Thank you Hollie for your reviews! Hopefully this makes up for the ending of the last chapter haha
Jess had been kept in the hospital for three days, the doctors wanting to make sure there was no permanent damage to her lungs from the smoke and no infection in her burns. For most of her stay she had been sat with Callum, her hand firmly in his, willing him to wake up and squeeze her tight.
Sitting in the ICU with him, hearing all the steady beeps of the monitors, took her back to Luke. To Luke laying in a bed just like Callum's; covered in wires like Callum; being pumped full of medication like Callum; not opening his eyes like Callum. But this wasn't Luke. And Jess had to pray that Callum would wake up, not like her Luke. She read to him, played music, recounted stories from their relationship so far, anything and everything to fill the silence and bring Callum back to her. She would stay with him for as long as she could, until a nurse would chivvy her away to her own ward for her daily reviews.
On her third day in hospital, she was laying with her head on the pillow, the non burnt side of her face against the coolness of the pillow. The other side of her face was throbbing slightly from the burn, and she could feel the skin tightening. Then she thought about how much it must have hurt Callum, because his burns were so much worse than hers.
She couldn't believe the run of bad luck that was happening recently. She thought that God must hate her, if there were a God, because he seemed to take satisfaction in screwing her life up just as things were going perfect. Why couldn't he just let her have a normal life like everyone else got to have? After thinking that, she immediately felt selfish. It wasn't her that the bad things happened to, it was the people around her that she loved. Like Callum. Like Luke.
She wiped a tear from her eye, and her engagement ring caught the light. When she had first come in they were going to cut it off her finger because her hand had been slightly burned and swollen, but she wouldn't let them. She had taken it off carefully, even though it hurt, because she didn't want her ring damaged. As she looked at it, she remembered the proposal, and it brought a smile to her face. With those thoughts in her head, she finally drifted off to sleep.
Callum felt like lead had been pumped into his body, and in some places the lead had been heated up so it burned him from the inside out. He was vaguely aware of what was going on around him, but he had no idea why he couldn't respond or move, or even open his eyes. It frightened him at first, because he thought that maybe he had died and he was in purgatory. Not that he believed in that, but you never know. But then he heard Jess' voice, and he knew that he was still alive, and even better, he knew that she was still alive.
He could hear him talking to her, telling him that he better stay with her or else. He internally smiled at that. That was his Jess, all fighting talk. It was really annoying him that he couldn't move, because he had an itchy leg, and he really had to scratch it. It was driving him insane! He concentrated on trying to move even just a finger, but no, he couldn't even do that. He prayed that someone would realise he had an itchy leg and scratch it for him, but for now, he felt like slipping back into the area of his mind which was sleeping.
Jess wearily rubbed her eyes. The night had been spent tossing and turning, and trying to get comfy. The damn hospital beds were the worst beds she'd ever slept in; she suspected it was the hospital's way of getting rid of troublesome patients. She slowly stood up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and gingerly lowered herself onto the cold tiled floor. She was just about to start getting dressed when the screen around the cubicle was opened and a nurse bustled in.
"Where are you going?" the nurse asked, pushing a trolley with some of the cooling gel and fresh dressings on.
"To see my fiancé." she replied, trying to pull her trousers up. Sally had been round to drop essentials to Jess on the day of the fire, and to see for herself that she was physically ok.
"No you're not. Back on the bed please." the nurse said sternly, looking at Jess as if she were a naughty child.
"It'll be ward round in a minute on the ICU and I want to know the plan." Jess pleaded.
"You can. AFTER I've checked your burns and changed your dressings." the nurse said with a smug smile.
Jess sat down on the bed heavily, like a petulant child, "Fine."
"Good girl." the nurse said, gently pulling the dressing off Jess' face and checking it.
"How does it look?" Jess asked, wincing slightly as the nurse prodded it.
"It's still red, and the skin has tightened slightly around the edges, but that should loosen up once I've put more of this gel on." the nurse said as she dabbed a generous amount of white gel on her face.
"Will it leave a scar?" Jess asked.
"You might be left with slight redness on the face, but that's nothing that a good concealer can't cover up." the nurse said with a smile.
She gently taped the fresh dressing onto Jess' face, then took her vitals and filled in the chart at the end of Jess' bed.
"Can I go now?" Jess asked hopefully, getting off the bed.
"Yes you can, but not too long!" the nurse warned.
"Yes ma'am." Jess said with a smile. The nurse chuckled and then walked out the cubicle to carry on checking the patients.
Jess had just pulled on her top when the cubicle curtain was opened again. This time, Sally walked in. She didn't say anything; she just pulled Jess into a big hug.
"How are you holding up?" Sally asked quietly once she had released Jess.
Jess nodded, "Much the same as yesterday. It's Callum I'm worried about."
Sally sat on the bed, placing the bag she had brought with more clothes and toiletries in on the chair. Jess sat next to her, pulling on her trainers. "How is he?"
"I don't know, I'm just going to go and see him. They think the grafts are taking which is good, but he's still in the coma." Jess said slowly.
"Should they have bought him out of it by now?" Sally asked, her eyes wide. Jess just shrugged. "But he'll come out of it won't he?"
"I don't know. They said that they can bring him out of it at any time. But they want to make sure his body has healed enough before they wake him up. If they can wake him up that is." Jess said sadly.
"Oh you know what he's like. No way is he going to leave you now, not now that you're engaged and he's getting ready to marry you. He wouldn't dare." Sally said with a small laugh. Jess smiled.
"I told him that yesterday when I was sitting with him. He didn't reply though." Jess said quietly.
"Well I went round to yours and filled another bag full of clothes for you and some pyjamas, and I also grabbed some of Callum's stuff as well. Oh, I also put in a wash bag with some good shampoo and shower gel, and there are also some magazines there for you to read while you're sitting with Callum." Sally said, reeling off everything that was in the bag.
"Thanks Sal, you're the best. I really appreciate it, and everything else you've ever done for me." Jess said, and unwilling tears sprung in her eyes. She wiped them quickly away, but Sally saw and put an arm around her shaking shoulders.
"It's ok sweetie. You're my best friend; we've got each other's back." Sally said, wiping Jess' tears.
"I thought that there was a real possibility that I could have died, and I realised that I have never told my friends how grateful I am for all the support you all give me. Maybe I'm just being overemotional, but I love you like a sister, I really do. Don't you forget it." Jess said tearfully. The other woman simply pulled her closer, engulfing her in a tight hug.
By the time Sally had left her, with promises of cooking dinner for them that night once Jess was discharged, Jess took advantage of the shampoo and shower gel Sally had bought with her and made her way to the patient showers. The nurse had said she could have a shower, but she had to be extra careful not to get her dressings wet.
Jess stepped into the lukewarm water which made her shiver. She grabbed the shampoo bottle, squeezing a good amount into her hand and massaging it into her hair with her right hand, trying to keep her left arm out of the water. It felt so good to be properly clean again, she was already starting to feel better. She washed the shampoo out, pulling a face when she saw all the grime that had been in her hair, even after she had already washed it. Then she began to wash herself, being careful on the sore parts of her body which were slightly red. Once she had finished washing, she wrapped a towel round her and began to change.
Sally had packed her some grey jogging bottoms and a pale pink top with a chunky grey cardigan. Once her clothes were on, she brushed her hair and left it loose around her shoulders. She headed back to her cubicle, placing the bag with her burnt, blackened uniform in in the small locker next to the bed. She slipped her feet into her converse and started walking to the ICU, to see Callum.
Callum was bored. He was bored of not being able to move. He was bored of not really knowing what was going on. He was generally bored. Not so long ago he had felt someone prodding at his back and his legs, and he had heard some muttering about waking him up. As he was lying there, contemplating why he was still asleep in the first place, he felt a cool breeze caress his body. It stopped, and he heard footsteps approaching him. The footsteps stopped, and someone took his hand. Strangely, he could smell coconuts. And then he heard a voice, a voice which made his heart leap happily.
"Hey honey. How you doing this morning?" Jess asked quietly, kissing him gently on his closed eyelids. Callum realised happily that the coconuts he could smell was the shampoo that Jess used, and that Jess was with him now. "The doctors have told me that they're gonna try and wake you up soon. So you listen to me very carefully. You have to wake up, ok? There is no option of not waking up. I mean it Callum Stone. Don't you dare leave me. It's been three days already and that's three days too long." Jess paused and laughed quietly, "Lecture over. This is strange, I'm not used to you not arguing back. Maybe I should enjoy it while it lasts huh."
Jess sat back in her chair, pulling a magazine that Sally had bought her out her bag. She settled in the chair and began to read, sometimes reading funny bits out to Callum.
Jess woke up with a start as the door to ICU opened. The doctor walked in, smiling briefly at Jess before checking Callum over. He wrote some things down and began to read Callum's notes.
"Excuse me doctor, when are you waking him up?" Jess asked hopefully.
The doctor looked up at her, "We're hoping to do it in a minute. We'll administer medication which will counteract against the sedatives we gave him, and then from there, it could take up to six hours for him to wake up."
"Six hours?" Jess asked.
The doctor nodded, "Understand that the brain has been sleeping, so it needs a chance to catch up with the body and wake itself up."
"Ok, so does that mean his injuries are getting better?" Jess asked.
"The skin grafts look to be healing well, obviously he's going to have some scarring, but over time that will fade. He's going to need pain relief for a while, and probably some physio, but other than that, once he wakes up, he will be well on the way to a good recovery." the doctor said with a smile.
"Thanks doctor. Can I stay with him when you give him the medication to wake him up?" Jess questioned.
"Afraid not. I think you need to get back to your cubicle, the nurses will be doing rounds with the doctors in a minute." the doctor said.
"Ok." Jess said. She turned to Callum, kissing his hand. "You heard the doctor, they're going to wake you up in a minute. Now listen, I have to go and be bossed around by a nurse again, but I'll be back soon. I love you."
Callum really wanted to kiss her back, but he couldn't. He heard her footsteps recede, and once again the cool breeze over his body before the door shut. Not long now, he thought to himself.
It had been over three hours since the doctor had told Jess that they were going to wake Callum up. No-one had been to see her about whether he was awake or not, and she knew that they wouldn't let her back in to see Callum until he was awake. She was idly flicking through another magazine when she could hear a commotion at the end of the ward. She stopped flicking through and placed the magazine down, wanting to see what was going on. She opened the curtain to her cubicle and looked down the ward. She saw what, or who, was causing a commotion, and laughed. Callum. Callum was coming towards her in a wheelchair.
A nurse was following him, telling him that he had to get back to his bed because he was in no fit state to be moving around yet, and never in her career had she known anything like it. Callum looked really grumpy as he tried to make her go away, but then he turned round and saw Jess, and his face mirrored hers. Jess ran to him, into his arms which were open to catch her.
"Oh thank God you're awake! I was starting to panic, cause there was still three hours to go and you weren't awake and now you're here and you're awake, and how are you even here you've been in a coma for three days…" Jess babbled.
"Shh, it's ok darlin'. I'm ok. I'm here." Callum whispered soothingly, his voice husky from where he had been intubated. He kissed her forehead, then gently traced his fingers over the dressing on her face. "Are you ok?"
"Don't worry about me, more to the point, are you ok? You're the one who had to have skin grafts! Is it painful?" Jess asked quietly, kneeling down so she could look at him better. "Also how the hell did you get out of bed, get in a wheelchair and get down here without being stopped?!"
"Believe me I tried." said the nurse, shaking her head.
"I'm resourceful and determined." Callum said with a laugh, which led to a coughing fit. Jess got him a cup of water from her cubicle, handing it to him to sip.
"It's ok nurse, I'll take him back to his bed." Jess said, getting to her feet.
"You make sure he stays there this time!" the nurse said hissily.
Callum turned to look at Jess, "Why're you taking me back? I came to see you!"
"I'll stay with you, don't worry. But I don't want you to be in pain, and there's absolutely no way you should be out of bed yet." Jess said in his ear. They headed back to the ICU in silence, Jess resting one hand on his shoulder, each just glad the other was ok. "You really scared me, you know. They air lifted you here, you were so poorly."
Callum twisted so he could see Jess. He grimaced due to the burns on his back, but he didn't let on he was in pain. "I'm sorry Jess. It was my fault, he wouldn't have done it if I wasn't so dead set on arresting him."
"He would have done it anyway." Jess replied, squeezing his shoulder gently. He covered her hand with his own.
"Is he dead?" Callum asked.
"Yeah, there wasn't much left of him." Jess said with a shudder.
"Bastard." Callum said simply.
At the end of the day, Jess had been given the all clear to go home. Sally would be picking her up in an hour. Callum had been moved to a private room, and would have to remain in hospital for around ten days. He wasn't impressed that he would be away from work and home for so long, but Jess promised to visit him every day.
The doctor had sat down with them and explained the aftercare that would need to be done for Callum. They would need to put mineral oil on the skin grafts every day for two months to keep the skin moist and to prevent it from cracking, but apart from that, as well as the painkillers Callum would be fine. The doctor had also told them that Callum would need some mild physiotherapy due to the burns on the backs of his legs. Callum had argued against that, saying he could walk fine without needing any physiotherapy, but after a stern look from Jess he had complied.
Jess was sitting on the bed with Callum, his arms wrapped around her.
"Will you get a scar?" he asked suddenly. Jess raised her head.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"On your face and arm. Will you get a scar?" he repeated.
"No, the nurse said it should be ok. I just need to keep applying the gel for a while longer, with the dressing on top. She said I might be left with some redness, but that can be covered with concealer." Jess replied.
"Can I see it?" Callum asked.
"Why do you want to see it?" Jess asked, leaning away from him slightly.
"Please?"
"I don't want you to. It doesn't look very nice right now." she said quietly.
"Come on Jess, you know I love you whatever you look like. Let me see." he said softly. He waited until she nodded. When she did, he gently peeled the tape off from around the dressing and pulled it off. His face contorted into a sympathetic face when he saw the redness and swelling. When Jess saw his face she turned away, so he couldn't see it anymore.
"I told you." she said quietly, trying to press the dressing back on. Callum took her shaking hands and held them in his own. He very gently kissed the skin that hadn't been burned.
"You're beautiful, you know that right?" Callum said quietly. "And I can't wait to marry you, and see you in a gorgeous dress coming down the aisle to me."
Jess turned to look at Callum, a very serious look on her face. "Callum, I didn't say this earlier, but thank you."
"What for?" Callum asked, confused.
"For saving my life." she said with a smile.
Callum laughed, "You don't need to thank me for that. It's my job and my privilege." The couple leaned towards each other, their lips capturing the others, moving in the age old rhythm of lovers.