A Fight For Love

You're So Strong

Dr. Marley rushes into the room and gently pushes Jessica back. "Please Mrs. Huston, you have to leave the room so we can work on Mathew and make sure he's okay."

Danny guides Jessica out of the room and are now standing in the hallway. Jessica buried her head into Danny's chest and sobbed.

Jessica suddenly feels the tightening in her abdomen again and cries out. Danny quickly pulls away and looks at Jessica with concern.

"Jess?" Danny said.
Jessica breathed in and out then said. "I'm fine. It's just a Braxton Hicks contraction."
"Are you sure?" Danny asked uncertainly.
"Yeah. I'm sure." Jessica said. "See...it's passing."
"Come on. Let's go sit in the waiting room." Danny said as he led the way. "Jess, I know you hate when I say this but please calm down a bit. Okay? Baby girl is probably upset right now."

Jessica nodded then they sat in the waiting room. She was so worried about Mathew and she knew she had to calm down, so she decided to distract herself from what was going on for now.

"Danny...have you thought about any names for our baby girl?" Jessica asked.
"Honestly...no." Danny chuckles. "Have you?"
Jessica managed to smile a little; with everything going on she hadn't thought about names for her baby girl.
"No." Jessica said. "Let's think of some while we wait for Dr. Marley."

Danny nodded and he and Jessica began to think of names. Over some time, Jessica said. "Oh! How about Elizabeth? Or..."

Just then, Dr. Marley came to stand in front of her and Danny. Jessica looked up and quickly stood up.

"How is he?" She said hurriedly.

Dr. Marley took a deep breath then said. "Mathew woke up and he was already fighting to breathe on his own. We took out the breathing tube and he is now breathing on his own with a little help still. So he does have an oxygen mask on."
Jessica let out the breath she had been holding and said while holding her chest. "Thank god he's okay!"

"Now, we have examined Mathew and..." Dr. Marley said with a worried tone. "He is awake and is responding. He knows who he is, however, he cannot speak or move. It seems as if the bullet affected his ability to speak and move his body. Mathew is going to have to go through months and months of intense therapy to learn how to speak and walk again."

Jessica felt weak so she sat back down on the seat she had been occupying. After calming herself down again, Jessica stood up again and asked. "Can we see him now?"
"Of course." Dr. Marley said. "Oh! He will understand what you are saying and he'll either nod or shake is head no. So that's a very good sign. I have faith that he will return to the man he was before. But his recovery is not going to be fast or easy."

Dr. Marley let them be for now and told them he would check in on Mathew throughout the day.

Danny and Jessica rushed back to Mathew's room and Jessica walked straight back to his bedside.

"Mathew..." Jessica said as she grabbed his hand.

Mathew opened his eyes that he had been resting and managed a small smile. He was so glad to see his mother again.

"Oh Mathew! I'm so happy you're awake!" Jessica sobbed. "I've been so worried!"

Mathew looked on and it hurt to his mother cry. He wanted to comfort her but he was trapped inside his own body and he couldn't move or speak. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he wanted so badly to do so.

"Oh my baby boy! Please don't cry." Jessica said.

Now that Mathew didn't have the breathing tube, he had less wires connected to him. Jessica gently got into his bed and laid next to him. She took him into her arms as best she could and held him close to her.