It had been nearly a week since Aaron's return to work, Jackson was still finishing a few pieces off at Dale head, so he kept an eyes on Aaron when he wasn't looking. Even though his mum had reassured him the younger man would be okay, he couldn't help but worry over the teen. He'd been through an incredible lot and it was going to take a hell of a long time to get over what he'd been through no matter what anybody said. He was just waiting for when Aaron needed him. He may act as though he didn't know, but he knew there would be a time when it all will become too much for the teen and he would breakdown. He often noticed how Aaron was still on edge, only just clinging on. Jackson wasn't at all surprised thought. It hadn't even been a month since Darrell pushed Aaron down the stairs and left him clinging to his life as he laid in his own blood. At the slightest unexpected clang of a tool falling to the ground or a loud noise, Aaron would jump. It wouldn't be a noticeable jump, you had to be watching him intently to notice. He'd been spending too much time at the Windows of Dale head watching over the teen instead of getting on with the tasks in hand he still had left to complete. Jackson should have finished Dale head weeks a go, but Declan had been very understanding after Aaron's visit to hospital. He knew that the older man wanted to be caring for his boyfriend.
Jackson found himself standing by the window in one of the back bedrooms, taking a sip of a coffee he'd brought from the cafe ten minutes ago. He'd brought Aaron one as well, but he couldn't stop with the younger man and enjoy there tea break together. He was determined to finish Dale head by the end of the week and the rate he was going at the moment he really needed to crack on with it. He was so close to finishing but he had found himself too many times watching Aaron when he wasn't aware. Just as he was about to go back to sanding down the rest of the walls in the room, Jackson spotted Aaron walking out of the garage chatting away on the garage phone while he locked up all the cars on the forecourt. Clyde sat in the middle of the forecourt watching his owner walk back and forth patiently. He was interested to know what Aaron was up to and it wasn't until he saw Aaron go into the garage and come back out again with the keys to the pick up truck and a few papers in hand did he realise what he was planning to do. Forgetting about the tasks he still had left to complete, the older man ran downstairs and on to the forecourt.
"Aaron, where're you going?" Jackson called out to Aaron's back as he locked the garage, placing a 'Back In 5" sign on the double doors.
"Call out." Aaron answered simple, screwing his face up at his boyfriends silly question.
"Thought Cain only dealt with them." Jackson commented. Since Cain found out about the true reason Aaron left Darrel on the side of the road without returning with his car. He'd made it clear to everyone that only he or Ryan dealt with Call outs from then on. He didn't want Aaron back in the same situation heaven forbid. Debbie had a few things to say about when she wasn't allowed to be Cain had just fixed her with on of his glares and she'd shut up about it all. She knew he was only trying to protect his daughter and nephew. So excuse Jackson for asking why Aaron had suddenly decided he was going on the Call out. With Ryan away and Cain in town somewhere sorting out god knows what, It just left Aaron and Debbie at the garage. But even she had disappeared for a few minutes to pick Sarah up from school and take her to Lisa's. He was surprised that Aaron seemed okay with it, from what he could see. He knew what Aaron was dealing with behind the wall of absolute calm he'd built up.
"Yeah but he's not here is he, bright spark." Aaron said in a moron voice with the roll of his eyes as he turned to Jackson.
Jackson ignored his boyfriends dig towards his intellect. "Can't you wait until he gets back?" Jackson suggested. "I'm sure he won't be long."
Aaron served Jackson a look to say that what he had just suggested was an incredibly stupid thing before heading to the pick up truck, making a clicking sound with his tongue for Clyde to follow. "He'll be all day, we'll be lucky if he shows his face today." Aaron laughed. "We'll lose business if I don't go."
"But Aaron. . ." Jackson sighed, he didn't want Aaron going off on his own in that pick up truck. He knew that Darrel was now locked behind bars after breaching his bail conditions. But it still didn't settle the fear he had inside of him knowing that Aaron was back in the pick up truck, driving down the lonely roads looking for a stranger who's car had broken down. God knows what could happen to Aaron if someone even as close to Darrel's state of mind was waiting for him. He'd come close to losing him once to often.
"Jackson, I'm going. End of." Aaron said firmly before pulling himself up into the pick up.
"Wait there!" Jackson ordered him, serving him a pointed look to say he meant it or there would be consequences.
Jackson sprinted back to Dale head and quickly went round shutting all the windows before rushing back out the door and locking that as well. He was flinging the passenger door open to the pick up truck and climbing in before Aaron knew what was happening.
"What you doing?"
"Coming with you." Jackson answered staring straight out the window screen. " . . . Well? Are you going to sort out the broken down car or what? Can't have them waiting."
Aaron sent Jackson a glare before turning the ignition and putting his foot down. If Jackson was going to tag along with him as his protector or whatever, he was going to have with it. Starting with driving like a nutter through the country lanes to make Jackson turn a faint shade of green. He grinned as Jackson looked at him after realising what Aaron intended to do when he screeched out the top of the village and over took a fiesta on a bend.
They found the customer who had broken down in a matter of minutes once they got on the main road towards Hotton. They were pulled up on the side of a busy road, steaming coming from the bonnet as the waited by the side of the road, sitting on the grassy verge. Jackson had nothing to worry about, the customer was a young women just a little younger than he was. She posed no threat towards Aaron's safety, unlike the larger than life build of Darrel. Aaron had pulled pick up truck up in front of the small black Corsa, knowing he would have to take the car back to the village before he even looked at it.
"I think I'm going to be sick." Jackson groaned as he tugged his seat belt off and flew the door open.
Aaron just laughed as he climbed out of the truck, ordering Clyde to stay where he was. He'd sat in between the two men on the drive there, staring out the windows as they drove.
The young girl pulled herself up off the grassy verge and approached Aaron as he dragged his tool box from out the back.
"I don't know what happened." She told him. "It's been playing up for a while now, but I was hoping it was just nothing."
Aaron just sent her a small forced smile before pulling the bonnet up. He wasn't much for words towards the customers, unless it was tell them about what was wrong with the car and what he needed to do. He hated the chit chat that they sometimes wanted to have.
"Sorry about him." Jackson chirped as he approached them, looking a little better in colour. "He's not one of for words. Monosyllabic."
Aaron glared at Jackson over his shoulder before returning his head on the bonnet to survey the damage.
"Oh, there's two of you." The girl commented with a smile, looking Jackson up and down and then Aaron. "Aren't I lucky."
Jackson laughed. "Oh I'm not a grease monkey. I'm a builder, just fancied a ride out with him."
The girl screwed her face up slightly in confusion as she processed what Jackson had told her. "Oh okay." She shrugged. "I'm Nina by the way."
"Jackson." The older man introduced himself. "And this here is Aaron, his bite's worse than his bark."
Both of them laughed as Aaron straightened up to serve Jackson yet another glare.
"See what I mean." Jackson laughed.
"Oh I don't know. . . I quite like it." Nina giggled as she looked Aaron up and down again.
"Do you mind? I'm trying to work!" Aaron scolded them as he shifted his weight from leg to the other, beginning to grow uncomfortable with them watching him. When he'd been on a call out for Darrel, he'd stood behind him eyeing him up and leering over him. Before they got a chance to answer him with a teasing remark, Aaron snapped the bonnet shut and approached the pick up.
"What you doing?" Jackson asked a little surprised by Aaron's sudden change in mood. He'd been quite happy in the pick up, grinning as he watched Jackson squirm beside him while he took dangerous and stupid twists and turns in the truck.
"Getting this car back to the garage." Aaron snapped.
"That's me told." Jackson mumbled.
"That's a shame. I was quite enjoying the view." Nina sighed as she followed Aaron with her eyes teasingly back to the truck.
Aaron slammed the pick up trucks door closed and pushed past Jackson as he went back to the Corsa to get it hooked onto the back. It was then that it clicked in Jackson's mind. The teen wasn't comfortable with Nina eyeing him and making a innocent flirting comments towards him. He saw his demeanour change all of sudden, his eyes grew more clouded as he passed them again.
"Come on, lets go sit in the truck." Jackson said to Nina. "It's cold out here and he's going to be a while as yet."
She sighed again, sending Aaron a flirting look before following Jackson towards the Pick up truck, where Clyde was still waiting inside.
"Who's dog?" Nina asked as she climbed inside the back, where Clyde had currently be laying.
"Aaron's." Jackson answered her. "They're practically joined at the hip."
"That's cute." Nina commented as she stroked Clyde's long fur.
They'd been waiting for Aaron to hook the Corsa to the back of the pick up truck for ten minutes. Jackson had gone back out to see if Aaron wanted a hand, it seemed he wasn't really focusing on the task in hand. He didn't blame him. A lot had happened on his last Call out. He didn't expect him to get over it over night. It was when Jackson was outside with Aaron, when Nina realised she'd left her phone in the car. She climbed out of the Pick up truck, forgetting to close the door behind her as she walked over to her car.
"Sorry, I left my phone in my car, any chance I can get it?" Nina asked sheepishly as Aaron made no effort to hide his annoyance.
"I'll get it." Aaron sighed as he pulled open the drivers side door and began reaching in to root around for the girls phone.
Little did they notice Clyde leaping out of the pick up truck and beginning to sniff the ground as he walked around.
"Here, is this it?" Aaron said already chucking the phone towards Nina.
Luckily she caught in time, before it hit the side of the road and broke. "Thanks." She said muttered before returning to the pick up truck.
"Be a little nicer." Jackson told Aaron when she was out of ear shot. "You're customer service is appalling."
"And? I pick up the cars, fix them and charge the owners. I'm not paid to flirt with them." Aaron snapped with a disgusted look plastered on his face.
"I didn't mean –" Jackson started.
"Clyde!" Aaron yelled as he caught sight of the Alsatian dangerously close the edge of the road and the on coming traffic. "CLYDE!" He called out again, hoping the dog would listen to him. He held his breath as Clyde spotted a pigeon land in the middle of the road. He had stupidly taught Clyde to chase after them. It had stupidly supplied him with entertainment when he'd watch Clyde run round the cricket pavilion after the birds that landed around there.
Before he realised what he was doing he was sprinting towards Clyde before the on coming car that was fast approaching caught up to them. All Jackson could do was stand and watch as Aaron ran towards his dog, with mere seconds before the car gained on them. His heart was in his mouth as he waited on baited breath. He knew it would be a miracle if Aaron wasn't sent flying in the air. The car was going at least forty miles an hour.
"Aaron!" Jackson called out in one last hope, as if it would do anything.
As Aaron bent down to shove Clyde out of the road, Jackson turned his head to the side, unable to watch the outcome as the car was less than a foot away.
There was a squeal of breaks and a loud thud. After that Jackson wasn't aware of what was happening, everything was happening so fast. The driver of the car flew open his door and ran out his car leaving his door wide open and his hazard lights on as he rushed towards Aaron. Jackson couldn't bare to look at Aaron. He feared the worse. He'd seen a few traffic accidents in his time and they were always horrific, broken glass and bones, blood and oil smeared on the tar-mac. But he knew he couldn't not look. He was torn to make sure Aaron was okay.
He was lying on his left side, his eyes squeezed shut as he held his mouth in a thin tight line. The driver was already at his side, panicking. It was down to Jackson to keep a firm hold on the situation and make sure every kept calm.
"Aaron, are you hurt?" Jackson asked as he crouched down beside him. Other cars were now pulling to a stop, to see what had happened, why the sudden halt in traffic.
Aaron nodded his head quickly.
"Try not to move." The driver instructed him.
"Where does it hurt Aaron?" Jackson asked the teen who was clearly in a lot of pain. He guessed it was his leg. Aaron was currently pressing his right hand down his hip to try and advert the pain to a different location.
"My- Agh! My leg." Aaron panted as he looked towards his leg, his eyes now open.
"Okay, don't move." Jackson told him. "Just try and lay still."
"I'm not exactly going anywhere am I!" Aaron snapped clearing in a lot of pain. It felt as though his whole leg was on fire.
"I'll call for an ambulance." The driver told them as he stood up and began to take a few steps away to call for them.
"Where's Clyde!"Aaron panicked, trying to look around for him from his place on the ground. He cried out as he moved his leg accidently.
"Shhh." Jackson soothed. "He's okay, he's over there." He said pointing to Clyde who was sitting by the side of the road.
"Oh God!" He heard Nina cry out as she neared them, her hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault." Jackson quickly assured her.
"She let Clyde out the truck!" Aaron snapped as he clenched his eyes shut again, hoping it would block out the pain in some sort of logic.
"Aaron!" Jackson scolded. Even though his boyfriend was lying in the middle of the road, clearly in a lot of pain it still didn't mean he could be rude.
"I'm so so so sorry." Nina babbled, tears forming in her eyes.
"Hey, its okay." Jackson told her with a smile. "If you want to make yourself useful though, could you get Clyde in the truck and watch him please. We don't want him in the way when the paramedics arrive."
"Sure!" Nina exclaimed as she headed towards Clyde.
"No she Fu-." Aaron started to protest.
"Aaron!" Jackson warned.
A/N – So sorry guys (I know I'm constantly saying that) but even though I've nearly been off for three months I still haven't managed to find consistent time to put aside to get on with this fic and many others. All though I have suffered from writers block with this one, Don't know how many times I re-wrote this entire chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, I love to know what you all think!