"I will never let you fall, I will stand with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all." THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS

Are things really looking up?

Steve returned to the Hospital early the next morning feeling more rested than he had in a long time. Upon getting home last night he had fallen into bed and managed 4 maybe 5 hours of unbroken sleep. It wouldn't be enough for a lot of people, but it was the most he'd gotten in over a month. And from the way the lingering weariness he had carried with him for weeks had lifted, he knew he'd needed it. What it was like to be able to think clearly again.

He looked over at Kate, still attached to all the monitors, with their steady beeps keeping time with the hiss and whirs of the ventilator, they showed no change. Steve knew that it was too soon to see anything, at least on the surface but he found faith in the fight that was happening beneath all the wires and monitors. In his heart, he knew he'd been right not to give up on her and he hoped he would soon see his best mate's goofy smile again.

"You've got this mate, I know you do," he murmured quietly. There was a renewed conviction in his words, for the first time in a while he felt he could believe them.

"Morning Steve," Bernie smiled warmly at him as she came into Kate's bay.

"We're going to trial Kate off the ventilator, we're hopeful that she is strong enough to breathe on her own and maintain her oxygen saturation."

Steve nodded. He knew it was a positive step but he couldn't help but feel uneasy. After everything that had happened recently, he had become all too aware of just how quickly things can go wrong.

What if it didn't work?

What if she couldn't breathe?

What if her heart stopped? Again...

What if she...

Steve watched as the doctor and a couple of nurses carefully removed Kate's breathing tube. The monitors immediately flashed alarm and for a few terrifying moments all Steve could do was watch as Kate lay there still, not moving, not breathing. His chest tightened and he gripped the arms of the chair so tight his knuckles turned white. "Come on mate, you've got this," he whispered.

Breathe Kate, please breathe…

Steve felt stuck and as if time had frozen around him. The medical team spoke in hushed tones but all he could focus on was Kate.

"Sats down to 82…"

"We might need to re-intubate…"

"Just wait…"

"Sats at 76…"

"She's becoming hypoxic…"

Breathe mate, please breathe…

Nothing.

The monitors continued to scream.

Then Kate's chest began to rise and fall.

"Sats climbing…"

"She's stabilising…"

The monitors steadied, their rhythm becoming regular once again.

"Sats at 96…"

Steve snapped out of his daze, he heard one of the nurses quietly reassuring the still sleeping Kate.

"Knew you could do it mate," he breathed in a sigh of relief.

He glanced across to Bernie who echoed his smile.

"She's breathing on her own, that's the first big step. We're going to monitor her closely to see if she can maintain her oxygen saturation but this is excellent news."

"Thanks," was all Steve could reply. He wanted to savour this moment, feeling like he could breathe again and knowing that his best friend was coming back to them all.

"She still has a long recovery ahead of her." Bernie reminded him.

"I know, but going from… having gone from to think about maybe losing her forever to knowing she's going to wake up, that she's breathing on her own, I've got to concentrate on the positives." The panic and dread that had sat heavy in his heart were now replaced by a warmer slightly fuzzy feeling, hope.

Bernie smiled. "That's a good way to think about it." I'll give you a bit of time with Kate, I can't say when but she should wake up soon."

"Thanks," Steve replied, "thanks for everything."

Steve turned back to his best friend, "I'm so proud of you mate. I've gotta go in a moment but I'll be back later."

Steve checked the time, he still had half an hour before he needed to be back at AC12. He decided to check in on Jo quickly, he had to share the good news with someone and after their conversation yesterday he had a feeling that she could really do with hearing some.

"Morning Jo," he greeted her quietly. "Good to see you."

It took Jo a few moments to focus her gaze on Steve and he couldn't miss the moment of panic that flashed across her eyes. An indicator of how vulnerable and exposed she still felt.

"H… h-hi," she stuttered back in response, she tried to smile but it didn't quite meet her eyes.

Steve could barely contain his smile, "I've got some good news."

Jo gave him a quizzical look, almost as if she couldn't comprehend that there could be any good news.

"It's Kate, last night the Doctor gave me an update and she's doing well. She's breathing on her own and the Doctors think she will wake up soon."

The smile that spread across Jo's face was the most genuine Steve had ever seen from her, this time it reached her dark and usually tormented eyes.

"T… t-that's g… g-good," relief washed across Jo's face.

"It is," Steve replied, his relief mirroring Jo's. "It really is. I just wanted to let you know, reckoned you'd want to know the good news as soon as possible."

"T… t-th… a-anks…"

Steve offered Jo a comforting smile. "I guess, this just goes to show, even when you don't think they can, things can get better."

"Mmmh", Jo nodded.

"Hold on to hope Jo," Steve smiled. "You deserve it."

It was early evening and Josh had just got back from the Christmas Markets. He was feeling tired but also glad that he had gotten out of the house for the day. He had a good day with his friends and at times he felt almost normal. Not quite forgetting what was going on but for a few hours it wasn't all he could think about. He had even laughed, especially with his mate Dan being his usual idiotic self. He realised just how much he'd missed time with his mates, joking around and just being free to be teenagers, it made a refreshing change to hospital visits and arguments with his dad.

In the past few weeks, he'd dealt with so much, carrying the weight of it all and fighting against an all-consuming worry, just to have some sense of normality, even if only for a few short hours made all the difference in the world.

He carefully unpacked his purchases from his rucksack and the mug from his Hot Chocolate. It depicted a snowy scene with Nottingham Christmas Markets 2020 written along the bottom, though it never really snowed in Nottingham. A small wooden tree with a starry pattern followed. He hoped he could bring it for his mum and she'd be allowed to have it out by her bed.

He'd also bought his mum a present from the same stall. A photo frame made of thick wood engraved with a message.

After leaving the others he popped into Boots and printed out a selfie they had taken at the New Year's Day game, a close 3-2 win over Blackburn. Almost a year ago though it felt more like a lifetime. Both grinning stupidly into the Camera, unaware of the horrors that the year would bring.

His phone buzzed with a call and when Josh saw Steve's number flash up on the display his heart skipped a beat and panic flared in his chest.

"Hiya mate," Steve greeted Josh.

"Hi…" Josh trailed off, unsure of what to say. It was hard to work out emotions through the phone.

Please, no…

"The Doctor has just had a chat with me, an update about your mum. Thought you should know."

"Umm… okay…" Josh was starting to feel increasingly nervous. He sat down on his bed, his hands shaking so much he was struggling to hold the phone.

Please let mum be okay…

"It's good news," Steve stated. This time it was obvious he was smiling.

Josh breathed a sigh of relief.

"She's doing well, your mum, she's getting better. She's breathing on her own. They think she might wake up tomorrow."

"That's good."

"It really is."

"I'm gonna go see her tomorrow, got some bits from the Christmas markets, like decorations an' stuff that I thought would look nice on the table by her bed."

"That's really nice of you, just make sure you check with the Doctor first."

"Yeah, I will." Tears of relief rolled down Josh's cheeks as he ended the call.

That night he slept well for the first time in almost a month and the hope that had almost faded burnt again like fire.