Hey guys, just found out that I passed all my exams!! Anyway, thanks for all your encouraging reviews and support, they've really helped this story keep going. So we're finally at the end…hope you enjoyed it! I'm sure I'll be back soon with another one, see ya:)

All Disclaimers Apply

Psychotic Break-out

Chapter 18: Your Eyes Open

Steve Sloan woke very early the next morning. He felt weak after his emotional outpourings the previous night, but he felt a strange freedom brought forth by the release of all that he had been bottling up. He felt ready to confront his fears about Jesse.

He dressed quickly, pulling on a battered pair of jeans and a crumpled shirt, and grabbed a piece of toast before leaving the beach house silently and heading to Community General. Neither Mark nor Amanda had surfaced yet. Steve was glad; he needed to do this alone.

When he arrived at the door to Jesse's room, Steve found again that he could not enter. The door was open, yet he felt that there was a blockade between him and Jesse: an expanse of pain that neither of them seemed to be able to cross.

A passing nurse noticed him standing there like a lost child. "Sir? It's okay, you can go in" She told him kindly, mistaking his reasons for hesitating.

"No it's- " Steve tried to explain but the nurse was guiding him gently into the room.

"Are you a relative of Doctor Travis?" She asked as she pulled a chair over for him to sit on.

"Just a…a friend, but he's more like a brother I guess" Steve found himself answering, feeling strangely comfortable with this stranger.

"Yeah, he has that effect on people. A really nice guy" The woman murmured, looking sadly down at her colleague. "If anyone deserves something like this, he'd be the last person…but Doctor Faye seems to think he's showing signs of waking soon. His brain activity has shown an increase, and his vitals are looking more normal. If you talk to him I'm sure that'll help too" She smiled at him.

She has no idea, Steve thought inwardly, she has no idea that I caused this! But he just forced a smile and plonked himself down on the seat.

"Well, I'll leave you to it" She said softly before backing slowly out of the room and closing the door delicately.

"Jess? It's me Steve" Steve spoke into the silence. He'd come this far, he might as well just get his feelings off his chest. "I guess I – " He stopped suddenly. He was sure he'd just seen Jesse's eyes flicker.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Jesse Travis became aware of a presence next to him. That much he could determine. He stared into the blackness…wait a second! His eyes were closed! All he had to do was open them and…but that proved to be a more difficult task than he had imagined. His eyelids felt like lead, and they didn't want to be opened. But he was determined to waken up, he didn't want to sleep anymore.

Jesse! Are you there? A voice called out to him. It seemed to come from a million miles away. It didn't even sound real; he'd had so many dreams…

But now he felt his senses return to him, he was waking up! He wrenched his eyelids open and took a huge gasp of air. He panicked when he felt the mask around his mouth and he reached his hand up to pull it off. Suddenly he felt strong fingers around his wrist, pulling his hand slowly back down onto the bed.

"Jess it's okay!" That voice again! Only this time he knew for sure who it was.

Leaning over him, speaking to him, was Steve Sloan. A person Jesse had never expected to see again, let alone speak to, yet there he was! Right in front of his eyes! Jesse opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. His throat was very dry and he began to cough, which made his chest tighten painfully.

"No, no! Jesse don't talk! Calm down, I'm going to get a nurse" Steve moved away from him towards the door, opened it and called out. Within moments the same nurse that Steve had been speaking to appeared. As soon as she saw that Jesse was awake she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good to see you awake Jesse" she couldn't help but smile at this positive turn of events. "I'll fetch Doctor Faye" she said, turning to Steve, "I knew you could wake him" she added. Steve beamed back at her, before returning to his position at Jesse's bedside.

It seemed like hours, but in fact it was a only matter of minutes, before James Faye arrived to examine his patient. He swooped down on Jesse and began to check his vital signs. Steve watched with baited breath, terrified that some new evil would be discovered, but James had a relieved smile on his face when he had finished. He removed Jesse's oxygen mask and motioned for the nurse to give the young doctor a drink of water.

Jesse gladly took the glass offered to him, his throat being as dry as the Sahara Desert in mid-summer. The cool liquid seemed to spread a feeling of freshness and well being throughout his body. Of course, he thought, I'm probably doped up with morphine. Otherwise I'd be in agony about now!

"James" croaked Jesse, even though his voice was considerably stronger than before. "Thanks. That bullet probably did a heck of a lot of damage huh?" Steve was surprised at his jaunty tone; he had expected Jesse to be more than a little emotional.

"Oh, just torn pulmonaries and a punctured lung Jess! Nothing serious!" James laughed, matching his friend's carefree tone, but his eyes betrayed the worry that he had held for his colleague. He ducked his head for a moment, before adding: "Seriously Jess, we were all worried about you for a moment there, and we're all glad you've pulled though"

Jesse held out his hand, and received a firm handshake in return. He glanced at Steve, who was watching silently. "See ya later James, and really, thanks for all you've done for me" He said sincerely, his eyes reflecting the deep gratitude he felt towards him. When Chloe had shot him, he had truly believed that he'd come to the end of the road; but he was alive and safe, and it overwhelmed his exhausted brain.

He wasn't really sure he wanted James to leave, for that would mean that he and Steve would be left alone, but at the same time he knew there was a need for them to sort things out. Jesse could hardly forget Steve's harsh words even though they had been deserved. He wasn't sure he wanted to re-open this emotional wound. James smiled in farewell and then exited the room. Jesse fixed his gaze upon the retreating form of the young doctor, hardly daring to look at Steve.

"Jesse…" Steve started to speak, but faltered as he realised that he did not know where to begin. "I thought we were gonna lose you there!" he opted for the light-hearted course of action. Jesse responded by staring at his bedcovers.

"Yeah I know, it's not really a joking matter, although you didn't seem to have a problem with it earlier on!" Steve continued, this time earning a small smile from Jesse. "Look Jesse, about Yoshe, about what I said – "

"Steve, you don't have to say it okay? You were emotional, I mean, you'd just lost your fiancée…anyone else would have done the same" Jesse looked up at him for the first time, his eyes an oceanic blue.

"You wouldn't have" Steve answered genuinely, and this time it was he who looked away, ashamed. "All the time you've been like a brother to me and I-"

"Steve listen, you're talking to a doctor here! People do strange things when they've had a severe emotional trauma. I'm just glad you forgave me" he finished in a small, vulnerable voice.

"Forgave - ? Jess, come on! You know I don't hold anything against you, I never would. I was so scared when I thought you were going to kill yourself, and even more scared when I knew Chloe was with you"

"Not half as scared as I was when I knew Chloe was with me!" Jesse laughed, although it was a hollow mirthless laugh.

Steve looked pained for a moment. "I'm…sorry I wasn't there for you" he blurted, managing finally to reveal the bane of his anguish and guilt.

Jesse looked horrified at his friend, as if this concept could not have been further from his mind. "Steve, there was nothing you could do! We all thought she was gone! You could never have second guessed that!"

"Maybe not, but I should never have said those things. I was terrified that you would go before I had the chance to set things straight, to apologise for what I said" Steve's pallid face looked tired and drained. Jesse couldn't bear to see his friend beating himself up so much. Where was the old Steve?

"Hey Steve you're getting just a little bit too emotional for me right now! I mean, I have just come out of a coma here!" Jesse tried to infuse some joviality into the situation.

"Be serious Jesse!" Steve couldn't help himself from smiling despite his disordered emotions. "You could have died! I didn't want to lose my little bro.' " Steve ruffled Jesse's already tousled locks. Jesse's face showed an expression of deepest annoyance as he tried to bat Steve's hands away.

"Hey! I repeat, just come out of a coma!" But he couldn't keep a straight face and ended up chuckling along with Steve. He stopped suddenly when he began to cough and wheeze.

Steve's face contorted in concern: "Jess are you okay? You want to me get James back?"

Jesse stopped coughing and started to take some deep breaths, when he had calmed down he replied: "No Steve, it's okay. It'll take my lungs a little while to recover from the trauma, and they do say that laughter is the best medicine…"

"Okay, but you'd better get some rest now. I'll call Dad and Amanda to tell them you're awake. They'll probably want to come and visit" Steve said, getting up from his chair. "No hard feelings Jess?" he asked as an after-thought.

"Never" Jesse answered sleepily, but with a hint of his old rigour and enthusiasm. He was on the mend.

Epilogue to follow…