Lifeline (Sebastian Vettel)

Chapter 35: Jacob's Story

Author's note: This chapter runs alongside @__highflying's chapter 13.

Jacob awoke with a start as a weak ray of sunshine fell across his face. He winced as he lifted his neck, sore and stiff from sleeping on his arms all night.

He looked up at Tully as her heart rate monitor beeped away steadily, kind of surprised that nobody had come in and kicked him out yet.

"Jesus, I really have to go now Tuls. I'll visit again later if I can." he whispered sleepily, giving her hand a quick squeeze before standing up and shuffling out of the room, relieved that he wouldn't need to explain to Heikki what he was doing sleeping on the edge of his sister's bed in the first place.

---

"Where have you been?" Evan raised an eyebrow as Jacob returned to their ward and slumped into his untouched bed.

"For a walk." he sighed, covering his face with his hands tiredly.

"What, all night?" Evan retorted suspiciously.

As much as he loved Evan like a brother, his tendency to never miss anything could be incredibly irritating.

"Fell asleep in the waiting lounge."

"Uh huh." Evan wasn't buying it, but mercifully didn't push it any further.

"Did your parents leave?" Jacob asked, changing the topic.

"Yeah, they decided I probably wouldn't die if they went back to the hotel to sleep for a few hours."

"Mmh."

Evan observed his friend carefully. He could tell he wasn't himself, but nobody was. Still, it couldn't be easy watching everyone else's families show up to support them while Jacob himself had no visitors at all.

---

"Hey mate." Heikki smiled tentatively as he walked into Seb's room later that afternoon.

"Heikki." the German croaked before clearing his throat, "How is she?"

"Still out of it but she's stable. We're just about to go up and see her again."

Seb was silent as he closed his eyes. They'd had to sedate him, twice, to stop him from trying to climb out of bed to look for Tully. His leg needed rest after the surgery earlier that day.

"We stayed with her all of yesterday evening and Britta told us everything."

"Good." Seb sighed vaguely.

"Can't believe you slept with my sister. You're lucky I don't mind you or I might have had to cut your morphine drip." Heikki tried to joke with him.

Seb was silent and Heikki instantly felt bad.

"I'll let you know as soon as they decide to bring her out of the coma, okay?"

"Okay." Seb's voice was thick and shaky.

Heikki looked at the floor sadly, not used to seeing the driver so broken, "I'll let you rest and come back later on. I can see your parents waiting outside."

Seb merely nodded and Heikki gingerly backed out of the room.

---

Three days passed before Jacob found himself once again wandering Tully's ward. Security had tightened somewhat after it was found that journalists were making their way into patient's rooms. Still, the hospital was so overwhelmed and understaffed, nobody paid much attention to the patients themselves wandering around.

What he wasn't expecting was to see a pair of bright eyes watching him as he shut the door quietly behind himself and moved toward the bed.

"Tully!" he gaped at her, "I didn't know you were awake?"