I do not own any characters, plots, or anything else pertaining to "Outlander". Here's another POV switch, that I think people are really going to enjoy. This chapter flowed pretty easily, and I am pretty pleased with the result, I hope you are too. As always, thanks for reading.
Chapter 4
Small Miracles
Claire's eyes shoot open and the bloody lights nearly blind her. She sits up slowly, feeling like a weight is pressing down on her head. Claire shields her eyes and takes in her surroundings. She's at a hospital, she knows that much, and it seems familiar to her. The door opens and her eyes dart over to see her old friend Joe standing in the doorway. She can't help but smile, she made it back, but where's Jamie? Her smile quickly fades. "Where is he?" Joe walks over to her with a smile of his own. "It's good to see you too, Lady Jane." Claire stares at her old friend, feeling fear invade her soul. "Was there a man that brought me into the hospital?" Joe gives her a smirk. "I take it, he was the Scottish fella you were talking about." Claire nods at his words, feeling rather regretful that she ever told Joe about it in the first place.
She knows her old friend always likes to examine everything, until he comes up with an answer for it. "Do you know where he went?" He shakes his head. "No, after he brought you here, he disappeared." Claire's breath catches at his words. "Funny, I told Bree the same thing and she reacted a lot like that, tell me what's going on here?" She shakes her head that's now throbbing because she doesn't want to get into this right now. "Remember when I told you that Frank wasn't Brianna's father?" Joe nods and puts his hands inside of his pockets, listening intently. "The man that brought me in is her biological father." Joe stares at her in surprise for a few moments, everything still around them, but the steady rhythm of the heart monitor. "So, Lady Jane, you took my advice and went to him for a second chance at love? You could have told me that before you left without saying goodbye." Claire feels guilt at the pit of her stomach for leaving this time so abruptly.
She had friends in this time, like Joe, and she had abandoned them without a second thought. Claire locks eyes with her old friend. "I'm so sorry Joe, I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't." Joe shakes his head. "Why not?" Claire takes a sharp breath in, bracing herself for the inevitable fallout. "It's complicated and I don't feel up to telling it just now." Joe sits on the edge of her bed. "I'll let this go temporarily, but you have to tell me everything, promise me." Claire nods at her old friend and reluctantly smiles. "I promise." He gives her a smile in return and the two catch up over the next hour about their lives. While Claire enjoys herself immensely spending time talking to Joe again, in the back of her mind, she can't rid the gnawing thoughts that are threatening to consume her. She prays that they're both safe from harm, wherever they are.
A few minutes after Joe leaves, Claire hears a knock on the door and her heart seizes, when her two favorite people in the world walk in together. She's relieved to see that they're both alive and here in the same time and place. The thrill she feels shoot through her is a euphoric feeling that's she's never felt before this moment. Bree smiles wide at her and runs into her open arms. She's missed her daughter so much and finds herself holding onto her as tightly as she can, never wanting to let her go again. When Claire finally pulls back and looks at her daughter, she can't help but smile through her tears at the beautiful woman she's become. She recognizes that Bree is a woman now, a strong independent woman, who still needs her mother from time to time. Claire's thankful that she still feels that way about her. "Mamma, I'm so happy you're awake." She gives her a dazzling smile and it's so infectious, her own smile grows wider.
Claire's eyes suddenly catch the other bystander in the room. He's standing just inside the door and her heart rapidly beats at the sight of him. Claire looks at him from head to toe and she certainly likes what she sees. "Jamie." She can't help but smile at him, as he rushes towards her and Bree on the bed. "You sure gave me a scare, Sassenach." Claire nods her head. "I'm glad to see you were in good hands." She looks at her daughter and Bree gives her a smile in return. "Do you like Jamie's clothes, I couldn't let him walk around the twentieth century with what he was wearing?" Claire looks over at Jamie and thoroughly examines him this time. His pants are a bit too tight and his shirt looks quite foreign on him. Claire is used to seeing him in kilts and traditional 18th century clothing. So, the sight of him in 20th century clothing, looking like an unhappy child who has been dressed up by their mother for picture day, makes her smile.
She knows he's probably rather uncomfortable, but she can't help but poke at him a little. "I think your father looks rather dashing." He gives her that smile that makes her go weak in the knees. "Aye, no who's the one that's blind?" Claire can't seem to rid the smile on her face, as Bree looks between them in confusion. "Did I miss something?" Claire looks over at her daughter. "No, darling, it's a little joke your father and I have running between us." Bree shrugs her shoulders, as if to say, that it doesn't matter to her, just like she did when she was a child. Claire can hardly comprehend that she's back in the future with her husband and daughter. Days ago, the concept felt like a distant fantasy, but now in this ordinary hospital room, it's become a beautiful reality. She feels the tears kiss her cheeks, as she grabs her daughter's warm hand in hers and waves over Jamie to grab his hand in her other one. Jamie puts his freehand on Bree's shoulder and the three sit like that, connected and together, for the first time in history. She certainly hopes it's the first of many happy times ahead.