When Jess woke hours later, she bolted upright with a frightened cry and a frantic search of the room.
"Wow, easy there, little ocean-fearing buddy! You're not supposed to be using those abs!"
Sonny's voice dragged her from the hazy fog of the dream she'd just woken from and instantly calmed her.
Evening out her breathing, Jess closed her eyes again and let someone else ease her back into the bed. Gosh that sudden jolt upright made her hurt.
"You ok?"
That was Brock.
"Bad dream." Jess mumbled. "Really awful and vivid dream…ugh…that was so horrible."
"It's ok. You're safe," Brock told her, rubbing her shoulder a little before he sat down again. "You're awake now, and it can't hurt you."
"Want some water?" Asked Sonny as he got up and started poking around the tray at the end of the bed. "Or there's some soup there too. Ooo, and you got orange jello! That's the good kind!"
"Maybe just some water?" Jess didn't really feel hungry. If anything she felt gross and food was not an appealing idea.
"As you wish, my lady," Sonny retrieved it and brought it to her, bowing with a little flourish that made her snort back a laugh.
"You guys really stayed?" Jess asked, glancing at the time and out the window.
"Of course we did. You've been out nearly fourteen hours. Our shift is up in an hour. Then you get Trent and Metal."
Jess lifted the water to her lips and noticed the IV's were gone from her hands. It was also wonderfully quiet now without that annoying beeping.
"They took them out a few hours ago." Brock supplied, following her gaze to the poor little bruises left behind.
The door opened and Naima popped her head in.
"There she is!" The woman came in, dressed for work, smiling and dropping a small duffle bag on the floor, out of the way. "I wanted to see you before I went back on shift. I heard you slept all night! That's good! How are you feeling?"
"I'm ok," Jess said as she melted into the tender embrace. "Sore."
"You're definitely due for another round of meds. Do you remember Bridgette, from before? She should be with you again today. Do you need the washroom? You've been out a long time…"
"Yes, please," Jess avoided looking at either one of the brothers sitting next to her.
"Ok, that's good! Let's get you up and moving…yes, thank you Brock! Look at all the help we have! Piece of cake."
Between Naima and Brock, Jess managed to sit up without too much pain and Naima helped her stand up, seamlessly bringing the blanket with them so Jess's fashionable hospital wear wasn't undignifying.
Guiding her into the bathroom, Naima closed the door.
"There we go. I'll turn around, you do what you need to," Naima told her, just like the last time.
"Thank you."
The walk hadn't been nearly as hard as it had been before she'd fallen asleep. More aware and self conscious, Jess caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and wrinkled her nose. Shit she looked a fright.
There was a shower next to her. She wanted to go into it with a sudden passion.
"Hey..um…when am I allowed to…shower?" Jess asked when she was finished what she needed.
"Do you want one? I can tell Bridgette and she'll make it happen. There's even some shampoo if you want to do your hair."
"That would be lovely!"
"I brought some of your clothes, by the way. Pauline and I collected some things we thought you might like, and clothes that would be comfortable and less drafty than a hospital gown."
"Oh my gosh! You are the best! Thank you so much!"
Naima laughed and then tilted her head, listening. "Ah, there's Bridgette. Let's get you that shower and your meds, ok?"
The older woman poked her head out the door and called the other nurse in, leaving Sonny and Brock alone.
"What is it with women and going to the bathroom in packs?" Sonny said.
Brock snorted as he scrolled through his phone and said, "Shut up, Sonny."
Naima slipped out a minute later and grabbed the duffle bag. "Jess is going to shower. You boys may as well go grab a bite or stretch your legs for a bit. Bridgette will get you when Jess is done."
"Yes, ma'am."
They filed out, though they didn't leave eyesight of the door and took turns going elsewhere in the building. Neither wanted to risk the wrath of Metal or Jason if Jess's mother somehow slipped in again, and neither could bear the idea of failing to keep Jess from further distress.
By the time Jess was out of the shower and dressed in sweats, sports bra and tank top, Trent and Metal had taken over for Sonny and Brock.
They came in just as Bridgette was guiding Jess back to her bed. Jess could have fallen into it when she reached it, that was how exhausted she was just from showering and getting dressed. Still, she felt like a real person again and that was wonderful!
"You look better," Trent told her with a big smile when they saw her.
"I feel better," Jess answered, slumping into the sterile pillow behind her and relishing the feeling of real clothes.
"Are you warm enough, sweetie?" Bridgette asked. "I can grab that fuzzy hoodie Naima packed if you want."
"I'm ok for now, I think," Jess glanced over at Scott and waved a little shyly. He looked tired even though he'd trimmed his beard short and was wearing different clothes.
"Hey, pipsqueak," Metal greeted her with his typical gruffness that Jess was beginning to believe was quite possibly actually just affection.
"So, I see you've had the water, that's good," Bridgette said, scanning the contents of the tray. "I'd like to see you eat the rest before the next tray comes though, please."
Unenthusiastic about it, Jess managed, "Ok."
'You feel crummy right now, but you will feel better after you eat." Bridgette assured her sympathetically. "Start with the soup. It's actually pretty decent!"
"We'll make sure she eats it," Trent said as he got comfortable in one of the chairs.
Bridgette's smile grew and she said, "That I believe. Alright, Jess, take this for me! It's your pain med. Good. Water. Awesome. Now these. There are supplements. Good. Finally, you'll thank me for this later, drink this. It'll make things get moving again, like we talked about. Perfect! You are all set, sweetie. Call if you need anything, I'll be by to check on you in a bit, ok?"
"Thank you!" Jess was utterly sincere and earnest, which only made Bridgette smile more as she left.
"Right," Metal adjusted his backwards ballcap as he walked over and grabbed the soup from the tray. "Eat."
Jess took it from him reluctantly. "Ok."
"You will feel better, Jess," Trent told her. "You might not want to eat it, but trust me. It'll help."
Taking his word for it, Jess accepted the soup and quietly took her time finishing it. Trent flicked the TV on and Scott kicked back in his chair, resting his feet on the end of her bed.
"Did I miss anything?" Jess asked, hoping they would catch her meaning.
"Nope," Said Scott as he opened the book he'd brought and started reading. "Just a brief visit from a cop. Your mom called them with a few accusations. That's been cleared up though. Another cop is coming round later to chat with you and finalize a few of the statements they took."
"Oh shit, I'm so sorry-"
"None of that." Her grouchy friend pointed a finger at her and kept reading. "Got nothing to apologize for."
"Sorry," The word fell so automatically from her lips that Jess didn't even register that she'd said it until after Metal gave her a look.
She drank some more of the soup with an apologetic shoulder shrug and smile to smooth over the extremely mild irritation. He snorted and went back to reading.
"You guys good with Big Bang Theory?" Trent asked as he finally found something worth watching.
"Don't care," Scott rumbled, not looking up from his book. "You two nerds should enjoy it though."
"I like it," Jess said, hoping neither would notice she was only half done with her soup. It wasn't that it didn't taste good, her stomach just hated her right now.
"Good. There's not much else to watch." Said Trent as he leaned back in his chair and kicked it feet up too, mirroring Metal on the other side. "Keep drinking that."
Swearing in her head, Jess did as she was told.
"Do…do you know when I can go home?" Jess asked, swirling the soup around in the cup.
"I think they were talking about today, but you gotta see the doc first," Scott told her. "Should be stopping by now that you're awake."
"Ok."
Something in Jess's mind couldn't shake off the irrational feeling that Scott was mad at her. Half of her figured it was probably just because she'd seen her mom the day before and that always triggered her anxiety. The other half of her was convinced something was off because he was so quiet, but then, he was usually a man of few words, so was that really anything to read into?
"Eat, Jess."
She flinched involuntarily at the gruff command and hurried to comply.
"Hey." The gentle giant shifted, putting his book down and studying her with that intense stare of his and a small frown. "You ok?"
Frantically kicking the anxiety to the background, Jess tried not to answer convincingly and not too quickly.
"Yup." She focused her attention on the TV. "Ooo, this is a good episode!"
She didn't see the silence exchange between Trent and Metal, or the way the gruffer man considered her for about a minute before picking up the book again.
About ten minutes into the show, Jess and Trent were enjoying themselves, laughing at the antics and jokes. She'd managed to finish the soup, but kept it in her hands in an attempt to slow down the arrival of the next food item.
That didn't work at all. Within five minutes Trent had taken it and replaced it with the Jello.
Jess hated Jello, but she also didn't want to risk irritating anyone today, so she ate it without complaint and prayed to high heavens she didn't puke. Admittedly, after eating she did start to feel a little better.
Near the end of the second episode a woman that Jess vaguely recognized came sailing into the room.
"Hello, Jess! I'm Doctor Wells. I'm overseeing your care. How are you feeling?"
"I'm ok. A little sore, but better than I was."
"That's good! You're looking a lot better too. Ah! Good, and you finished the food!" Doctor Wells glanced over the tray and nodded with approval. "I'd like to go over a few things with you concerning your homecare and recovery plan, and give you a chance to ask any questions you might have. Would you like this to be a private conversation?"
For some reason the idea of being alone with a stranger sent a spike of panic through Jess and she started curling her fingers into the blanket.
"Actually, could they stay?" Jess asked shyly, glancing a little beseechingly at Scott and Trent each in turn. "If...they don't mind? I just…ah…kinda have a hard time remembering stuff like this sometimes or thinking of the right questions to ask…and…I don't know…"
"It's your choice, honey." The doctor told her, casting a quizzical look to both men who hadn't budged but not questioning further. "I understand they're close to you and I'm happy to have them stay if you're comfortable with them being here. I will be asking a few personal questions, so if you aren't comfortable answering them with them here, we'll just have them step out. Ok? I'm guessing at least one of you will be primary care for her when she's released?"
"Yeah, we'll all be taking turns keeping an eye on her, but I think Scott and I will be primarily looking after things," Said Trent.
"So you'll be with her round the clock? Is she living with one of you?"
"N-no," Jess said softly, a little mortified at the assumption that she would be taking up any more of Bravo's time. Surely they just meant texting her and checking in.
At the same time Scott said, "She'll be staying with me for a few weeks until she's back on her feet."
Surprised, Jess's head whipped around, "I will?"
"Yeah. I'll explain later," Scott murmured, something in his face slipping and allowing gentle reassurance in. "Just trust me on this one."
"Oh, ok," Jess accepted it with only a little uncertainty. "Should I be worried?"
"Not overly. You're fine. We'll talk later."
"Alright, so getting down to business here," Doctor Wells looked down at the chart. "Jess, you're doing pretty well, all things considered. I'm happier with your blood work and vitals now that you've had that transfusion and fluids. There are a few other concerns, which are less so now that I know you've got people to take care of you. Main thing is that you're still anemic and low in some other pretty important nutrients. I also have some concerns about your low weight."
Wells flicked her eyes between Trent and Metal with a moment of hesitation before plowing on.
"Usually with someone as underweight as you are, we're watching for eating disorders, so I have to ask-"
"I'm not." Jess said quickly.
"It's really important that you be honest, Jess…and if you need to talk about this without-"
"No. I'm serious. I'm not skinny because I want to be or because I think I'm overweight or something. I'm just really bad at feeding myself."
"Ok. So let's talk about that a bit. What's a typical day look like for you when it comes to eating?"
"Ummm…" Jess shifted with both embarrassment and guilt as she gave a nervous laugh. "Well…"
"Here we go," Scott grunted quietly. The teasing in his tone came through with sudden clarity, slicing through all prior anxiety, and Jess found herself automatically flinging the pillow she'd been hugging sideways at him. He caught it with a snort and Trent laughed and she shushed them both, feeling lighter and braver.
"So…ah, the day starts with…usually nothing but coffee and maybe a bagel later on…then I usually kinda forget to eat lunch until like three and by then I sorta don't see the point of lunch so I wait till dinner…I'm better at eating dinner? Sometimes I snack a lot though, so that…makes up for it?"
"I'm going to be brutally honest with you, Jess. That does not sound like enough food intake for the day."
"I know…I literally just forget to eat, or I just…don't want to? It's not interesting enough? I'm not hungry? I don't know!" Jess's feet started to twitch under her blanket and she started twisting the corner of her blanket, avoiding eye contact now. "Sometimes the effort to decide what to eat and actually make something is worse than being hungry…which I now realize sounds really bad now that I say it out loud. I don't know. Mostly I just never have an appetite…unless it's Naima's cooking. I could never refuse her cooking. I don't know. I know it's weird and not healthy and I'm trying to do better but…yeah. Anyway."
Doctor Wells nodded as she said wrote on her notepad. "That's ok. We'll figure that out. What's typical meal look like for you? What's the main thing to eat for dinner? Name five."
That nervous smile slipped back onto Jess's face as she blushed.
"Well…frozen pizza, pasta, fried eggs, smoothie…sometimes…" She glanced at Scott and winced. "This is gonna make somebody possibly a little cranky with me, but kraft dinner on a bad day."
Metal growled without malice and muttered, "Thought we were clear on the KD crap."
"Those are all individual meals…by themselves?"
"Yeah," Jess spoke through her teeth as she looked at her nails casually and chewed her lip. "Like I said…not great at feeding myself…or remembering to eat."
"Ok," Wells glanced at Trent and Scott. "I'm starting to see why she wanted you here. She's going to have an extensive list of dietary requirements from our nutritionist and it's really important she follows it if she wants a quick recovery and no further issues."
"I'm sorry," Jess blurted, not really sure who she meant it for, but feeling the unshakable need to say it.
Wells flicked back to her, surprised and shook her head, "Don't be sorry. You just need a little guidance and some good help, which it looks like you have with the support system you have in place. This is all important stuff, Jess. Don't be sorry. Do you drink coffee or energy drinks?"
"Yeahhhh….a little coffee."
Trent and Scott turned in the seats to look at her at the same time.
Jess bit her lips and tried to pretend they hadn't as she hurried to say, "Ok. Maybe more than a little."
The Doc smirked and pointed her pen at the two boys, "I'm glad you two are here! How many cups a day, Jess?"
"Three…sometimes four."
The doc nodded as she scribbled on the chart. "Yup. That would explain a lot. Coffee suppresses the appetite, so that could be one of your main reasons you aren't hungry right there. How would you say your sleep has been?"
"Not great." Jess admitted.
"Stress levels or feeling anxious, where would you typically put them on a scale of one to ten?"
"Ah…" Jess hesitated, "At…like…a six…maybe more like a seven some weeks."
"Uh huh. Any headaches, fainting, tunnel vision, difficulty breathing, feelings of weakness when you're trying to do an activity?"
"A little."
"Can you elaborate on that?"
"Headaches like, two to or three times a week. I get lightheaded when I stand up too fast." Jess started tapping her fingers on her knee.
"No fainting?"
"Not really…like…close but I'm pretty good at knowing when it's coming and sitting down again, so then I don't."
"Ok. So all of that is important and helps direct where we need to go next. Jess, I'm going to have you fill out some questions for me when we're done here just to get a little more of a baseline for where you're at right now healthwise and to help with measuring progress. For now let's talk about the recovery plan." Wells looked up at Jess. "I don't need to tell you that you've had a pretty major surgery and that you're going to be slowed down a bit. Good news is, recovery is typically two to four weeks. I'm comfortable releasing you today into the care of these two and I know Naima is also going to be involved which is fantastic, she's great!"
"Yeah, we'll be following Naima's orders to the letter," Trent commented.
"Perfect! You're smart men." Wells nodded with approval. "So Jess, it's normal to feel sick to your stomach for a few days, but it shouldn't last more than four days. You need to drink enough fluids to get your bowels moving again and it's not uncommon to become constipated or go the other way and get the runs, so following the dietary plan is extremely important. I don't want you lifting anything heavy or going up and down stairs for two weeks, basically no straining your abdominal muscles, but we are going to be encouraging gradual return to activity. Walking is a great idea towards the one week mark, but go with someone and don't push it too hard because you will tire quickly. We're also going to be watching for wound infection, which I have a feeling your friends here know what to look for there? Yeah. Good. I won't go into that too hard then. I'm prescribing a pain medication that you can use if you're really feeling it, but if you can, try to stick to naproxen. You know what that is? Good. The stitches should dissolve on their own, but sometimes people don't absorb them well and we have to go in and take them out, so be aware of that as well. Sudden discharge, swelling, oozing, those are things we want to check out. Finally, I'm putting you on a few supplements to help balance out the things you're severely lacking, particularly iron. Do you have any questions?"
Jess looked a little shell shocked as she said, "Umm…I don't think so?"
"That was a lot to take in, huh." Wells smiled.
"Yeah…sorry," Jess offered a weak smile in return.
"It's ok." Trent assured her. "We got it."
"I'll have a list printed off too, just to make sure." Wells scanned over the chart again before nodding. "I think that's everything. I'm just going to take a look at the incision, if that's ok. Oh look at that, you're all cozy in comfy clothes, ready to go! Yup, let's just lift that back...and it looks pretty darn good! That puffiness will go down in a few days and it's ok if it's a little red or itchy."
Wells let Jess slip her tank top back over her abdomen and said, "Feel free to request a consultation if you have any questions or concerns. The nurses are also extremely skilled and able to answer most questions as well, if you think of any, Jess. Ok? Great! Gentlemen, thank you! It's good to see she's in good hands. I'll sign these release papers and your nurse will run through discharge with you, then you can head home!"
Doctor Wells sailed back out again with the same brisk energy she'd come in with and the three sat quiet for a minute.
Trent finally stirred and turned to Jess with raised eyebrows, saying, "You know that by having us stay for that you just signed a warrant for us to harass you twice as much about your eating habits, right? Not that we aren't happy to!"
"I know…" Jess let her head flop back into her pillow and signed at the ceiling. "I may or may not have been kinda counting on that because I knew that whatever she talked to me about I would undoubtedly have a hard time making myself do…and sometimes just knowing someone else knows what I'm supposed to be doing and could ask at any second helps me do the thing I'm supposed to be doing…if that makes any sense at all."
"Accountability," Scott summed it up in one word, not looking up from his book.
"We're all about that accountability stuff, don't you worry." Trent told her seriously enough, though she could tell he was still teasing her a little.
"So…uh…why aren't I going back to Ingrid?"
"Ingrid?" Trent was confused.
"They call the batshit, crazy old house of theirs 'Ingrid'," Scott supplied as he turned a page.
"Hey! Don't call her batshit crazy! She's a sweet, eccentric little old lady and she's wonderful!" Jess protested with a charming degree of spice over a name calling her house.
"You're gonna be an eccentric little old lady if you keep that up." Metal told her, finally looking up from his book.
"Eccentric little old ladies are better than grumpy old men," Jess muttered under her breath as she gingerly scooted down so she looked smaller and appeared innocent. Her mind was teetering between anxiety and being able to believe everything was ok between them.
That got a reaction and Scott lowered his book a little quickly as he growled, "Who are you callin old?!"
"No one!" Jess said quickly with big eyes that were half worried and half full of shit. "No one at all!"
"This is going to be a fun couple of weeks," Trent commented with obvious amusement as he checked his phone.
"Hmm," Scott mock grimaced. "It'll be a challenge, but I suppose it's worth it. In answer to your question, you're staying with me because first off, your house is a death trap and your friends are about as bad as you for being responsible adults. We already had to drag your ass to the hospital once this month, not keen to have to do it again anytime soon. You're staying where we can keep a better eye on you. Second, no stairs. Everything is all one floor. Third…your mom knows where you live and we don't want to risk her showing up before you're feeling better."
"She what?!" All good cheer Jess had evaporated and the color in her cheeks faded. "How does she know where I live!? I've neve told her!"
Scott kicked his feet down from where they'd been propped up on the edge of the bed and dragged his chair closer.
"You aren't going to like this," He said, dropping the book next to her knee and folding his arms carefully in front of him. Across from him Trent went very quiet. "But your mom hired a private investigator that's been following you since just after we left for deployment. She knows a lot, Jess."
"No." Jess shook her head, not wanting to believe him. He had to be mistaken. "No…"
"Sorry, Jess, but it's true."
Those words coming from his mouth confirmed what he was saying with jarring reality, because he basically never said sorry. Ever. He was always getting after her for saying it too much, now here he was saying it-
"No!" Jess's gaze darted around the room. The space was suddenly way too small and the hospital air was too pungent.
"Jess-" Scott started, way too gently.
"She…she can't know…I…I don't…NO! She's had me followed ?"
"Jess, slow it down and take a breath." That was Trent on her otherside now.
"How much does she know?! W-why- oh my god. I'm never getting away from her, am I? It's just always going to be something and-"
"Hey!"
Scott's voice rose slightly into a sharp bark and Jess's dive into the deep end was halted by sheer surprise. He'd never raised his voice to her before and even the smallest increase from him was enough to make her jump.
Instincts screamed at her that she should be seeing angry posture, but instead he was so damn calm and didn't seem the least bit angry with her. When he spoke again he was quiet, the words gruff and firm. "Listen to Trent. Take a breath."
Obeying, Jess drew in air that she hadn't even realized was needed.
"Good. Now another. Good. Now listen up. You are getting away from her. Piece by piece. Don't ever think you aren't. And you aren't alone. You have us and we aren't going anywhere. Got it? This is a setback, that's all. We'll work the problem. Ok?"
Still breathing a little too fast, Jess nodded despite being unconvinced.
Scott sighed. "You look like you need a hug. Do you want a hug?"
Tears instantly surfaced and Jess managed, "Yeah…I really really do."
He got up and shifted so he could sit on the edge of the hospital bed and pulled her into a gentle hug while grumbling, "You're really starting to damage this reputation I have of being nothin but a big, heartless, scary skull crusher, you know that? Trent, if you take a picture I will throw that phone out the window, I swear to god."
"I would never dream of it!" Trent protested, knowing full well that Metal was trying to get Jess to laugh.
It worked, sort of. She laughed and then immediately burst into tears. She cried for a while, trying and failing to say anything coherent until she'd properly worn herself out.
Neither man said anything, wise enough to understand that sometimes the only thing you could do was be there.