Life Changes

Chapter 17

After Jessica and Harrison left the park with ambulance, Hoppo decided to go back home and take Karen with to meet the ambulance at the hospital. The rest of the lads went back to the bar to stay with Sarah, while the police followed them there.

Hoppo's POV:

After the ambulance left with Jessica and Harrison, I hopped back in my car and raced to my house to pick up Karen, who was already aware of what was going on. As soon as I came to a screeching halt in front of the house, Karen was already waiting for me and hopped in. "How is she Hoppo?" "She is alive, but she has a very weak pulse and was bloody and bruised and unconscious. Did you let Katrina know?" "Yes, Katrina and the boys are coming on the next available flight. How is Harrison holding up?" "He is an emotional wreck; I feel like I should give him some time off so he can gather his thoughts on what to do next, but I know he'll want to come back to work to take his mind off of Jess and everything else that's going on." Karen nodded and held my hand until we reached the hospital. Once I parked the truck, we hopped out and walked towards the ER entrance. I looked around and saw Harrison pacing back and forth in front of the big doors leading towards the surgery rooms. Running towards him, Karen pulled him in for a big hug. "How is she?" "Well, as soon as we got here, they took x-rays of her and determined she had abdominal bleeding and possibly fractures all over so they immediately took her up for emergency surgery. That was half an hour ago, and I haven't heard anything since. Does her mom know?" Karen nodded; we all sat down on a couch while waiting to hear what the doctors had to say.

Skip to after Jess's emergency surgery. Katrina (Jess's mom) and her brothers Jackson and Albert are on their way to Australia to be there for her.

Jess's POV:

I hear a constant beeping in the distance. It's too soft and too far away to be my alarm clock; I want to open my eyes, but it's like there is something placed over them. I try closing my hands and I feel someone else's hand placed in mine. I feel that hand squeezing me back, and then I hear that voice I've been dreaming about ever since this nightmare started; Harrison. "Jess? Jess are you awake? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me." Squeezing his hand, I heard Harrison push his chair back and walk to the nurses station; I heard multiple footsteps walk in and then I heard someone talking. "Jessica? I'm Dr. Matthews. You're in Sydney General Hospital. Do you know what happened?" Slowly opening my eyes, a blurry person was standing by my bedside wearing a stethoscope and a white coat. "I don't know what happened... how long have I been here?" My voice sounded super soft and squeaky, but everyone in the room was able to hear what I was saying. "You were found unconscious by your uncle Hoppo and other lifeguards in a park. Your entire body was bloody and bruised; you were taken for emergency surgery and we were able to stop the bleeding in your abdomen. Unfortunately, because you suffered severe injuries to the lower abdomen area where your uterus is located, the  chances of your having children is very small." When she said that, I was devastated. Even though Harrison and I had never talked much about children, it is a wish of mine to be able to carry children of my future husband. "How small are the chances of having children?" I heard Harrison say. "It depends on the situation, but in Jessica's case, there's about a 15-20% chance that she'll be able to conceive naturally." I felt the tears starting to roll and I just wanted to be by myself with Harrison. The doctor caught on and said, "I'll leave you two alone for a while. If you need anything, please let one of the nurses know." Giving us a sympathetic smile, she walked out and closed the curtain behind her. At that point, I just wanted to give up.

Harrison's POV:

"... the chances of your having children is very small. There's about a 15-20% chance that Jessica will be able to conceive naturally." When Dr. Matthews told us the news, I was devastated. I was devastated for Jess; I wanted children just as much as Jess. As soon as the doctor stepped out of the room and closed the curtain, I crawled in bed beside Jess and held her close to me as she started to cry. Holding her tight, I knew there was nothing I could do as of right now. "Jess? Jess?" She looked up at me with her grief-stricken face. "No matter what happens, we're in this together. I want children just as much as you do. We will keep trying no matter what happens. If things don't work out naturally, I am open to adoption or surrogacy." Jess leaned up and kissed me. "I would love that Harrison. I always thought I would be married before I even thought about kids, but I wouldn't mind starting a family with you right now..." When Jess said that, I smiled and kissed her forehead. "Your mom is on her way as well as your brothers!" "Really? I can't wait to see them again. You will love my brothers; they love anything to do with swimming and water." "Ah, well I'll have to teach them how to surf and have them hang out with the lads and I." Jess nodded and smiled. I love her so much! Little did she know, I have a little box in my nightstand drawer at my apartment, accompanied by an important question once I had everything planned out exactly how I wanted it to go.

Now that we know that Jess woke up and received the devastating news, how will everyone else react to it?  And what could be in the little box that's in Harrison's nightstand drawer? Keep reading to find out ;)

Cheers,

Trishi