A Leap Of Faith
I hope you enjoy this.
Joseph was staring at the clock on the wall. It was nearly midnight. He had decided not to go home, Elliot had told him he must go and get some much needed sleep. But he knew he would find sleep impossible. The events of the last few hours had made him question so many things. Joseph's emotions were all over the place. He doubted himself at the best of times, but now he felt totally lost and alone. Elliot had offered to stay with him, but Joseph had declined the offer, saying he needed to be alone.
Joseph kept hearing the screeching of tyres in his head. Jac's last few words echoing in his mind, Despite his attempts to ignore them, he couldn't.
"You are the only person who's never given up on me, I love you Joe, please don't walk away from me now."
But Joseph did walk away, and he would have to live with that fact. Jac was a lot of things, but even Joseph had to admit, she had been truthful, at least with him over the recent past. Jac had been through so much, finding her Mother, donating a kidney, Joseph wasn't quite sure what had gone wrong. Michael Spence hadn't said much, but from what Joseph could gather, Paula Burrows had used her daughter as nothing more than a live organ donor. Before disappearing back to India. As if abandoning her when she was 12 wasn't enough. Giving her even more of a reason to close rank, and generally behave like she didn't give a damn about anything, or anyone. Of course Joseph had seen Jac at her bitchy backstabbing worst, indeed he still bore the scars. Many years had past, but he doubted whether he could ever forgive her for sleeping with his father. On the flip side, Jac had shown glimpses of the person behind the mask. The lockdown was still etched in his memory. Jac had put her cards on the table, opened up. Admitted her mistakes. Jac said she loved him, that was the turning point for Joseph. Yet he still, even then couldn't bring himself to fully forgive her.
The door opened, Ric came in, looking serious.
RIC: Jac made it through the surgery, but there were unforseen complications, her leg took the full impact of the car, it was still weak from the motorbike accident a few years ago. I am afraid we had no other option, but to amputate the limb. Add to that the stress her body has already been put under from donating a kidney..
Joseph was trying hard to digest this news, on the one hand he was so relieved Jac had pulled through the operation, but also felt sickened by the fact she had lost her leg.
JOSEPH: But she will live, won't she?
RIC: The next 24 hours will be critical, but providing there are no more setbacks she should regain conciousness.
JOSEPH: Can I see her now, please?
RIC: Yes of course.
Joseph walks slowly down the corridor to ITU. He walks in and sees Jac attached to various machines and monitors. He walks over and sits by her bed. He takes one of her hands in both of his.
JOSEPH: What are you trying to do to me? You always do know how to get my attention. I'm so sorry Jac, Please for forgive me?
Joseph, not for the first time that night, starts to cry.