Salubrious (Jason McCann)

Chapter 18

"No, I haven't talked or seen her eyes in fifteen days! That's three hundred and sixty hours, one thousands, and four hundred and forty minutes, and a million and something seconds. So no, I will not calm down." I huff, running my hands through my tousled blonde hair.

"Wow." Doctor Barns blew out a breath, taking my seat he was offering me. "How did you even- and stay calm all while saying it all? Hell, let him see her." He rubbed his face, while everyone burst out in fits of laughter.

The two nurses let me go, giving me a clear okay to see my baby, my little Q-tip. I shyly walk over to her bed, seeing her look at me with a slightly widened mouth. I reach my hand out, closing her mouth for her. I went to remove my hand from her chin, but she grasps it in her own dainty pale hand, placing several small pecks against my rough one. Then again, my stupid waterworks came for a visit.

"Oh Jason, please don't cry. Please don't cry anymore." She speaks through her pained expression, pulling me closer to her. "I-I can't stop." I sniffle in the crook of her neck, feeling her rub my back soothingly.

"I-I missed you so much." I whisper, clinging onto her for dear life. "I missed you too." She mumbles in my neck as well, still caressing my back.

"I'm still caught up on your fiancé knowing how many hours, minutes, and seconds fifteen days were." Doctor Barns announces, making me and Mal chuckle. "I'm pretty good with numbers. Uh, figuring out stuff that involves numbers and equations is pretty easy to me." I speak shyly, blushing as Malarie stare at me in awe.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I hide my face in the crook of her neck again. I hear several chuckles around me, only causing me to bury my face even deeper into her neck. If that's even possible.

"So you can tell who's in charge of all of our finances." Malarie speaks up, still with her hoarse filled voice. All while rubbing the nape of my neck. "Heck yeah I can see who takes care of them all." Doctor Barns sounds even more surprised.

"Wow, all I can say is wow. But anyway, let's check you out, shall we?" His voice now serious, as I hear his footsteps sound against the flooring. "Yes." She croaks, holding onto me tighter than ever.

Why does she sound like that? And why is she holding me so tightly?.

:::

"So what y-you are telling me, is that she's paralyzed? Like she can't walk anymore." I shake my head not believing anything the Doctor had told me. "Jason-" He starts, but I hold up my hand, shaking my head.

"She can't walk, Doctor. We have kids to raise together, she has to walk down the aisle to me. I can't have her wheeling herself down the aisle." I speak my mind, hearing Mal and Doctor Barns both laughing at my seriousness. "This is so not funny, babe. You're paralyzed from the waist down." I pout, taking a seat on my chair, placing my head in my hands.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry." Malarie lightly giggles, rubbing my leg. "But it's a little funny how you're over exaggerating my condition. Jason, I'm not paralyzed- I mean I am, but it's only temporary. I'll get better, please don't stress yourself." She speaks calmly through her breathing mask, leaving all her giggles and laughs away for our serious moment.

"M-Mal, how can you be so calm and collect about all of this? I'm literally freaking out here. Doctor, did she get amnesia, too? I know she listens to that song a lot, so maybe she got it somehow." I look to Doctor Barns, seeing him hide a laugh, shaking his head.

"No, Mr. McCann, she doesn't have amnesia. For the song, maybe she just likes it. But back to her health, she just has temporal paralysis. Yes, she is still paralyzed from the waist down, but in a couple of weeks it should be gone. And if it isn't, we can give it another week or two." I place my head in my hands, still not convinced by all this new found information. "What if we wait for another week, a-and a another week after that, and she's still paralyzed, huh? What's going to happen then, Doctor Barns?" I sit my head up, letting a lone tear fall out my eye.