Love Letter

Dont leave me!

Ali had woken from her surgery again  in the late afternoon. She'd been groggy and sore and generally a sorry little sausage. The only thing that made her smile? The only thing that made all the pain worthwhile?  Well, he was currently sitting holding her hand and smiling like the angel he was.

"Hello Ali." He'd whispered softly as her eyelids fluttered open. "You look wonderful." He gallantly raised her hand to his lips. "I'm so very glad to see you."

Ali swallowed, her mouth and throat parched. "You're a terrible liar, you know." She smiled a groggy, squint smile. "I look awful. Really. I do." She couldn't believe he was actually there. Next to her. Holding her hand.

"T...Tom?"

"That really you?"

"Yes, Ali, it's really me."

"Oh.... Tom?"  her brain felt like it was full of bees.  Made of marshmallows and buzzing softly.

"Yes, Ali?"

"Is... is there anything to drink? So thirsty..." she croaked, her voice cracking and her mouth feeling like it was full of cotton wool.

Tom nodded, "Here, sip this." He held a tumbler of water in front of her, a small straw making drinking from a reclined position much easier.  "slowly now, don't take too much, or you'll be...oh dear..." he never finished the sentence.

Pressing the buzzer, he stood up, gathering a bunch of paper towels to clean up the resulting mess.  Ali burst into tears just as Jenny, who was just about to go off shift, came in.

"Oh dear, too much water, eh? Not to worry, have you spick and span in no time.  Tom, why dont you go and change while I get missy here cleaned up? By the time you come back, it will be like she never puked hello!"

Tom nodded. "Ok, I have some spare clothes in my backpack, and I'll be back in a few minutes, love." He smiled broadly and left the room.

Jenny turned to Ali and smiled as she began to strip both the bed and the patient.  "So! When you're feeling more like yourself, you can tell me EXACTLY how you managed to get the world's most handsome alien to fall in love with you!" She winked, and Ali, despite the nausea and the residual effects of anaesthetic, blushed scarlet

"What do you mean? Tom's just a friend." She let Jenny fasten the fresh hospital gown around her, groaning a little as she moved. The wound, although well sutured and bandaged, was by necessity quite large and in an awkward place.

"Yes, so I see. Friends always look at friends like that, eh? Friends always rush back across the Atlantic eh? Now, do you need some more painkillers? I can arrange for a morphine pump if it helps?" Jenny paused as she carefully laid a fresh sheet on Ali, tucking in the end and draping a soft blanket on top.

"Morphine? Isn't that a bit... addictive?" Ali was wary. Even in her current state, she didn't want to just jump in with both feet.

"Don't you worry. There's a failsafe. You can only get what's prescribed. It just makes it easier and more regular. At your stage, it's not an on demand option." Jenny came and stood next to her. "You're nowhere near the on demand stage, Ali."

"Not yet." Ali said softly. "No, not yet." Jenny squeezed her arm.

"Hopefully not ever, eh?" She smiled and left to organise the morphine. As she walked into the hallway, she could see Tom. Now he'd freshened up, he was leaning against the wall. He was talking on the phone, smiling and animatedly using his hand to emphasise his point.

No matter who you were, rich or poor; famous or anonymous; illness was a great leveller. Serious illness even more so. She'd worked these wards for years, and it was usually pretty clear who was a fighter and who was a moaner. Alison was definitely a fighter.