4. Concussion
A soft beeping sound was echoing in Jack's ears, which was not helping the pounding in his head. He tried to open his eyes and winced at the bright light.
"You're not dead then?" he heard a familiar sarcastic voice and tried to open his eyes again
This time he succeeded and was met with the face of Clarissa
"Where am I?" he groaned as his eyes started to adjust
"Hospital," she replied watching as he slowly tried to sit up "Apparently you were cage-fighting again,"
"Did I win?" he asked hopefully
"What do you think?" Clarissa said rolling her eyes
Jack winced as a pain shot through his ribs when he tried to shift his position on the bed
"You've broken a rib and have a mild concussion," Clarissa informed him "They're keeping you in overnight for observation. Personally, I recommended that they punch you in the face again instead, in the hope that it might knock some sense into you,"
"Why exactly are you here?" Jack frowned. He had been hoping for sympathy not sarcasm
"Well you apparently need someone to support you," Clarissa said "I actually came here to mock your pain but I could stretch to some half-hearted sympathy if you really want," she grinned
"I think I'll pass on that one," Jack said leaning back on the pillows
"Why do you do it?" Clarissa asked after a moment's silence
Jack paused before answering "Release," he said and Clarissa this was a rare moment where the macho barriers had come down and Jack was being fully open with her
"What do you need release from?" she prompted gently
"The stress of working with you," he quipped and Clarissa saw that the barriers had come back up once more
Just then a nurse entered the cubicle and Jack turned his attention towards her flashing her one of his most charming smiles
"I just need to check your obs Mr Hodgson," the nurse said
"Jack," he corrected "And go ahead," he said leaning back grinning at her
"I'll leave you to it," Clarissa said "I'll call you in the morning. Try not to lose any more brain cells Jack," she said rolling her eyes as Jack continued to flirt with the nurse.
She knew this was all an act. His hyper masculinity always came out in times like these, it was his defence mechanism. Yet as much as it annoyed her, it also worried her. This time is was only a concussion and a broken rib, but it could have been far worse. She knew that she had the ability to see past Jack's macho barriers and that was what made their relationship work so well. She could read him like a book and right now she knew that he was feeling more vulnerable than was being expressed. And that worried her more than anything.
Meanwhile back in the cubicle, Jack was finally left on his own. Clarissa had gone home and the nurse had finished checking him over, although her could see her gossiping with the other female nurses. He assumed from their glances at him that he was the topic of conversation. Very few people saw past his bravado, except Clarissa. Jack turned over in the bed and winced as the pain shot through his body once more.
He tried closing his eyes to block everything out, but the hustle and bustle of the ward mixed with the pain was keeping him awake. He wasn't sure if it was because of the pain from his injuries, the frustration of losing the fight or just raw emotion, but he felt a few tears slip down his face. His blinked several times opening his eyes, and once more he was met with the welcome sight of Clarissa.
"What?" she said questioning the shocked looked on his face "You didn't think I'd really leave you alone in a time like this did you?"
Jack smiled gently, relief flowing through her body as he gripped her hand tightly.
"I swear if you tell anyone about this…" he began
She shook her head "I won't tell anyone Jack, you should know me better by now. But I should point out that you're most definitely in my debt right now and I always expect my favours to be repaid. You owe me big time Jack" she informed him
"Don't I always?"