When Fools Rush In

Chapter 29 - Reunited

When Lucy arrived at the hospital and picked up her phone from the passenger seat, she noticed Karen had messaged her.

Karen G - He's just been moved to another ward in a side room, call me when you get here, I'll meet you x

Lucy rang her and a short time later Karen was waiting for her at the front doors of the wing of Manchester Royal Infirmary she had told Lucy to go to.

"Is he alright?" asked Lucy, almost impatiently, as Karen hugged her.

"Oh he's doing so much better love," soothed Karen, nudging Lucy through the automated doors into the building, "they called me just after seven this morning, saying he was awake and chatting. I've never jumped out of bed so fast! It's such a relief, honestly."

"Thank God for that, I was worried sick," Lucy confessed, as Karen led her into a lift. "Does he remember what happened yesterday?"

"Clear as day. He's not stopped going on about you, so hopefully he'll shut up for five minutes when we get up there!"

The lift took them to the third floor. Karen led Lucy onto a ward where they were greeted at the desk by a friendly nurse called Monica. 

"She's here with us to see Jack," said Karen, as Monica stood up from her paperwork behind the desk. 

"Ah so you're Lucy? Nice to meet you," smiled Monica, "sure, come this way."

Heart thumping with anticipation, Lucy followed Monica and Karen down the corridor, past several bays of patients, all the way down to a side room at the end. By the time they walked into the room, Lucy almost felt breathless. Yesterday was the first time she had spoken to Jack with any feeling and compassion since she had left him on the night of the Kacie Brown story breaking. And there hadn't been time to talk about anything. All her focus had been on getting help for Jack and fighting back the sheer gravity of emotion that had befallen her.

He was lying in the bed, propped up on several pillows, with a white and light blue hospital gown on. The wires and beeping machines were no longer there, but he remained hooked up to a drip. His hair, unwashed and unkempt, sprawled across the pillow as he sank his head back into it, his eyes glazed over with exhaustion. Kevin was sitting on the seat the other side of the bed nearest the window, and looked up at Lucy with a comparative sense of serenity after the anxiety of the previous night.

"Here she is," Kevin tapped Jack on the arm, snapping him back out of his reverie.

Jack turned his head dozily and his eyes locked on Lucy's. She felt an immediate pang of longing within her as she met his gaze. His eyes immediately softened, she was sure she could see them welling up.

Without speaking, Lucy rushed over to his bed, leant over and threw her arms around Jack's shoulders, shoving her face into his neck, inhaling the intoxicating scent of his that she had ached tirelessly for since they had parted ways. It was as though she had never left his embrace. Despite his weakness, his arms felt firm on her back as he pressed her into him as tightly as she could manage. Lucy struggled for air, pressed against the fabric of his gown as he held onto her like a limpet. She felt his body begin to judder as he planted fevered kisses on the top of her head.

"Baby," murmured Lucy, gently pulling herself back to look at his face. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. She had never seen him cry before and it was breaking her heart to watch.

In the background she noticed Kevin had stood up and was exiting the room with Karen and Monica.

"We're going to go and grab some breakfast, leave you to it," Kevin's reassuring voice came from behind her.