13th November 2013 Wednesday

Day 317

People have been asking me this year how I always know the date; I just smirk and think of what chapter I'm up to in my story.

Disclaimer: I don't own the show…

The hospital room remained the same for the rest of the week. The only thing that changed was the occasional leaving of the exhausted pilot to use the bathroom or eat just enough to keep himself alive, before he returned immediately to Jenny's side. Her vitals had been improving, so there was no doubt that she would be waking up any time soon.

The hospital staff had become accustomed to Zap staying after visiting hours, using the excuse that he couldn't fall asleep without her. He moved his head slightly when he heard the door open for the umpteenth time.

"How's it going?" Dex asked kindly as he handed over a coffee. The tired pilot took it greedily, taking a deep, warm sip.

He sighed loudly. "It's all right, she should be up soon."

The leader chuckled at the phrase. "You've said that every day for the last three days."

"Well, if I give up hope, nothing's going to-" his voice caught in his throat as the grip holding his hand tightened absent-mindedly. The pilot looked down at her, watching the REM begin to quicken.

"D…Dude, I think she's waking!" he shouted in an excited voice. Sure enough, her eyes slowly began to blink open. "Get someone in here!"

Dex ran out of the room quickly as Jenny's eyes widened to their fullest. She breathed hoarsely, coughing from the tube in her mouth. She sat up, shaking her hands as she continued to cough and splutter. A doctor ran in soon and pulled the tube from her mouth, the clone gasping deeply as she inhaled a clean, uninterrupted breath.

The doctor leaned closer to her, ignoring the bright-eyed and smiling bug boy while the clone put a hand to her heart.

"How are you feeling?"

She furrowed her brow, as though internally checking herself. Zap smirked; she was always the one to double check before giving an answer.

"I feel fine," she said in a soft, hoarse voice. Her green gaze fell around the room, sighing in exhaustion as she pushed her back in to her pillow. "Hospital," she whispered, audible to all. Everyone in the room sighed, content that she knew where she was. The doctor tapped Dex on the shoulder, smiling as they both left the room to leave the couple alone. Zap had the biggest smile plastered on his face, which only grew bigger when Jenny turned her head casually to stare at him.

"Oh, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to wake up," he said, leaning forward to give her a kiss.

"Whoa, whoa," the clone debated, leaning back the other way. He cocked his eyebrow, but pulled himself back.

"Sorry, sorry, it's cool," he laughed in an attempt to cover up the awkward moment. "Come to think of it, I probably wouldn't want your morning breath anyway."

He laughed loudly, but it quickly wavered as her brow furrowed. He cleared his throat.

"So, do remember anything before the accident?"

"Not really," she said, holding a hand to her head. "Do you know if my sisters are okay?"

The pilot pulled a confused expression.

That was an odd thing to ask.

"Well, the ones we found are all ok," he spoke with uncertainty in his voice. Jenny's breathing began to quicken as her eyes swelled with tears.

"So…did the escaped bug hurt the sisters we haven't found?" she asked, staring at him in desperation. The eyebrow couldn't rise further on his forehead.

"Wh-why would you say this?" he questioned, leaning closer to interrogate her. "Why would you bring this up now?"

"Well, that is where I just came from," the clone spoke with an air of condescension. She pointed to the bruise on her head. "All of my sisters were running to avoid the bug, Jenny 8 pulled me out and then I must've blacked out."

She looked down at her feet, wiggling her toes under the blanket. "I guess I've been out for a long time."

The pilot shook his head, beyond confused. "No, you-"

The door to the hospital room opened, but instead of revealing a doctor, a tiny toddler was standing with a smug, expecting grin. Next to the large, heavy door, he looked even smaller as he ran in, jumping in to his dad's arms.

"Oh, he's so cute," Jenny mused, smiling at the child in Zap's lap. The pilot glanced down with a smile, but couldn't scratch this weird feeling he had about the way Jenny sounded when she spoke. "You and your wife must be so proud."

His head flicked up instantly, his brain sparking as he finally understood. Max looked up at him, worry spread on his little face.

"Oh…"

R&R! Had this one planned for ages!