Whimpers coming from across the small apartment hallway pulled me from my sleep, and it took me a minute to realize that it was Jess. I jumped out of bed and ran into her room in record time, my heart falling to my stomach as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Baby, what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"
She shook her head, cries escaping her mouth. I brushed my fingers through her hair. "Honey, what's wrong? Mommy can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong." Despite the calmness of my voice, I was internally freaking out. She never did this before.
My eyes travelled to her little hand that was wrapped around her stomach. "Does your stomach hurt, baby?" At her nod, I gently flipped her over onto her back, eliciting a scream from my little girl. "I'm sorry, baby. I know it hurts." I had an idea of what was going on, but I prayed that I was wrong. I pressed down on the lower right-hand side of her stomach, and I bit my lip as she cried out in pain. "Okay, let's go." I whispered, gently lifting her up into my arms.
Not caring that it was past three in the morning and I was still in my pajamas, I hurried towards my car and buckled her in, kissing her forehead and whispering soothing words in her ear before running towards my side. It took all my willpower not to cry as I drove, but I needed to be strong. She most likely had appendicitis, something I had when I was younger, and even though it wasn't life-threatening, it was still scary.
Terrifying.
I parked in the first spot I found, taking my baby girl in my arms and rushing into the ER. I almost collapsed in relief when I saw Ross talking with a nurse, completely forgetting that he was working overnight. I brokenly called his name, and his eyes whipped over to mine, widening when he saw me. He rushed over almost immediately.
"What happened?"
I choked back a sob, quickly explaining the situation. Every fiber of my being was crying, but no actual tears were escaping. I tried so hard not to break down when Ross placed Jess on a bed, examining her stomach. She was crying out in pain, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. My heart just broke into pieces.
~*~
"Drink this." Ross ordered softly, placing a cup of coffee in my hand. I gave a weak smile in thanks, tilting the cup back and taking a sip. He set himself down next to me, giving my thigh a squeeze. "She'll be fine, Blake. The surgery usually takes less than an hour. And Dr. Green is an amazing surgeon."
"She was in so much pain." I murmured, fresh tears filling my eyes. "She was screaming and crying...and I-I was so scared." I couldn't stop them from echoing in my head, and it tore at my heart.
He gently wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. That simple gesture was all it took for me to break down and sob into his chest, staining his shirt beneath his lab coat. He didn't utter a word, opting to just hold me close. I could feel my body visibly shaking, unable to stop myself from picturing Jess' small and fragile little body cut open on an operating table.
Somehow I must've fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew I was being shaken awake, Ross' soothing voice in my ear. I blinked tiredly, straightening my sore back to question what was going on. My mind was in somewhat of a fog, like my head was full of clouds that wouldn't allow any sunshine to pass through.
"Hey," He murmured, kissing my forehead lightly. My eyes felt puffy and swollen, and my head was pounding. "Dr. Green wanted me to tell you that Jess is out of surgery and is resting in her room. She said the surgery went smoothly and there were no complications."
Relief flooded through me. "She's okay?"
"She's okay." He confirmed, smiling. "She's still under anesthesia, but should be waking up in about an hour. Come on, I'll take you to her room."
"Don't you have to get back to work?" I questioned, allowing him to pull me up. He simply grabbed my hand and laced our fingers together, leading me down the corridor. "Ross?"
"Someone else is covering for me." He shrugged. "There was no way I was going back to work and let you wait by yourself."
My heart fluttered, and I smiled, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "You're sweet, you know that?"
"I've been told that once or twice." He teased, giving my hand a squeeze. "A few of my friends know about you and Jess, and they weren't going to let me work once they heard what was going on."
A blush covered my cheeks, but I smiled shyly. "You talk about me?"
His own cheeks tinted red, the blush crawling up to his ears. "Y-yeah. Uh, I'm kind of a chatterbox here. I just couldn't stop talking and they kept asking questions...and, yeah."
The nervousness emanating off him was so adorable, and the way he looked like a young boy getting embarrassed was just too cute. "If it helps, I talk about you, too."
"Oh, yeah?" His lips tilted upwards. I nodded. "Anything good? Like how sexy I am? Or how amazing my hair is?"
"You will never know." I winked.
We rounded the corner and came to a stop, the smile I recently had on my face dropping almost immediately. Jess' small body was laying on a large bed, her chest moving up and down evenly. Ross squeezed my hand assuringly before silently encouraging me to go in. I forced my jaw to stop trembling before making my way inside, crossing the room until I was right by her side. She looked so fragile, her face slightly pale but regaining color.
"You're okay, baby." I whispered, brushing my hand across her cheek. "The pain's all gone."
This was the most she had been in the hospital her entire life. Twice in less than six months...broken wrist and now appendicitis. She was just a little girl, and I had already seen her in a hospital bed twice.
I must have spent the past hour just staring at Jess, brushing my fingers through her hair when her eyes began to flutter open. She let out small whines and groans, shifting slightly in her bed before scrunching her nose up in discomfort. When she finally opened her eyes, I smiled widely and kissed her forehead.
"How're you feeling, sweetie?" I murmured, grasping onto her hand. She looked exhausted, and I noticed how her eyes were already drooping. She would most likely be asleep in a matter of minutes. "In any pain?"
She shook her head, much to my relief. I nodded to myself and tucked her in gently, coaxing her back to sleep. "Go back to sleep, baby." She didn't have to be told twice, her eyes closing and her even breaths being released. I made sure she was officially asleep before walking out of her room and joining Ross, who stood by the nurses station. He had stayed in that position the entire time, not even asking to join me in the room.
"How's she doing?" He asked almost immediately.
I let out a yawn and rested my head on his chest, wrapping my arms around his waist. He wrapped his own around my shoulders, resting his chin at the top of my head. "She's not in pain, but she's exhausted."
"She's still sedated pretty heavily." He informed me. "She'll be in and out of it for the next few hours. And maybe while she's sleeping, you should, too. I can bring you a cot to sleep in."
I shook my head. "I'll be fine. But you should go home and sleep. If someone's covering for you, you don't have to be here."
"Hey," He grasped my chin, tilting it upwards so our eyes locked. "I'm not leaving you alone right now. You're kinda stuck with me."
I buried my face back in his chest. "Fine by me."
~*~
It wasn't until almost eleven in the morning when the sedation completely wore off. I was completely exhausted and thought I was going to collapse at any moment, but I was over the moon that my little girl was okay. Dr. Green, who had checked to make sure she was alright, had given her some medication for the pain. She had informed me that Jess would recover nicely and because kids were so resilient, she would do it fast as well.
"Rossy!" She exclaimed happily, grinning as Ross walked into the room. I still couldn't believe he had stayed the entire night, even after someone had covered for him. He was so amazing, and I was the luckiest girl alive.
He smiled back, grabbing a chair so he could sit next to me. "Hey, kiddo. Feeling better?"
"I gots a scawr!"
"You got a scar?" He feigned excitement, dropping his jaw. "Cool!"
"Not really." I muttered, playfully glaring at the blonde. "Can she have any food?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Do you want me to go get her something?"
"No, no, it's fine. You can stay with her, I'll go." I stood up, making sure to grab my bag. "What do want? And don't say you're not hungry, because I know you haven't eaten since we got here."
Eyebrows raised in amusement, he let out a chuckle. "Just a sandwich will be fine."
With a nod, I kissed Jess' forehead before slipping out of the room to head to the cafeteria. My mouth practically watered as I stood in line and stared at the variety of food. Though hospital food usually tasted like crap, this hospital actually had edible food that tasted good. I grabbed Jess a bowl of macaroni and cheese, a side of sliced apples, and a small piece of chocolate cake.
She deserved a nice dessert today. Even if it was still the morning.
Oopsie.
I trudged my way back to her floor, my hands full of food for all of us. My stomach was growling the entire way, and it took all I had not to devour my food in an instant. Just as I was about to step back inside the room, I froze in my place as I caught sight of what was in front of me.
Ross, who had changed into regular clothes long before, was sitting on the side of her bed, her head resting on his thigh as he ran her fingers through her hair. His mouth was moving, and I could tell by the way her body was shaking and she was smiling that she was laughing. My heart was almost melting into a puddle of goo as I watched them, and the smile that graced my face couldn't be more real.
~*~
"She's finally asleep." I murmured, leading Ross into my bedroom. Two days had passed since the surgery, and I was finally able to take her home today. It took me about an hour to get her to sleep, reading almost every book she had on her shelf. She just didn't want to sleep, but I was glad she finally allowed herself to do so. I got a total of four hours of sleep since she was admitted, and I felt like I could sleep for days.
"Now it's time for you to sleep." Ross announced, kissing the top of my head. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"
"You don't have to go." I quickly blurted out. My eyes widened, and I quickly backtracked. "I-I mean, uh, you could just stay the night...if you want. You don't have to, b-but you could if you wanted-"
"Blake," He chuckled, grasping onto my shoulders. I felt my face heat up, my eyes wide in embarrassment. "I would love to stay the night, but are you sure? I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I mean, we haven't been dating that long, and the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable."
Sweetest. Man. Alive.
"You could never make me uncomfortable." I whispered, leaning up to peck his lips. "I wish I had some extra clothes for you. Sleeping in jeans isn't comfortable."
"I have a bag of spare clothes in my car. A lot of kids spit up on me." He shrugged. "I'll be right back."
I used this time to change into my pajamas, brushing my teeth and washing my face. Ross walked back in by the time I was done and about ready to climb into bed. I did my best to keep my eyes open as he changed in the bathroom. In that moment, I was glad it took guys like, five seconds to change, because I was about ready to pass out by the time he finally walked out. He climbed into bed next to me, wrapping his arms around my body and pulling me close. He was radiating heat, a comforting feeling.
"Go to sleep, Blake." He whispered, noticing my struggle to keep my eyes open. "You're exhausted."
I was too tired to utter a word of agreement. Nodding, I nuzzled my face in the crook of his neck, allowing my eyes to shut and relish in the feeling of his hands running up and down my back.
I was out in a matter of seconds.
Who wants them to get married already?! I know I do! Writing them together is just so cute, and I love that Ross loves Jess. Let me know what you thought of this chapter, and vote and comment!