Chapter 9- Eyes. Sexc.
This one came to me at a very random time and I tweeted it out before deciding to do it myself. It's Jay, in the hospital, intubated, and the only way to communicate is via eye talks and hand holding. This will be fun. Let's go!
It happened on a roof. It was one of those typical, flat, rocky roofs that are quite common for the area. It's so strange why rocks are chosen to be placed on roofs. What is the purpose? Do they help with sound or insulation or is it just this random thing you do. But whatever the point, it certainly played a roll in what happened.
The guy they were chasing was huge, so huge that when Jay pointed out the garage gym he joked that he hoped the guy didn't run. He must've eaten raw eggs for breakfast, worked out half the day while he spent the other half recovering and preparing for the next workout. The human persona of the Hulk, the guy was all muscles, the only defining markers on his body were the varying masses and heights of the muscles. His legs were like tree trunks, his arms branches that bulged, even his neck appear swollen because of how built it was. Jay was strong, but even he didn't stand a chance against this guy. It was almost a good thing they found themselves on a rooftop, because after blocks and blocks of backyards and alleys and sidewalks Jay was coming to a point of losing steam. So a rooftop had it's limits, it's borders that should you cross them you'd surely die. This is finally going to get easy, Jay failingly thought.
"Where did he go," Jay whispered to Hailey who was on his left. They made it up the fire escape just moments after the guy, but it gave him more then enough time to prepare for what was coming next. On the roof was the usually chimney stacks and brick walls and some random shed looking things. There were several of them actually, all boarded up and scattered amongst the four corners of the roof. Neither of them had a clue what was inside, but the fact they were all in tact told them the guy wasn't in there. He was on this roof quietly hiding.
"You go that way I'll take this way," Jay instructed. Hailey didn't protest, nodding as she took her assignment and slowly, yet methodically slinked off. Jay walked behind the first of his two sheds, hesitating at each corner, ducking and jolting himself out there before fully going around the turn. It was so quiet, apparently the giant knew silent breathing, add that to the list of super human abilities. The first shed went without incident so Jay moved further in. A step at a time, each one preparing himself for a launch. He knew it was coming, and boy when it did was it frightening. The fist that flew his way was so strong and speedy that you could hear the wind coming off of it, the guy was punching that much into the airspace. Jay managed to fall to safety before another blow was sent his way. Now they were in a fight. Jay just rolling past the blows before finding enough time and speed to get up and try fighting back. A couple times he got contact on the giant, earning himself more injury to his fists then damage to the guy. He didn't even flinch, didn't even react to Jay's attempts to take him down. All he'd do was reset and attempt to strike once more.
"Hailey!" Jay had managed to kick the guy in the balls when he finally remembered there was another person on the roof who could help him. The guy took off in a sprint around the corner of the building, making Jay chase him. Which wound up being a bad move for Jay because what met him was a thick, black, hard object karate chop blocking his neck which completely set him off his balance, doubling over in pain and surprise, earning the giant more time to move. Through the pain and fight to stay alive Jay hesitated in place, suddenly feeling the object on his neck once more, now being pressed on the exact spot of the first hit, the life was being choked out of him.
"CPD drop the weapon," Hailey screamed when she came upon the scene. Jay was thrashing on the gravel ground, trying to continue moving while hands were on the crowbar plastered to his neck. He was in full gags, face red and eyes watering as he fought. Meanwhile the giant was in full control, not even bothering to look up at Hailey or respond to her yell, just kept pressing on Jay.
"HEY! I will shoot if you don't drop the weapon, now!" Hailey waited three seconds before firing off a warning shot, making sure it just cleared the guy's head. It appeared the giant wanted to live because that was what finally got him to stop. Immediately he dropped the crowbar, threw his hands in the air and swore that he was a cooperating person. Hailey cuffed him before handing him off to one of the officers who was now joining them on the roof, their patrol team took a moment or two to catch up to the chase. Meanwhile Jay hadn't moved from his spot on the roof, eyes were closed as he did his best to breathe. As Hailey knelt next to him she noted the bruising that was already beginning and the deep red, purple staining that was happening around the sight. It looked like he was bleeding just under the skin. Couple that with the faint wheezes crackling out of his mouth and you have a very worried Hailey Upton who was already mapping out the route to Med in her mind.
"Jay, can you hear me?" He did his best to nod, hissing at the pain that caused. Now she noted the swelling, Jay was deteriorating and was doing it fast. Now she was wondering if they had enough time to wait for a ambo or if she should just drive Jay in.
"I…heard…a pop." Jay whispered, his voice that of great shakes and gravel and breathlessness.
"Where?"
"In my throat. Hailey, it hurts to breathe." That was the signal, the green flag to get Jay there ASAP. Hailey holstered her weapon before picking up Jay's and doing the same.
"Alright, I'm going to sit you up and take your tact gear off and then we're going to Med." The fact Jay didn't protest was unsettling, but Hailey steamed ahead with her plan. On the count of three she got Jay sitting up, resting on her shoulder as she unclipped the thigh holster before tackling the vest. Once the second gun holster was off of him Hailey gathered everything into one hand before instructing what would come next.
"We can't stay on this roof much longer. So I need you get up and then the two of us are going to walk downstairs, get in the truck, and then you're not allowed to pass out before we get there. I can't lift you if you're unconscious."
"I'll be fine," Jay whispered. Hailey counted them down. 1…2…3, time to run for their lives. Jay opened his eyes as he stood, using Hailey as a crutch and the two of them beelined it for the narrow and rickety steps. Hailey feared that this would be too much, that Jay would pass out and fall to his death on the small and scary steps. But apart from a couple hold ups so he could cough in great pain, Jay made it to the truck, taking the passenger side as Hailey ran around the other side, throwing things in the backseat of the truck before getting into the driver's seat.
"Do not pass out," she instructed Jay, who nodded as he rested his head on the window. The wheezing was being switched out for pants, pained and sharp pants and winces as he coughed for air.
"You might need to be intubated." Jay shook his head.
"It'll be fine."
"Jay, you can't breathe." Another cough, another curse under his breath, Jay opened his eyes and stared forward.
"Come on, the pain is getting worse." Two things: first the fact that Jay was now insisting they get to Med and two, Hailey floored it the entire way. It was a race against swelling and Hailey had every intention of winning.
…
They made it to Med in under fifteen minutes, thanks in part to the sirens and every red light that Hailey flew through. Along the way Jay's coughing got worse, his inhales were no longer deep and the cursing in pain never let up. He never lost consciousness, but a couple times he flirted with it. Hailey felt guilty for the hard slaps on the shoulder she had to perform, but in the war against sleep she knew it was a necessary action. They came to a screeching halt at the ED entrance, Will and Natalie and April all waiting with a wheelchair and worried faces. Ah yes, did we mention they called Will while en route? Safe to say it was a very worried and upset conversation.
"We got you," Will greeted with as the door was flung open and hands reached out for Jay. He looked to Hailey as he climbed out, giving her that look of thanks and help.
"I'm going to go park and I'll be right in." A quick nod was exchanged between her and Will as Jay got situated in the wheelchair and they all spun around and headed in. Putting the truck back in drive Hailey calmly pulled away, direction the parking lot. It was amazing how packed the place was for your average Wednesday morning. It was like Christmas time at the mall, nothing was available. She went row after row, getting further and further away from her final destination. Miraculously a spot opened up, just before Hailey settled for making up her own parking spot, an elderly couple very slowly and choppily backed out. Hailey waved to them before pulling in, both trying to be a kind soul in their day, but mostly thankful that they decided to leave. It was here that she noted the emotional side of things for the first time
It finally dawned on her that Jay, her light and anchor and ultimate person and partner in life was currently in the ED unable to breath adequately. Part of her was proud for being able to hold it all together for as long as she did. Now the scene was playing out in her mind, watching him writhe under the crowbar as he fought and gasped for his life. Now truly absorbing it she was quite scared, disturbed that she had to see it. Despite being a cop and perhaps being calloused to that kind of stuff, the thing that was making the water works spring up was the knowledge that it was Jay going through all of this. Life was a cruel bitch sometimes. They'd just had the most amazing morning with plans of doing it all over again tonight. In the blink of an eye everything changed. Hailey wasn't sure if what happened was fatal, but she knew almost for certain that Jay was going to be spending the night most likely unable to speak or breathe for himself. She'd been to enough accident scenes and enough hospital rooms to know that when you cannot properly breathe, you get assistance. She hated it, was not looking forwarded to having to sit next to a hospital bed and speak on his behalf. But for Jay, she was willing to do anything. Knowing that she wiped the tears away, pulled her hair up—because that's what you do when you're about to enter things—got out of the truck and locked it and headed in. In a totally joking way, Hailey hoped the parking fee wouldn't be too much by the time they got out.
A lot had changed since she last saw him. In the time it took to park and gather herself Jay was in a trauma room, sans his street clothes in place of a hospital gown, had his first IV in and was hooked up to oxygen. He was sitting up when she arrived, tracking her and giving her that smiling eye thing as she entered.
"Aw, you made it through the IV," she teased. Will and Natalie glanced her way and smirked before going back to what they were doing. Will was being the worried yet supportive family member, running a million things by Natalie who would shake them off before telling Will the only way things were being done.
"So when you say you heard a pop, where in your throat was it?"
"The front, maybe? I heard it more then felt it. But right after everything started hurting." Natalie nodded, holding fingers above Jay's throat before asking permission to feel around. Jay nodded, laying his head back a little and she very carefully felt.
"Okay, you definitely have some deep bruising already starting where the impact was and structurally I don't think anything is broken. My guess is that the pop was trauma to the trachea but we can't confirm that without a CT scan. I want to do an x-ray real quick just to confirm if anything is broken." Natalie intentionally chose to leave out the thing that was going to happen between the x-ray and CT, choosing to wait till one thing was confirmed to be alright before delivering the news none of them were going to like. As things got set up Hailey took a seat on an available stool, watching the head of the bed get lowered and the board get placed under Jay's head. They all were handed weighted aprons before the x-ray machine rattled to life, taking the images quickly.
"And the results are…" Natalie trailed off, eyes linked on to the computer screen as the x-ray was rolled out of the room.
"No structural damage. Everything looks good!"
"That's good! That's good," Will told Jay, patting his shoulder before looking back at Natalie.
"What." He could tell there was something else, some other, less happy thing she was about to say. Will instantly knew it, Hailey just long blinked knowing what was coming next. Gosh, she hated it for him.
"No, no. Nat come on. He's still breathing on his own. He's fine." Natalie shook her head.
"Will, he can't get enough oxygen. He's got wheezing, crackling, pain, and swelling of the trachea. If this weren't Jay, you would've already had the patient intubated." "Wait, no," Jay finally spoke up. Hailey stood from her stool and walked to the end of the gurney, just looking at Jay till he found her.
"Jay, you need this," she said.
"She's right. If the swelling continues you could be looking at a tracheotomy, which you really don't want."
"What's that?"
"It's where we make an incision in your neck and insert the tube in the hole," Natalie explained.
"Yeah, no," Jay replied.
"How long would it be for," Will asked?"
"Will, you know the answer. At least a couple days. However long it takes for the swelling to go down to the point that he can properly breathe."
"How do you tell that?"
"We do daily CT scans and just check the airway. But I'd say at least a couple days." Jay looked to Hailey who just nodded.
"Just do it. We'll be here the whole time. We'll help."
"I don't want to be out."
"That's fine. We can give you meds that'll make you more comfortable," Will spoke up. Jay rolled his eyes, let out a quiet cough before reluctantly nodding his head.
"This fucking sucks."
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry."
"Okay then, I'll go get things set up and I'll be back in a couple minutes. Try and relax." Natalie knew that was the very last thing that was going to happen, saying it out of habit more then conviction. As soon as it was the three of them Hailey and Will took a side of the bed, holding a hand and doing their best to calm Jay for what was going to happen next.
"They'll give you a sedative and muscle relaxant right before it happens. You won't be asleep for very long. You're going to wake up and want to swallow, don't it will only make you choke which will make everything worse. You'll also probably need a feeding tube and definitely a foley catheter so they might put those in while you're still out."
"Okay, I don't want to hear anymore." Hailey could feel the nerves in his hands. He was shaking, a little sweaty, just a ball of nerves. She knew he'd never admit it, but he was scared.
"Do you want me to stay tonight?"
"Yeah, I know it's not what we planned but.."
"-Shut up, we'll be together. That's all that matters."
"I swear I wasn't trying to get out of tonight." Hailey giggled, smirking as she squeezed his hand.
"Yeah, because last night was so lousy." She smiled as she leaned in for a kiss, Jay quickly and willingly obliging. It was a little longer then a peck, but one good, solid, till we do this again kiss.
"Love you," she whispered in his ear before pulling back.
"Love you too."
"You know I'm right here," Will teased. Hailey laughed as she returned to her spot on the bed, blushing as she went back to looking at Jay.
"Yeah, yeah. Love you too, Will." Natalie and her tray of contraptions popped back into the room, April right behind her with the syringes of medication.
"You ready?" Jay nodded, closing his eyes as he breathed.
"Okay, I'm going to ask you guys to get off the bed for this. After it's done I don't care." Hailey sprung off, making her way to the foot of the bed as Will did the same. Natalie lowered the head of the bed till it was perfectly flat, removing the pillow from behind Jay's head and asking for the medication.
"When you wake up it'll be all over. Try to not panic. It's going to feel weird and uncomfortable but just let it breathe for you." Jay nodded, looking right up at the ceiling as Natalie plunged the medication into the IV line one at a time.
"See you when you wake up," Hailey spoke. Jay gave her a thumbs up before going back to being motionless. Hailey watched till Jay went limp, the visual of a once lively person now lifeless too much for her to watch. She curled into Will for a hug as he looked on at what came next. The laryngoscope bladed was gingerly placed down Jay's throat, Natalie struggling a bit to find the vocal cords.
"Yeah, he's pretty swollen," she commented.
"Can you get it in?"
"Yeah, it's just not the best of openings for this." She adjusted and struggled with things a couple more times before declaring she found the cords and effortlessly slid the tube down the throat. After announcing the balloon was inflated and breath sounds were good, the ventilator was set up and Jay was raised a few positions up from his flat state. It was frighteningly amazing what a tube down the throat did to people. It did and didn't look like him. He was still out from the meds, but part of Hailey was now scared to touch him. He looked fragile, ill, not the same fighting person that walked in the place.
"When does the other stuff get put in?"
"After the scan and after he's upstairs. It's too busy down here and I'd imagine he'd want privacy for that."
"When does he wake up?"
"In a couple minutes. Not much longer now. I'm going to see what's holding CT up from getting him." Hailey went back to her spot on the bed, holding Jay's hand and running a hand through his hair. Take away all the medical stuff and people and place and it was just like this morning. They were so happy, so at peace and all was right. She had to cling to that, remember that underneath everything it was still Jay, her Jay, that she loved so much.
"Good job, Jay. We've got you."
…
It was way more then uncomfortable or painful, it was the worst and weirdest feeling he'd even woken up to. Like someone was reaching a fist in his mouth and holding it there, he could not move his head or swallow or breathe or even think. All he felt was this blockage in his mouth and it scared him more then anything else. Naturally his hands started moving towards his face, trying to free what the brain said was an issue.
"Hey, hey, you can't do that," Will coaxed, pushing his hands back down. Hailey looked up from her daydreaming to see nervous, watery eyes rolling all around the room. He was still under the influence of the drugs, still groggy yet freaked out. She couldn't imagine how awful and painful things were for him, wishing there was some way to take it all away from him.
"Welcome back, Jay. It's all done," she soothed, grabbing the hand that wasn't in Will's and holding. The two of them remained locked on Jay till he found them, which took a moment. Due to all that was in his system noises were still muffled, vision coming back but blurry from the tears. He wanted to speak, scream, tell them that he was fine. But instead all that could come out was a faint grunt before he gagged.
"Jay, Jay! Stay with us." Will rose from his spot on the bed to lower the power of the vent. Once that was done he placed a hand on Jay's chest, repeatedly telling him to relax and let the vent breathe for him. Hailey mimicked what he was supposed to do, the two man team doing their best to show a very out of it Jay what he was supposed to be doing the next few days.
"There you go, that's it. You're doing great," Will encouraged as things calmed down. Jay opened his eyes fully now, finding Hailey and squeezing her hand.
"That's it, you got it," she praised while wiping the tears from his eyes.
"That's why you can't make a noise, Jay. The tube is on your vocal cords so if you make a noise it vibrates on the tube which will make you gag. Remember hand squeezes and blinks." Jay gave a thumbs up, looking back at Hailey.
"How are you feeling?" He thought about it for a moment, his eyes saddening and straining.
"Painful?" Jay squeezed her hand.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry, bud. They'll give you more of the relaxer before you go up."
"Do you need anything?" Jay shook his hand.
"Okay, just try and relax." Will hit the vent button to resume the rhythm that had been set, Jay closing his eyes in great dislike. It was like someone was shooting full blasts of air into his lungs and then immediately sucking it back out. He never felt like he was breathing comfortably, but knew he had no other choice but to succumb to the torture. When it was too much he squeezed both the hands, hard. Will kept telling him to let go and let it work while Hailey was silent, running finger nails on his arm. He paid far more attention to that then Will's talking, wishing he could reach over and hug her or at least tell her he loved her. He gave her that look, the one she'd seen just that morning and million other times prior. He loved her, truly. But he just couldn't say it.
"I know. You, don't have to say it. I love you too."
"CT is ready," Natalie announced before long, switching Jay over from the vent to a bag before assisting radiology with the transportation.
"Do you want to be asleep for the scan?" Jay squeezed Hailey's hand, telling her that he'd want nothing more.
"Okay. When you wake up you'll have more of the muscle relaxer in you so hopefully you'll be more comfortable. Just let us know if it's too much and we can knock you out for a couple days." There was no way in hell that was ever going to happen. Jay would have to put up a seriously tough fight before that ever happened. He'd get used to it, Jay told himself. He would get used to the most painful breathing in the world. But for right now, a little break from it all was quite welcoming. Jay was out not two seconds after the sedative was injected.
"Where's he going after the scan?"
"We're going to keep him in the ICU, just because he's on a vent and needs close monitoring. Once he comes off he'll transfer to a regular floor for a night before he gets released."
"Will we be able to stay with him?"
"I'm sure it'll be fine. Plus I don't think there's a scenario where you two won't be with him." Will and Hailey agreed, stepping aside and allowing Jay and the rest of his medical team to lead the way. They all went to radiology together before going their separate ways: Jay to the scanner and the other two to the waiting room. The wait was a little over an hour, Natalie returning with word on Jay's condition. Jay suffered a small trachea tear. Thankfully it wasn't too bad that it needed surgery, but was the cause of the swelling and pain. At this point it was all a wait and see. Jay would remain on the vent for at least two days, periodic checks happening after that point. From there they were given Jay's room assignment and told preparation was made so they all could remain together. Getting to the room was a fast event, in no time both of them standing on the other side of the glass door, watching the feeding tube get shoved down one of Jay's nostrils. It was baffling now, thinking that Jay walked into the ED not even two hours ago. Because right now he looked like he'd been camped out in the hospital for quite sometime. Hooked up to machines and receiving more assistance, he was looking more frail and ill by the moment. They could not believe they were here, still processing all that happened in a single morning. They went from asking each other if they wanted coffee to now throwing coffee flavored nutrients down a tube into his stomach. Jay was certainly hating it, but the other two were heartbroken for him.
"Ready?" Hailey almost wanted to say no, run away and wake up from the nightmare. But as long as Jay was here, she had no choice but to endure.
"Yup, let's do it" Their timing couldn't have been more perfect because as they entered the blankets were pushed down, past Jay's chest and waist, resting just below the knees. Will was quick to figure out what was coming next.
"Hey, I can do that." One of the nurses turned to look at the visitors, the extra long catheter housed in her hands.
"Oh, it's fine. I've done these hundreds of times."
"Yeah, but I think he'd rather have someone he knows doing it." The nurse hesitated for a moment, trying to find a way to talk Will out of it. But when he pressed more she knew she had to cave.
"Hailey, don't look."
"Will, you know I've seen it."
"I do, but still. Make sure he doesn't wake up." Hailey giggled as she pulled a chair close to Jay, taking a hand and kissing it as Will got underway.
"Okay, it's in," he announced a minute later.
"And he's awake," Hailey remarked, watching the drained eyes roll under their lids before doing their best to blink open.
"Hey sleepy, it's all done." Jay's eyes shot open, wide, scaring Hailey a little. He kept squeezing her hand and looked at her like he was afraid. She was lost on what he was trying to say, looking back to Will before connecting it all.
"You're not wetting the bed, it's the catheter," Will announced, holding the bag for Jay to see. There was a bit relaxation to him before he waved his free hand for Will to put things away. Clearly, Jay was not pleased with the newfound thing he couldn't do on his own.
"Don't worry. It'll come out when the breathing tube does."
"How's the pain, better," Hailey asked? Jay squeezed her hand, slow blinks as he looked on.
"Good! The meds are working. How's the tube feeling?" Jay scrunched his brow, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them. It was clear the discomfort was still quite prevalent.
"Okay, I'm sorry. You'll get used to it, I promise."
"Hey, so the pop you heard was a small tear forming in your trachea, thus the swelling and pain. Natalie said the tube has to stay in for a couple days but no surgery." Jay squeezed both their hands that time, eyes roaming around the room before going back to them.
"You're in the ICU. It's just because of the vent and you have to be watched."
"So we're all having a fun slumber party for the next two days!" Jay did his best to smile, the side of his mouth that wasn't taped up with a tube twitching in a half smile before relaxing. The slow blinks continued, his sleepy look alerting his world that he was exhausted.
"Hey, just rest for a little bit. You've had a morning."
"And we promise to nothing else will be inserted while you're sleeping." Jay's eyebrows quickly jumped for a second.
"Get some sleep. Love you." Hailey reached over and kissed his forehead, rustling his hair as a joke before going back to him. Jay meanwhile squeezed her hand three times: I. Love. You.
…
He slept the rest of the day away, rising just after dinner. After Jay fell asleep the rest of the plans fell into place. Kim arrived with an overnight bag for Hailey and a late lunch for both. Will managed to get someone to cover his work shift so he had the next few days off. Finally, overnight cots were wheeled into the room and bedding was applied to both. Will retreated to the bed after he ate, saying the exhaustion was winning out and watching Jay sleep wasn't helping. That left Hailey to entertain herself, which she had no problem doing. Most of the time was spent sitting right next to Jay, holding his hand and watching him sleep. The breathing tube was something she was never going to get used to, but seeing him safe and comfortable to the point of resting, there she was as at peace as she could be. Every now and then he'd twitch or fight the vent but he never woke up. Dinner arrived in the form of an IV bag for Jay and takeout delivered from the team. Will was still totally out, which Hailey didn't mind. She was beyond starved and was grateful to have a moment alone to ugly stuff food in her mouth. She sat back in her seat, rubbing her food baby and moaned with regret when Jay jolted awake. He looked around the room as he moved his fingers in and out, trying to communicate with someone who wasn't there.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," she whispered, leaning forwarded and grabbing his hand.
"You slept for a really long time." Hands linked once more Jay squeezed once, looking over to Will who had his back turned to the world as he snored away.
"He's been out for awhile. He fell asleep a couple hours after you. How are you feeling?" The eyes strained for a moment, body relaxing before giving her those sleepy bed eyes.
"Sleepy?" Jay squeezed once.
"Well that's good that you're able to rest. What about the tube, are you feeling any better with it?" Again Jay gave her that look of contentment, eyes relaxed and a little more alert then before.
"Good! I'm sure it still feels weird but you're getting better with it. The next couple of days will go by quick." The room fell silent, Hailey looking around, still trying to accept where they were. Looking down at her phone showed it was just after seven, almost quitting time for the team. Tonight the goal was to grab some takeout before going back to her place, catching up on their shows before turning in for the night. They would try to go to bed earlier than normal so they could do more things together for awhile longer. It's what they'd been doing for a little over two weeks now, neither growing tired to the events. It all felt so right, so them, both of them on extreme emotional highs. And yet, here they were. Jay unable to do much for himself, the two of them sharing a room with Will and not able to do the thing they both really wanted. Jay, in his ever knowing her state, nudged her arm, grabbing her attention before doing his best to smirk.
"I know, some night we're going to have together. What will we do if we can't have sex?" Jay shrugged his shoulders, making her giggle before covering it up, trying her best to keep Will asleep.
"Hey, just FYI, the guy we caught finally caved. The team said he confessed to everything. It'll be a slam dunk case. I'm…I'm just, I'm sorry all of this had to happen just so it could get done." Hailey couldn't hold the emotions in, falling on Jay's chest as she quietly sobbed. None of this was okay, they shouldn't be here. Why was Jay such a magnet for trouble, physical trouble. She remained on him as he stroked her hair, patting her shoulder as she got back up.
"I love you, like a lot. You know that, right?" Jay squeezed her hand, Hailey leaning in for a kiss on his forehead once more.
"First thing we do when we get out of here." Jay gave her a thumbs up, eyebrows dancing as he agreed.
"Okay, I'll let you go back to your dinner," Hailey remarked while pointing at the nutrient bag. The two of them remained locked at the hands, Jay dozing every now and then as Hailey scrolled through her phone for some good distraction for the two of them. This was their love story for the day.
…
Two Days Later
"Ready for that to come out?" Jay gave a thumbs up, looking down at the procedure pad getting placed on his chest as the vent hose was detached from the tube in his throat. The last two days had been uneventful. Jay slept as best he could despite the discomfort and visitors and chatting with Will and Hailey. His pain had gone down to a point of being manageable and the swelling was still there but improved enough to where he could breathe on his own with oxygen assistance. He wasn't cleared for home just yet, but the ability to talk and breathe and be tube free was overpowering all of that. Hailey and Will were sitting on their respective sides of the bed, looking on with swelling pride as the tube was undone from around Jay's mouth and the tube, next step being the syringe to deflate the balloon that was holding the tube in at the other end of the throat.
"Now, when I tell you to I need you to blow as hard as you can. It's going to feel very weird and you're probably going to gag but it'll be over really quick. Once it's out I just suck all the spit and gunk out and then you're free. Sound good?" Jay gave another thumbs up, closing his eyes and preparing himself for the brief torture as he felt the balloon go down.
"Here we go. 1, 2, 3, blow." Sure enough, Jay gagged the entire way up. It was so bad that he sat forward, keeping his eyes closed as the device came up. It felt like a full minute, but the whole thing was about five seconds.
"It's out, it's out. Awesome job. Now just open a little so I can suction." Jay did as was told giving another thumbs up that things were fine as the cannula was placed under his nose.
"This stays on till you get discharged. I know you really want to, but try and not speak for a few minutes. The vocal chords need a little rest." Jay nodded, watching as everything got balled up and thrown out.
"Feeling good," Will asked? Jay nodded, coughing again before wincing at the pain that caused. The medical team filed out, Will in tow because he had a call from the ED to take care of. That left Jay and Hailey alone with their thoughts and desires, finally. Hailey wasted no time, diving in for a long awaited kiss. Jay didn't mind in the least, after all it didn't require talking. They forewent just pecks on the lips, full tongue locking and deep breathing for air as they went. Hailey's hands were soon nestled in his hair as Jay wrapped arms around her waist. They were borderline to ripping clothes off and just going full on at it, but given they were in a hospital and Hailey wasn't sure how to detach things, they settled for the serious kissing.
"I missed this," Hailey said between breaths.
"Me too," Jay whispered.
"No talking, more kissing," she teased, Jay snorting a laugh before they went on. Only when Jay complained of neck and throat pain did they stop, Hailey choosing to nestle on his chest as Jay kissed the top of her head and stroked her back.
"That's what got me through all of this."
"It's so weird to hear you talk."
"I know," Jay spoke as he cleared his throat.
"I'm just glad it was me who went through it." Hailey rose from her spot at him, both shocked and deeply touched by what he was saying.
"What?"
"Out of the two of us, I'm glad it was me that got in the middle of that. The thought of you having to live through what I did…I don't know how you'd handle it. I couldn't watch that. So if going through it again means you never having to experience that, I'd gladly take it all again." Truly, Hailey was touched, she felt where his heart was coming from. He wanted to protect her, above all else, but there was another small thought: he couldn't control that. They both worked a dangerous job, equally at risk of being attacked or worse. She wanted to tell him that, say that he couldn't always protect her and that she was a big girl who could handle whatever came her way. But instead of verbalizing this Hailey went back to snuggling on his chest. This wasn't the time nor the place to bring that up, plus it was likely her old tendencies rearing their ugly head.
"Don't worry, we'll get through whatever comes our way, together."
"Love you, Hailey."
"I love you, Jay. Like a lot. And next time?"
"Oh don't say it."
"Duck, will you?"
Ta-da! Nothing too crazy and hectic, just some good old fashioned Jay whump and Upstead moments. Thanks for reading! What shall we explore next?