Part Two - Chapter Fifteen: Need You Now

                                    

                                          
Cristiano blinked back tears as he stared at Alexa’s lifeless form, he couldn’t believe that it was her; she had been unconscious, it had been two weeks since she had been attacked and she hadn’t woken up yet. 
                          
Cristiano’s family had convinced him to stay in South Africa for a couple of weeks instead of racing home; Alexa would have wanted him to focus on playing instead of sitting around waiting for something to happen. 
                          
Her honey toned skin was as white as the sheets around her, she was covered in bruises and cuts; Cristiano slammed his fist into the wall making Katia jump as she stared at her younger brother. 
                          
“Who did this?” Cristiano asked looking at her sister, she shifted nervously knowing that the answer that she had for him wouldn’t be the one that he clearly wanted. 
                          
“They don’t know,” Katia said softly watching her brother, she knew that this wasn’t easy for him; she hated that he hadn’t been able to be here for Alexa when she needed him most. 
                          
Katia was the only member of the family that had wanted Cristiano to come home, she hated that Dolores had insisted he remained at the world cup and that Carlos Queiroz hadn’t allowed him to come home. 
                          
Cristiano cursed before looking back at his broken fiancée, he had done his best at the world cup for her and he didn’t even care that they had been knocked out in the round of sixteen; he would kill whoever had done this to her.
                          
“How bad is it?” Cristiano asked wanting to know the damage; they had refused to tell him over the phone worrying that he would take the first flight back without permission. 
                          
“Two fractured ribs… several more bruised… broken wrist… cuts, bruises… her brain is swollen, she’s in a coma,” Katia said not wanting to continue but Cristiano knew that there was more.
                          
“Katia?” Cristiano asked turning to face his sister, he knew that she didn’t want to tell him but she needed to; he needed to know how he was going to help Alexa get better when she woke up. 
                          
“She was raped Cris,” Katia whispered dropping the final blow, she knew it wasn’t easy but there was no denying what had happened; it was going to take time for Alexa to fully recover from what had happened.
                          
 Cristiano stared at her, he didn’t want to have heard her right, he didn’t want to believe her; Alexa meant everything to him and he hadn’t been there to protect her. 
                          
“You should have let me come home sooner,” Cristiano whispered sitting down, he was never coming to forgive himself for not coming home when the call had come in.
                          
Carlos had assured him that it wasn’t anything serious and now Cristiano could see that it was all a lie to keep him in South Africa with the team for the past two weeks. 
                          
Katia watched him sadly, she knew that he wouldn’t take this well; she hadn’t wanted to tell him but Alexa would need him. 
                          
“They say she should wake up soon,” Katia said trying to cheer her brother up but she knew the damage had been done; Cristiano nodded as he moved to sit next to Alexa. 
                          
The press were having a field day with this and the story of his son, his team-mates knew that this had affected his game and they didn’t blame him; they had pleaded with Carlos to allow Cristiano to come home but it hadn’t worked. 
                          
“Do you want some lunch?” Katia asked wondering when was the last time that he had eaten, the flight had been long and he had insisted on coming to see Alexa when he had landed. 
                          
“No obrigado,” Cristiano said taking Alexa’s hand and held it in his, pressing a kiss to her hand as tears started to fall; he would never forgive himself for letting this happen to her.