Chapter 10: Stubborn

Laura moaned, startling Jack out of his half-doze.  He glanced at the clock to see that it was a little after three.  Two hours since he'd entered this room; the doctor had been right.  He steeled his expression and waited for her to wake.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked at the ceiling for a moment before turning her head his way.  "Jack," she murmured.  "You're here."  She sounded slightly surprised.

"I'm here because I'm pretending I care about you," he answered coldly.  She flinched visibly.  He almost apologized, but caught himself just in time.

Irina turned her eyes back to the ceiling.  When she'd first seen him, she'd thought that maybe, just maybe, he might not hate her.  But his expression as he said those words had been cold steel.  She cursed herself for letting him see her pain.  She'd learned at a very young age how to hide the pain and present a cool, controlled face to the world, but she'd gotten out of practice in the last few years.  Ice, she told herself sternly.  "Where are we?"

"Stafford Naval Hospital," he answered.  "So your…friends won't be able to visit you."

Thank God, Irina thought.  She tried to sit up a little and moaned.

"Are you in pain?" Jack asked quickly, sounding concerned.  He mentally cursed himself.  He might be having difficulty hating her, but that didn't mean he wanted her to know that.

"No," she lied.

"I'll call the nurse."

Amy came in and increased Laura's pain medication; moments later, she fell asleep again.  Jack settled back in his chair.  It was going to be a long night.

***

At 7:47 a.m., the door to the hospital room opened and a new nurse entered.  "Good morning, Mr. Bristow.  I'm Nurse Reynolds."  She went to the IV and adjusted it.  "Your wife should wake up in a few minutes, right about the time her breakfast gets here.  Everything all right?"  Jack nodded, and the woman left.

A few minutes later, just as Laura was opening her eyes, a cheery young woman entered with a tray.  "Breakfast time!" she said happily.  "Who would you rather have feed you, me or your husband?" she asked Laura.

Laura looked at Jack.  "I'll feed her," he said.  The aid looked uncertain; Jack glared at her, and she scurried out the door.

"Jack, could you call my school…"

"Already did," he said.  He took the cover off the tray and grimaced.  As he knew from the time or two he'd been badly injured, meals were not among the naval hospital's strengths.  He picked up the only utensil provided, a plastic spoon, and started to spoon up some scrambled eggs, but then thought better of it; her mouth was probably horribly dry.  He pushed the straw through the foil top of the orange juice container and held that to her lips instead.  She drank while watching him steadily.  Once she'd had enough to wet her mouth, he gave her a spoonful of eggs.

She made a face and swallowed only with effort.  "Those are the worst scrambled eggs I have ever tasted."

Jack allowed himself a small grin.  "A little dry, are they?"

"Now I know why you always wanted me to sneak you food when you were here.  Is the rest of it this bad?"

"I wouldn't touch the toast if I were you.  It's drier than the eggs, if you can believe that.  I recommend forcing down as much of the eggs as you can stand and saving the fruit for last.  They somehow fail to ruin that."

Laura smiled at that.  Then they made the mistake of meeting each other's eyes; they realized simultaneously that they had just had a normal conversation.  They broke eye contact guiltily, and Jack finished feeding her in silence.