Together at last || Jenna Ortega x Y/n (female)

Chapter 15

Pov: Y/n

I spend the next few hours just sitting there, still more than speechless on the events of last night. Emma had gone home by now, and we updated each other now and then - all I could tell her was that Jenna was still asleep, but on her side, she said to me that the news of what happened spread through the whole production crew and has everyone worried. Safe to say that the first day of shooting won't happen today.

My hands are still in Jenna's, and by now, I've warmed her up a little bit, and I wished for nothing more than to feel her hand move in mine, for her to give me any sign of waking up.
When she does, it's not like what I imagined - I realize she's awake when she starts to choke on and reject the breathing tube in her throat. Her face turns red, and she looks petrified, so I run to get help. A nurse rushes to her room with me and puts gloves on as fast as possible, before pulling the tube out. Jenna takes in a deep breath.

The nurse is gone as fast as she got here, leaving me alone with Jenna - whose expression hasn't changed. "Ohh, my sweet girl, it's okay. I'm here," I say to her, shaky but very gentle. I can see longing in her eyes - she wants nothing more but to fall in my arms. But she must be in so much pain that she doesn't even dare to move, so I do it for her. I bring my face to her shoulder, my hand caressing her cheek ever so gently - scared I might hurt her. I hear her croaking and realize she's trying to speak, so I look up to give her my full attention. Her mouth opens, but all that comes out is a continuation of her croak.

It's clear she's frustrated that she can't speak. "Do you want some water, my love?" I ask, and can't help but smile when she eagerly nods. I grab the cup of water, which has a lid and straw, from the bedside table, and bring it to her mouth. She tries to move her head to it but starts shaking at the effort. "Wait, I got you," I say and reposition myself, so I can prob her head up with my left hand while holding the cup to her mouth with the right one. She takes a few sips before leaning back into my hand - so I gently place her head back on the pillow.

"Better," she says, her voice still rasp. "Oh darling, it feels so good to hear your voice. How are you feeling?" I ask, genuinely concerned. "Like I've been run over by a truck. And then by a plane," she says, and I can hear the pain in her voice. "See that?" I say and point to one of the bags attached to her IV. She nods and looks at me curiously, so I add, "It's a pain med. A nurse hooked it up like 10 minutes ago, so you should feel better soon."

"Oh, thank god," she whispered a few minutes later, and I assume the pain relief is finally kicking in. I had just silently sat by her side, one of my hands on her leg, the other one holding hers, to let her rest until she felt better. Now that she does, I can't help myself from asking the question lingering in my mind all this time. "Do you remember what happened last night?"

She bites her lip, and I think I overstepped for a second, but then she nods and answers. "Yeah, I do. Uhm... How much do you know?"
"Emma told me she heard screaming from your place, so she called the cops. When they arrived, they found Percy attacking you, and you were unconscious, so they brought you here. Emma called me after getting my number from Tim, and I got here when you were in surgery. I've been here with you ever since you got out," I tell her, giving her a quick rundown of my perspective. She grasps my hand tighter, probably to prepare herself for talking again.

"Okay, so we were at my place, and after I told them about us, Percy started acting really weird. I didn't overthink it, and a while later, I sent everyone home because I wanted to sleep. Everyone walked out, but Percy stayed and kept saying he had lost his phone somewhere. I went to go brush my teeth while he looked for it, but he busted through the door with this really frightening look on his face," she starts, but when she comes to that last part, her breathing begins to pick up. I place my hand on her chest to make her take deeper breaths. "It's okay, sweetie. Take all the time you need to continue. I'll be right here when you're ready, okay?" I reassure her, and she does thankfully take her time until her breath is back to normal. "He started to yell at me, saying stuff like 'How could you do this to me' and 'I can't believe you're cheating on me' and I was so confused. It was some real Joe Goldberg shit, baby, like he actually thought we were in a relationship all this time. I told him that made no sense and that I've literally never reached out to him except for work reasons. But he wouldn't let it go and kept saying that he loves me. I got so angry at him and said that I never have and will never feel anything for him. Looking back, that was really stupid because he was so delusional, and me saying that brought him over the edge. He pushed me into the wall and tried to kiss me, and when I turned away, he started to beat me. At some point, he dragged me to the living room and threw me on the floor. I was already in so much pain and screamed for him to stop, but he just... He just kept going and going. I started to drift away, and the next thing I remember is waking up here."

I need a few seconds to collect myself before I respond. "Fuck... I'm so sorry that this happened to you. He's such a fucking psycho... But it's okay now, darling. They arrested him. He can't hurt you anymore, and I'll take the very best care of you and keep you safe, okay? Everything will be okay, I promise," I tell her while caressing her cheek carefully, wiping away the tears that fell while she told me what she went through last night.

She nods and leans deeper into my touch. "Do you need anything, my love?" I ask her. "I'm a little cold, could you maybe go ask for a blanket or something?" she asks, and only now I notice the goosebumps all over her body that is still only covered with a towel. A nurse had earlier told me that they were anticipating Jenna to need another emergency surgery - they didn't put a gown on her so they wouldn't lose any time in that case. But now that she's woken up, I also ask the nurse for some clothes, and moments later, I return to Jenna's room with those and a blanket. "Do you need help putting those on?" I ask her while pointing to the clothes. At first, she tries to argue. "Baby, I know you have a hard time accepting help sometimes, but I'm not gonna let you hurt yourself because of that. You've been taking care of me ever since I was found, so please let me return the favor now of all times. I love you, and I want to help you as much as I can, okay?" I say, luckily persuading her. She nods in defeat, and so I get to work.

"Is this okay?" I ask, waiting for her consent before pulling the towel off her body. She nods, so I do and then help her out on the underwear and grey sweatpants - the latter being way too big for her, but it's all the station had left. I noted in my head to ask Emma to bring over some of Jenna's stuff later, considering she'll be here for at least a few more days. After that, I help her sit up, which makes her wince in pain, and I apologize for a good minute before she tells me it's okay and that I can continue. The top is practical. Instead of having to put her arms in it, I can just slip it over her head since it's open on the sides. The nurse told me they had many of those, specially designed for patients with chest tubes like the one sticking out of Jenna's skin on her higher waist.

After I'm done, I help her lay down again and gently place the blanket over her. "Better?" I ask, and she nods with a content smile. I can see her eyelids getting heavy. "Wanna take a nap?" I question, and she nods once again. Then she pucks her lips for me to kiss her, which happily I do, and then she grabs my hand and puts it on her head. I take the hint and begin to play with her hair, watching with a smile as she falls asleep. "I love you," I whisper - having thought she was already asleep, but I notice the quick smile on her lips before she tucks it away again. Faker, I smile to myself before leaning back on my chair and also drifting off, which was very much needed after being awake for more than 24 hours.

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i don't know if you noticed yet but i really like the kind of angst where one person has to take care of the other, it's so sweet 🥲 (i'm so single)

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