but she let both Alessia and the nurse help her into the wheelchair, settling her broken leg onto the support. The nurse draped a blanket over her bare legs, and Leah immediately tried to kick it off, only for Alessia to shoot her a warning glare.
Leah grumbled under her breath but left it alone, arms crossing tightly over her chest as she slumped back in the chair. Alessia reached out, smoothing a hand over the back of her head before grabbing the bag of Leah’s things and following the nurse out of the room.
Leah muttered something about how ridiculous this was, but Alessia just squeezed her shoulder.
“Let’s go home, drama queen.”
As turned out, getting Leah into the car was a nightmare.
The Mercedes was spacious, sure, but not when it came to accommodating a full-leg cast and a bunch of broken ribs. Every shift, every tiny movement, jostled Leah’s body in a way that had her wincing, lips pressed tightly together to keep from making a sound. Alessia hated it. Hated that she was hurting, hated that there was nothing she could do to make this easier. But, eventually, they managed it -Leah leaning against the seat, panting slightly from exertion, and Alessia crouched beside her, hands still hovering as if she could will away the pain.
“You good?” Alessia asked softly.
Leah cracked open one eye, giving her a look that clearly said, Do I look good?
Alessia huffed a quiet laugh, reaching for Leah’s seatbelt. “Yeah, alright. Stupid question.”
Leah smirked but let Alessia buckle her in, her head falling back against the headrest as she exhaled deeply.
The drive home was mostly quiet. Leah kept her eyes closed for most of it, and Alessia was content to let her rest, glancing over every now and then to make sure she was still comfortable. She pulled up outside the house, turning off the engine before reaching for her seatbelt.
“Alright,” she said, looking over at Leah. “Let’s get you inside.”
Leah hummed, but her eyes remained closed. Alessia climbed out first, making sure the wheelchair was inside before heading back out to help Leah. But, of course, Leah being Leah, she wasn’t waiting for her.
“Leah!” Alessia practically sprinted over to her, eyes wide as she caught sight of Leah already halfway out of the car. “You are unbelievable.”
Leah grinned, clearly unbothered by the scolding. “What, you were taking too long.”
“You’re the most stubborn person I’ve ever met, you know that?” Alessia muttered, wrapping an arm around Leah’s waist, steadying her.
Leah hummed again, leaning into her slightly, which did nothing to calm the frantic pounding of Alessia’s heart.
Alessia exhaled through her nose, then bent down, sliding one arm behind Leah’s back -carefully, mindful of her ribs- and the other beneath her knees. She looked up at Leah, eyebrow raised.
Leah met her gaze, biting her bottom lip softly before nodding, her arm lifting -shaky, but deliberate- to loop around Alessia’s neck.
“Alright,” Alessia murmured, and then she was lifting Leah into her arms, heart hammering at the way Leah instinctively curled into her.
Leah tensed at first, breath hitching in obvious pain, and Alessia immediately felt guilty, murmuring an apology as she adjusted her grip to be as gentle as possible. Slowly, Leah’s body relaxed against her own, her head resting lightly against Alessia’s shoulder, warm breath fanning against her collarbone.
Alessia swallowed hard, pushing the thought away.
She carried Leah into the house, mindful of every step, every tiny movement that could cause her even an ounce of discomfort. And the whole time, the weight of her in Alessia’s arms -solid and warm and real- felt…surreal. She wasn’t heavy, not really, and it was effortless, the way she fit against Alessia’s chest.
She didn’t think too hard about that. When they finally made it inside, Alessia eased Leah down onto the L-shaped couch, keeping her grip firm until she was certain Leah was settled.
Leah visibly relaxed the moment she was off her feet, her body sinking into the cushions as she let out a quiet sigh. Alessia breathed a quiet one of her own, then grabbed a pillow, sliding it beneath Leah’s cast to keep her leg elevated.
“Hang on,” Alessia murmured, already halfway to Leah’s bedroom before Leah could respond.
She returned a moment later with two pillows, placing them on either side of Leah’s ribs for extra support. Leah made a quiet noise of appreciation, and Alessia barely gave herself a second to be relieved before she was grabbing a blanket, carefully tucking it around her.
Leah let her fuss, amusement flickering in her tired eyes.
Then, Alessia disappeared into the kitchen, returning with Leah’s pain meds and a glass of water. She watched as Leah took them, making sure she swallowed them properly before nodding to herself and heading back to the kitchen to make food.
She settled on a pizza, throwing it into the oven before returning to the living room.
The moment she sat back down on the edge of the couch, she was fussing again, fingers adjusting the blanket around Leah’s legs as if it wasn’t already fine.
Leah watched her, fond and exasperated, before reaching out and capturing Alessia’s hand in her own, stilling it.
Alessia froze, breath catching in her throat as she looked up, wide-eyed.
Leah squeezed her fingers lightly. “Less. I’m okay.”
Alessia parted her lips, clearly ready to argue, but Leah shook her head before she could.
“I mean it,” Leah said softly. “I’m okay. Right now, I’m fine. And all I want is for you to sit with me.”
Alessia’s eyes grew shiny, but Leah didn’t acknowledge it, just squeezed her hand again and waited.
When Alessia still hesitated, worry flickering in her expression, Leah sighed and tilted her head slightly, voice dipping into something softer. “Baby, please.”
Alessia melted immediately.
Leah would have laughed at just how quickly she complied if she didn’t look so upset. Instead, she simply guided Alessia down beside her, watching as she curled herself into the corner of the couch, her fingers still held lightly in Leah’s own.
Leah squeezed again. Alessia squeezed back.
And then, finally, she relaxed.