Thank you as always to Hollie for being the best reviewer! You'll be pleased to know Jess finally takes her rings off! Enjoy!
Jess was halfway through her shift the following day, stiff and bruised but mobile enough. She was walking down the corridor to find Will when she heard the Inspector shouting her name.
"Ma'am?" she asked as Gina caught up with her.
"I've been looking for you everywhere! Where were you?" Gina asked, pulling Jess to the side so everyone could get past.
"Um, I was with Stevie, sorting out all the paperwork for the Allie Birt case. Why?" Jess asked.
"There's a call for Mrs Waite in reception, and I'm assuming that's you. It's the hospital. They didn't say what they wanted, only that it was urgent." Gina said, seeing if Jess knew anything about it.
"And it's definitely me they want?" Jess questioned.
"Well, you'll find out when you answer the phone. Off you go, come and see me afterwards, ok?" Gina said, walking off towards her office, having an idea what the hospital wanted.
"Ok." she shouted after the Inspector, walking in the opposite direction towards reception.
She walked through the door, smiling at Mel who was stuck on reception. "The Inspector said there was a call for me?"
"Yep, line two. There you go, sit there." Mel said, pushing the chair towards Jess with a smile.
"Cheers Mel." Jess said gratefully, slowly easing herself down before pulling the phone towards her. She picked up the handset and pushed the button to take the call. "Hello this is Miss Hunter talking."
"Mrs Waite? Wife of Daniel Waite?" the male voice asked.
"I was, although we're separated. I go by Miss Hunter now. Why are you calling me?" Jess asked.
"Oh sorry about that. I'm a nurse at Holby general. Last night your husband was involved in a serious car accident. You're listed as his next of kin. We've been trying to contact you by your mobile number, and we did leave messages, but obviously you didn't get them." the man said.
"Yes, I was involved in a car accident myself yesterday, my phone was crushed in the wreckage. Is Dan ok?" Jess asked, feeling a smidge of worry in the bottom of her stomach.
"Really? That's a bit of a coincidence! Well, I'd rather not talk about it over the phone. Would you be able to come down here?" the nurse asked.
Jess checked her watch. It was still six hours until her shift ended, but she could take an early lunch, "Sure, I've got my lunch coming up, I can come then. Who do I need to ask for?" Jess asked, grabbing a pen and piece of paper.
"Ask for nurse Faldren at reception, and I can fill you in. I'll see you soon. Bye." he said, putting the phone down. Jess wasn't quite sure what to feel; on one hand, it seemed that Dan could be seriously hurt, but on the other, she remembered all the times he had put her in hospital, and she didn't feel so guilty about it.
She had just pulled her coat on ready to go to the hospital when she ran into Callum. He had a grim look on his face.
"Sarge? Everything ok?" she asked, concerned.
"Tony has just shown me CCTV from the accident. We know who crashed into your car." he said through gritted teeth.
"Care to enlighten me?" she asked when he didn't say anything more.
"Dan. It was Dan's car and Dan was driving." Callum spat out.
Jess closed her eyes; that was what nurse Faldren had been talking about with Dan in the car accident, it had been him who had crashed into her, "Are you serious? Surely that couldn't have been on purpose, how would he have known where I was? I was in a squad car, not even my own car."
"Unless he's been following you or he'd placed a tracker somewhere." Callum replied. He noticed she had her coat on, "Where are you going?"
"To the hospital. To see Dan. I got a call from Holby saying that Dan had been involved in a car accident yesterday and he's in a bad way." Jess sighed.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Callum offered.
Jess shook her head, "No thanks Sarge, you've done enough for me."
"If you need me, just call me ok? I mean it." Callum said in a lowered voice as their colleagues went by.
Jess touched his arm as she walked away, "I know. Thanks."
Callum stared after her not believing that even after she'd left Dan he was still in her life, and she would still go to him when he beckoned.
Jess walked through the hospital until she came upon reception.
"Hi, I'm here to see nurse Faldren? He's expecting me." Jess said pleasantly to the receptionist, who took note of her police uniform.
"What's he done now?" the receptionist asked with a twinkle in his eye.
"Oh nothing, it's about my ex-husband." Jess said with a smile.
"Oh ok, I'll just get him for you. If you'd like to take a seat." the receptionist said, indicating the chairs just behind her.
"Thank you." Jess said, taking a seat. A few minutes later she was approached by who she guessed was nurse Faldren.
"Jessica Hunter?" he asked her with a smile. "I'm Jay."
She nodded, following him down the corridor, "How is he?"
Jay made a face, "He was in a bad shape when he came in. The force of the crash partially severed his spinal cord."
Jess was horrified. She had come off lightly compared to poor Allie and Dan, "Oh God, is he awake? Wait, is he paralysed?" Jess asked, realisation hitting her.
"If you want to sit with him, I'll get the Doctor for you who can explain it better. I'll be back in a minute." Jay said with a comforting smile.
Jess took a seat next to Dan, who was lying prone in the bed. He had an oxygen mask on, and there was a tube coming out of his side which Jess recognised as a chest tube; his ribs must have punctured his lung. He was nearly as white as the sheets, his hair nearly black against the pillows. One of his eyes was swollen shut, and he had a big cut on his cheek, which nearly matched Jess' one. She took a deep breath before taking his hand in hers; it was cold.
"Dan? Can you hear me? It's Jess." she whispered, afraid.
His non-swollen eye drifted open, and he slowly turned his head to look at her, shocked that she was actually there, "You came." he rasped.
"Of course I did. How're you holding up?" she asked.
"Like crap. Jess, it was my car that went into yours. I tried to brake, but the brakes wouldn't work! I think they were cut. I am so sorry." he said all at once, his throat straining to get his words out.
Jess motioned for him to stop, "Dan, shush. I'm not here to question you, I'm here as your friend ok?" Jess noticed that he looked a bit downcast when she said "friend".
At that moment, the doctor walked in, and Jess recognised it was Adam Trueman.
"Jessica Waite?" he questioned.
"Jessica Hunter now. We're separated." she said tightly.
"Ah ok. Well I'm glad you're here now. He wouldn't let us tell him the prognosis until you were here. Now we've kept him down here overnight because he wasn't in a stable enough condition to be moved. But soon we'll have a bed for you." Adam said, picking up Dan's chart and flicking through.
"So what is the prognosis? The nurse told me his spinal cord was partially severed. That's not good, right? How could he have continued to drive with a severed spinal cord?" she asked, starting to panic again.
Adam had a sombre look on his face, and Jess felt Dan gripping her hand tighter, "He didn't sever his spinal cord when his car hit yours. His spinal cord was severed when he crashed into a wall. We've done various scans, tests and x-rays. They've been looked at by me and by other professionals, and we've all come to the same diagnosis. It appears you're paralysed from the waist down. I'm so sorry." Adam said, truly meaning it. In front of him was a thirty year old who was otherwise healthy, and he would never walk again.
Jess was frozen in shock and disbelief; he had to be joking. Of course Dan would walk again!
Dan was vehemently shaking his head. He pulled the oxygen mask off of his face, "No, you're lying to me. Did she tell you to lie to me? So she could get her divorce quicker? No, I don't believe you!"
Jess looked at Dan, hurt. She took her hand from his, standing up abruptly, "Dan, I came here to support you, not be accused. I'm really sorry for the diagnosis."
Dan struggled to sit up, but when he did he tried to swing his legs over the side of the bed, but they wouldn't do what he wanted them to, "No, it's just temporary, I'll get the feeling back after physiotherapy, I will."
"I'm really sorry Mr Waite, I'm afraid you won't. Now the porters will be down in a minute to take you to the specialist ward where a consultant will give you more information. Miss Hunter, could I have a word outside please?" Adam asked quietly.
"I'm sorry Dan. Take care." she said, trying to smile at him but failing. Before she left, she walked back over to where he was, sliding her wedding ring and engagement ring off her finger and placing them on the sheets next to his hand.
The doctor led Jess to a chair.
"Are you and Mr Waite living apart?" Adam asked.
Jess paused, "Yes we are. I recently moved out."
"Are you on amicable terms?" he asked.
"Not particularly. He used to hit me; I ended up here more than once because of him." Jess replied.
"Oh right. It's just, he's going to need a lot of care now, and he's going to need someone to be there for him to help him with this enormous change. Is the house suitable for a wheelchair?" Adam asked, noting things down.
"Oh no, I can't be that person. I'm not going back to him, I don't care if he will be in a wheelchair, I just can't. And no, the house isn't suitable for a wheelchair, so I guess that will have to be sold." Jess thought sadly, of all the memories that house held, both good and bad.
"He's going to need a specially adapted house and carers then." Adam said.
"If I can fast track the divorce because of his accident, I can sell the house and give him half the money. That should start him off. But I can't do anything else for him, I'm sorry." Jess said apologetically, although she knew she shouldn't feel that way.
"It's ok, I understand why you can't do it. But thank you." Adam said gratefully, getting up.
"Thanks for looking after him." Jess said, smiling.
"It's my job." Adam called over his shoulder as he walked off. Jess started the walk back to her car.
Jess got back to the station and went to find the Inspector. She knocked on the door to her office and was granted access.
"Ma'am. I've just come back from the hospital. Dan's paralysed from the waist down." Jess said in a rush, sinking into the chair opposite Gina.
Gina's eyes widened, and she didn't answer for a minute. "Sergeant Stone came to me and showed me the CCTV clearly showing Dan ploughing into your patrol car. That's how he did it I guess?"
"He says that he tried to brake, that he didn't know it was me. He reckons the brakes were cut, so the car needs to be checked by forensics. But it wasn't the crash into me that did it, he crashed into a wall afterwards apparently." Jess said with a nod.
"Are you ok?" Gina asked suddenly, not acknowledging that she already knew what had happened to Dan.
"Yeah I'm fine, it's just hard to believe that he'll never walk again. But do you know what? I hate admitting this, but in a way, I think it's his just reward. After all the times he's beaten me up he won't be able to anymore. The divorce will be sped up as well, because he's going to need the money for a specially adapted house." Jess said, rubbing her face, mindful of the stitches on her cheek.
"I see you've taken your rings off." Gina noted.
"I gave them back to him, maybe he can sell them for extra money, I don't really care. But soon I'm going to finally be completely free of him, and I know it sounds cruel after what he's going to be going through, but now maybe he'll understand how helpless I felt." Jess admitted.
"You're justified in thinking that. I think if I saw him in his wheelchair I'd push him over and watch him struggle to get up. But of course I didn't just say that." Gina said with a wink.
Jess laughed and then excused herself.
Jess was grabbing a quick coffee in the canteen when Callum found her. He slid into the seat opposite her.
"Well?" he asked.
"Well what?" she replied.
"What happened?" he questioned. Jess relayed what she had said to Gina, watching Callum's face change to smugness as she said how Dan was paralysed. "I know you were married to him and all, but I can't tell you how much pleasure it gives me knowing that he truly can't get you anymore, that soon you'll be divorced." Callum said.
"Do you know what, I said to the Inspector, it feels like karma, him being paralysed. And I know that is a horrible and terrible thing for me to say, but I'm relieved, I really am." Jess admitted.
Callum smiled, "Do you fancy a drink tonight to celebrate?"
Jess smiled back, broader than she had done in ages, although it hurt her cheek, "I'd love a drink."
"I'll pick you up at seven." he checked as he walked off.
"Seven it is." she said with a nod.
Jess had gone round to Sally's when she got in from work, telling her all about the Dan incident. Like Callum and Gina, Sally had been nothing but pleased when she was told. And like Jess, she felt guilty for slagging off a newly crippled man, but after everything he did to Jess, she didn't care. Jess also admitted that Callum was taking her for drinks to celebrate.
"He's what? Oh Jess, get in there." Sally said with a laugh.
"Sal, don't mock." Jess whined, feeling her face blush...god she felt like a teenager!
"Is it a date?" Sally asked.
Jess looked panicked, "Oh God I don't know? He didn't specifically say it was a date, just drinks!"
Sally laughed harder, "Calm down! Is it a bad thing if it was a date? I mean he gives you the lovey eyes all the time, but I didn't know if you reciprocated?"
"I've always fancied him Sal but never would have acted on it previously. I mean if it is a date then I'm happy about it. Is it too soon after Dan though, does it make me look bad? We're not even divorced yet."
"Jess don't worry about Dan. He's not in your life anymore, and you deserve to have a good time and be treated properly. And I imagine Stone would treat you properly."
"I imagine he would." Jess said quietly with a smile, waving Sally goodbye as she took her wine glass back up to her flat to continue getting ready.
Jess had on a satin emerald green shirt, black skinny jeans and black leather boots. She'd curled her hair and put on some mascara and pink lipgloss and she was nearly ready. She had small diamond studs in and a silver chain, and voilà. She turned her face to the side in the mirror; there was nothing she could do to cover up the cut on her cheek. She had just put her boots on when the phone rang to allow access to the flats.
"Hello?" she said into it, although she knew perfectly well who it was.
"Can I come in?" he asked, and Jess could tell from his voice that he was smiling.
"Of course." Jess replied brightly, pushing the button to let him in. Once she was satisfied he was in the lift, she slipped on her long grey smart coat, checked her appearance one last time in the mirror, and then grabbed her bag, locking the flat behind her. She waited by the lift, smiling as it opened to reveal Callum. He was dressed in black jeans with a pale blue shirt and a heavy black coat.
"Hi." he said, brushing her good cheek with his lips.
"Hi yourself." she said with a smile.
"All ready to go?" he asked, offering her his arm. She smiled, slipping her arm through his. It felt like the most natural thing in the world.
"So where are we off to?" she asked as they left the flats.
"It's a surprise. I found this place a few years ago, it's tucked away and only the locals know where it is. You'll like it." he said confidently.
"Is this a date?" she blurted out.
Callum paused and looked at her closely, "Do you want it to be a date?"
There was no hesitation before she said, "I would be very happy if this was a date."
"Good because I assumed you realised it was a date." he said with a laugh.
"Well I didn't and then panicked and yeah, here we are." Jess said in a rush.
"You overthink things quite a lot, huh." he laughed.
"I guess you could say that!" she agreed, smiling.
Ten minutes later they rounded a corner on a quiet little road with barely anyone around. Up ahead Jess could see light spilling out of a big building with lots of people smoking outside. She could hear some music and all the laughing and chatting of the people inside. She looked up at Callum and smiled.
"Is this where we're going?" she asked excitedly.
"Yep. It's called Frank's, very original huh?" he said, looking down at her.
"I like it. Come on, I want to see what it looks like." Jess said, pulling Callum by the hand behind her.
They entered the building through the big doors, and Jess immediately loved it. The bar was to the left hand side, and it was a dark red wood. The bar stools were all black leather, and the walls were painted a deep burgundy colour. In the middle of the room was a seating area with wooden tables and chairs in the same wood as the bar. On the tables were small vases with candles in, which were flickering in the dimmed room. On the right hand side was a seating area with dark black leather sofas which were so comfy looking, the ones where you can sink right in. The building had been decked out for Christmas with warm white fairy lights twinkling everywhere. A real Christmas tree stood proudly in the corner with beautiful decorations on it, making the atmosphere feel cosy, and maybe romantic.
"Wow, it's beautiful here!" Jess said, looking around with her mouth open.
Callum nodded, "It's my favourite place to come after a hard day's work. Upstairs are the pool tables and dart boards." Callum indicated some stairs that Jess hadn't previously seen.
"I'll have to beat you at that later." she said with a grin.
"Oh no, no-one beats me at pool." he said mock-seriously.
"There's a first time for everything Sergeant Stone." Jess said with a nod, walking to the bar and slipping on a stool.
"What would you like? Champagne seeing as we're celebrating?" Callum asked, taking Jess' left hand and gently stroking her now bare ring finger. The bartender looked over, smiling at the two of them. He drifted over, smiling knowingly.
"Congratulations." he said with a big smile, "Here, the champagne is on the house. It's about time Callum!"
Jess looked at Callum, trying to hide her confusion, "What's that about?" she whispered to him.
Callum looked equally confused, "Frank? Why are you congratulating us?"
Frank paused in the act of getting the champagne out the fridge, "You're celebrating your engagement, no?"
Jess tried not to laugh, but it just came out. Callum looked mortified at first, but then he began to see the funny side, "No Frank, we're celebrating her upcoming divorce from her bastard husband."
Frank smiled again, "Ah, well that does deserve champagne on the house. Hmm, I could have sworn you two were a couple."
Jess looked up at Callum slowly, a blush on her face, "Thank you." she said to Frank kindly, handing a glass to Callum.
"Thanks Frank." he said with a nod to the owner. "Come on, let's go and sit over here."
Callum led her over to the area with all the sofas, and they chose two armchairs facing each other in the corner by the Christmas tree, with a small coffee table between them.
"Thanks for bringing me here Callum, it's lovely! And I like Frank." she said with a giggle.
"Sorry about that." Callum said sincerely.
"No, it's fine. We got free champagne." Jess said with a nod.
"True. Anyway, to you, Miss Hunter, on your upcoming freedom." Callum said, raising his champagne glass, clinking it against Jess'.
Callum and Jess had a fantastic night. They finished off the bottle of champagne between them, then danced a bit on the tiny dance floor between the dining area and the sitting area, and then Jess had beaten Callum at pool like she promised. It got to one o'clock, and Frank was getting ready to shut. Callum and Jess were deep in conversation, about what Frank didn't know.
"Sorry Callum, Callum's lovely lady friend, but I'm shutting now. You can finish off your drink." Frank said kindly, sweeping up past them.
"Cheers Frank." Callum shouted after him, perhaps a bit too loudly. Jess had had more to drink than Callum, evidenced by drunken giggles and slurring.
They finished their drinks, left a big tip for Frank, and made their way out into the cold night. Jess shivered as the cold air hit her body, pulling her coat tightly around her. Callum noticed she was shivering, and took off his big coat and placed it round Jess' shoulders. It engulfed her top half, but it was very warm from Callum, and it smelled like him.
"Thanks Callum." she said, looking up at him through lowered lashes.
Callum was having an internal fight of whether or not to kiss her. In his favour was that he knew she thought he was good looking, and he could feel the chemistry between them. Against his favour was the fact that she was drunk and had only just come out of a violent relationship.
As he was thinking, his forehead had creased up, and Jess reached up with her hand, smoothing the lines. That was all it took. Callum bent down, placing his arms around her, pressing his lips against hers. Their lips moved together in perfect synchronicity as if they had always been doing this. Jess reached up and locked her arms behind Callum's neck, stretching up as far as she could. Callum's lips strayed from her own, before planting small kisses on her neck. His lips captured hers again, and they stood in the street kissing for another five minutes before they were interrupted.
"You may not be engaged yet but you're sure on your way there." Frank called cheerily as he left the building, tipping his cap to them.
"Bye Frank." Callum shouted, taking Jess' hand in his as they walked down the road back to Jess' flat.
It took Jess ten minutes to try and unlock her door. In the end Callum took the keys from her and opened it quickly.
"Coffee?" she asked, peering at him in the sudden light.
"Go on then." he said happily.
"Take a seat. Oh here you go, thanks." Jess said, handing Callum back his coat. Jess brought in their two coffees, and settled on the sofa next to Callum. She looked up at the clock, seeing it was nearly two in the morning. "Callum?"
"Hmm?" he asked, looking up at her from the rim of his mug.
"Do you want to stay here tonight? It saves you trying to get home in your intoxicated state." she said with a slight slur.
"Are you sure? But I haven't got any clean clothes." Callum said, trying to think clearly.
"That's alright." Jess said with a nod.
"If you don't mind, then sure." said Callum, trying to hide his enormous smile.
Truth was, Jess didn't mind at all. When they had finished their coffees, Jess had gone into her bedroom to change into her pyjamas. She came out and saw all the lights in the flat were off and Callum was lying on the sofa.
"What are you doing?" she called, flicking the light on.
"Going to sleep." he replied as if it was obvious.
"No, I meant in my room. The sofa may be comfy but it won't be for the whole night." she said, pulling him up and into her room. "We're two grown adults, we can share a bed can't we?"
"Sure we can." Callum said. He stripped down to his boxers, and Jess tried really hard not to sneak a peek, but her desire got the better of her, and she was pleasantly surprised. Jess slipped into her side of the bed, the sheets pulled right up. Callum got in the other side, and for a while they stayed on the separate sides of the bed. But then Jess felt strong arms wrap around her, pulling her. She found herself nestled in Callum's arms, and they both drifted off to sleep, content.