Visiting Hours

I have another chapter! Yeah it took a very very very very very long time for me to actually finish this :/ I had major writers block. But it's out now I know this isn't very action packed but there needs to be some back story for now. I will get onto further things later. Anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter, and as always I don't own COD but I do own my characters.

"My god!" My mum shouted as I sat upright with Ashley stood next to me.

"Mrs Jacks, I know it's a lot to take in right now but we can sort out accommodation and you two can catch up later you are both probably tired," The doctor told her it sounded as if he was speaking from a script.

"No I'm alright," She stuttered as she stepped closer to me I held out my hand as she approached ready to hold her but when she placed her hand in mine I realised she wasn't coming any closer than she was.

"Mum, I'm okay you can touch me you know," I told her as she just kept looking at the area where my leg was.

"No you're not how can you say any of this is okay?" She shouted at me before she turned her back burying her head in my sister's, who had just entered the room, shoulder. The two of them started to sob. I just sat there at stared at them with a blank look on my face.

"How did this even happen?" My sister asked me.

"I…. I can't tell you," I told them causing my sister to recoil back, I knew what was about to happen.

"Why the fuck not?!" She shouted at me causing Ashley to shake a bit as she did.

"Do you know what I've been doing for a year since you lot cut me the fuck off?" I asked her as I tried to pull myself forward but it couldn't really I must have just looked a bit pathetic.

"I suppose you think that we should give you a hero's welcome back to us, knowing that you just up and left not giving us a single choice in what happened to you and now we get a call in the middle of the night and we come here to find you in the hospital with one leg, yeah it's not a good night for us," my sister exploded at me as I sat on the bed with Ashley still shaking next to me not liking being caught in the free fire zone.

"What do you want from me?" I asked her as she actually stepped closer to me and looked me in the face holding the hand that I offered to my mum.

"I want my brother back."

"And I want my son."

"I can't promise you anything right now, but tomorrow I'm going to get my legs sized up, do you want to come along and we can try and make amends even if it's just a start?" I asked them whilst I looked at Ashley.

"That sounds good," My sister told me who was now pretty much talking for my mum.

"Shall I show you to your accommodation?" The doctor told them, they both simply nodded as he walked them off.

"I should probably head home," Ashley told me as she went into the office and grabbed her coat.

"I'm sorry about that," I told her as I attempted to lay down.

"Don't worry, I'm glad I was there for you," She told me with a smile as she helped me lay down properly in my bed. "I'll see you tomorrow," She told me as she left the ward and turned off the lights.

I laid in bed just waiting for myself to fall asleep but I could only be thinking about her smile and how much I liked it.

I woke up at seven thirty, and looked around the ward and the night nurse was on her final rounds after about ten minutes of me being awake she came into my ward, "You're up early," She smiled at me as she checked everything I just nodded at her, "Do you want me to get your family?" She then asked me.

"Nah, let them sleep but I could do with some breakfast," I replied to her as I sat upright in the bed.

"That's fine what do you want?" She asked me as I looked around the room and there was still no one there, I was still on my own private ward.

"Waffles and maple syrup, if you have any?" I asked her with a massive ear to ear grin across my face.

"Sure we have those," She told me returning the smile.

As she left the room and left me by myself I heard a door open on the other side of the ward where the office was. "Good morning," A familiar female voice echoed through the ward.

"Ashley?" I asked out, as I heard the door open up and the two nurses came in.

"Here's your waffles," the night nurse told me as she set the plate down on the bed and turned to look at Ashley, "Can you take it from here?" She then asked her.

"Yeah I will be fine," Ashley replied with a large grin on her face.

"Good, I'm shattered," The night nurse told Ashley as she walked out of the room.

Ashley laughed as she walked across to me, "So your leg fitting is at twelve, what do you want to do until then?" She asked me as I scoffed down the waffles.

I just about managed to swallow the mass of mashed waffle and maple syrup before I opened my gob to speak, "fresh air, now!" I almost demanded with a smile on my face and syrup dripping down my chin, which I wiped off with the sleeve on my hospital cloth. As I did Ashley bought me my wheelchair which I lowered myself into.

I started to roll myself with my hands. We walked slowly over to the door which led to the gymnasium and the outdoor quad, as we reached the first door Ashley held it open for me and I wheeled through giving me a smile as I did.

When we wheeled past the gym I spotted a soldier I knew walking down the hallway towards me, he was Hamish O'Leary a young Lance Corporal from the Irish Guards, he had lost his leg doing UN work in Africa but it was the first time I had seen him with his prosthetic on. It gave me hope. As he approached, I gave him the standard upwards nod to say hello and he did the same, he had a sense of humour not many could compete with but his main goal from my point of view was to take the piss out of me as much as possible.

When we reached the door leading out to the quad I held out my good leg and rolled myself forwards opening a door by myself for the first time since I woke up in the hospital two weeks ago. I could instantly feel the cold winter air around my skin it felt good, I felt free for the first time since the accident.

"Do you wanna sit down?" I asked Ashley as she stood next to me.

She looked down at me I could see her shivering, "I'm okay," She told me I could see the condensation pouring out of her mouth she was getting very cold so I looked around seeing there was a bench just in the atrium that we had just come out of.

"Let's go back in there, I don't want you freezing to death," I told her with a chuckle, I wheeled myself over to the door which unluckily for me was a pull door, "Can you get the door please I can't do pull doors yet," I told her whilst smiling.

""Sure," She laughed as She opened the door and we went inside I wheeled myself up to the bench and pulled up next to it, Ashley sat on the bench with her hands on her knees, her nurses uniform perfectly pressed and cleaned. "So are you nervous about today?" She asked me as she looked at me.

"Not really, I'm actually really excited," I told her as I looked down at my stump, which was almost fully healed now it only had a small stitched opening at the end which was healing over gradually.

"You do realise getting your legs back will be a long process right, you won't be walking by the end of today, right?" She told me as I continued to look at my stump.

I nodded knowing full well that it would be a long process in being able to walk again, "Yeah I know, I was a soldier, I'm not that naïve," I replied as I slowly looked up at her but I was confident I wanted it.

"You'd be surprised a lot of guys come in here thinking they'll be up fighting within a week of losing their arm or their leg," She told me, making me realise that I wasn't the first soldier that she'd treated nor would I be the last.

"Do you give every soldier this much attention?" I asked her sounding like an over protective boyfriend.

"What do you mean?" She replied looking confused.

"I mean do you always treat soldiers like you're treating me?" I asked her sternly.

"I have to be nice it's my job," She shot back.

"Yeah," I told her.

"Why does it bother you that I've cared for other soldiers?" She asked me as I kept looking at my leg.

"What? No….. No…." I paused while I looked down at my leg holding onto my stump.

"Really?" She asked me as she looked down at my stump too.

"Well…." I started but as soon as I did I heard someone call out from down the hallway.

"Sergeant Jacks?" I heard the Doctor shout as I heard numerous footsteps afterwards.

"I'm down here," I returned as I heard the footsteps get closer.

"Ah there you are," He then told me as he came around the corner followed by my mum and sister.

"Arthur," My mum whispered as she came over and hugged me tightly atleast now she could actually touch me. I embraced her back as she hugged me tighter and tighter.

"So am I forgiven?" I asked them as my sister came and held my hand.

"You can make a start…" My sister began, "By when we get home you can make me some bloody pancakes, I aven't ad them in ages."

I looked at her after my mum was done, "Alright then," I nodded at her. I waited for a few moment before looking up at the doctor who had a large grin on his face, "So what's that beam about?" I asked him.

"Well Sergeant, I have good news," He told me as he held out a slip of paper, "It's your leg appointment. It's been moved forward by two hours, so if I were you I'd get out of these clothes and in your fatigues."

"That's great," I almost shouted with joy as I tried to stand up.

"Woah!" Everyone shouted in unison as my mum and Ashley tried to sit me down in my chair.

"Just get back, in the chair hotshot," Ashley told me as she sat me down.

"What's the time?" I asked everyone as I finally sat in the chair.

"Nine thirty, so I'd get your arse in gear," The doctor told me as I started to wheel myself off.

"I will do Sir," I told him as I sped off to the ward but I had the problem again, doors. "Erm Ashley can I have a hand?" I asked before hearing the sound of her gripped nurse's shoes squeaking along the floor.

"I'll give you a hand," She told me as she opened the door to let me onto the ward.

"Can you give me a hand with the uniform?" I asked her.

"Erm yeah," She simply responded as she blushed.

When we made our way onto the ward I saw that my uniform was neatly laid out on my bed even with the beige beret. I grabbed the trousers and realised that they had a pair of boxers underneath that I hadn't seen since I was in basic training in the Marines.

I picked up the boxers and then slid them on quickly, realising it wouldn't be that hard to get dressed. I slid the trousers over the boxers and pulled the shirt on. "I guess I didn't need help," I said to Ashley who was just stood at the corner of my bed looking shyly in the other direction. "Right let's get to it shall we?" I asked her.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I hope you are enjoying the story so far. I don't know how long it will take for me to get the next chapter out but there will be more but anyway please feel free to review and tell me what you thought and how the story could be improved. But until next time… PEACE!