CHAPTER 15
She returned to the hospital hours later, carrying her laptop, and found that they had moved John from the acute care area to a private room.
When she opened the door, he was asleep, still hooked up to the IV but the monitor was gone, the disks that had been attached to his chest removed. She crept over to the bed, and looked down at him, he looked much younger asleep, much more vulnerable.
She settled in the chair next to his bed, and got out her computer, starting to sort through some statements she was trying to put in order. A little later the door opened and the nurse that had been attending earlier came into the room. She smiled at Rachel and said brightly "Back again? I'm about to go off duty, thought I'd say bye, see you tomorrow. - this is Rick, he's replacing me on the next shift," indicating the older man who came through the door behind her. They went to the end of the bed, and started leafing through John's chart. Then they left, but the male nurse Rick promised her he would return with a coffee for her later.
She resumed her work, till she noticed John tossing his head around on the pillow, then he gave a moan and a half-cry and she reached down to take his hand. He woke up with a start, his eyes flying to meet hers, a gasp on his lips.
"Oh," he said faintly, "I was dreaming. I thought you had gone."
"I did for a while," she said, "but I've been back for ages, I only went home to shower and change. Have you finished being in a snoot?"
"I wasn't in a snoot," he said grumpily. "You don't understand how things were, between O'Doyle and my mother."
Rachel thought carefully about her answer. "He told me that he was the one at fault," she said softly, "but I don't want to argue with you now, not till you're much better, then we can argue all you like."
He went to pull his hand away, but she held on to it firmly. 'You are not going to drive me away, so you might as well stop trying," she said to him firmly. "I've made an idiot of myself in front of everyone over you, so you are stuck with me now."
He looked up at her narrowing his eyes. "What does that mean?" he asked carefully, and she smiled. " What ever you want it to," she said softly. He stared at her for a long time and then carried her hand over to his lips, and kissed it gently. "You might be getting more than you bargained for," he whispered, his blue eyes very bright.
"So might you," she replied.
He then levered his elbows underneath himself, and tried to sit up, wincing at the pain in his side. "I wish I could have a shower," he said "I must stink."
"Oh you do, of disinfectant and antiseptic," she said. "But I think the nurse is coming back soon, maybe he will help you wash. And have a shave, you almost have a full beard there."
"I haven't got any clothes," he said, looking around, "I'm sure the ones I was wearing aren't good for much now." And he pushed down the cotton blanket to his waist then stopped suddenly.
"Oh," he said, blushing faintly, "I haven't got any clothes at all!"
Rachel smiled at him, "George got some things for you, they must be in this cupboard. I'll get you a pair of boxers, just to save your dignity."
At that moment, George walked through the door. "Bailey said you had woken up and were talking, I couldn't believe it," he said, shaking John's hand. "Boy do you look better than you did 24 hours ago." John smiled at his friend and relaxed back against his pillows.
"I may need your help George," he said, and Rachel handed him a pair of red silk boxer shorts. "I'll be outside," she said smiling.
She sat outside the room, watching the people rushing about, everyone having their own emergencies, and wondered at the change in herself. The knot of pain that had encapsulated her for the past several days had completely gone; she felt instead exited and peaceful, calm and strung out all at the same time.
She had finally admitted to herself that she had fallen in love, and with someone she never thought she could. She had never been one to like good looking men, she thought most of them were arrogant and self-centered, in fact she thought John was arrogant and self centered when they first met, and his good looks had made her like him even less. (Drunken one night stands at Quantico not withstanding)
It had taken a long time for her to realize he was warm and funny, brave and honest and not in the least self-centered. When he had lost his girlfriend Kate in a shocking accidental shooting, she had seen another side of him, and he was the one she turned to for comfort when her brother Danny died. All her sniping at him since then was just a knee jerk reaction to the inevitable. When she thought he was going to be killed before she could tell him how she felt, everything had clicked into place in her mind.
She sat there for a while, feeling more content that she thought possible, till George stuck his head out of the door, and asked her if she was going to sleep there.
She came back into the room, and resumed her position next to the bed. John was trying to get the television working, playing with the remote control, and then laughingly handing it to George, who managed to get a picture. They sat and chatted, till John became sleepy again, and drifted off to sleep. Rachel then decided to head home, and have a long bath, and a long sleep herself.
She returned to the hospital hours later, carrying her laptop, and found that they had moved John from the acute care area to a private room.
When she opened the door, he was asleep, still hooked up to the IV but the monitor was gone, the disks that had been attached to his chest removed. She crept over to the bed, and looked down at him, he looked much younger asleep, much more vulnerable.
She settled in the chair next to his bed, and got out her computer, starting to sort through some statements she was trying to put in order. A little later the door opened and the nurse that had been attending earlier came into the room. She smiled at Rachel and said brightly "Back again? I'm about to go off duty, thought I'd say bye, see you tomorrow. - this is Rick, he's replacing me on the next shift," indicating the older man who came through the door behind her. They went to the end of the bed, and started leafing through John's chart. Then they left, but the male nurse Rick promised her he would return with a coffee for her later.
She resumed her work, till she noticed John tossing his head around on the pillow, then he gave a moan and a half-cry and she reached down to take his hand. He woke up with a start, his eyes flying to meet hers, a gasp on his lips.
"Oh," he said faintly, "I was dreaming. I thought you had gone."
"I did for a while," she said, "but I've been back for ages, I only went home to shower and change. Have you finished being in a snoot?"
"I wasn't in a snoot," he said grumpily. "You don't understand how things were, between O'Doyle and my mother."
Rachel thought carefully about her answer. "He told me that he was the one at fault," she said softly, "but I don't want to argue with you now, not till you're much better, then we can argue all you like."
He went to pull his hand away, but she held on to it firmly. 'You are not going to drive me away, so you might as well stop trying," she said to him firmly. "I've made an idiot of myself in front of everyone over you, so you are stuck with me now."
He looked up at her narrowing his eyes. "What does that mean?" he asked carefully, and she smiled. " What ever you want it to," she said softly. He stared at her for a long time and then carried her hand over to his lips, and kissed it gently. "You might be getting more than you bargained for," he whispered, his blue eyes very bright.
"So might you," she replied.
He then levered his elbows underneath himself, and tried to sit up, wincing at the pain in his side. "I wish I could have a shower," he said "I must stink."
"Oh you do, of disinfectant and antiseptic," she said. "But I think the nurse is coming back soon, maybe he will help you wash. And have a shave, you almost have a full beard there."
"I haven't got any clothes," he said, looking around, "I'm sure the ones I was wearing aren't good for much now." And he pushed down the cotton blanket to his waist then stopped suddenly.
"Oh," he said, blushing faintly, "I haven't got any clothes at all!"
Rachel smiled at him, "George got some things for you, they must be in this cupboard. I'll get you a pair of boxers, just to save your dignity."
At that moment, George walked through the door. "Bailey said you had woken up and were talking, I couldn't believe it," he said, shaking John's hand. "Boy do you look better than you did 24 hours ago." John smiled at his friend and relaxed back against his pillows.
"I may need your help George," he said, and Rachel handed him a pair of red silk boxer shorts. "I'll be outside," she said smiling.
She sat outside the room, watching the people rushing about, everyone having their own emergencies, and wondered at the change in herself. The knot of pain that had encapsulated her for the past several days had completely gone; she felt instead exited and peaceful, calm and strung out all at the same time.
She had finally admitted to herself that she had fallen in love, and with someone she never thought she could. She had never been one to like good looking men, she thought most of them were arrogant and self-centered, in fact she thought John was arrogant and self centered when they first met, and his good looks had made her like him even less. (Drunken one night stands at Quantico not withstanding)
It had taken a long time for her to realize he was warm and funny, brave and honest and not in the least self-centered. When he had lost his girlfriend Kate in a shocking accidental shooting, she had seen another side of him, and he was the one she turned to for comfort when her brother Danny died. All her sniping at him since then was just a knee jerk reaction to the inevitable. When she thought he was going to be killed before she could tell him how she felt, everything had clicked into place in her mind.
She sat there for a while, feeling more content that she thought possible, till George stuck his head out of the door, and asked her if she was going to sleep there.
She came back into the room, and resumed her position next to the bed. John was trying to get the television working, playing with the remote control, and then laughingly handing it to George, who managed to get a picture. They sat and chatted, till John became sleepy again, and drifted off to sleep. Rachel then decided to head home, and have a long bath, and a long sleep herself.