Chapter 8: Holding out for you

I'm so sorry guys that it's been so long that I've up loaded a new chapter but it's been a hectic year for me. I moved and I'm back in school. But It's summer holiday and PLL is back in a few weeks so I'm going to try my best to update as often as possible.

"Hanna I know this is hard for you and you are tired but could you just try it one more time?"

"Mr Jones you don't even know the first thing about how hard this is for me." Hanna screamed at the physical therapist for the 3rd time.

"Ok fine let's just call it a day then. I'll see you tomorrow. Nurse could you come and take her back to her room please."

"Thank you." Hanna sighs.

She's been trying to grip one of their stupid balls in both hands for the past 1hr but each time her hands would either just not cooperate or she would only be able to barely hold the ball for a second before it fell to the ground.

She was now beyond frustrated. It's been over 3 weeks since she awoke from her coma and yet she still can't make any strides. Her doctors keep telling her she's improving but all she sees is that she still needs help for everything. She can't even hold a stupid ball, how will she be able to hold her baby daughter whom she still doesn't even remember having.

She cries as she remembered how yesterday when they visited Aria had placed Emily in her lap but the minute she did the baby started screaming. She doesn't know who Hanna is and try as she might Hanna didn't know her either. Because of this Hanna had asked Aria not to bring her back when she's coming to visit. It hurts too much to be looking at your daughter or a child who everyone says you had, but you have no recollection of having or even being pregnant with.

"Mrs Rivers is everything ok?" The nurse who was pushing her wheelchair asks when she noticed her crying.

"I'm fine" Hanna snaps. "I just want to get back to my room and into bed. What time is that damn useless psychiatrist coming?"

"He should be here in about 2 hours" The nurse replies kindly. She wasn't offended when Hanna snaps at her because she's been her nurse since she started physical therapy and she knows Hanna is just frustrated.

"Ok good. I can at least get some sleep then before he comes" Hanna sighs.

"Yes you can." The nurse agrees. "You know Mrs Rivers, I know you think you aren't making any progress in physical therapy, but I've seen patients in here whose muscles weren't nearly as badly atrophied as yours are and they didn't have brain damage like you do. Who even after months of PT haven't achieved what you have in 3 weeks. You may think I'm just saying this to cheer you up, but I want you to know it's the truth."

Hanna listened but did not reply to what the nurse said. The elevator arrived on her floor and the nurse pushed the wheelchair with Hanna out to her room.

"Hey Hanna you ready to go see Caleb?" Spencer asks a couple hours later.

"Are you serious?" Hanna asks shocked. She's been asking to be taken to Caleb for three weeks now and every time they would either try to distract her or they'll give some excuse as to why she has to stay in bed.

"Yes I'm as serious as a judge would be." Spencer laughs as she pushes the wheelchair next to the bed, then helps Hanna into it. "But Hanna I must warn you he doesn't look like the Caleb you know anymore."

"I don't care I just want to see him." She tears up.

Spencer pushed her into his room and up to the bed. "I'm going to go and see if I can Dr Drake so he can come and update you on his condition ok?" Hanna nods and Spencer leaves.

"Hi Caleb." Hanna starts with her head resting on his chest. "I've been trying to come and see you for weeks since I woke up but Aria and Spencer refused to bring me and I couldn't come on my own. I know the girls have been coming to see you though and I'm glad, but Caleb they need you and I need you, so please wake up, come back to us ok. I know it's hard, it was hard for me too, but I believe in you and I'm willing to have faith that you will come back to us. Emily our baby girl, who I have forgotten, she doesn't know us anymore. She cries for Aria because she thinks Aria and Ezra are her parents so you need to wake up. I love you so much, please come back to us." By the end of her speech Hanna she was crying so hard she could hardly get the words out.

"Dr Drake will be here as soon as he can, he just got paged to the ER." Spencer says when she returned to the room. "Are you ok Han?"

"Yea" Hanna wipes her face. "I was just telling Caleb he needs to wake up."

"Oh Hanna he will wake up, I'm sure of it. His body just needs some time to rest and heal." Spencer assures her taking her into her arms for a hug.

A couple minutes later Dr Drake walked into the room "am I interrupting?" He asks.

Hanna and Spencer pull away from their hug and she stands up to face the doctor. "No hey Dr Drake. This is Caleb's wife Hanna" Spencer tells him.

Hanna extends her arm and Dr Drake shakes it. "It's nice to meet you Hanna."

"Nice to meet you too" Hanna says.

"We still have him on a respirator which is mostly breathing for him. He still needs a kidney transplant and because they are failing he is at risk for an infection. He hasn't had one so far which is good news. There was significant brain damage but there is significant brain activity so we are hopeful and we believe that there may be a chance that if he receives the kidney transplant and all the swelling in his brain reduces, he will wake up. We won't be sure what damage was done to his brain however until he wakes up." Dr Drake says then pauses "I know this is a lot of information to digest, but I assure you the best doctors in this hospital are working on your husband and we are doing everything in our power to ensure he recovers from this".

Hanna nods "So doc I'm going to assume the worst case scenario here is death and I refuse to go there. What are our best chances here? When he wakes up?"

"Well the best case here would be he wakes up and goes through I'd say anywhere from 10-18 months of physical therapy and makes a full recovery. But I have to be realistic here and say most likely he'll wake with minimal permanent damage to his brain. I'm sorry I can't give you a more specific answer but with the brain we can never be sure. He could end up anywhere from amnesia to loss of his ability to speak or form words or even as bad as being in a vegetative state."

"Ok thank, you Dr Drake." Spencer says when she sees Hanna looking at Caleb and crying.

"Keep the faith Hanna, his doctors haven't given up on him and you shouldn't either. He is a fighter, but his body has been through a lot and just needs some time to heal." Dr Drake assures them then leaves.

After a couple more minutes Hanna told Spencer to take her back to her room. The minute she got back in bed Hanna pulled up the covers and closes her eyes. It's been a long day and her body was over whelmed and tired.

Spencer told her goodbye and left, at the same time taking out her phone to call Aria.

"The kids are in bed and I just got off the phone with Spencer." Aria calls to Ezra who was in the shower. "She took Hanna to see Caleb and they spoke to Dr Drake about his condition, treatment and possible recovery."

"So how is he?" Ezra shouts back.

"He's the same, Spencer says Dr Drake told her the same thing he told us a few days ago." She tells him as she ties her robe around her and leave the bathroom.

Ezra stepped into the bedroom a few moments later with a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, water was still dripping off his chest. Aria sat on their bed steering holes into his chest, just about drooling.

"Do you want to take a picture or are you just going to continue sitting there drooling and steering at my chest and lower." Ezra smirked

"Do you know how hot you are? A picture wouldn't do you justice. There's nothing better than the real deal." Aria licks her lips and walks over to him. She wraps her arms around him then run her hands up and down his chest.

Ezra leans down gently taking her into his arms pulling her closer then lowers his lips to hers. The kiss starts out gentle and sweet before Aria starts pushing her tongue against his lips to deepen the kiss. His tongue meets hers and they dance rhythmically together. He pulls at the cord on her robe before pushing it open.

Finally needing air they reluctantly pull apart. Ezra looks down taking note of the pyjama Aria had on. "Why are you wearing so many clothes?" He asks puzzled

She looks up at him and smiled sweetly "Well I was planning on just going to bed. I wasn't expecting you to come in here looking all sexy with water dripping down your chest dressed in only a towel barely wrapped around your waist." She then stood up on her tip toes and kiss his nose.

"Well we are going to have to correct this unfair advantage to have. I mean one wrong move and you can see all my goods but I have to wait until you lose the 10 layers you have on." He smiles as he starts pushing the robe off her shoulders.

"Stop being so dramatic." She smiles and shakes her head then takes the helm of her shirt and starts pulling it over her head tossing it aside while he worked on getting her out of her shorts. They soon join the top and robe on the ground across the room.

She then stood in front of him dressed in only her underwear. "I'd say we are even don't you?" She asks

Only Ezra couldn't answer because now he was busy examining every inch of her body. Before she could try to snap him from his daze he lifts her into his arms and carries her over to the bed they share. He places her gently in the center of the bed, in his effort to join her on the bed his towel falls bearing all his manhood for Aria to ogle.

There you have it folks. The chapter was too short so I added a little Ezria fluff in there. That's the best I can do. I hope you liked it. Please remember to leave a review and let me know what you'd like to see in the coming chapters. I'll try my best to incorporate all your request into the story.

-Cavine