Jess was taken out of the room to have her x-rays done. Meanwhile I decided that it would be best if I called Jess’s parents to let them know what was going on. I knew they’d be pissed at me for waiting so long to tell them which I dreaded but I needed to do it. I took out my phone and scrolled until I found their number, quickly pressing send before I chickened out.
“Hello?” Rose answered on the third ring. I could hear several voices in the background. Fuck’s sake I could catch them while they were having some kind of company.
“Rose? It’s Elena,” I said timidly despite myself.
“Oh, Elena! How have you been? I heard from Jessica the other day and she said you guys were having a great time,” she said. I could hear the smile in her voice and I hated myself even more if that was possible.
“Rose, I have something to tell you,” I said cautiously. “Jess was in an accident. She’s okay but she’s beaten up pretty bad.”
Silence. That’s all I heard on the other end of the line. I almost thought I had lost her until she finally spoke up. I braced myself for what I expected to be anger directed at me.
“How bad is she hurt?” she asked, still reasonably calm. I’d noticed the talking in the background was suddenly silenced.
“The doctors said she has six broken ribs. A lot of cuts and bruises but they think she’s got partial paralysis in her right leg. She was taken back for x-rays a little while ago,” I told her.
“And how long ago did this happen?”
“Two days ago,” I said quietly. “I’m so sorry I didn’t call sooner. It’s just that they only told me what was happening this morning and I had just gotten to see her and oh god, they didn’t think they’d get her breathing again,” I started rambling on, almost in tears again at this point.
“Whoa, whoa. Slow down, Elena. I’m not angry with you. Granted, yes I would have liked to know sooner but I understand you were probably just worried about Jessica right then. I understand, honey.”
“I’m still so sorry. I was so scared I was going to lose her I didn’t think,” I said, slightly more calm than before.
“It’s okay. Do you need Steve and me to fly down there?” she asked.
“I can ask Jess when she gets back but we were planning on coming home soon anyway. I think we’re coming back once she gets an all clear from the doctor,” I said.
“All right, well just have Jessica call me if she feels up to it. Call and let me know what the doctor’s say. Doesn’t matter what time it is, I’ll listen for the phone.”
“I will. I promise.”
We hung up a few minutes later. I was more than relieved that she wasn’t angry with me. That was just a little more weight off my shoulders. Now all I had to do was wait for Jess to come back and I would be somewhat calm again. Just being away from her now really got me nervous. Especially knowing what kind of pain she’s in.
It was a good hour before Jess’s bed was finally wheeled back into the room. I could see by her swollen and bloodshot eyes that she’d been crying. She was unhooked from her morphine feed while they took her so I could imagine the amount of pain that she was in.
“Are you okay?” I asked her once she’d been settled back in. Stupid question, I know.
“Yeah, it just hurts,” she said quietly as she waited for the morphine to take its effect once again.
“I talked to your mom a little while ago,” I told her. “She said to call her when we get the news from the doctor and that she wanted to talk to you whenever you feel up to it.”
Jess nodded silently as she continued to stare off into space. One of the nurses came in then with food for both Jess and me which I thought was nice of them to do. I held my tray in my lap so that Jess could use the table and we continued to sit in silence for a long time. I’d finished my food without a word ever being uttered from neither me nor Jess and I looked up to see she’d barely touched the food that she had. I’d even venture to say that she hasn’t moved since she got here.
“You should try to eat, Jess. You’ll need it if you’re going to heal properly,” I told her. Her eyes barely flickered in response.
“I’m not hungry,” she answered. There was only one thing to do, I suppose.
I stood up, setting my tray off to the side, and sat on the edge of Jess’s bed carefully so I wouldn’t jostle her. She stared at me as I grabbed the yogurt cup from her tray and opened it. I got a spoonful out and held it up to her lips.
“I don’t want any, Elena,” she said firmly. I, however, was just as stubborn as she was.
“Yes you do. Just open your mouth and let me feed you,” I spoke in a higher voice that I would normally use for a small child.
“You’re not funny,” she said, but the slight smile playing on her lips said otherwise. I proceeded to start making airplane noises and that’s when she finally gave in. Only if I stopped making the noises though. Fair compromise.
“I can feed myself, you know,” she said after I’d successfully fed her all of the yogurt and proceeded to pick up her sandwich and tear it into small pieces.
“Shush, I’m taking care of you,” I said as I held the first piece to her lips. She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue with me after that. I think she was secretly enjoying it anyway. She’d eaten about half the sandwich before insisting that she was full. I was satisfied that she’d eaten as much as she did anyway.
Just as I sat back down in my chair, the doctor came walking back in holding what was obviously Jess’s x-rays. I saw Jess visibly tense up and I reached over and grabbed her hand, stroking the back of it gently with my thumb in an attempt to comfort her.
“I believe we’ve found the problem,” the doctor said as he lit the x-rays up on the wall. There were two different images of Jess’s spine. One was a side view and the other was a front view. The doctor pointed to each part as he spoke. “It seems there’s a spinal compression injury which is what’s causing the paralysis. There are a couple vertebrae here that are very close together and they seem to be the culprit.”
“So what does that mean?” Jess asked.
“It means that most likely the paralysis could be temporary though it’s not a sure thing. You’d have to go through physical therapy and see how you progress. However, I’d say you’ll be living with some occasional back pain for a very long time. These injuries can cause a lot of inflammation,” he explained.
“Okay, so when can I leave to go home and how soon can I start physical therapy?” Jess asked, ever the impatient one. The doctor seemed amused at Jess’s straight-to-the-point attitude and wrote down some things in her file before he answered her.
“I’ll discharge you in the morning. However, I recommend you wait at least a week before attempting to fly home. You’ll need to rest in order for your ribs and spine to heal. Once you do go home you’ll need to see your regular doctor about when to start physical therapy, though I’d estimate you would need to have about eight weeks of rest before starting. It’s going to be a long healing process but staying optimistic will be the key here.”
I listened intently as Jess continued to ask questions. I could already tell that the next few months were going to be tough on both of us, especially her. I knew I would have to make a promise to myself to stay strong for Jess. She’s been my rock for the past five months and now it was my turn. I was going to be right by her side through all of it.
A/N This fanfic is hella long... Also your all's tweets make me happy even though it's a love/hate sort of thing. I think I only write for the reactions oops.
