Charming In Handcuffs

Chapter 30: Who Are We Talking About?

James drove quietly, and almost too fast to the hospital. I would've yelled at him if he went over the speed limit. Out of all the things to worry about, I worry about the damn speed limit. Someone I love is in the hospital, I'll tell James to run every red light if I have to. But that would definitely be a problem if we were pulled over.

We made it to the hospital and Jack Sr. and Marie were waiting in the emergency waiting room. They were sitting together, Marie's head on his shoulder while he held onto her. I rushed to them and Marie lifted her head when she noticed me coming towards her, "Have you heard anything yet?" I asked as I took the seat next to her and James sat next to me.

She shook her head and rested it back against Jack Sr.'s shoulder. "He's still in surgery." She murmured.

I looked down at my hands and fumbled with my fingers nervously. Everything was moving slowly and I needed to know if he was going to be okay. I had no idea what I would do if I lost him right now.

Lose my mind.

But I'm not going to. He's going to be as good as new in just a couple of weeks. He's Jack, he has to...

I leaned forward and pressed the heels of my palms to my eyes. I don't want to cry in front of his parents. I don't want to make anything worse for Marie or Jack Sr. I sucked in a shaky breath until I gained a steady rhythm. I felt James's hand on my back, rubbing around in soothing circles.

I felt his breath on my ear when he leaned in and spoke, "Do you want me to leave and come back?"

"No, I would like you to stay." I mumbled. "If you want." I added quickly.

"I'm going to go get you some coffee. It's going to be a long night."

I did my best to nod and then his warmth was gone.

I couldn't think straight right now. I've never felt so...hollow. I wanted to help, but there's nothing I can do. I want to make sure he's okay and that he'll be okay. I felt useless in that moment.

James came back shortly with coffee. He handed one each to Jack's parents and one to me. I took the first sip, the liquid burning my throat slightly. James sat next to me again.

He was right about it being a long night. I couldn't sit still and James was falling asleep next to me. Soft snores sounded from Marie, saying she finally fell asleep. She needed the rest more than anything. I wanted to help ease her mind, but I was scared if I mentioned Jack's name, she would start crying again. So I snapped my mouth shut and finished my second coffee.

I didn't remember falling asleep until I felt James shift under me. I lifted my head from his shoulder and blinked the sleep from my eyes. I looked around and took in my surroundings again. It was early morning now and Marie and Jack Sr. were talking quietly beside me.

A doctor emerged into the waiting room and we all stood quickly. I stood a foot behind Jack Sr. and Marie, "How is he?" Marie asked, her voice still hoarse from crying all night.

"He made it through the surgery with no complications. The person that did this missed anything major going in through right above his hip. He did lose a lot of blood so we had to do a blood transfusion. We're going to keep a close on him for a few days and make sure everything is healing properly."

Marie smiled and twisted her hands together, "Can we see him?"

He nodded, "Family only until he wakes up. With the amount of blood he's lost, he could be asleep for a couple of days."