I DO NOT OWN EMMERDALE OR IT 'S CHARACTERS...THEY BELONG TO ITV
EARLY FEBRUARY 2016
XX
Jackson paced up and down the clinical corridor. Aaron sat and watched him. Aaron hated hospitals. It was the smell that made him grim.
Jackson stopped a medic coming out from where Joe was being worked on.
"is he alright, I have to know if he is alright!"
The medic could see that Jackson's eyes were full of worry, "we are doing the upmost that we can, please take a seat, someone will be out shortly..."
The medic hurried off. Jackson waved his arms up in the air and sat down next to Aaron.
Aaron turned, "Jackson...I'm sure Joe'll be alright, mate..."
Jackson farrowed his browe, "You know that do you? Well come on Dr. Livesy, give us the benefit of your indeph knowledge..."
"Sarky GIT"
Jackson shook his head in shame, "Sorry...I'm just stressed"
Aaron nodded, "yeah YOU are! And we all know what happens when you get stressed!"
The builder knew well too. The last thing he needed now was to sink into depression again. There was always going to be a trigger to that and the way Joe was that the mo...
"I'll be alright..." encouraged Jackson, "I'm stronger now then I was, I promise"
Aaron nodded.
10 minutes went by. Jackson was up on his feet again standing next to the door to the treatment room, " What IS taking THEM so long?"
Aaron looked up, "Jackson, you heard what that bloke said, they are doing their best"
"What, with STILL no news...?"
Aaron swallowed down hard. Sitting there had made him think about a few things. Everybody kept telling him how his accident had brought everyone together. Mum, Cain, the family. And then there was Jackson.
The man who supposed to have loved him abandoning him.
"Were you like this with me...when I was in there?", Aaron nodded to the doors with a motion of the head, because that was probably the same room HE was worked on 3 years ago.
Jackson was caught out on the hop. He came to meet Aaron's gaze and then looked away.
"Sorry...I shouldn't of said that, I think it's just being here" told Aaron, he was kicking himself for even asking that now, because he KNEW that Jackson had done what he had done. The builder wasn't good at handling stress. He was kind hearted and would do anything for anybody within reason. Jackson had nearly drunk himself to death when he was in here dribbling like a baby. PART of him understood that.
"Where's that Raj again?" asked Jackson coming to sit beside him again. Aaron shrugged his shoulders, "Said he had to get home..."
"Charming"
Aaron faced the floor.
Jackson immediately forced his hand into Aarons, " Mate...that WASN'T me...I never walked out like Raj did, you know...that night...the night you were in here...in a coma after they operated on you...I NEVER LEFT YOUR SIDE...ask anyone"
Aaron smiled at him, " I know..."
Their hands then parted when THOSE doors suddenly opened...
XXXX
THE NEXT DAY.
"So...how is he, this Joe"
Jerry joined Aaron for a smoke on the back doorstep. Both had mugs of tea with them, and both shivered in the frosty morning air.
"They said he's still critical but stable when we left last night..."
Jerry turned, "You are worried about Jackson I suppose"
"Yeah I was...AFTER ALL he went through with me...and now it's happening all over again with Joe...", he stared at Jerry right in the eyes, "...I don't want this to send Jackson over the edge...he SAYS he's stronger, but is he? Deep down?"
Jerry shrugged, "All we can do is keep an eye on him...and if...IF...he seems like he's sliding that way, then we know what to do, don't we..."
Aaron nodded and in took a drag of his Ciggy.
Jerry stood up and stubbed out his cigeratte butt in a flower pot and turned, " I best get Joshie to school, will you be alright with him?"
Aaron flicked his cig butt onto the frosty lawn, ignoring Jerry's scowl at that, "Yeah...I'll have to be, won't I..."
When Jerry had taken Josh to school, Aaron came into the dining room to see Jackson sitting at the table with a bowl of cornflakes. He was still in a pair of checkered jarmy bottoms and a white vest. His mobile stuck to his ear.
"That's really GREAT news, thanks for ringing me...I've been so worried about him, I haven't slept...thanks for this..."
Jackson's eyes looked up to Aaron and he gave the thumbs up to him.
Joe was ok?
"...thanks again, I'll stop by later to see him...you know...if he's up to it, like...cheers...bye"
Aaron raised his eyebrowes, "So...?"
Jackson jumped up and cupped his hands onto Aaron's cheeks, his smile wide, "He's awake and he's talking...that was his Mum just then...this is SUCH a weight off"
Aaron smiled back, "Good..." ,and it was good...it was a weight of HIS mind too.
"I called Jason this morning...just in case like...I hope that was okay", asked nodded, "Yeah...he and Joe were together for a while...more so than this Raj bloke...but then again...who am I to judge by my own actions, eh"
Aaron rolled his eyes, "JACKSON ENOUGH...it's all done now...lets just get Joe back up and running, yeah...maybe it's time you and him buried the hatchet about what happened between me and him...the kiss"
Jackson sat back down to finish his breakfast, "Yeah...my thoughts exactly...as YOU said...as HE said, it were JUST A KISS...it were nothing...and believe me THAT NOTHING means more now than it ever did before...what COULD of happened last night...me and him have been through a lot together over the years"
Aaron sat down opposite him at the table, "Yeah you have...so don't let what happened spoil it..."
Jackson stretched out a hand and cupped Aaron's cheek, " But will YOU be okay about this...you said you felt awkward and..."
Aaron felt relieved, " I feel OKAY about it, actually...now it's all out in the open...now we can put it behind us...yeah"
Jackson, looking pleased, stood up and grabbed the laptop, " Well, while I get showered, YOU can get looking for flats to rent...line up a few for us to view"
Aaron took the laptop off him and logged onto the internet.
All was great. It just brings something nasty to happen to make things seem great...
XXXX
Two questions...1) Who would miss him...?
It was time...Zac's birthday celebrations were Saturday and everyone would be in the pub...and she was ready for her plan...it was ALL so true...all THOSE lies that spill from that monsters mouth.
The monster who had pushed her. The monster who had tried to hang her son. The monster who reasured her he practiced safe sex with blokes because he loved her... who gave her THAT anyway.
The lies.
And if you reversed all the denied lies in the past, and swung them to truth...then the truth hit you like a big slap in the face, and realise how wrong she had been, how mindlessly stupid...
At the dresser, the tears were in her eyes as she stared at herself in the mirror...
2) Who would grieve for him...?.
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