A thousand miles away

Enjoying each others company

(Jac)

It is now half past seven in the evening and my back is aching terribly. The patient next door to me had been discharged today so I feel slightly lonely now. I didn't speak to the person, nor did we exchange polite greetings every once in a while but he did keep me company for the most part. I am sick and tired of hospital food. I spent my whole day today chasing food around my plate with a fork, I had no money to buy anything and no energy to care but now I feel starving. A nurse came over to me with a sandwich and some crisps from the shop across the road. "Nurse fletcher told me to give this to you. He said that he bought it for you so you can gain some energy and that he will be with you in twenty minutes, he just has to go and chase some tests." "Thank you." I was surprised that fletch did this and appreciative of the kind gesture as I needed food that didn't taste bland or have any un necessary lumps in it. I ate my sandwich and my crisps slow as I couldn't sit up because of my back killing me but if I laid down, the food made me feel sick. "Hey you, are you happy now you've got some proper food?" I looked up to see fletch, he could obviously see that I was uncomfortable as he was getting my wheelchair ready to get me out of my horrible hospital bed. I feel as though I am in prison and I have the pleasure of having the nice constable, the one that will give you extra food and some company. "Let's get you out of this bed, It looks like a piece of cardboard! We need to talk as well Jac, I've been wanting to all day." I nodded at him. "Come on then, swing your legs round and I can help you get into your wheelchair. "I can't Fletch" "what do you mean you can't, your with a member of staff." I didn't speak. I didn't want to tell Fletch that I was in too much pain to move as he would worry but my eyes showed pain and sadness which gave it away quite quickly to him. Fletch drew the curtains around the cubicle and wrapped his arms around my legs and shoulders and lifted me into the wheelchair. I'm not gonna say that it didn't hurt as it did immensely but I didn't complain, anything will beat laying in a hospital bed all the time. "You could of just said that you were in pain, it's ok to admit that you are weak Jac." I just nodded. He wheeled me into the staff room, no one was there as it was Late and the others were in Keller to see Ollie before they went home. "Right now we need to talk, am I going to go first or are you?" "Oh please, take it away, the stage is all yours." I looked at him sarcastically and he shook off my patronising comment. "I know I have been a little bit off today, usually I don't let a lot of things bother me in work but it isn't because of you. I know that's what you were thinking, oh Fletch doesn't want to try us out so instead he is going to sulk but I'm not. Evie has been quiet for so long and I've never got her to speak up to me about anything but when you spoke to her a couple of days ago, she finally opened up, even miss hemming is seeing progress in Evie's work at school which I haven't heard in a while. I'm jealous as for some reason I can't give Evie what she needs but it seems that you can." I looked at Fletch in disbelief. "All I did was have a little girly chat with her, she needed it. She loves you very much Fletch, she just needs a bit of a break." He looked at me in a hurt manner yet I could see the kindness in his eyes. "I really like you Jac, don't give up on us yet. This is going to be hard but we have to have something other than work and kids to fall back on." I laughed knowing that it was true and that I was quite enjoying the fact I had something else to think about in my life, it made it exciting. "I won't give up, not yet." He fixes my hand in his and we sat there for ages in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

(The next chapter will be all about zosia and Ollie, I just had to use this chapter to explain what is going on with Jac and fletch xx ~Lucy)