After hours

Chapter 27

"How are you this morning Dr. Stevens West?" A intern asks me at morning rounds.

"Exactly the same as yesterday. Perfectly fine and ready to go home." I reply annoyed they've kept me here way longer than what they should have, and they still aren't letting me leave.

"Well Dr.,you were in a major car wreck and you had an open heart surgery. It's going to be another two or three days before you are able to be discharged, and then you'll have to be on bed rest for two weeks and have to have your cast off before you can come back to work. Even when you come back to work you will be restricted to only forty hour weeks-"

"Only forty hours!" I interrupt.

"Yes. As I was saying, only forty hours a week until you are fully recovered."

"This is stupid. I'm completely fine!" I get up from the bed and hop around one one foot, "See I can walk around without getting tired. My heart is fine!"

"I know you have read your chart and it says bed to chair only. That is not bed to chair!"

"Ugh, I'm fine!"

"What is going on in here?" Jacob interrupts walking through the door.

"He's not listening when I say that I'm fine."

"You're not fine. You just had heart surgery! Get back in bed!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

"No. Now Evangelina Marie Stevens-West get back in the goddamn bed."

"You are so annoying sometimes." I say under my breath, getting back in the bed.

The intern nods his head to Jacob and leaves, shutting the door behind him.

"Why'd you have to go and do that for?" I ask him as he sits beside me on my hospital bed.

"Because you shouldn't be moving that much. You just had heart surgery."

"But I feel fine."

"It doesn't matter how you feel, that could be adrenalin for we know. You have to do what the doctors say."

"I'm a doctor and I say that I'm fine."

"If it will make you happy I'll get you discharged-"

"Yes! Please!"

"I'll get you discharged, but you have to stay in bed at home until I say you can go back to work."

"Fine." I give up. It's better than staying here.

Within an hour we were in the car, on the way home.

The car made me nervous.

Jacob could tell, so he laced his fingers through mine and kissed the back of my hand.

"It's going to be okay."

I just shook my head in response.

~

As we walked through the front door I was bombarded with two little giggly screams coming from the living room.

A smile crept on my face as they wrapped there tiny arms around my neck when they realized it wasn't just Jacob, I was home too. They visited me a couple of times while I was in the hospital, but I was finally home.

"Alright girls time for bed." They both jutted out their bottom lips in protest.

After there cries Jacob put them to bed, it took longer than usual.

Meanwhile I had taken a shower and got ready for bed.

You could see my long scar peeking out from under my tank top.

"They were really excited to see you." Jacob collapses on the bed next to me. "Are you feeling okay though?" He moves to face me and I can see the pain in his eyes.

He stares at my scar.

Finally he lets his head fall into my lap.

"I'm so sorry." He says quietly.

Without saying anything I grab his face with both hands and kiss his lips, softly.

He depends the kiss and moves on top of me, pushing me down on my back.

I can tell he's afraid he's going to hurt me.

"I'm fine. I know the leg cast is a turn off but other than that I'm fine." I see a small smile appear on his face.

I make the next move and take off my shirt. I know that's going to be the hardest part. Him seeing how big my scar really is.

He stares in awe.

It starts just below my collar bone and goes down almost ten inches, then, in the middle goes across three.

He shuts his eyes and rests his forehead against mine.

"I did this. I scared you." He whispers.

"No Jacob," I say pushing him to look at me, "You saved me. You pulled glass from my heart. If it wasn't for you I would be dead."

I can see tears welling in his eyes.

"Don't you dare cry. If you cry I'll cry- dammit." I say wiping the tears from my face.

He just presses his lips firmly against mine.

Our tears mix together and finally stop.

He leans wet kisses every inch of my pink scar and back to my lips.

"I love you."

"I love you."

~

The next morning I actually sleep late,it's nice not having doctors wake you up every morning.

This time I'm awoken my the smell of breakfast in the kitchen, no more cafeteria food.

I can hear Jacob playing music, so I decide to get up.

I pull on some clothes and grab my crutches.

"Hey what are you doing up? I was going to bring you breakfast in bed."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm starving I could smell the food cooking from the bedroom. Where are the girls?"

"They are at the hospital daycare. I also have big news."

"What is it?"

"I am officially leukemia free!"