Reality
"Did you speak to the doctor?" Thea asked, watching as her father came back down the corridor after going to look for AJ's doctor.
"Yeah… yeah, I spoke with him." Punk nodded, "They've looked at the CT scans and there's still a sign of swelling to her brain." He explained, trying to remember everything the doctor had told him. It was hard to take in information, "The reason they put her in a coma is to prevent any secondary damage to the brain. So she's… she's not in any pain." He made clear as they nodded.
"Did he say how long she might be like that?" Thea asked.
"An induced coma shouldn't be for longer than four weeks." Punk said, "But… he kept saying the brain is unpredictable over and over again." He shook his head with a lack of confidence.
"Four weeks?" Jude questioned as Punk nodded.
"Yeah and she's… she's not just gonna wake up and be fine. I want you girls to know that." He said. He wasn't going to baby them. They were all grown woman.
"What do you mean?" Cassie shook her head.
"The doctor said that waking up from a coma is a gradual thing. She might wake up a little and… still be unresponsive." He said, "Their main priority is keeping the swelling down in her brain." He said, looking at all three of them. He'd never saw them look so scared before, "He also said there should only be two people up here with her so… I want the three of you to go home." He nodded.
"What? Are you kidding?" Thea shook her head.
"Look, she's stable for now-"
"I don't care. I'm not going anywhere." Thea shook her head.
"Me neither." Jude shook her head.
"I'm not." Cassie added as Punk looked at all three of them.
"We all can't be waiting around here. She's stable and… the condition she's in right now won't change tonight or even tomorrow." He made clear to them. He could see they were all hoping out for their mother to wake tonight, but after speaking with the doctor, he knew that wouldn't happen, "I want the three of you to go home." He said.
"You… need to call us if something happens." Thea warned her father.
"I will." Punk assured her, giving her a hug as Thea held him tightly. He moved onto Jude, hugging her tightly, "You ok?" He asked her.
"I'm scared." Jude frowned, leaning her chin on Punk's shoulder as he hugged her tightly.
"I know." Punk sighed softly, rubbing her back, "We're gonna be ok, though." He whispered, "You go home and get some sleep. Rest that baby." He warned her with a smile. Right now he had to be dad. He couldn't be worried out of his mind husband. He had to be there for his girls.
"I can stay with you if you want." Cassie said as Punk shook his head.
"No, Dean is here with me. I'll be fine." Punk assured her, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly.
Meanwhile Thea had gone into her mother's room, looking over where Dean was sat beside her.
"Is your dad out there?" Dean wondered.
"Yeah, he's just back from talking to the doctor." Thea said as Dean nodded, "Uh… we're gonna go. There should only be two people here so my dad wants us three to go home." She said as Dean nodded.
"Yeah, I think you should. She's… she's stable right now." Dean nodded as Thea sighed to herself, walking over to the bed.
She sat down on the chair by the bed, taking her mother's hand and looking at her with teary eyes.
"She never left my side when I was in hospital." Thea said. It was all she could think about. At a time where she felt lost and broken, like she didn't have anything worth going on for, her mother was there sitting by her bed every day and night.
She'd sat with her whilst she cried, helped feed her when her tremors wouldn't allow herself to do so, help her change her clothes. There was nothing anyone could do in her life that could come close to how much her mother had done for her. She truly believed she may not have even been here without her. To see the strong woman who was always there for her, suddenly so vulnerable and in physical danger… it was hard to take in.
"Hi, sweetie. How you feeling?" A nurse walked into the hospital room where nineteen year old AJ was sat up in bed holding newborn Thea.
"Tired." AJ nodded, "She's very loud." She said, looking down at Thea in her arms, so tiny and precious.
"Yeah? Her lungs working good?" The nurse, Kerry asked as AJ nodded.
"Yeah, real good." AJ laughed a little, "Why do I think her eyelids are cute? Is that normal? Who the hell thinks eyelids are cute?" AJ shook her head as Kerry chuckled.
"Everything is cute on babies." Kerry assured her, "Especially when it's your own." She said, changing some machinery in AJ's room, "And she is a very cute baby."
"Yeah she is." AJ nodded to herself. She couldn't be grateful enough for the nursing staff who had helped her with one of the most amazing yet terrifying things in her life, especially when she was on her own.
"So you should be all good to be discharged in the morning." Kerry nodded to her, looking at AJ's files on a clipboard, "Little Thea is perfect and you're doing good."
"It's like you want rid of me." AJ said as Kerry smiled.
"It's like a revolving door in here." Kerry said, "You'll have a few visits from the health visitor to check on Thea, and you. Your health is just as important as hers right now." Kerry nodded, "How are things… down there?" She asked.
"Well I cried whilst peeing last night." AJ nodded as Kerry smiled sympathetically.
"First week is tough but… you're young and healthy. And you've done so great." Kerry smiled as AJ nodded.
"I am holding her the right way, right?" AJ nodded. She was incredibly anxious about being a mother, especially when she was pretty much on her own. She didn't want to be a disappointment to her baby girl.
"The second I put her on your chest you knew exactly how to hold her." Kerry nodded, "You're doing good." She assured her as AJ nodded to herself, looking down at sleeping Thea with a smile.
"She has so much hair. I love it." AJ shook her head as Kerry smiled. She only wished Punk was here to see this. Even with all the hurt he had caused her, this moment felt like it was on another world. It was a moment she wished he was here to see.
"Sometimes it falls out so… don't be alarmed." Kerry said as AJ nodded, "Will someone be coming to pick you both up?" She wondered as AJ turned to her.
"Uh… no, no I'll just be leaving on my own." AJ said as Kerry nodded slowly.
"There's no one you can call to help you?" Kerry wondered.
"No." AJ said quietly, "No, I'll be fine on my own." She said as Kerry nodded.
"Well do you have the carrier?" Kerry asked.
"Oh, no… I don't have a car so… I won't need it." AJ shrugged.
"We… can't let you leave the hospital without having the baby in a carrier." Kerry said as AJ looked up at her.
"What? No one told me that." AJ shook her head worriedly.
"Don't worry, I will… find you one." Kerry nodded to her, "And I will drive you home in the morning and help you."
"You don't have to." AJ scoffed, "I'll be fine."
"I'd like to." Kerry said as AJ nodded. It wasn't a patronising sympathy sort of help she had gotten from the nurses. It was a genuine kindness from good woman who encouraged her and supported her through a very challenging thing, especially at such a young age. She was eternally grateful.
"Thank you." AJ nodded as Kerry smiled, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.
AJ turned to Thea in her arms, sitting up in the bed and looking down at her, tracing her finger over her fine eyebrows.
"It's just you and me, baby." AJ whispered, leaning down and kissing her head softly.
"Are the girls gone?" Dean asked, watching his brother walking into the hospital room.
"Yeah, that's them gone." Punk nodded, coming from saying goodbye to his daughters, which took long as suspected due to their necessary hugs and reassurance, "I don't want them waiting around here all day and night." He shook his head.
"And you shouldn't be either." Dean said.
"I'm not going anywhere." Punk said calmly, sitting back down by AJ's bed, taking her hand in his.
"You speak to the doctors?" Dean asked him as Punk nodded.
"Yeah." Punk said, "I spoke to him. There's still a lot swelling in her brain. They need to get that down within the next couple days. They need to." He emphasised as Dean nodded, "But… she's not in any pain so…" He nodded to himself. It was important to him that his wife wasn't in any sort of pain or discomfort.
"It's so… weird seeing her like this." Dean shook his head, "So still and quiet." He chuckled a little as Punk smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, I prefer hearing her voice." Punk nodded to himself as Dean looked over, "I need her to wake up." Punk whispered desperately.
"She will." Dean nodded, "It's April. She loves challenges." He said as Punk sighed to himself.
"Why is it now that I start thinking about all the shit I've put her through?" Punk asked himself. As suspected, his brain was spinning with so much thoughts and worries, but all he could think about was all the things he'd done wrong, things that had impacted his wife.
"Because you're scared." Dean said, "When we're scared we think of all kinds of stuff." He said, "You're way beyond feeling guilty for all of that stuff, though, Phil. This is bad enough without you torturing yourself."
"We were supposed to be going to that class tonight." Punk said, "She wanted to do it. She wanted to do something for herself." He shook his head, "Instead of cleaning up after me or the girls all her life-"
"She'd slap you for saying that. You know that's not how she feels." Dean warned him, "She loves you and she loves the girls. That's her world. This class was probably just a hobby she wanted to do. The girls are grown up and maybe she just wanted to spend some time with you and do something fun." He said, "And I'm sure you guys will get to do it at some point." He nodded confidently. He knew he had to keep his brother in a positive mind frame.
"I can't lose her." Punk shook his head. As more time went by, the more it began to sink in that his wife was in a very bad way. He'd never seen her like this before. It broke his heart.
"You won't." Dean said, "I mean… it's April. She doesn't give up. Certainly not on you." He said as Punk nodded, "I'm gonna go get a coffee. You want one?" He stood up.
"No, I'm fine." Punk said as Dean nodded, walking out of the hospital room as Punk sat in the silence, looking on at AJ, holding her hand tightly, never wanting to let go, "Come on, Ape." He whispered desperately, kissing her hand, vowing to never leave her side through all of this. He wasn't going anywhere.
