Jacob woke with a groan. His head was throbbing and one side of his body ached. He must be in the on call room, for no other bed was this uncomfortable. His eyes flickered open and a frown creased his forehead. He was in a room he didn't recognise, late afternoon light filtering in through some heavy curtains. Jacob could smell Connie's perfume, and wondered momentarily if they were in a hotel. The thought was pushed aside immediately. Connie would never book a hotel that looked like this. He tried to open his mouth and call for her in case she'd be able to explain, but his head was too fuzzy and his mouth to dry to form words.

Turning his head slowly, Jacob looked around the room for a clue, any sort of clue that might tell him what was going on. His frown then deepened when he found both Connie and Grace curled up in small armchairs beside his bed, both fast asleep.

As his eyes flicked between them, Jacob finally began to remember where he was and what had happened. Mouth still to dry to make a noise, he reached out a surprisingly heavy arm and managed to brush his finger's against Connie's leg. Though her eyelids flickered, she didn't wake and he was forced to try again. This time, they eyes flew open and she moved towards him faster than Jacob's eyes could travel, making him dizzy.

"Jacob!" Connie smiled down at him, her hand cupping his cheek. "You're okay. You're okay."

Jacob motioned to his mouth, and a moment later Connie pressed a cup of water to his lips, a smile still on her face though tears trickled slowly down her cheeks.

She returned the cup to the table, brushing at her eyes, and Grace moved over to stand next to Jacob's bed.

"It's okay, Mum fixed you. She told me what happened, and that you didn't have a heart attack because she said no." This earned a soft chuckle, followed immediately by a groan.

"Ssh Gracie, don't make him laugh." Connie turned around to sit back down on the chair she had been sleeping on, next to Grace, and Jacob raised his arm slightly so that his hand rested on her knee.

"I love you."

"I love you too." She pressed her hand over his, before reaching over to kiss his lips. Grace stood up and moved around the bed, to prop up his pillows which had fallen down behind him.

"Come here, firecracker." He motioned for her to lean closer so that Connie was out of earshot, whispering to her and receiving a happy giggle.

"Mum's relented and let your friends come in to see you. They're all waiting at the cafe downstairs, I can go and get them?" Grace questioned. Jacob raised his eyebrows at the thought of Connie relenting, but nodded his head anyway, wanting to be alone with his girlfriend for at least a few minutes.

After Grace rushed out of the room, Jacob's eyes turned to Connie and his smile softened as he tugged on her hand. "Come here."

"No." Connie shook her head, brushing away a few more tears which seemed to be escaping even though she was trying with all her might to keep them in.

"Where'd you learn to be so tough, hey? I wouldn't have thought kids would have teased the girl whose father owned the whole of Peckham." Jacob teased softly and was rewarded with a slight smile, but it was quickly followed by heavier tears.

"I thought I'd lost you. I couldn't seem to make my hands do what they always do, but I couldn't trust anyone else to do it either." Connie's facade finally crumbled and she moved towards him, burying her face into his neck as she held him as well as she could without hurting him. Jacob's free arm quickly moved to wrap around her and he lowered his head to kiss away her tears.

"How could I go when I had the best doctor in all of England and Spain looking after me?" Jacob questioned, shutting his eyes as he breathed in the perfume that had invaded his mind even while unconscious. "I'll be okay, Connie."

Connie nodded, sniffing back her tears before she lifted her head. She could hear voices in the corridor and went to fold her arms to restore her 'Mrs Connie Beauchamp' front, but Jacob shook his head and a moment later she was once more hiding her face in him as his friends entered the room hesitantly.

"Hey..." He used one arm to motion them over, but they only took tentative steps forward on seeing Connie in his arms. "Guys, it's okay. She's too tired to bite you."

"Am not." She murmured into his neck, before straightening to see Tom and three other men standing in the room, whilst Grace stood outside.

"Connie, we-"

"I know, just... Don't make him laugh. I'm going to find Grace, and I'll be back in five minutes. And I want him alive." She raised her eyebrows at Tom's mock salute, before leaving the room, glancing behind her once more before turning to her daughter.

"It wasn't their fault, Mum."

"Mhm."

"How long until-"

"I'd say a week. He'll say less, but don't listen to him."

"Will we stay at the hospital or get a hotel?" Grace questioned. Sleeping on hospital chairs had made her backache, and though she loved Jacob, she also loved washing her hair and hotel food.

Her mother however looked torn. She was unwilling to leave Jacob, but she could see how tired her daughter looked and imagined she looked a lot worse. Connie glanced back into the hospital room. "I think I saw a hotel next door on the way here. Let's go and see if they have a room available."

"What about Jacob, though?"

"We'll sort something out with his friends." Connie led her daughter away from his hospital room. "And I think all 3 of us need something else to wear."

Inside Jacob's room, he was hearing from his friends for the first time exactly what happened. He hadn't risked a look at either his medical notes or his side, because a look on the nurses face had told him all he needed to know. "Have you told Connie all this?"

"No chance. She's terrifying." Tom grinned.

"She slapped Tom earlier and all he told her was that the motorbikes had been his idea," Another friend offered.

Jacob gave a laugh at the image this conjured, but then groaned as pain pulled at his side. "She's a pussycat when you get to know her."

"Who is?" Connie asked from the doorway, eyebrow raised.