This is the last chapter. Thanks to everyone who was reading/is still reading! Special thanks to GoldstuffonTV for reviewing! I appreciate this so much! Thank You!

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Chapter 8:

"She's in very good hands."

The nurse's words kept repeating in Alec's mind.

There wasn't anything more he could say. Nothing more he could do. Alec was aware of this fact but it was still hard to give in. Back at the door to the ICU Ellie was waiting for him. He begged her to stay and guard the door while he would have to get his treatment and she promised him that she wouldn't leave.

Alec believed her.

In a private room, he finally stripped off his heavy, wet clothes and laid down for his echo cardiogram and responsive tests to see if the pacemaker was still functional. His weariness had him in a slow state of being half-asleep during all of it, but at least the doctors were no longer as concerned about him as before. Overall, he seemed to be fine; a female doctor was talking to him and explaining things, but Alec didn't really have the energy to listen.

They gave him stronger meds and ordered strict rest for at least the rest of the week. It suited Alec just well. There wasn't much he wanted to do anyway.

His only task was Jenna.

Alec was provided with a jumper that had the hospital's logo on it and sweatpants that didn't quite fit his long legs. Finally warm, he made his way back to the ICU.

"Is she out yet?" he asked Ellie as soon as he was within talking distance. Ellie turned around and only now Alec realized that she was on the phone.

She waved him to come closer while talking to the person on the line. "Listen, he's just here now. I'll let you talk to him." Ellie handed her phone to him. "It's Daisy." she said.

Alec quickly grabbed the phone, although taking the time to switch it from his left to his right hand – something he ought to do with a pacemaker – and answered. "Daise, are you alright?"

"'Course I'm alright, Dad." his daughter immediately stressed. "I was worried about you. I couldn't reach you for hours. Ellie says you've found Jenna, but she won't tell me what happened to you."

Alec gave Ellie a meaningful glance in thanks for keeping quiet and she responded with a small smile. Then he turned away to calm his anxious daughter. "I'm fine, Sweetheart. Nothing happened to me."

"Dad, don't give me that. Ellie was weird; she said they're doing some check-ups on you and you couldn't answer your phone, but it didn't even go to voicemail. I know something happened! Why did you even need check-ups?"

Alec rubbed his face with a heavy hand and a sigh. "Darling, I'm fine. Please, don't worry. I'm… I'm at the hospital-" he heard Daisy breathe in and quickly added, "With Jenna. They did some tests on me, but I'm alright and I still don't know how Jenna's doing. I… I need to check on her now."

"I'm coming over." Daisy decided. "Where are you exactly?"

"Hospital in Salisbury, but it's too far. You can't expect Beth to drive you all the way up here." argued Alec.

"Then I'm gonna drive myself."

"Daisy—" Alec sighed, heart clenching worriedly again.

"What? I can drive, Dad. I take the train back to Exeter and get my car. It's safe now, isn't it?" There was a pause, ominously filling with menace the longer it lasted. "Or is he still-"

"No." Alec cut in. "You don't have to worry about him anymore."

"Then what's the problem?" huffed Daisy. "I wanna be with you, Dad. And with Jenna. I'm worried about you."

The silence stretched for a while. Alec closed his eyes and tried to breathe evenly while his mind involuntarily conjured up images of the ruined, water-drenched car, pulled up by the crane of the fire engine. Great, yet another trauma to overcome, grumbled Alec inwardly.

"Just… please, drive carefully, darling, alright? Don't rush. Please, yah?"

"Of course." Daisy answered warily. "What's wrong, Dad?"

"Nothing." he mumbled. "We talk when you get here, alright? Please, be careful." he told her again and once more Daisy promised and he knew she hung up more worried than before.

Immediately afterwards, Alec questioned Ellie if there were any news on Jenna, but she told him that she's still in surgery. Alec collapsed into a plastic chair by the Intensive Care ward and literally felt like a train rolled over him. His muscles were so weak and slack that he just so managed not to crumble to a heap on the floor. Ellie stayed with him; her posture strong and upright in comparison to him. As if she would be able to carry him should he completely fall in on himself.

It was a comforting thought and Alec didn't even feel ashamed for it. If there was one person he could trust, then it would certainly be Ellie. Their friendship was at least as strong as the bond between him and Jenna.

When the double doors finally opened and an older doctor with silver hair and thin glasses appeared, Alec was, nevertheless, the first one up.

"She's still unconscious." the doctor warned them. "But the surgery went well. We fixed her fractured rib and were able to stop the bleeding caused by the knife wound. What remains now is the danger of complications after her head injury and, even more likely, an infection because of her open wounds in contact with stagnant water."

Alec swallowed the news without breathing. "But… she'll be alright? She'll wake up?"

The doctor nodded. "Right now, we're very confident that she will. It might take a while, though, until her body recovers from the shock."

Finally, a small, tentative breath of relief. "Can I see her?" Alec pleaded meekly.

"There's no reason why not." said the doctor. "I heard you ought to be resting yourself."

Alec and Ellie were led to a room where the small, frail figure of Jenna laid unmoving below white covers which barely outmatched the pallor of her skin. The wan colour was only intensified by the stark contrasting dark-purple and red bruises around her eye and right temple. Upon looking closer, Alec also saw that her scarred forearms were newly marked with shallow, angry cuts, especially near her wrists. Even though these probably wouldn't scar, it hurt him deeply to see her like this.

He wondered about the rest of her body; how much was the sterile, harmless-looking blanket hiding? But as he was sinking down into an armchair by her bed, taking Jenna's limp hand in his, he was also just incredibly glad that she was still alive.

A hand gently touched his shoulder. Ellie told him softly that she will give him some space, but that she'll be in the hospital's cafeteria if he'd need her. Alec didn't respond with words and as the door clicked shut, he was left in utter silence, save for the beeping of a heart monitor.

He was alone with her.

Stress melted from his tense shoulders and a heavy weight, which has prevented him from breathing free and deeply until now, lifted from his chest. Alec clutched Jenna's hand tight and raised it to his lips to kiss it. He kept her hand close to his face, pressing it to his cheek and waiting for the familiar scent of her to fill his nostrils.

But it didn't come; the smell of hospital and disinfectant overlapped anything else and suddenly, Alec found himself choking out heavy, racking sobs.

He'd almost lost her.

More than once in the last 24 hours he'd thought that he had lost her forever. On the cliffs with Mason, in his nightmares and, at last, a few hours ago in the car wreck.

That last one was the worst.

He'd seen a body. He thought for a few horrible, heart-wrenching seconds that she was dead. That he was alone once more. The pain and shock inside him was still fresh and it was scary how bad it hurt.

Alec had never thought that he would be able to feel so strongly again, that he would grow so attached to another person that wasn't his daughter. Yes, he loved Jenna; he'd known that for the last two years at least. But what he felt for her was so much more, so much deeper, than anything he'd ever felt for Tess, for instance. He'd die without Jenna.

This realization came to Alec only now.

She was everything to him. His happiness. His safe place. His sounding board when he had a bad day. With no one but her, he felt so at ease, so truly like himself.

But he had almost lost her today.

Alec wiped his tears from her hand and kissed it again. He gently smoothed down her hair where it was sticky and bloody, and he vowed to himself that he wouldn't let another day pass without letting her know how much she meant to him.


Alec's head snapped up as the door loudly swung open. He hadn't realize that he had nodded off, let alone for how long, but now Daisy stood in the doorway, eyes blown wide.

"Dad!" she exclaimed and hurried over.

Alec just so managed to get to his feet to greet her, noticing the stiffness of his neck and legs, before his daughter's stormy hug had him staggering backwards and almost fall over. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her close. Daisy, for once, didn't try to get free after a while. Knowing that this was exactly what he needed. What both of them needed.

"Hi, darling." he murmured into her blonde hair. "Was the drive okay?"

"Yah, sure. All fine." Daisy answered dismissively. She finally pulled back and turned to the silent Jenna. "How is she?" she asked with worry.

With a heavy sigh Alec looked at his love. "She's… okay." he settled for careful words. "She needed surgery, but they said it went well."

"What happened?" asked Daisy.

There was a pause and Daisy looked at him, realizing how reluctant he was. "Car accident." Alec pressed out eventually. "I think she must have swerved the car off the road on purpose to escape."

Attentive blue eyes were scanning him quickly up and down. "And what happened to you?" she questioned next. "Where are your clothes?"

Alec looked away. He sat back down, reaching for Jenna's hand again, as if he was asking her to take over this uncomfortable conversation.

"Dad? Please talk to me." begged Daisy.

"It's not important." he mumbled. "We're safe now. I don't want you to be scared."

"I'm already scared." Daisy stressed and Alec's eyes automatically fell onto her bandaged wrists and her neck, making him feel even worse than before. "And this is not making it any better." she added. "Please, Dad, you don't have to deal with this alone. I'm here for you."

If he had a penny for every time his daughter has already had to say this to him. One could think that she was the parent and he the kid. Always so weak. Always so scared, so traumatized, by all this shit that life was constantly throwing at him. Why couldn't he be stronger?

"I thought she'd drowned." Alec stated suddenly. Even though he was hating himself for giving in so easily, he couldn't help but confiding to Daisy. The shock had rattled him to his core and his mouth opened to voice his angst before he could stop it. "I saw the car in the water… it has flown over the edge of the street." His voice was rough, his accent thick. But Daisy, crouching in front of him, listened to every word. "I wanted to get her out, so I… I jumped in…"

Daisy grabbed his hand tightly. "Oh, Dad." she whispered teary-eyed, knowing exactly what this must've triggered for him.

"She wasn't in there." Alec pressed out through embarrassing tears. "Thank god. She saved herself, collapsed somewhere off the road and was brought to the hospital… by someone. I don't know who. I should find out. That stranger probably saved her life." His voice thinned and he finally broke down and cried again.

Daisy was there. Perched on the edge of his seat, she hugged him from the side, not asking for another word. "You're safe. You're both safe now." she decided strongly, the tone of her voice not leaving room for any kind of doubt. Alec let himself be comforted by her firm conviction.

He would accept nothing less.

Later, after the tears have dried, Ellie carefully poked her head into Jenna's room. Alec shamefully had to admit that he had forgotten that she was still here. Too much was still going on in his mind. She asked how he and Jenna were doing and when he told her that nothing has changed, Ellie nodded, looking sheepish.

"You need to go home." Alec easily recognized.

Ellie worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "Yah. Any longer and my kids forget what I look like." she joked. "My dad can only do so much and Brian deserves a break, too."

Alec's brows shot up. He exchanged a quick glance with Daisy, who looked equally surprised by this clearly accidental revelation, and then back at Ellie who instantly blushed furiously. "Brian?" he asked with a hint of that familiar snarky sarcasm that he knew annoyed Ellie to no end. "As in SOCO Brian?"

Ellie raised her chin in sullen defence. "Yes. Brian. We've been going out, on and off, for a while. More often lately. I guess you could say we're officially dating now." The longer the stunned Hardy silence lasted, the more short-clipped information spilled from Ellie's lips. She couldn't help herself.

"He finally wore you down, huh?" Alec finally deadpanned.

"Oh, shut up." Ellie snapped back and Alec had to smile at the normality of her snarky response.

"Why didn't I hear about that?" Daisy wondered.

"You're busy with college, love." said Ellie. "As for your dad, pure ignorance I suppose."

Alec snorted and looked back at Jenna. He stroked his thumb over the back of her hand. "I bet she knew."

"Maybe." said Ellie. "We didn't tell anyone, but Jenna has a knack for noticing these things."

"Yah… she has." mused Alec. "Go home." he added then. "You've been here long enough. In fact, Daise, you should go, too. I call you when anything changes."

"No way." Daisy protested fiercely. "I just arrived. I'm staying." Alec breathed in but she immediately cut him off. "Don't bother arguing, Dad. I'm staying with you."

"I'll be fine."

"Like hell you will. Who else is going to take care of you, 'cause you certainly won't do it on your own."

"I'm not a child, Daisy." Alec warned sternly.

"But sometimes you can be stubborn as one." Daisy stated. "Don't worry, Dad. It's okay. I just make sure that you won't starve yourself and when Jenna wakes up, I can drive you both home."

"That actually sounds like a good plan." remarked Ellie.

Alec frowned grumpily. "I wish you two would stop taking control over my life."

"We care about you." said Daisy openly and Ellie smiled in agreement. "Stop fighting it."


Eventually, Alec had to give in.

After years of loneliness, it still felt unnatural to him that people were actually truly caring about him. But he found he has gotten better at accepting their help. Another thing he had to thank Jenna for.

Two days and one night Alec stayed by her bedside.

During the night he hardly slept because Jenna developed a fever that kept spiking higher and higher in the small hours of the morning. The doctor said it was to be expected, but they were prepared and would monitor her closely. Still, Alec was restless. Daisy bustled in and out of the room, bringing him food and drink that she had to force upon him, proving her point that he needed someone, too, because he would only neglect his own health.

With the start of the new day, Jenna's temperature dropped, slowly but gradually, and Alec finally allowed himself some sleep. He woke late in the afternoon to find a note from Daisy next to a sandwich and a plate full of fruit, saying that she went to sleep in her car for a bit and that she expected the plate to be empty when she returned.

Alec smiled fondly. Getting Daisy her own car when she left for university really was a good idea, as much as the thought of his daughter behind the wheel scared him sometimes. Now more than ever. At least that way she could rest, too. She went through a lot herself and, unlike him, she was so brave. Alec made a mental note to ask her if she'd be able to stay a bit longer in Broadchurch with them after all of this was over.

In the end, it so happened that Alec was alone with Jenna when she finally stirred and opened her eyes.

At first, he thought his eyes played tricks on him, but then she made an unintelligible sound in the back of her throat and Alec quickly changed seats from the armchair to the side of her bed, holding her hand in both of his. "Hey… it's okay, you can wake up." he whispered. "I'm here, Jenna."

Her eyelids fluttered, her gaze still unfocused and tired, but she smiled as she recognized him. Jenna's mouth opened, though she needed a few attempts to speak. "Alec." she wheezed, as if his name alone already used up all the energy she had.

He smiled back, squeezing her hand. "Yes, I'm here. I'm here, love." She wanted to move but grimaced in obvious pain. "Shh, easy. Don't move yet." soothed Alec, reaching out to touch his knuckles softly to her cheek.

Jenna closed her eyes momentarily and swallowed in preparation for more words. "W-What… happened?"

Alec's forehead creased. He would've wanted her to remain in her peaceful state of oblivion for a little while longer, but he knew that she wouldn't appreciate it. She needed to know in order to move on from it. "How much do you remember?" he questioned, therefore.

She mimicked his frown. "I… I'm not sure." she said baffled and careful. Her eyes travelled around, realizing where she was. Jenna's frown deepened. And then, suddenly, she grabbed Alec's hand tighter, a small gasp escaping her, and she looked at him in fear. "Jack!" she exclaimed, her voice gaining strength as her memories returned. "He was in the car. He wanted to hide me away, but I… I did something. Where is he? Did he escape?"

Alec moved a little closer to her, looking earnestly into her eyes. "He's gone, Jenna. He drowned. He can't hurt you or anyone else anymore. It's over." A deep sigh escaped him, as if he just fully realized this himself. "It's over."

Jenna blinked, studying his face closely. Her voice didn't sound too sure yet as she asked, "He's gone?"

"Yes." Alec nodded. "I saw him. He's dead."

Slowly, she nodded, coming to terms with this new reality. Her eyes had a faraway look, seemingly remembering more. "I did this." she whispered suddenly. "I… killed him."

Alec cupped her cheek, turning her gaze towards him and caressing the hand he was still holding. "No." he said definitely. "You didn't. You did what you had to do to free yourself."

Jenna's eyes glistened. "I took the wheel. I turned it around. I-I was so scared, he w-was going to put me somewhere where you can't find me."

"See." he murmured gently. "So, you did good. You were so brave. As always." he emphasized with a smile. "You saved yourself... you mad woman." Jenna chuckled softly, but her smile didn't reach her eyes yet. "There was no other choice." Alec added. "Don't feel bad about it. Not about him."

He pressed a lingering kiss to her hand that relaxed her and wiped the worried frown away. "We're safe." she finally concluded tiredly.

"We are." Alec repeated and shifted a bit closer still, to lean in and kiss her cheek. When he pulled back a soft blush bloomed on Jenna's face; she looked so much more alive and healthier than just a few seconds ago. Without any warning, a lump suddenly formed in Alec's throat and he almost spilled tears. Jenna noticed the shift in his mood, her brows raising in a silent question.

"God, I'm so glad you're okay." Alec breathed out quickly, squeezing her hand to make sure she was real. "When I saw the car in the water, I thought… I-I was sure you were in there. And when I dived down and saw the body-" His voice broke abruptly and he had to swallow tears. "I thought it was you, Jenna. I wanted to die then and there."

Jenna's hazel-green eyes were glistening again. They held on to each other until their knuckles turned white. As if they were keeping each other from drowning in a pit of their own fears. They knew what real drowning felt like.

They both knew now.

But after so much dread, panic and emotional breakdowns, they were still here together. Closer than ever before. It felt amazing to them. Knowing how much they meant to each other. It was a knowledge that didn't need to be voiced right now. They just knew; they were recognizing it in each other's eyes.

They didn't let go of each other.

Jenna's voice was tired, but playful, as she eventually spoke again. "Wait… so, you've been in the water?" She snorted humorously. "Unbelievable. Two years I tried to persuade you to dip your toes into the sea and now this." He chuckled with her. "I should've pretended to drown much sooner."

His smile turned bitter and he used one hand to stroke her blonde hair back, looking at her with tender seriousness. "Don't say that. Please."

"Sorry." she murmured. Her eyelids grew heavy; she clearly struggled to keep them open. He kissed her forehead again and her eyes fell shut, a calm sigh leaving her lungs.

"It's alright." he whispered. Carefully, Alec shifted so that he leaned next to her against her pillow. Jenna nuzzled her head to his warm side and he curled an arm around her. "I will get over this, eventually. We both will." he promised. "You already helped me so much. One day, we'll have overcome this trauma entirely. Together, right? We'll be fine."

Jenna sighed again, touching her nose to his soft hospital jumper. "We'll be fine." she mumbled contently before she fell asleep.


The end.