Disclaimer: I do not own Four Brothers, I only use it to write stories that hopefully you will enjoy.
A/N: Jack is in the hospital with serious injuries. After he slowly comes off his medications, he his greeted with someone from his past. I don't want to give too much away so you'll have to read.
Title: Love Takes Time
Chapter 1- Little Surprises
Hospital-
"How is he doc?" Bobby Mercer asked the tall older bald man whose name tag read Dr. Lane. He had just operated on his brother Jack.
"There was massive bleeding, but we were able to control it," the doctor said gripping Jack's medical chart.
The Mercer brothers, Bobby, Jerry, Angel, and his girlfriend Sofi, had just gotten to the hospital after their little brother Jack was brought in not to long ago.
"When can we see him?" Angel asked.
The doctor hung his head low, wiping his sweaty brow, "Your brother barely survived surgery. He has a broken ankle, four cracked ribs and he's still unconscious."
"So what does that mean?" Jerry asked the doctor.
"Right now, I can't give you a diagnose."
"Look doc, stop giving me the fuckin run around, how is he?" Bobby demanded.
"To be honest, it doesn't look good, but I'll have one of the nurses inform you when I get his test results back," the doctor said leaving the family in the hospital's waiting room.
Bobby took a seat down by the soda machines, "It's all my fault."
"How is it your fault? We didn't know what was gunna happen man," Angel said giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"I shoulda been lookin out for him," Bobby sighed.
They all waited patiently inside the waiting room pacing back in forth. After three hours had passed a short blonde nurse approached them.
"Hello, Mr. Mercer?" she asked meekly looking around the room.
"We're all Mr. Mercer, I'm Bobby," he said walking up to her, "What's goin on?"
She pulled out a pen from her uniform, "The doctor needs you to sign these," she said handing him a bunch of forms.
"What is it?" Jerry asked her politely.
"Medical information," she said sweetly, as she walked away swiftly.
It wouldn't have taken Bobby a long time to fill out the forms, but he couldn't concentrate, none of them could. After handing them back to another nurse the doctor came out again.
"What's wrong?" Angel asked the doctor who had a worried look on his face.
"Jack's awake," he said sounding not too satisfied.
"That's great news," Sofi said holding onto Angel.
"I'm afraid he's in a lot of pain and his body is slowly going into shock."
"Well give him something," Bobby commanded.
"We've already administered the highest dose of morphine we are allowed to give him. He's going to be uncomfortable for a while, so I'd advise you and your family to check back tomorrow, when he might be better rested," the doctor said with his arms folded.
"No, I ain't leavin him here by himself," Bobby yelled.
The doctor removed his glasses slowly, "Mr. Mercer, we are in an intensive care unit. I must warn you to keep your voice down, unless you want me to call security?"
Bobby gave the doctor a nasty look and restrained himself.
"Thanks doc," Angel said sarcastically as the doctor left them again.
"Let's go," Jerry said rounding up his brothers.
Mercer House-
Five days had pasted and they still weren't allowed to visit Jack. In that time they had gotten rid of Victor Sweet and everything was almost back to normal. Every time Bobby would go to the hospital demanding visitation, the nurses would call security witch always ended up in a heated dispute.
"This is bullshit," Bobby said flicking the television remote down on the floor.
"Well at least we know he's ok," Angel told him.
"We know he's alive, we don't know if he's ok," he said getting up to answer the phone.
"Angel!" Sofi yelled from upstairs.
"Hello?" Bobby asked the person on the phone.
"Hi, is Mr. Jack Mercer there?" an older woman asked.
"Actually, Jack's in the hospital. Who's callin?" Bobby asked abruptly.
"I'm terribly sorry to hear that."
"Yeah thanks," Bobby said getting annoyed quickly by their slow moving conversation.
"Yes well, I'm calling on behalf of Cynthia Cord," the woman said plainly.
Bobby removed the phone from his ear trying not to get upset, "I don't mean to be rude mam, but I don't know who you're talkin about. What is this about?"
"Oh yes, I'm terribly sorry. The reason I'm calling is because I need to meet with Mr. Jack Mercer," she said humbly.
"And this meeting, it is about what exactly?"
"Are you some how related to Mr. Mercer?"
"Yes mam, I'm his brother Bobby Mercer," he sighed.
"Hello Bobby, my name is Helen Waits, would you be able to come down to my office? It's imperative that I speak to someone in Jack's immediate family."
Bobby was reluctant at first but agreed. He wrote down her office address and hung up.
"What was that about?" Angel asked him.
"Some lady had me on the phone for hours asking me to meet her at her office," Bobby spat.
"For what?" Angel asked him looking at the address.
"It's about Jack."
Hospital-
"Can we finally see him?" Jerry asked the only nurse at the front desk.
"Hold on," she said pushing a number on her telephone, "Doctor says it's ok, right there," she said pointing to a room on their left.
When they reached the door they heard someone moaning in pain.
"What the fuck are you doing!" Jack screamed as a nurse two times smaller than him, drew his blood.
"Mr. Mercer you need to calm down!" she screamed trying to bottle the blood correctly while Jack twisted her arm with his free one.
"Jack let go of her!" Bobby yelled grabbing the hand Jack used to hurt the tiny nurse.
"Thanks," she hissed angrily as she hurried out of the room.
"You ok man?" Angel asked Jack as his faced stopped turning purple.
Jack just slid back down into a resting position ignoring the fact that Bobby, Angel, Jerry and Sofi were in the room.
"Jackie?" Bobby asked.
Jack huffed and puffed twisting slightly in the hospital bed.
"We should come back later," Sofi warned tugging at Angel's arm.
"No, we haven't seen him in almost a week," Bobby said taking a seat by Jack's bed.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Jack finally said grabbing the railing of the bed.
"What do you mean Jackie? We're family aren't we?" Bobby asked him surprised by the way he was acting.
"Oh so now we're family? After you left me in the fucking street dying?"
Bobby looked at his other brothers, "We wanted to go get you, but we couldn't."
"What ever," Jack barked turning over.
"Maybe we should go," Jerry said.
"Excuse me," a doctor said poking his head into the room.
Bobby walked over, "Yeah?"
"Dr. Lane, Jack's primary doctor, asked me to tell you that Jack shouldn't have any visitors," the doctor said shyly.
"But the nurse at the front desk said the doctor said yes."
"Sorry that was me that gave that order. I'm terribly sorry."
"What's wrong with him?" Bobby asked before the doctor left.
The doctor grabbed Jack's chart from the outside of the door, "Looks like he's coming off a large dose of morphine. When someone is put on morphine it is hard to take them off, so we slowly take away dosages which almost always have a very negative effect on a patient's mental health."
Bobby looked at him confused, "Basically, at his dosage now he's experience withdrawal symptoms," the doctor cleared up.
"Oh, ok thanks doc," Bobby said going back into the room.
"What's up?" Jerry whispered to Bobby.
"He's withdrawing from the morphine, we should go," Bobby said.
"Hey Jack, get better man, we'll see you soon," Jerry said exiting the room.
"Yeah take care," Angel said after hearing what Bobby said to Jerry.
Jack cringed with pain.
"Get better little brother, we love you," Bobby said closing the door.
Mercer House-
"Where you goin?" Angel asked Bobby who had his winter coat on and his car keys in hand.
"Meetin with Mrs. Waits," he said heading out of the front door.
Bobby had to drive twenty minutes to get to Mrs. Waits office. It was a very large brick building with two playgrounds, mini-hospital and a school. When he walked into the foyer he noticed that Mrs. Waits office was on the fifth floor, the children services floor.
"That's weird," he mumbled to himself talking the elevator to the fifth floor.
Once he stepped off the elevator he walked up to a woman who was filing her nails behind her desk.
"Excuse me," he said, which startled her.
"Oh, can I help you?"
"I'm looking for Mrs. Waits's office."
"Down the hall to your right," she pointed; her long blue nails glittered underneath the bright lights.
"Thanks," he nodded slowly walking into the direction she pointed.
He stood at her door reading the title: Mrs. Waits, children's placement agency.
"Come in," a woman called from the other side of the door.
He entered and nodded as a woman in a wheelchair signaled for him to take a seat.
"And you must be?" she asked.
"Bobby Mercer, Jack's brother," he said tucking his hands into his pockets.
"Oh, welcome Mr. Mercer," she said extending her hand from behind her desk.
Bobby stood up and shook her hand, "Sorry I couldn't get over here sooner," he apologized.
"That's quite all right. The reason I asked to visit with you is because I need your brother's permission to legally sign his daughter off to be adopted. Her foster mother wants to adopt immediately and…" she began to say until Bobby put his hand up.
"Whoa, whoa. You have the wrong Jack Mercer. My brother Jack is only twenty one years old, and he doesn't have a daughter," Bobby chuckled nervously.
"He does, Mr. Mercer," she said showing him Jack's daughter's file.
Bobby took the file in his hand. The little girl whose name was Grace Brooks was almost three years old, had green eyes, blonde-brown hair, and looked exactly like Jack.
Bobby took a moment to catch his breath, "Why is she being adopted, can't Jack take her?"
"Grace's mother was killed a month ago by a drunk driver, her best friend wrote that the father gave her the consent to adopt," Mrs. Waits said wondering why Bobby never heard this before.
"What? Jack doesn't know anything about having a daughter," Bobby yelled.
"Mr. Mercer, we are aware that Grace's birth father, your brother, is aware of the adoption."
"No, he's not. Where is Grace?"
"She should be at home with her foster mother."
"Where can I find this woman?" Bobby asked.
"We can't give out that information, but if you come back tomorrow I will call her and you two can meet," Mrs. Waits said.
"Ok thanks," Bobby said leaving her office in a hurry.
Please R&R thanks!