Adopted by Phan

Chapter 116- Alt. Ending 2 Part 2

Dan's P.O.V.

I groaned. I didn't want to wake up, I didn't want to have to go back to my living nightmare that was the hospital room with Jay still in a hospital bed in it. I squinted my eyes, attempting to roll over onto my side but yelped when I tumbled out of the chair I was sitting in and onto the floor.

I heard quiet laughter from Phil and I turned my head, glaring at him through lidded eyes.

"Mornin' Dan." I sighed and opened my eyes, squinting at the bright light streaming in through the blind next to me.

"Whoever decided to open the freaking blind is an ass." I heard a tiny giggle and I smiled to myself. Jay was awake.

She had come out of the coma just over a week ago now and was getting better and better with each passing day. There were still some concerns, she didn't seem to remember anything leading up to her attempt for at least a few days before but according to the doctors it could be temporary or it could be permanent.

Nothing else seemed to have changed, other than the fact that she was down for the count physically. The nurse said that she wasn't to move around at all for at least another week and that included sitting up or moving anything below her shoulders in case it aggravated her spine, which had been mildly injured but it wasn't too bad.

Jay seemed to be doing okay though.

She seemed to be spending a lot more time with Phoenix, as he was a comfort for her to hold, to let her know that everything was okay. He didn't mind at all, to the contrary he loved it, spending more time flailing his arms around a cracking tiny smiles as Jay held him.

It was nice to see the two of them happy, so I wasn't going to complain.

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Going home from the hospital was one of the best experiences of my life. Jay, having been in and out of hospital for at least three stays and god knows how many visits was silent when we left, but her eyes showed relief because she was finally get out of that damned place.

And hopefully, we weren't going back.

She hadn't spoken about it, we didn't even know if she remembered what had happened yet but we were pretty sure she did, even if she didn't know the exact details.

Phoenix continued to sleep most of the time, waking up only for food, cuddles or a nappy change but on rare occasions he would just watch us silently, smiling sometimes and watching our behaviour. Jay adored him and it distracted her from everything else so we let her take care of him during the day, taking over his care at night so she got enough sleep.

There was no mention of her going back to school just yet, we weren't going to mention it for at least another few weeks so she could settle back down into a rhythm and hopefully, maybe, finally talk to us or someone else about what was going on in her head.

At home Jay spent most of her time curled up on the couch, eyes closed and only moving when Phoenix started to cry. She mostly ignored the food we gave her, occasionally taking a mouthful but only when we prompted her and drinking only when we handed her something directly.

It took her a few days before she started to stir herself into somewhat of a normal rhythm, getting up at the same time each morning, breakfast at the same time, lunch at the same time, dinner at the same time and she went to bed at the same time.

It was better than what she had been, numb and almost unable to move, but it wasn't her anymore. Phil and I knew we would never get her back fully, she would never recover from what had happened but goddamn we would try our hardest to bring her back. I couldn't lose her again.

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When Anais came around for the first time since she had left the hospital, something changed in her. For the first time in weeks she lit up like a lightbulb and then she was smiling, even letting out little snippets of choked laughter as Anais rambled on about her week and her time at school.

Anais ignored everything that had happened and talked to her like nothing had changed, never bringing it up or even brushing over the subject in general. It was amazing to see her come to life, occasionally butting into the conversation with an opinion of her own, talking for the first time in days.

When Jay went upstairs to go to the bathroom and left Anais alone with us, she spoke up.

"I know she's never really going to come back, but I'm going to give her all I can to try anyway." Phil nodded.

"You give her something we can't. She doesn't smile like that around us anymore." She pulled at her headscarf, this one a dull purple that sort of melted into the brown couch behind her.

"She's a great friend you know, she's going to go places someday." I froze when I heard Jay's heavy yet unsteady footsteps coming down the hall, still unused to the prosthetic that she wore most of the time now. Her walk was awkward, she couldn't bend one of her knees so I didn't blame her.

When she came back into the room she made a beeline for the couch Anais was on, curling into her side with her chin resting on Anais's chest. My throat seized, it reminded me too much of when she used to do that with us when she was upset or simply wanted company. I wanted to cry.

Anais was whispering to Jay, neither Phil or I could hear what she was saying from where we were sitting, but I assumed it was something comforting because Jay nodded and closed her eyes, her hands curled into fists. She spoke up again, louder this time.

"Do you want to do it?" She was still speaking to Jay but it was loud enough that both Phil and I could hear, and he furrowed his eyebrows, glancing at me. Jay nodded.

"I don't know if this is the greatest time, but-" Anais paused, looking down at Jay to make sure that it was okay to continue. "We're together. As a couple."

I felt a grin spread over my face, elation filling me from head to toe. I mean, it definitely explained a lot about why they were so close and their bond. Phil spoke first.

"I'm glad you could tell us." He looked over at me, also smiling. "And congratulations too."

There was a shy smile from Jay, from where she was buried in Anais's side, the end of her headscarf covering the top of her head and most of her body hidden from our view.

I hoped this was the beginning of something beautiful.