Categories > Celebrities > Guns n' Roses > Dying in the Waltz
Author's note: So sorry for the gap in the update, I try to do weekly updates but sometimes life gets in the way. My fiancé and I just moved into an apartment and life has been sort of crazy with all the moving and what not. More chapters to come this week, I promise!
Chapter 12: Wake Up
For hours, Axl sat and stared into space as he listened to silence only broken by the sounds of the various medical machines working to keep Stella alive. He only glanced up to acknowledge Beta’s presence as she entered the room.
Retelling the events of what happened to Stella as according to the doctors and the police was one of the most painful things Axl had ever had to do. He’d done all he could to remain composed and calm as he told Beta but had ultimately failed. There were no words to describe the pain Axl felt and the helplessness that accompanied it. He’d been so close to having it all, only to have it ripped away from him.
“We’re going to get to the bottom of this, Axl.” Beta had promised as she watched Axl take hold of Stella’s hand. Her heart ached for the couple, she wished they would be allowed the happiness they deserved and silently cursed the universe for bringing so much pain into their lives.
It wasn’t until a week later when Axl was on the phone with police and private detectives hoping to find the person responsible for the death of his child and the injuries Stella sustained that something miraculous happened. He had everyone he knew looking for answers. When Axl was beginning to think that the day might be as hopeless and unprogressive as the last day…Stella woke up.
She woke with a start, a loud gasp filling the room as her green eyes shot open, the sound pulling Axl from his thoughts.
“Stella?!” He couldn’t believe it, he hadn’t expected her to ever wake up.
It wasn’t long before doctors and nurses were in the room taking vitals and removing the breathing tube. Once it had been declared that Stella was in the clear, Axl thanked the doctors and saw them out before turning to Stella.
“Thank god you’re alive…I thought I had lost you.” He admitted with a shaky voice, moving slowly to sit in the chair next to the bed and take her hand.
“The baby’s gone.” Was all Stella said, monotone and emotionless.
“They said your body went into shock and the baby died…That fucking monster, I’m going to find who the fuck did this to you.” Axl promised, kissing her hand. It was unlike Stella to be so emotionless, so tuned out from the world.
Stella didn’t respond verbally, only nodded and rested her hand over her stomach where the baby bump she’d once loved so was now gone. She had been unconscious for several days now, beaten at least a week ago. She looked to Axl who was so desperately trying to hold in his tears and wondered briefly why she wasn’t upset. Her baby…Their baby was gone and she felt nothing.
“Are you okay?” Axl questioned softly as his hand squeezed hers, pulling her from her own thoughts and pulling her back into the awful reality that was now her life.
“Yes.” She said, just above a whisper. Why wasn’t she feeling anything?!
“Are you sure?” Axl pushed a little more, needing some form of reaction from her.
“I said I’m okay.” She snapped harsher than she’d intended to, her green eyes finding his. “I’m just…hurting.”
“Try to get some more rest.” Axl spoke quietly and kissed her hand gently.
Stella nodded and turned to her side, body aching from the lack of movement, the pain of her broken ribs, and the pain of her broken body. She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath, fingers gripping the sheets of the hospital bed. She was safe now, she knew that. So why did she feel like she was still in danger?
It wasn’t until a nurse came in to push more morphine in her IV that she found herself relaxing and slipping back into a comfortable and numb sleep.
When she woke, Axl was there and sleeping in the chair he’d been in when she had gone to sleep. The pain was still there but it was a dull ache and wasn’t nearly as awful as it had been. Stella’s hand gently squeezed the older male’s hand as she shifted in bed.
“He hasn’t moved since you got here.” Beta said as she entered the room and moved to press a motherly kiss to Stella’s head.
“Why not?” Stella frowned and turned her gaze to her. “I’m sure he’s gotten tired of sitting and watching me sleep.”
“He’s been worried for you. I don’t think he could have handled losing you.” Beta spoke quietly as she stood next to the bed.
“He’s okay though…Right?” Stella questioned softly.
“I’m honestly not sure…Though I could ask the same about you. I heard your reaction to the loss of the baby when you came to. It was quite worrying for him as he’s been so open emotionally about the pain he’s feeling. Typically, it’s you who is open and him who is closed off.”
“I actually knew before I lost consciousness…I could feel it when he was kicking me in the ribs and stomach.” She blinked back the tears. “I just really don’t want to talk about it.”
“You need to talk to him about it, remain open with him no matter what.” Beta advised before glancing to Axl as he shifted in his sleep. “Don’t forget that he’s in pain too.”
“I won’t…I’ll talk when I’m ready.” She said and closed her eyes as she sighed, trying to ignore the dull aching of her ribs that was becoming more and more intense.
“I’ll leave you to rest, tell Axl I stopped by and told you to tell him he better gets an actual night’s sleep.”
“I will.” Stella managed a smile.
________________________________________________
The next few days in the hospital seemed to go by rather quickly and soon enough, Stella was given permission to go home. Axl had spent most of the day on the phone with various employees trying to ensure that all went smoothly upon Stella’s arrival back home while Stella had spent most of her time staring out the window lost in her thoughts, something Axl had noticed she seemed to do a lot of lately. Their relationship had taken a rather odd turn since they’d been reunited. Stella avoided talking about the events leading up to her kidnapping and avoided the discussion of her feelings regarding the loss of their child. This worried Axl though he knew better than to state such a thing out loud, worried Stella might take it in the wrong fashion. This staring continued through the car ride to their Malibu mansion right up until the car stopped.
“Welcome home, Stella.” Axl said as he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.
“Thank you, Axl.” She smiled softly and squeezed his hand before opening the door of the car and stepping out from the backseat.
“Let’s get you inside to rest.” Axl said as he too got out of the car and took her hand.
“I’m fine, Axl.” She said as she tugged her hand from his grip and headed towards the home. She was walking strongly until she opened the door and saw the room where it had all begun. Suddenly the air felt like it had been sucked out of her lungs, her eyes burned with tears, panic rose in her. She was having a full-blown panic attack before Axl had even managed to take the five steps forward that separated them.
“Stella, I’m right here. You’re safe, I promise.” Axl was at her side in an instant, his heart breaking when she looked at him with wide and terrified eyes. “It’s okay.” He said softly, his hand gently cupping her cheek.
And that was all it took, Stella found herself being pulled back into reality and back into the arms of the man she loved. This was the only thing she was certain of, the only thing she could trust. She was soon calming down, feeling the warmth of his embrace.
“I-I don’t know what happened.” Stella tried to find her voice, though when she spoke it came out far smaller than she’d intended.
“I shouldn’t have brought you back here…Where it all began.” He said as he smoothed her hair back. “What do you say we leave? Go somewhere else? Anywhere else?”
“I can’t keep running away from my problems.” Stella shook her head as she pulled back, lacing their fingers as she did so, and headed inside. He walked with her up the stairs and into their bedroom, quietly reassuring her that he would never let anything happen to her.
Their lives had changed, whether they wanted to admit it or not. There was not going back from this one and there was no forgetting.
Chapter 12: Wake Up
For hours, Axl sat and stared into space as he listened to silence only broken by the sounds of the various medical machines working to keep Stella alive. He only glanced up to acknowledge Beta’s presence as she entered the room.
Retelling the events of what happened to Stella as according to the doctors and the police was one of the most painful things Axl had ever had to do. He’d done all he could to remain composed and calm as he told Beta but had ultimately failed. There were no words to describe the pain Axl felt and the helplessness that accompanied it. He’d been so close to having it all, only to have it ripped away from him.
“We’re going to get to the bottom of this, Axl.” Beta had promised as she watched Axl take hold of Stella’s hand. Her heart ached for the couple, she wished they would be allowed the happiness they deserved and silently cursed the universe for bringing so much pain into their lives.
It wasn’t until a week later when Axl was on the phone with police and private detectives hoping to find the person responsible for the death of his child and the injuries Stella sustained that something miraculous happened. He had everyone he knew looking for answers. When Axl was beginning to think that the day might be as hopeless and unprogressive as the last day…Stella woke up.
She woke with a start, a loud gasp filling the room as her green eyes shot open, the sound pulling Axl from his thoughts.
“Stella?!” He couldn’t believe it, he hadn’t expected her to ever wake up.
It wasn’t long before doctors and nurses were in the room taking vitals and removing the breathing tube. Once it had been declared that Stella was in the clear, Axl thanked the doctors and saw them out before turning to Stella.
“Thank god you’re alive…I thought I had lost you.” He admitted with a shaky voice, moving slowly to sit in the chair next to the bed and take her hand.
“The baby’s gone.” Was all Stella said, monotone and emotionless.
“They said your body went into shock and the baby died…That fucking monster, I’m going to find who the fuck did this to you.” Axl promised, kissing her hand. It was unlike Stella to be so emotionless, so tuned out from the world.
Stella didn’t respond verbally, only nodded and rested her hand over her stomach where the baby bump she’d once loved so was now gone. She had been unconscious for several days now, beaten at least a week ago. She looked to Axl who was so desperately trying to hold in his tears and wondered briefly why she wasn’t upset. Her baby…Their baby was gone and she felt nothing.
“Are you okay?” Axl questioned softly as his hand squeezed hers, pulling her from her own thoughts and pulling her back into the awful reality that was now her life.
“Yes.” She said, just above a whisper. Why wasn’t she feeling anything?!
“Are you sure?” Axl pushed a little more, needing some form of reaction from her.
“I said I’m okay.” She snapped harsher than she’d intended to, her green eyes finding his. “I’m just…hurting.”
“Try to get some more rest.” Axl spoke quietly and kissed her hand gently.
Stella nodded and turned to her side, body aching from the lack of movement, the pain of her broken ribs, and the pain of her broken body. She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath, fingers gripping the sheets of the hospital bed. She was safe now, she knew that. So why did she feel like she was still in danger?
It wasn’t until a nurse came in to push more morphine in her IV that she found herself relaxing and slipping back into a comfortable and numb sleep.
When she woke, Axl was there and sleeping in the chair he’d been in when she had gone to sleep. The pain was still there but it was a dull ache and wasn’t nearly as awful as it had been. Stella’s hand gently squeezed the older male’s hand as she shifted in bed.
“He hasn’t moved since you got here.” Beta said as she entered the room and moved to press a motherly kiss to Stella’s head.
“Why not?” Stella frowned and turned her gaze to her. “I’m sure he’s gotten tired of sitting and watching me sleep.”
“He’s been worried for you. I don’t think he could have handled losing you.” Beta spoke quietly as she stood next to the bed.
“He’s okay though…Right?” Stella questioned softly.
“I’m honestly not sure…Though I could ask the same about you. I heard your reaction to the loss of the baby when you came to. It was quite worrying for him as he’s been so open emotionally about the pain he’s feeling. Typically, it’s you who is open and him who is closed off.”
“I actually knew before I lost consciousness…I could feel it when he was kicking me in the ribs and stomach.” She blinked back the tears. “I just really don’t want to talk about it.”
“You need to talk to him about it, remain open with him no matter what.” Beta advised before glancing to Axl as he shifted in his sleep. “Don’t forget that he’s in pain too.”
“I won’t…I’ll talk when I’m ready.” She said and closed her eyes as she sighed, trying to ignore the dull aching of her ribs that was becoming more and more intense.
“I’ll leave you to rest, tell Axl I stopped by and told you to tell him he better gets an actual night’s sleep.”
“I will.” Stella managed a smile.
________________________________________________
The next few days in the hospital seemed to go by rather quickly and soon enough, Stella was given permission to go home. Axl had spent most of the day on the phone with various employees trying to ensure that all went smoothly upon Stella’s arrival back home while Stella had spent most of her time staring out the window lost in her thoughts, something Axl had noticed she seemed to do a lot of lately. Their relationship had taken a rather odd turn since they’d been reunited. Stella avoided talking about the events leading up to her kidnapping and avoided the discussion of her feelings regarding the loss of their child. This worried Axl though he knew better than to state such a thing out loud, worried Stella might take it in the wrong fashion. This staring continued through the car ride to their Malibu mansion right up until the car stopped.
“Welcome home, Stella.” Axl said as he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.
“Thank you, Axl.” She smiled softly and squeezed his hand before opening the door of the car and stepping out from the backseat.
“Let’s get you inside to rest.” Axl said as he too got out of the car and took her hand.
“I’m fine, Axl.” She said as she tugged her hand from his grip and headed towards the home. She was walking strongly until she opened the door and saw the room where it had all begun. Suddenly the air felt like it had been sucked out of her lungs, her eyes burned with tears, panic rose in her. She was having a full-blown panic attack before Axl had even managed to take the five steps forward that separated them.
“Stella, I’m right here. You’re safe, I promise.” Axl was at her side in an instant, his heart breaking when she looked at him with wide and terrified eyes. “It’s okay.” He said softly, his hand gently cupping her cheek.
And that was all it took, Stella found herself being pulled back into reality and back into the arms of the man she loved. This was the only thing she was certain of, the only thing she could trust. She was soon calming down, feeling the warmth of his embrace.
“I-I don’t know what happened.” Stella tried to find her voice, though when she spoke it came out far smaller than she’d intended.
“I shouldn’t have brought you back here…Where it all began.” He said as he smoothed her hair back. “What do you say we leave? Go somewhere else? Anywhere else?”
“I can’t keep running away from my problems.” Stella shook her head as she pulled back, lacing their fingers as she did so, and headed inside. He walked with her up the stairs and into their bedroom, quietly reassuring her that he would never let anything happen to her.
Their lives had changed, whether they wanted to admit it or not. There was not going back from this one and there was no forgetting.
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