Jamie hissed in pain as he sat on the side of the hospital bed, trying to get his shirt on. It was something so simple, but was taking everything out of him to do. But, he would rather go through this instead of any of the alternatives that could've happened in the past week. After a week long stay in the hospital, it was finally time for him to go home.
"You need some help over there?" Eddie called out to him as she came out from the bathroom.
He put his arm back down and sighed. "Just a little bit," he replied. "It hurts to move."
She nodded understandingly and walked over to help.
"I didn't think that something so easy could be so hard," he continued, slightly dejected in his tone.
"Well, you just had something major happen to you, Jamie," she responded as she helped guide his arms through the shirt. "It's going to take a minute before you're back to being one hundred percent. I'm sure it won't be long though." She pulled the shirt down his torso and adjusted the buttons on his collar. "There you go. I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"Of course not," he said with a small smile.
"Good," she smiled back. "They should bring the wheelchair in a few minutes and we can get you seated in it. Danny and Erin should be here soon so we can go home."
"Do I really have to use a wheelchair?" he asked.
She gave him a look, "Well… it depends. Do you really think you can walk down the hallway, go down elevators, and possibly steps without any pain?"
"If someone helps me then I can try," he responded.
She shook her head, "No. You're using the wheelchair. And it's just to go outside. After that, you don't have to see it again."
He nodded. Then, he watched as she went around the room to finish gathering up their things while he remained seated on the edge of the bed. His wife had truly been his strength and stay in the last few days. She was the first person he laid eyes on when he woke up. She slept curled up on the uncomfortable chair at his bedside every night and would even stay up with him when he was in pain and was unable to sleep. The only time she would ever leave the hospital was to go home and shower, but even then, she would end up making it back in less than an hour. This week made him realize how lucky he was to have her and made him fall in love with her even more than he thought was possible.
"Ed?" he called out.
"Yeah?" she responded. She put down the duffel bag that she was holding and walked over to him. "You okay?"
He reached out and grabbed her hand. Then, he stayed silent for a long moment as he stroked her knuckles.
"I, uh… want to thank you for this entire week," he said gently, looking up at her. "You've been my rock. And you've held it together for me. There was quite a few times where I felt like breaking down but having you here with me helped me push through."
She held his hand in between both of hers, "There's no where else I'd be, Jamie. I was going to do everything in my power to make sure that we could push you out those doors and never look back."
"You were the first person on my mind when it happen," he continued. "I remember telling Danny and Joe when we were on the way to the hospital to make sure that you were okay. I told them that if something happened to me, that they needed to make sure to take care of you."
Eddie sniffled, "They did. They didn't leave the hospital until we knew that you were okay. And Danny told me what you said, but he said that he wouldn't have to because you were too much of a stubborn son-of-a-bitch to ever leave me alone."
Jamie couldn't help but chuckle, "Well he's right."
She stepped up closer and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you," she whispered, kissing to his cheek.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in as close as he could, then surprised her when he turned his head to hers to met for a long kiss on the lips.
Suddenly, they were both startled by a small knock at the door. They quickly broke apart and turned to see the nurse standing there with the wheelchair.
"Sorry to interrupt," she said, her face slightly red. "I just came to leave this. Someone will be here in a few minutes to help you get in it."
"Thank you," they both replied as she quickly walked off.
Jamie and Eddie both turned to each other and couldn't help but laugh. He reached out and pulled her back to him, then pressed a quick kiss to her temple.
"Whenever I get better, I'll be sure to finish that kiss," he said with a wink.
Eddie smiled, "There's no doubt in my mind that you will."