The sheets felt as if they were stabbing into her, she twisted and turned but she just couldn't shake the feeling of her body being pressed down by an invisible force. She felt suffocated and she felt as if someone's hands were wrapped around her neck and the sheer force of her body being catapulted up from its sleeping state. Her throat was dry and her body ached as her hand flew to her chest, she tried to catch her breath. It happened so quickly and her lips couldn't help but let out a scream as she willed her torture to end. The footsteps is what she heard next, the quick pace of them on the floor and as soon as the door burst open her eyes widened at what she had become. Soon enough the tears started to fall and the rambling that was constant in her head and it was as if her mind was catching up with her and her lips started to move in an unorderly fashion.
"He as there...he was and...he was going to...he was and...you were running...I need to go now...I need to get out of here, I need to just...run"
"Jac, it's ok" Kian responds gently and Jac just shakes her head in a blind panic, she jumps out of bed throwing her belongings into a bag "Jac, Claytons not going to find you, I'm here, I'm going to keep you safe"
"You can't keep me safe, you cant Kian don't you see?!" she stresses and Kian sits on the edge of the bed, thoughtfully he gets up and heads to the bedroom door shutting it and then placing the chair under the handle that was there
"If he was to try and get in, not that he will, he wouldn't be able to, ok?"
"Ok," she nods slowly biting her lip before the realisation sinks in "Sorry, I'm so sorry you don't need this-"
"Jac...it's ok, I'm here for you ok?"
"You shouldn't be, not...here for me" she stutters and picks up her phone, in a panic seeing an unknown number she takes the SIM card out of her phone and Kian gently places his hand over hers which brings her back down to earth "I'm such a mess, I just...can we go somewhere?"
"Where?"
"I don't know...just anywhere, for a drive or something to just get away from it all, I feel suffocated, is that ok?"
"It's fine, we can go if you need to get out," Kian says as Jac nods eagerly, albeit a bit too eagerly and Kian grabbed some clothes, he chucks her his Holby hoody and she wraps it around herself
"I'm confused"
"Confused?"
"Yeah, why am I dressed?"
"You don't remember falling asleep?" he chuckles and Jac groans before sighing "It's ok, you've been under a lot of strain recently"
"Can we...can we..." she presses a hand to her head, Kian bends down in front of her "Headache, my head hurts a lot"
"You're probably just tired," Kian says quietly and Jac nods tiredly "Do you still want to go-"
"Yes, please, I just...I need to get out" she looks at him and he nods helping her up, she wraps her arm around his middle she visually winces and presses a hand to her back scrunching her face up
"Are you in pain?" he asks and she nods tiredly, Kian narrows his eyes "On a scale of one to ten-"
"I'm not a patient Kian, I'm not your patient" she snaps as Kian rolls his eyes at her attitude, she gets up and walks into the kitchen reaching up to the medication that was on top of the fridge before keeling over in pain and as a result, all the medication fell on the floor "Ah!"
"Alright, I'm taking you in-"
"No I'm fine, please Kian no hospital-"
"Jac I'm not taking any chances, think of the baby," he says quietly in an attempt to sway her, she nods and sighs knowing he was right so he gently guides her to the car and helps her in the passenger seat
"Kian, it really hurts" she pleads with him as her pain heightened, there was something wrong and Kian knew that so he hushes her gently as he starts the car, he rushes to get her to Holby and she groans in annoyance at the signs directly telling her where he was taking her
The journey was tedious, it was long and as it was nearing six in the morning there was a lot of traffic on the road due to the commuters who were going to their jobs. Kian noticed Jac close her eyes and he needed to keep her awake so he could communicate with her and she could tell him where her pain was so he went for the obvious pregnancy conditions that would no doubt rattle her but it was worth it to keep her in the moment.
"Are you having contractions-"
"No you idiot, it's in my back" she snaps as Kian sighs and pulls into the carpark, he immediately jumps out of the car and lifts her into his arms, he rushes her into the hospital
"Kian?" Fletch frowns as he turns around with Jac in his arms, he springs into action grabbing a bed "Where does it hurt?"
"In her back," Kian says quietly as Jac grips onto his hand, it wasn't long until they were being wheeled away "Darwin, I need to keep an eye on her-"
"Help me" Jac cries as Kian strokes her hair, Fletch helps push Jac into a spare bay and Kian moves her over onto the bed before grabbing a nearby ultrasound machine, he immediately grabs it and Jac flinches at his touch
"It's ok," Kian says as Jac nods slowly closing her eyes as she fights her pain, Kian grabs the transducer and the gel squirting it onto her tummy and narrows his eyes as the image of their baby showed up on screen, it was ok, a regular heartbeat and she didn't appear to be in labour, he wasn't a midwife though but getting one here to check would just be a waste of time considering Jac wouldn't let anyone touch her "It's not the baby, the baby's fine, I say we get someone else to look at this-"
"No, no one else, I don't want anyone touching me," she says as Fletch sighs, he looks at Kian who drops his gaze "Please don't let them touch me"
"I say we send you down for some scans-"
"No scans" she shakes her head as Kian looks at Fletch, he bends down beside Jac and looks at her in the eye
"I'll be with you every step of the way, Jac, I have your back remember, pardon the pun" Kian assures her but Jac just looks at him and she just begins to sob and Kian just brings her in for a comforting hug, she wasn't really impressed with his attempts at joking about this situation, Sacha enters the room and frowns "Sacha"
"What's going on?"
"She's got a lot of pain in her back" Kian explains "I've checked the baby and she doesn't appear to be in labour, even though I'm not qualified to say, we could give her pain relief but I don't know..."
"Ok Jac, we need to send you down for scans," Sacha says placing his hand on her and Jac just pushes him off "Sorry"
"Let's get you down for these scans ok?" Kian says and Jac finally relents and nods with Kian holding her hand, he knew it would be hard considering everything that Jac had been through but they needed to do this not just for Jac but for the baby...
It wasn't great news, not exactly the best news but they could work with it. With all of Jac's previous injuries and surgeries, the baby was causing her an immense amount of pain and they wanted to keep her in overnight and have her on strict bed rest. This made Jac feel so stressed and unhappy with the whole thing but Kian was supporting her the best he could and just try his best to make her feel better. Eventually, Jac fell asleep, Kian made the executive decision to keep her on Darwin and monitor her that way as she was just so scared about being around other people who she didn't know or trust, yet another reminder of Clayton. Jac's true emotions she had of the world were showing and Kian could tell it was making her feel ever so weak and uncomfortable and just not herself but he wanted to be there every step of the way for her, repayment in a way and to show he loved her.
"Are you feeling better?" Kian asks as Jac nods slowly having had pain relief pumped into her "You just need to take it easy ok? Let me run around after you-"
"Who says I'm staying with you?" she says tiredly forcing her eyes open to take in Kian's expression, she smirks "Just joking, you've been great and if it was anyone to help me with everything after Clayton...it would be you"
"You had me good Naylor" he responds and Jac just laughs slightly before taking his hand, she gently places it across where the baby was lying "Have you thought of any names?"
"Had too much on my mind to think of stuff like that..." she says quietly and Kian chuckles nodding
"We also need to talk about the birth," Kian says quietly not removing his hand from her tummy, Jac nods slowly "You know you'll probably have to have a c-section because of the strain on your body"
"I know, we'll cross that bridge when it comes to it" Jac whispers and Kian smiles at her "Why are you looking at me in that weird expression you do, that doting, loving, sickly expression"
"You really are emphasising it aren't you Naylor?" he smirks and she just rolls her eyes playfully before smiling at him
"Well, what did you expect? Your standard icy snappy response?"
"Yeah, to be honest, I did"
"I'm too tired for that Madani" she quips and Kian just laughs slightly "Are you sure you're ok with crashing on the sofa still?"
"Yeah of course"
"Oh," she says as Kian frowns at her tone, she seemed kind of disappointed
"It's a studio apartment I don't really have a choice" he laughs slightly and Jac hums closing her eyes, she frowns slightly "Are you sure you're ok?"
"I just feel...numb" she explains in a way she hoped he understood, Kian nods slowly with a small smile "Lost I suppose"
"It's going to take time," Kian says gently and she nods with a small smile "Soon you'll start to feel like yourself again, soon all of this will just be nothing but memories-"
"I don't want it to be memories though, I just don't want it to have happened. Look at me Kian, I'm a wreck and this is because of Clayton"
"The mental things, they'll take time, we both know that but I will be right here beside you all the way because I love you"
"I don't know how I feel but I know that you'll protect me," she says quietly and Kian smiles at her watching as her eyes flutter shut
"Go to sleep, get some rest," Kian says quietly pulling the covers over her body as she rests comfortably "Snap at the nurses if you need me"
"I'd never do that"
"Yeah right Naylor, you and your acid tongue" Kian smirks and Jac opens her eyes solely to roll them at him "Night"
"Goodnight" she whispers and Kian smiles dimming the lights slightly, he smiles at her before leaving her to rest, maybe now they could move on and maybe now he was getting somewhere with Jac...
