Jack woke up again, he let his eyes adjust to the dark room the sun had set a long time ago and the room didn't have any lights in it besides the few machines by his bed. He sat up slowly through the pain. He looked over in the chair to see Jesse asleep. Someone had covered her with a blanket. Jack smiled at her, there she still was, he thought maybe that was a sign of something. He turned himself closing his eyes as he moved the pain taking over. He had his feet dangling over the edge of the bed. He lowered himself to the ground and once he put weight on his feet he groaned in pain.
Jesse heard him and jumped awake. When she saw him holding himself up with his hands and his feet on the floor she instantly got angry. "What in the hell are you doing Bauer?"
"Leaving." He said, "Once I can move again."
"Get your ars back in bed. Chase said you would do this, I didn't think you were that stupid Jack. Get back in bed. There aren't any clothes in here anyways. And even though the nurses would love to see your ars, I doubt they'd want to explain to the doctor why they had to sew you back up."
Jack looked at her gauging if he could manipulate her to let him leave, he saw the anger worry and resolve in her eyes. "Fine." He said.
She got up and helped him back into the bed he groaned a few more times in pain, unable to contain them. She worried if she had hurt him, but he smiled at her, "Can I at least get some food?"
"I'll go talk to a nurse." Jesse said leaving him lying in bed. She smiled as she walked out, he was one stubborn one, but she was more stubborn and would win.
She found a nurse who came in with some sort of liquid food. When Jack saw it he grumbled and Jesse looked at him, "Just be happy it's something Jack. Are you always this big of a pain in the butt?"
"NO!." Jack said as his voice cracked.
Jesse laughed at him, "Drink up. Maybe you'll get out of puberty tomorrow."
"Not funny. You are cruel making fun of an injured person."
"Jack when aren't you injured?"
"Good point." He said drinking. The nurse was still in the room fiddling with one of the tubes running into Jack. Jack smiled at her and asked, "How long will I have to stay here?"
"About a week. Than the doctor will send you home. Someone will have to stay with you because your movements will still be restricted. Just be happy Mr. Bauer that you are even here. You played it pretty close this time."
"Thanks." Jack said quietly. He never thought about how close he had come till now.
Jesse smiled at the nurse as she left. She looked at Jack who pushed the food away as soon as the nurse was out of the room, "That is crap man. You probably should go home and get some rest. How long have you been here?"
Jesse felt bad when he said that, did he not want her there. "Um. Well I'm sort of off work for awhile, and Allen is looking after Jack."
"How is Jack?" Jack asked.
"Well they took him to a vet and the vet said he's fine. One strong stubborn animal." She smiled, "I think it's a trait of people named Jack."
"Probably." Jack laughed grabbing his side in pain.
"You ok?"
"Yeah. But I mean I'm sure you have something better than sitting here looking after a man who had kidnapped not to long ago."
"If you don't want me here I guess I could leave." Jesse said some of the hurt she felt coming out as she said it.
"No. It's not that I don't want you here, it's just I don't want to hold you back either." Jack smiled at her, god she was beautiful and not the type of beauty that takes hours to get, she was just a natural beauty. She clearly had not put makeup on in awhile and had been sleeping in chairs for at least a week, and she still looked fresh and beautiful.
"What are you staring at? Do I have something on my face." She asked feelings self conscious as she saw him zone out looking at her.
"No." Jack felt embarrassed this was weird territory for him. In his mind one side was yelling just ask her out already, and the other side screamed no you can't. Think about what happened to Kate and Terri. Not anther one. You are to be alone, no one get's hurt than. The other side promptly replies you get hurt. Come on man ask her out or say anything she's starring at you and your sitting there like a dodo.
"You know what. I am going to go home and take a shower. You get some rest Mr. I'll be back in a few hours. Allen came by earlier."
"Oh great the two of you is enough to make someone want to die."
"HA HA. He was nice enough to bring some food for you too. But I'll tell him not to bother when you can have solid food again."
"You wouldn't dare?" Jack asked almost laughing because she always won he was not use to loosing.
"Be good." She said touching his shoulder and leaving. She wanted to kiss him, but they weren't there and she didn't even know if he thought of her like that. She told the nurse she was leaving and would return, and the nurse said, "I'll watch that one."
Jack sat in the room he closed his eyes and said out loud, "See you let another one go you stupid coward."
Jack heard someone in the door frame and he opened his eyes and turned red immediately as he saw Jesse in the door frame.
"I forgot my purse. Can't really start the car or get in the house without the keys in it." She said ignoring his comment. She almost started to laugh at the horrified look he had on his face, "We can talk later Jack." She walked up grabbed her purse and kissed him on the cheek before she left.
