Jackson didn't sleep well at all, fed up of tossing and turning throughout the night he decided to get up a lot earlier then he needed to. Visiting hours on Aaron's ward weren't until nine so he needn't get up any earlier then an hour before but it didn't work out that way. He was up at the crack of dawn, dressed and showered, ready to go to see boyfriend. They hadn't managed to get much out of him the night before when he had started to come round so he hoped he could get a small conversation out of him this morning when he saw him.

"Couldn't sleep?" Paddy greeted around quarter to seven when he downstairs for breakfast before heading into the surgery to set up.

Jackson shook his head. "Caught a couple of hours."

"Sorry I can't come with you this morning to see him." Paddy apologized again. "But Rhona's struggling on her own, I can't expect her to-."

"It's alright Paddy." Jackson waved off, he understood perfectly. Not everyone had Saturdays off. "I'll tell you what the doctor says this morning." Jackson added, seeing as they hadn't seen him after Aaron's operation. They had yet to find out how it went.

"Thanks." Paddy said as he popped some bread into the toaster.

Jackson smiled at him as he stood up and put his breakfast things in the sink before heading for the stairs. When he came back downstairs again, jacket on and wallet, keys and phone in his pocket heading for the door, Paddy was only just finishing his toast.

"Where're you off to? Visiting hours aren't until another couple of hours." Paddy questioned as he checked his phone. Yes, it was definitely still not even seven thirty.

"By the time I get there it will be gone eight. I'm gonna see if I can sneak in earlier." Jackson admitted t the older man. He couldn't wait a few more hours, he wanted to make sure Aaron was okay now. It felt strange sleeping in his bed without him last night. He missed him being beside him, even though he did hog the covers.

"Ah, I see." Paddy sighed with a roll of his eyes. "If any one can talk the Nurses round it would be you!"

"See you later!" Jackson laughed as he closed the front door behind him.

Just as he had expected, he arrived outside the hospital just a little past eight. He parked his Van as close as he could to the building, predicating it would rain later on by the looks of the grey clouds rolling above his head. He took his time finding his way back onto Aaron's ward and was glad to see a Nurse sitting at the Nurse's station when he arrived. She looked up at him when he arrived. He didn't recognize her from last night so he presumed she was on different shifts to the others.

"If you're visiting somebody, you'll have to wait till nine. Sorry, but its hospital policy." She informed him kindly.

"Couldn't make an excuse for me could you?" Jackson said batting his eyelids. "I'm looking for Aaron."

She looked as though she was contemplating what to do for a moment before answering him. "Sorry, but I can't. You'll only have to wait another forty-five minutes."

Jackson tried his best to do his best puppy dog eye look. "Please? I just need to see if he'd okay."

"Did you say Aaron?" She asked, as she searched for something on her computer screen.

"Yeah? . . . Why?" Jackson answered labored, starting to worry a little at her sudden change in demeanor.

"An Aaron Livesy?" The Nurse asked for confirmation as she looked up at him.

". . . yes."

"Thank god!" She sighed in relief. "We wanted to speak to a family member about him."

"Why? What's happened?" Jackson asked, his worry now peaking.

"Nothing to worry too much about." She quickly added. "His operation went extremely well, as far as I know, so it's nothing concerning that. It's just . . . He seems a little . . ."

"A little what?" He snapped starting to get annoyed by her resistance to tell him. "Sorry." He sighed when he realized how rude he was being.

"It's just. . . I only started my shift four hours ago, but I noticed he hasn't been sleeping." She commented. "I've been a nurse for eight years and I can spot a fake sleeper from a mile off." She told him. "I just thought you'd want to know. I don't know whether it's because he's in hospital and he doesn't like them or because he's had an operation but just keep an eye on him will you?"

"Sure." Jackson nodded, giving her his word. He doubted it was because he anything to do with the hospital or his operation. He began to wonder how long Aaron had been keeping it up. "Thanks for letting me know."

"No problem, it's my job. Just promise to take care of him. He's a good kid." She said as she stood up from behind the station. "Now, seeing as though it's you and you're visiting Aaron, I'll let you see him early."

"Really?" Jackson asked, a minute ago she seemed to not be allowing anybody before nine.

The nurse nodded. "Really! Now go through before somebody sees."

"Thank you!" Jackson said as he jogged towards the main part of the ward where Aaron was. "I'm Jackson by the way." He called back feeling as though it was rude for her not to his name seeing as she had just helped him.

"I'm Nurse Kendall." She laughed back.

Nurse Kendall had just informed Jackson that Aaron hadn't been sleeping as far she was aware. So he didn't believe for one minute that Aaron was asleep when he approached his bed. Many other people who were on the ward, were already awake and flicking through magazines or chatting quietly to one other as he sat down at Aaron's bed. He'd been placed second from the end, so he was surrounded by other people in other beds. The past two times Aaron had been in hospital he'd been placed in private rooms, he hadn't been so lucky this time round, or had he.

"Morning." Jackson said as he waited for Aaron to open his eyes. He was still lying on his back, with an IV port in the back of his hand, a hospital tag round his left wrist and his right leg was covered up by a thin blanket, whilst the other was sticking out from covers. He noticed that some how Aaron had gotten changed into the pair of black Jersey pajama trousers Chas had packed for him and a white t-shirt. When he'd left him last night he had still been wearing the regulated hospital gown from after the operation. He wasn't surprised to see him out of it, he knew Aaron despised them with a passion but how he changed he hadn't a clue. He was sure Aaron wouldn't have accepted any help.

"I know you're awake, so you can stop pretending." Jackson sighed. "We've only got a few minutes alone before you're mum comes at nine." He added, hoping it would prompt Aaron to open his eyes or answer him. So far he'd just laid there. He had to give him his dos, he could pretend pretty well. He hadn't moved an inch since he'd sat down.

Soon enough Aaron opened his eyes and glared at Jackson.

"There you are." Jackson beamed knowing it would tick Aaron off. Sometimes he just loved it when Aaron pulled his famous pissed off face.

"Shut up." Aaron groaned, about to turn over to his side to face away from Jackson. Thankfully he remembered that he couldn't before he did, otherwise he would have caused himself pain he could do without.

"Can't run from me now." Jackson chimed with a cheesy smile.

"I can try." Aaron sighed, thankful for the reminder.

"Don't even think about it Mr. Livesy." Jackson said before turning serious. "So how've you been? And be honest with me?"

"I've been good." Aaron answered him as he looked at him dead in the eye, hoping he would buy it. "You on the other hand look like shit."

"Thanks!" Jackson scoffed. He knew hadn't slept much but he hoped he looked at little better than Aaron did.

"Only being honest with you . . . You did say-."

"Alright! I know!" Jackson cut him off.

Aaron smirked. Glad he'd out smarted his boyfriend.

"You sure you're alright?" Jackson said, about to step into dangerous territory. "I know you haven't been sleeping lately."

This time it was Aaron's turn to scoff. "I have."

"Aaron, don't lie to me . . . I know you haven't." Jackson going to take Aaron's hand to show he was there for him.

The younger man swiped his hand away and placed it on his stomach, so Jackson couldn't touch him. "I'm not lying to you." Aaron said, letting out a small laugh to help convince his boyfriend.

Jackson raised any eyebrow. He knew better than to believe Aaron. But he'd push the subject a little more later on. "I don't believe you Aaron, but I won't push you anymore . . . for now."

Aaron let out a small huff before Jackson changed the subject and began to ask how the nurse's had been treating him and then about Hazel's latest plan to whizz off to South America for a few months.

Half an hour after Chas had arrived Doctor Jenner appeared to check on Aaron and talk about the further treatment and recovery period he would be experiencing from then on with him. He insisted that Chas stayed to listen to what he was telling Aaron, incase he didn't understand something or forgot anything he told him. Seeing as Chas stayed, Aaron didn't seem any point in Jackson excusing himself. There was nothing he wasn't ashamed of Jackson hearing, after all he was only talking about broken bones and casts.

"How long will he be in hospital for? I thought he could go home today?" Chas asked, she hadn't thought to ask the previous day. She had just assumed they were keeping Aaron in after the operation because it was too late in the day to send him home.

"We'll keep him in for a further couple of days. Just to make sure his fracture is beginning to heal properly." Doctor Jenner explained to her. "We'll be sending him home on Tuesday hopefully, with a full leg cast."

"And how long will he be in that for?" Jackson asked. Like the before when it came to his health, Aaron took a back seat, allowing his boyfriend and mother to ask all the questions.

"For four months, he'll have a total of two casts. We'll be sending him home in a leg splint, then a month later he'll have a cast put on and then second cast a couple of months after that." Doctor Jenner answered. "It's going to take a while for him to recover from this. Afterwards, Aaron is going to need therapy to walk properly again."

"Woah! Hold on a minute!" Chas exclaimed catching his last sentence. "What do you mean walk properly again? I didn't know this was that serious!"

"He will walk again." Doctor Jenner quickly told her. "It will just take a little time afterwards, because of the loss of mobility he will have for four months."

"So all together? How long till he's back on his feet?" Jackson dared to ask.

"Honestly. . . just a little over seven months. That's if he behaves himself!" Doctor Jenner said, aiming the last part in the teen's direction.

"I will. . . I will!" Aaron protested holding his hands up. "I'm not going to be so stupid again."

"That will be the day!" Chas teased earning herself a scowl off of her son. "What?" She said innocently.

Doctor Jenner smirked at them both at the exchange between them. "Anyway, I just need to check over the incision wound and I'll be done."

"What? Why?" Aaron asked not expecting that.

"Aaron just let the doctor do his job love." Chas sighed running a hand over the top the teen's head.

Aaron tried to shrug out from underneath his mother's touch. He wasn't used to sudden displays of affection from her. "It's fine though."

Doctor Jenner laughed as he moved to pull the thin hospital sheet that had been covering Aaron's leg up off of him, so he could see his leg.

"Why don't you and mum go get a coffee?" Aaron suggested. He didn't want either of them to see his leg. It was disgusting. When he'd been getting changed last night behind the closed curtains around his bed, he'd taken a look at it himself. Un-strapping the split that they'd secured round his leg, to then pull back the dressing they'd placed on the hideous angry red line that ran down the front of his leg. He'd counted the amount of stitches they had used to close the wound, eighteen.

"We don't mind waiting for a while." Jackson assured him.

"No, honestly, you look like you could do with one." Aaron said desperately.

Jackson looked at him for a moment, the tone of voice Aaron was using couldn't go unnoticed by the builder but he shrugged it off, adding it to the list of things he needed to talk to Aaron about. It was just finding the right moment. They hadn't had a spare half an hour alone together, without somebody popping up out of the blue. "Fine, but we won't be long." Jackson said before grabbing Chas by the elbow and pulling her along behind him.

"But Jackso-." He heard his mum start as she was dragged away.

Aaron didn't want to look at his leg again. He'd seen enough earlier when he'd stupidly decided to see the damage for himself. Doctor Jenner, un-strapped the full leg splint like he had done earlier, prying the dressing away carefully before carefully inspecting the wound himself.

"Looks like it's going to heal just nicely." Doctor Jenner said. "Those stitches should dissolve on their own, so all you need to do before you come back for you cast, it to change the dressing. Think you can do that?"

"Yeah." Aaron nodded as he looked towards the ceiling.

"Great." Doctor Jenner said before gesturing Nurse Kendall over to them. "I'll leave Nurse Kendall here to put your splint back on. See you later."

"Bye." Aaron said still adverting his eyes away from his leg. He wasn't squeamish but the sight of the mess below his knee just made his skin crawl with disgust.

Nurse Kendall had just gotten his leg covered by the dressing and was then strapping the full leg splint up again when Jackson returned with Chas, carrying coffee in his hands.

"Alright, we're all done here." Nurse Kendall said, tugging on the last strap before heading back to the nurse's station.

"Everything alright?" Chas asked as she took a seat.

"Yeah." Aaron nodded.

"Good. . ." Chas said as she thought of something to say to carry on the conversation, having not had much practice with Aaron. ". . . I'll have to speak to Cain later, let him know what's going on."

"No doubt he'll sack me." Aaron sighed.

"No he won't!" Chas protested.

"They've got a lot of jobs coming in, they're tight on time as it is when I was working." Aaron argued. 2If I'm going to be out of action for half a year, they're gonna want somebody to replace me."

"Maybe not forever Aaron." Jackson chirped. "While your off maybe. . ."

"I wouldn't put it past him-." Aaron started.

"-He'll have me to answer to if he does." Chas said leaving no room for argument.

"Did the police call back last night?" Aaron asked, suddenly remembering. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten about because all night it had been fighting its way to the front but now Jackson was with . . . he didn't know why but he'd stopped thinking about it so much.

"Er, yeah they did." Chas answered him.

"And. . ." Aaron prompted. "What did they say? Did they say why they were bringing the court case forward?"

"Something about a new development." Jackson told him. "They didn't say what though."

"How soon?"

"Late October I think, we've got ages till then." Jackson assured him.

Aaron tried to act as though he wasn't bothered. "Ah right, okay."

"We'll figure it all out when you get home. But for now, you'll focus on getting better." Chas ordered him with a motherly tone. It was rare act from her, but it never surprised Jackson when he saw mother and son act how they were intended to.

Aaron rolled his eyes. "Fine." He huffed. ". . . How's Clyde? Did you feed him this morning?" Aaron asked rounding on Jackson. He was surprised it had taken the teen so long to ask about his Alsatian.

"He's fine Aaron- actually wait. . ." Jackson said mocking realization flood over him and bringing a hand to his mouth. "I don't think I did feed him, I left him outside last night."

He knew it was a cruel thing to do. He couldn't help himself. However, Jackson did feel bad when he saw the pure panic and worry spread over Aaron. "You what!" Aaron almost shouted.

"Shh! I'm only pulling your leg." Jackson hushed looking around incase anyone thought things were kicking off. "He's fine, fed, content and asleep in his basket in the kitchen. "

"He better be." Aaron threatened.

"He is." Jackson assured him.

A/N – Thank you for taking your time to read this fanfic and also for the fantastic feedback I've been receiving from you all! It's great. Thank you! Hope you enjoyed this update, hopefully Aaron will be returning home in the next update, we'll have to wait and see, I'm sure he'd getting sick of hospital's now, then we might find out exactly why the court case is being brought forward!