JANE
Ben and Sophie were arriving today, and Tom was leaving tomorrow.
He would be gone for about a month on press tour. He may have a day or two he'll get a break long enough to visit, but it wouldn't be long enough for you.
As excited as you were to see Ben and Sophie, you were terrified of being without Tom. You always miss him when he's away, but being as vulnerable as you've been you were having so much anxiety about it to the point it was making you sick.
Tom had been running around like a mad man these past two days. Making sure things were all in order as far as your medicines and supplies, writing down a very detailed few pages of your care, along with emergency numbers for all of your doctors. And then he had to worry about his own packing and making sure he would have everything he needed for his trip.
You could tell he was exhausted, you tried to help as much as you could without either getting caught by Tom and him telling you to rest, or without exhausting yourself.
It was a tricky task, but you had managed to help at least a little.
Currently you were sat on the couch under your afghan and leaning on Toms shoulder while you both just watched some mindless television waiting for your friends to arrive.
He leaned down to kiss the top of your head, you sigh.
You turn up to look at him, his features still showed signs of being tired. "I'm going to miss this, Tom."
He kisses your forehead. "I know my love. If there was any way of staying, believe me, I would be right here."
Suddenly there's a knock at the door.
You look out the window. "That's them!" Tom was already at the door. Ben walks in with his arms full of suitcases. Sophie right behind him, hands on her slightly larder belly. Ben is the first to speak. "Tom! Mind giving me a hand with these? Hello, Jane!" Tom takes suitcases from Ben with a grin and takes them to the guest bedroom.
Ben and Sophie make there way over to you, you stand carefully. Making sure not to trip over your oxygen tube and try and steady your wobbly legs.
Sophie grabs you with a large, but gentle hug. "Oh Jane! I've missed you! How are you feeling, dear?"
You pull back to look at her. "I'm doing ok. How about you? How is the little nugget doing?"
Ben giggles beside Sophie. "Myself and the baby are well. Things are moving along just as expected."
Ben leans in for a hug next just as Tom returns. Sophie heads his way for a hug.
Ben hugs even more gently than Sophie. "Hello darling. So good to see you."
"It's good to see you too, Ben."
Starting to feel light headed and a bit short of breath, I sit down and watch Tom and them catch up. Letting your eyes close for only a moment.
TOM
Jane had been asleep for a bit now. The excitement of the day caught up to her. You take this opportunity to catch Ben and Sophie up on some of her care.
"Would you two mind following me to the kitchen?"
The both stand up and follow you into the kitchen quietly.
They sit at the counter, listening intently.
"Ok, so as you know, Jane is going to need alot of care. I printed off instructions and schedules and they're here on the fridge. Now, she gets tired very easily so you'll have to keep a close eye on her to make sure she doesn't over do it. Especially during her daily exercise. If she looks worn down, tell her it's ok to stop. She will also be somewhat stubborn about the use of her wheelchair, so you have to be very insistent. She can get stubborn about eating too, but it's something she has to do in order to keep her weight up for transplant. My only tip for that is to make whatever sounds good to her. I've left plenty of money for you to get whatever she wants, and whatever you both want. I change her nasal cannula once a day and the long tubing that hooks from the concentrator to her cannula once a week. Sometimes she will need her oxygen adjusted. Right now she is on two liters, but usually after exercise or excitement I turn it up to three. And when she is asleep it goes up to four. Ummm let's see what else... Well she sleeps alot and I always let her. It's very important she get's lot's of rest. She knows all her medicines and when to take them, but I've got them all written down for you in case she asks. And of course call me at anytime. I'll check in often, but call with any questions or concerns. And all her doctors numbers are written down as well. I'm sorry if it seems as though I'm rambling. There's just so much and I don't want to forget anything."
Ben and Sophie just nod, listening closely.
"We'll take good care of her, Tom. Don't worry." Ben says with a reassuring smile on his face.
Sophie looks at you with a bit of worry, clearly noticing your frazzled state.
"I can't thank you both enough for doing this." You hold back some tears, moving around the corner to give them both a hug.
JANE
It was around 10pm. Ben and Sophie were in the guest bedroom and you were cradled in Toms arms. Exhausted, but not wanting to sleep, because once you woke up he'd be gone.
"Tom?" You say quietly, checking if he was still asleep.
"Mmmm.. What is it, darling?" He mumbles, half asleep.
You want to beg him not to go. To tell him that this next month was going to be the hardest thing you've ever had to do. But he was bound by contract so there was no way out, and he already felt horrible. So instead of making him feel worse, you just whisper into his neck.
"I love you."
He hugs you to him tighter. Kissing the top of your head. "I love you too, penguin. I'll be home before you know it."
You pull the blankets around you tighter and snuggle into Tom even more, with a smile. Finally letting your heavy lids fall.
Authors Note: I apologize for the last chapter! I wrote it half asleep, really just wanting to make sure I updated while I had the time. I hope this one is better! Also, the next few chapters will be a little different with Toms absence. We will be getting bits from Ben and Sophie's perspective. Thanks again for those who are giving this a read, and if you have any suggestions or things you want to see, let me know in the comments!