This story is my take on what may have happened if Tricia had lived. I also have another Dennis and Jenny story if anyone is still reading those!
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Tricia sighed as she looked at the ceiling. She hated hospitals. She hated the bright lights. She hated the noise. She hated the chatter. She hated being treated as though she knew nothing when she was probably one of the most qualified people in the room. She hated the uncomfortable bed. She hated the food. She hated-
"You've got a visitor!" The nurse said cheerfully.
Most of all, she hated visiting hour.
It seemed as though the locum was doing a terrible job, because far from coming to see how she was, everyone was visiting to tell her their problems. Like she didn't have enough of her own, stuck in a bed with only her thoughts all day.
"Hi." Mike smiled awkwardly, placing a brown paper bag on the table. He had visited daily since she had been admitted and Tricia still barely talked to him other than pleasantries.
"Grapes. How marvellous." The sarcasm could have starched the bed sheets.
"Chocolate biscuits, actually."
"…sorry." Tricia gave a small smile. "I'm just…"
"Bored?"
"So bored." She laughed.
"The doctor told me you can go home in a couple of days, provided you have support, and no stairs." Mike replied, studying her face intently. "I thought maybe-"
"Don't, Mike." Tricia said softly. This is what she had been thinking about for days on end; worrying about. This is what she had tried to avoid at every other visit he had made. If he had been unsure about their relationship before, she couldn't allow her fall to guilt him into making a commitment.
"Please just listen. Let me explain. Properly." Mike implored.
Tricia looked into his eyes and finally gave a meek nod, looking down at her hands.
Mike rubbed his hands on his trousers to rid them of the sweat. "…I thought…Jackie and I, we were different. She was definitely smarter, more social…but I thought we worked together. I thought if I tried it would work. But it didn't, did it? And you and I, we are different, too. I'm..I was nervous of making the same mistakes again. And I know you're concerned your fall will make me feel guilty, and it does. It should. But it also made me realise something, Tricia. You and I..we are different. But we are equal. We both try, we both make mistakes. We both apologise and try harder. And that's what makes us stronger. I'm sorry I couldn't see that before, and I'm sorry I made you doubt my love for you."
Tricia waited, and when he said no more she spoke softly. "You do, then? Love me?"
"More than I have ever loved anyone before."
"…enough to let me kip on your couch for a few weeks while I recover?"
Mike looked up, a smile on his lips. "Enough to bring the whole bed down the stairs for you. That couch is hell to sleep on."
