Caught in the Undertow

I Will Wait for You

Jack had been sat outside the operating theatre for twelve hours, he had moved as far as the toilets just down the corridor he had barely eaten apart from a glass of water and a breakfast bar a nurse had given him in passing. 
It is now midnight and Jack had been dozing in the chair opposite the theatre on and off for the past fifteen minutes, the day's events had finally gotten to him. Around ten minutes later he feels someone touch his shoulder and gently shake him, "Sir? sorry... your wife is out of surgery," The voice speaks. 

Jack opens his eyes adjusting to the bright lights and sits up, "Sorry, I must have fallen asleep... she's... she's my girlfriend, not my wife..." Jack yawns. 
"Sorry about that sir, but the surgeon will be through to speak with you soon," The nurse responds before walking away and back into the theatre. 
Jack yawns and sits forwards and gathers his bearings, moving his head from side to side. The corridor wasn't the best place to sleep but he needed to know Nikki was going to be okay, he pulls his phone from the jacket resting beside him to see a few messages from Thomas and Clarissa asking how Nikki is, he quickly responds to them before looking down at his home screen to see the selfie-style photo of himself and Nikki he had taken in bed, Nikki had the giggles and couldn't pose properly so he ended up with a photo of Nikki laughing her head off and him kissing her head, which he loved just as much. 

The surgeon soon steps through the doors from the theatre removing their mask and looking at Jack, "Are you Nicola's boyfriend?" The surgeon smiles. Jack nods and watches the surgeon as they remove their surgical hat too, "We spoke earlier I am Doctor Khatri; Neuro-surgeon..." She smiles. 
"How did it go?" Jack pushes and puts his phone back into his jacket. 
"We have managed to remove the bleed and reduce the risk of another bleed. We won't know how successful this is until the patient is completely conscious, that is if she was to recover."

Jack's eyes once again fill with fear, "What do you mean 'was to recover?' I don't understand," He says quickly. 
"The injuries caused to Nicola are extensive, during the surgery we have found superficial injuries, so far we have found a hairline fracture to the jaw, and multiple fractures to the skull as a result of hitting the ground at such force. The head injury itself is something we would expect from someone who has been injured in a must worst scenario," Doctor Khatri explains as easily as she can. 

"Her chances of survival?" Jack quizzes.
"Slim, I would have told you this when Nicola is back on intensive care but I think you should prepare for the worst."

Jack's heart plummets as he looks at Doctor Khatri the tears form and he tries to his it back, he then looks down at the floor shaking his head in despair. "And if she was to survive?" Jack says. 

"Her life may be changed completely, round the clock care, unable to do stuff for herself... but there is a worst-case scenario of severe brain damage," She explains and Jack nods as the theatre doors open and the nurses and intensive care team wheel Nikki out, still unconscious but seeming somewhat more comfortable on the ventilator. Jack watches as they wheel her past and he sighs. "Did Nicola have a doner card or wish to donate organs in the unlikely case of death?" 

Jack watches Nikki be wheeled by for a moment, "There will be no need, she's going to make it..." Jack responds before grabbing his jacket and following the intensive care team as they take her to the critical care uni. 

An hour passes and Jack is still sat outside the intensive care unit, watching the nurses come and go wondering when he would be able to see Nikki. With it being half one in the morning he just lays himself down on the chairs and closes his eyes. 

The next thing he knows he is woken by a door slamming in the distance, he looks around to see daylight pouring in through the window beside him. He groans and sits up, every inch of his body was cursing him for fitting himself onto the small set of chairs to sleep. He sits up and gathers his baring before looking around and getting up, Jack stumbles slightly as he stands before walking over to the doors and pressing the buzzer, a voice comes over the intercom and talks to Jack, "Hi, I would like to have an update on Nicola Alexander... I'm... I'm her boyfriend," He begins. 

He hates lying to the nurses but in a way, he was her boyfriend because if the break up with Matt had gone well Nikki was all his and she was all Jack's. The voice over the intercom allows Jack into the critical care unit and he is met but a very short nurse who is smiling at him, "Hi I'm Faith Cadogan, I'm an Advanced clinical practitioner... I have been caring for Nicola these past six hours," She smiles cheerfully. 

"Jack Hodgson, How is she doing?" Jack asks curiously.
"She's had a very good night, Stable but not out of the woods yet, due to the extent of the injuries we have kept her comatose and we will do this for as long as needed," Faith smiles. 

Faith shows Jack through to a room with six beds in, each holding a patient who is either in a coma or on life support such as Nikki. Jack holds his breath as he walks over to Nikki's bed and sighs as he looks at how lifeless she seems, "Oh god Nikki," He breathes looking away for a moment. 

He looks her up and down, taking in the mental frame with rods going into her one leg, the neck brace, the bandage wrapped around her head, the cast of her wrist. It all came too much for Jack despite being strong he couldn't help but cry for the woman he adores. "I know this can all come as a shock for you, but she is in the best hands," Faith responds. 
Jack steps closer looking at her and stroking her cheek gently being careful not to knock the ventilator tubes. He plants a soft kiss on her head and looks down at Faith who is checking her charts, "How long have you and Nicola been together?" She adds. 

Jack thinks on the spot if he said four weeks he would be kicked out because it's not long enough for this form of next of kin, "She likes to be called 'Nikki'. But Two years... next week," He breathes. 
"I guess you two have spoken about the prospect of children?" Faith asks. 
Jack throws a confused look at the nurse before thinking it's a harmless conversation she is making, "Once or twice, work and all it's full-on," Jack explains. 
"So it would surprise you to know Nikki is three weeks pregnant," The words fall from the nurse's mouth, Jack's stomach drops as he turns and looks at Nikki, sitting down in the chair beside her without saying a word. "I take it you didn't know?" Faith adds. 

Jack runs his hands over his face and looks at Nikki, she's carrying his unborn child and they both didn't know. Now he wanted her to fight more than ever to survive, but he was surprised the baby was still there with the severity of her injuries. "No... god, this is a shock. I mean we have unprotected sex twice... that was it I think recently." 

"The doctors were surprised the baby had survived after the accident," Faith smiles placing the files back down at the bottom of his bed and walking off to the nurses' station leaving Jack alone with Nikki.Jack reaches across and takes hold of Nikki's good hand and brings it to his lips and kisses her hand