Thank you for the reviews here is a longer chapter.
A few hours Henry woke up and was surprised to find a blanket draped over him. He assumed a nurse had been in and placed it over him whilst he was sleeping but soon discovered Stevie sat in a chair on another side of Elizabeth's bed. "What are you doing here, shouldn't you be resting?" Henry asked. He knew all the kids were worried about their mother but he also knew only Stevie had seen her in the hospital when she had the panic attack after Iran and this would probably bring those memories back for her.
"I wanted to see mom and I thought you would want some things because I know you will want to stay with her." Stevie replied. Henry had to smile at the thoughtfulness of his daughter. Slowly he got off the bed and walked over to his eldest daughter, pulling her into his embrace.
"Thank you, I know this has been hard on you all but I am here if you need to talk." Henry spoke softly to his eldest. It was rare that Stevie showed a weakness and when she did it was hard for Henry.
"I know but I have everything covered you need to look after mom." Henry let a small smile slip at this comment. He couldn't believe his children were so understanding at the fact Elizabeth needed him and that they could look after themselves. He also couldn't help but feel guilty about what had happened to the kids and Elizabeth. It just didn't seem fair and nobody deserved to be put into this situation.
After a while Henry decided that Stevie should leave. He could see she was tired and he knew she was getting upset about her mother's condition. Once they had hugged and Stevie had left Henry returned to his seat by Elizabeth's side.
He took her hand in his and gently pulled it to his lips. He couldn't help but think about the last time his wife had been this vulnerable. It was when she had finally talked to him about Iran and when she melted into his arms and cried. Henry began to wonder what would happen once she woke up and how she would cope with the fact that this time it hadn't been just her in the firing line but also their children.
Suddenly, there was a loud beeping noise and some nurses and Elizabeth's doctor came rushing in. Henry moved out the way as his wife was wheeled out the room and into the operating room. Henry just stood there in shock.
He couldn't believe what was going on. Elizabeth was stable and now he could be about to lose her. Hadn't they been through enough over the past couple of days? All Henry could think about was the life he had made with Elizabeth. He thought about their wedding day when her brother had walked her down the aisle taking the place of her father, when Stevie was born, then Alison and finally Jason. He remembered how she had warned him about no more children when he would return home after work to find her lying on the sofa exhausted after looking after all three children all day whilst she was on maternity leave with Jason. He thought about the day they had met and how he instantly fell in love with her, then the day they bought the farm and how excited she was about the children growing up around horses like she had. Henry couldn't bear the thought that this might be their last day they spent together. He thought about the future they still have to share. It just wasn't fair.
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