In Her Arms

The Joodif/Sarah FB Challenge

Grace nurses a wounded Boyd, 2500 words max. Post Waterloo.

Disclaimer - I own Nothing, no copyright infringement intended

"You can't go home Mr. Boyd, you can't be alone because of the concussion. You need to be observed for 24 hours."

"I'll be fine."

"You could develop bleeding on the brain. You need to be under constant observation."

"He will be." A voice from behind them said. "I'll be watching him, whilst he recovers."

He looked over the Doctors shoulder to see Grace stood in the doorway, "See. I won't be alone."

"This still isn't a good idea." The Doctor said, speaking to Grace.

"I'll keep a close eye on him."

"Well we can't stop you, if you'd like to come with me, I'll give you some information on what to look out for with regards to his head injury."

"Okay!" She replied, as the Doctor walked past her, she winked at Boyd. "Back in a minute."

"He has severe concussion, five broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, bruising to both kidneys, and six stitches to the wound on his head. He really shouldn't be leaving the hospital."

"I'll keep a very close eye on him over the next 24 hours."

"We'll organise some painkillers for him. He'll probably be in quite severe pain. He may also pass some blood in his urine. That's caused by the kidney injuries, and it's nothing to worry about unless it goes on for a long period of time. This leaflet tells you what to look out for with the head injury, if he experiences any of the symptoms listed here you will need to bring him straight back to A&E."

"I will, thank you."

Grace returned to the cubicle Boyd was in, "Are you ready to go?" She asked him.

"Yeah kind of." He had his arm in a sling to support his shoulder, so had his jacket only half on. He had a dressing over his head wound. The rest of his injuries required no physical treatments, just pain relief and careful monitoring. Grace helped him to his feet and allowed him to put his arm around her for support, gently putting her arm around his waist to help support his weight.

"Ah ah!" He grimaced in pain, as soon as he moved.

"Are you sure about this, you'll get stronger pain relief in here than you will at home."

"I just want to come home Grace, please?"

"Okay, it's not a problem, what an earth were you thinking of, look at the state of you."

"Can we do the lecture when we're at home."

"It's not a lecture, but you could have killed yourself."

"I was just trying to get it done."

"Bloody idiot."

"I get it Grace okay. I was stupid. I could have killed myself, and I look like I've been hit by a truck, now can we just go home, because every part of my body hurts like a bastard."

"Try and lean on me for support." She told him as he again grimaced in pain. She got him to the car, and in the front seat with great difficulty, she had no idea how she was going to get him out again, but she decided she'd deal with that when they got home.

He felt every lump and bump in the road on the journey home, and as she parked on the driveway, he tried to turn himself to undo his seat belt, "Argh, for fuck's sake." He started to take deep breaths to try and get through the pain that shot through his body, but the pain in his ribs just increased with every breath he took.

"All right, calm down, just don't move for a minute, okay." She lent over and undid the seat belt for him, before going round to his side of the car to help him get out. He took her hand, and tried his best to turn himself around to get out, again groaning in pain. Once out of the car he stood and held onto the car door for a few minutes.

"Oh god this fucking hurts."

"You just fell off the roof of our house, of course it hurts! Let's get you inside and then you can take some painkillers." He once again put his arm around her shoulders as she helped to support him inside the house. "Where do you want to sit, or do you want to go up to bed?"

"I think it will be easier if I go up to bed, if I sit down, I'm not sure I'll get back up again."

Grace helped him up the stairs and sat him on the edge of the bed, "I'll help you get changed." She found him out some track bottoms and a loose fitting sleeveless top, she undressed him and then gently helped him into the loose fitting clothes, she had found him, every time he moved, he moaned in pain, eventually, once he was changed, she helped him into bed, loading the bed up with cushions behind him to try and make him comfortable.

"Do you feel okay?"

"No, I feel fucking terrible."

"Yeah I know, but no worse than you did ten minutes ago."

"No."

"Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"A cup of tea would be great, but nothing to eat."

"Okay, well I'll go and make some tea and get you some painkillers, and then I'll be back up. Don't move, and don't go to sleep, okay?" She kissed him gently.

"Is that a joke? I couldn't bloody move if I wanted to, and I don't think nodding off is an option either." He said to her as she left the room.

She returned a short while later with two cups of tea, some painkillers for him and a sandwich for herself. "Here take these." She said popping the tablets in his mouth and then handing him a glass of water to swallow them with. She grabbed the remote control for the TV in their bedroom and handed it to him. She sat on the bed next to him for a few minutes. "You okay?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"I know you're hurt, but I mean other than that."

"I'll be fine, broke my bloody glasses though."

"It's a good job you didn't break your bloody neck."

"I know." As he looked back at her, he saw the tears in her eyes. "I'm okay Grace, honestly."

"I could have lost you Peter."

"But you didn't, did you? I'm here. I have a few, very painful injuries, but all in all, I'm fine. So don't go getting all morbid on me, worrying about what might have happened."

"We're supposed to be spending our twilight years together, not bloody balancing, or should I say falling off, roof tops."

"I know, and I'm sorry. It won't happen again. It was for Maisie."

"She's four years old. She probably wouldn't have even noticed."

"Yes she would, or will."

"Don't you bloody even suggest it."

"I'll get a professional to put it up."

"All this for a bloody illuminated Santa Claus."

"She said she wanted to see Santa on the roof."

"Oh, and what Grandpa's little girl wants, she gets."

"She's our Granddaughter Grace. I know she's not biologically related to me, but her and the others are the closest I will get to being a Grandpa, and I love it. I love them, you know I do, and I was just trying to make it special for her."

"Well you should have done it by letting her father put it up."

"Grace, I know he's your son, but he's a bloody waist of space, we both know it."

"Whatever, no more ladders for you."

"Agreed, but I am going to get that Santa on the roof! Not personally, but I'll get someone to do it for me."

"Okay, now, do you need anything else, before I get comfortable."

"Not at the moment."

Grace went around to the other side of the bed and got in. It was still early, but she had no intention of leaving him alone, or going to sleep.

"What do you want to watch?" he asked her.

"You."

"I meant on the TV, as well you know."

"I'm not bothered. You choose something, but please, nothing to do with bloody hospitals."

"Not in the mood for casualty then?"

"Funny."

"Argh, shit."

"What's wrong?"

"I can't even breathe without it hurting. I can't reach my tea."

"Hang on, I'll get it for you." She got back up and walked around the bed picking up his cup of tea and holding it for him, whilst he drank from the cup. "Is the pain not easing off?"

"No, It's bloody agony. I think I may need to sit forward. It hurts my back too much to sit back."

"Maybe I need to take away some of the pillows."

"I don't know it just hurts like hell, and something else."

"What?" Grace asked, the concern showing through her voice.

"I need a pee."

"Haha, this is going to be fun."

"Yeah exactly."

"Drink your tea and then I'll help you get up, okay?"

"Okay, thanks." He managed to take the cup from her with his good hand and finish his tea, before she took the cup back from him and put it on the side.

"Right then." She said, helping to swing his legs around so they were hanging over the bed, and then sitting beside him, so he could put his arm around her. "Okay, on three we'll stand up."

"Okay." He replied and they counted to three together, on standing the pain again shot through his body, across his ribs and up his back. "Argh for fuck's sake." He grimaced, screwing his eyes closed as he did so.

Grace waited for him to become steady before speaking, "You okay?" she said quietly, for all the joking, she loved him deeply and hated to see him in such pain.

He nodded his head, "yeah kind of."

"Ready to move?" he again nodded his head and then started to walk towards the bathroom. He kept his arm around her shoulders, relying on her for stability. She kept an arm lightly around his back, careful not to hurt him further. He had landed on his back so all of his injuries were on the back of his body, severe bruising, both on the surface and internally, especially to his kidneys. Every movement no matter how small, was painful, and the journey to the bathroom of their home seemed like a marathon.

As they walked into the bathroom, he smiled at her, "Um, this is a bit awkward isn't it?"

"What?"

"I need a pee Grace. I cannot stand unaided, and I only have one hand to support myself as the other is in a sling."

"Oh for god's sake Boyd, please don't tell me you're shy."

"Well it is a little embarrassing."

"No Boyd, having to have a stranger do it is embarrassing, an attractive young nurse who wants to giggle is embarrassing, having your partner hold your willy whilst you have a pee shouldn't be. It's not like I've never seen it before, and if you want me to be blunt, I have done a lot worse things than help you take a pee with it." Grace shoved her hand into his trousers and removed him from his pants. "Do you want to stand or sit?"

He started to giggle, and then once again grimaced in pain, "Argh! I think I'd better stand. It'll hurt getting up."

Grace stood and looked away as he urinated, not at all embarrassed by the situation. He kept his arm around her as she held onto him.

"Okay I'm done." He said, she redressed him, and then went to flush the toilet, noticing a lot of blood in his urine, as the doctor had predicted.

"You need to keep an eye on that, the Doctor said it's only a problem if it goes on for a long time."

"Yeah okay."

Grace washed her hands and then helped him back into the bedroom. She removed some of the pillows from behind where he had been laid, and then helped him sit down, lifting his legs onto the bed in reverse from when he'd gotten up. As he sat on the bed, she climbed on the bed and sat behind him, "Okay lean back gently." She said to him, he did as she said, and was eventually leaning back against her, she put her arms around him and held onto him. His body moulded against hers. Her body was like a cushion against him. "How's that?" She asked him.

"It's okay."

"Better or worse than the pillows?"

"Better, thank you."

"It'll be easier to help you up from here too."

He lifted his free arm and rubbed his hand against her arm, "thank you."

"What for?"

"For looking after me."

"I happen to love you Boyd, what else am I going to?"

"I don't know, I'm just saying thank you, I love you too. I know I don't say it much, and I'm not constantly gushing with romantic gestures and words, but I do love you."

"I don't want you any other way, than the way you are. Put your head back on my shoulder."

"Okay, thanks."

He gently rested his head against her shoulder as she had instructed him to, and she held him in her arms. It was a difficult night for both of them. He wasn't supposed to sleep in case he developed symptoms of a further head injury, and Grace was trying her best to keep him awake despite being exhausted herself.

At 8am, she woke to find him asleep in her arms as he had been when she'd nodded off, she gently kissed his neck to wake him up, and he woke up showing no signs of problems arising from the head injury. He was still very sore, and his injuries had stiffened up over night, making it even more painful to move.

Grace spent the next week providing him with tea, sympathy and TLC, until he was a bit more mobile, and the next time their four-year-old granddaughter Maisie came to visit, she looked in awe at the illuminated Santa and reindeer that proudly adorned the roof of their house. Grandpa was still unable to pick her up, so she waited until he sat down and then sat on her favourite chair, Grandpa's lap. He read her a story, and she fell asleep in his arms, or arm as one was still in a sling, and he fell asleep holding her, and Grace, well Grace couldn't help but smile when she saw them, sleeping peacefully together.

The End