A New Beginning (Jai Courtney Fan Fiction)

Part 23

Voices--muffled voices filled his ears as he drifted in and out of consciousness. He recognized their tones. The brisk demands that can only be from Karen.  Chris with his short but to the point replies.  Strained murmurs from his sister, Jess as she struggled to keep tears at bay.  He recognized Eric's soothing Irish lilt as he tried to comfort her.  His friends voices were in and out as well. Then there was Rae's.  Her soft, soothing voice filled his head and heart the most, it was the closest to him, indicating that she never left his side.  There were moments of light hearted laughter around him, and moments of worry that weighed heavy in the air.

Some time later, he felt a slight pressure on his left side and on his chest, the warmth of it comforted him. But he was curious as to what it was.  Slowly he opened his eyes, blinking several times to clear his vision.  The room was full of shadows, there was a small wall lamp above him, it's soft light casted a soft glow over the bed. It was quiet except for the beeping of the heart monitor.  He heard soft breathing next to him.  Little by little, he could see as he glanced down at Rae. She was sleeping on the hospital bed beside him, her warmth seeping into his body. Her left hand rested on his bare chest. His family must have figured he would have prefered it that way. The engagement ring fit her finger like it was meant to be there.  It glittered in the faint light as his chest rose and fell.

He wanted so badly to touch her, to hold her. Gently he lifted his right hand so he could brush it over her hair, but winced as a sharp pain shot through his chest.  Then, his memory came back. He had been shot. Twice.

Rae stirred next to him. She lifted her head, her eyes heavy with sleep, they looked up at him.  They were heavy from exhaustion and worry with dark circles bruised underneath.  But they lit up and smiled at him. He felt his heart skip a beat.

"Hey, sleepyhead."  She smiled at him, lifting herself up to her elbow. She gasped and held her side.  He noticed her torso was wrapped.

"You're hurt."  His throat was sore, his voice rough. He lifted his other hand and rested it on her back. His fingers ran over the material.

"My ribs were broken, but they're healing."  She reached her left hand and ran it over his forehead.  "You're still warm."  She murmured.  "How do you feel?"

He coughed.  That hurt like a bitch.  "Pretty sore. My chest burns, but my side hurts the most. The morphine is helping a little. How long have I been here?"

"Almost a week. They had to give you a--a blood transfusion."  Her eyes welled up. She closed them so the tears wouldn't fall but she couldn't stop them.

"Hey." He said softly and lifted his other hand, fought through the pain gnawing at his chest, to wipe her cheek with his thumb. She pressed her face into his palm.

The hours and days of waiting and praying for him to wake crashed down on her.  "There was so much blood.  I tried to stop the bleeding, but there was too much. I thought I lost you. You weren't breathing, Jai. I couldn't feel your pulse."

The words tumbled out of her so fast she couldn't catch her breath.  He stroked her hair.  "I'm here,"  Her sobs tore at his heart. "I'm here."

Rae sniffled and ran her hand through his hair.  "Thank God Tom, Josh and Rachel stopped by. They saw the blood on the kitchen floor and saw me running up the boardwalk to call for help. I didn't want to leave you--"

Jai lowered her mouth to his and kissed her softly. Her heart poured out of her and into him. She tried not to put anymore weight on his chest but he pulled her close anyway.

A knock on the door made her jump. As quickly as her side would let her, she sat up and slid off the bed, knowing the doctor would want to take a look at him  The door opened and the doctor walked in with his clipboard, followed by his parents and Jess.