Prompt: Hair
Hair:
Several hours later and Danny's feeling beyond frustrated. He and Jessica have been locked in a battle of wills over her pain medication every time the nurse has come in. Jessica's still worried that she'll become addicted it to it, even though Danny has tried his best to assure he that won't happen. He's tried to stress how important it is to stay ahead of the pain, but Jessica seems stuck and Danny's exhausted from too little sleep.
"Jessica, please, just take the damn medication. You've just had major surgery, your body needs to heal and it can't do that if you're in pain!"
He wishes he could take back the loudness in his voice the minute that it comes out. Tears fill up Jessica's eye and Danny sighs as he runs his hand through his hair and he sits down on the bed next to her.
"I didn't mean to make you mad Danny," Jessica whispers, tears starting to spill down her face. "I'm sorry. I'll take the medicine. Please don't be mad."
Danny wipes them away with his thumb, feeling guilty. He knows better than to raise his voice at Jessica, knows that it sends her back to times when her father would yell at her before he beat her. He and Steve have tried hard to ensure their behavior at no time emulates Jessica's biological father. This time he failed. "No I'm sorry babe. I shouldn't have yelled. I'm not mad at you ok? I promise. But babe, you're in pain. I can see it in your eyes. And it's hard for me to sit here and watch that knowing there's medication that can help you."
Jessica nods, reaching out and grasping Danny's hand. She is in pain, a lot of pain if she's honest about it. She's exhausted herself, physically and emotionally, and she finally caves and admits it. "It hurts," she whispers.
Danny squeezes Jessica's hand as Steve comes around to the other side of the bed and grasps her other one. "I know it does Jessie," Danny tells her, scooting closer. "So let's do something about it, yeah?"
Jessica looks like she's finally ready to admit defeat. "What if...what if I do get addicted? Then what?" she asks.
Steve speaks up then, his answer the same as the one he gave her in the therapist's office 2 days ago when she was worried about the voices. "Then we deal with it Jessica. If that happens, and I'm not saying it will, but if it does than Danny and I will be right here beside you every step of the way to get you clean. We did it once, we'll do it again."
More tears run down Jessica's face but both Danny and Steve can tell that they've finally gotten through to her. "Ok," she whispers. "Ok."