Chapter 3

The drive home from the hospital seemed to take forever. No one was talking because no one knew what to say. Amy and Lou kept glancing at their grandfather. They were worried about him and how this was affecting him. Jack just stared out the window the whole ride home. He was ready to be home, but he wasn't quite ready to deal with everyone's questions once he was in the house.

As Lou parked the car, she asked, "Grandpa, do you want me to tell everyone what is going on? You probably don't want to deal with questions, but you know how Dad is."

Jack thought for a second. "No, it's okay. I can ignore your dad. I've been doing it forever. I'm just going to go in, take a shower, have a snack, and go to bed."

Lou balked at that. "You need more than a snack, Grandpa. I'll make you a sandwich while you're taking a shower. I'll also send dad back to the loft. We can just tell him that visiting hours are over and Lisa is sleeping. Oh, and that you just need to get cleaned up and rest because you've had a rough day, too. He doesn't need to know about the memory loss."

Amy laughed, "Good luck getting dad to accept that answer. He's gonna have lots of questions."

"I know, Amy, but he'll just have to. He may be stubborn, but I'm more stubborn. I'm not going to let him railroad grandpa about this. We can use the kids as an excuse if we have to. We don't want to make the kids more worried than they need to be."

Amy went to the barn to check on the horses while Jack and Lou went inside. When they walked into the house, they heard Katie and Lyndy playing a game in Lyndy's room. They ran out and gave their GG a hug. Lyndy started asking questions about what happened and where Lisa was. Tim also entered the kitchen, "I'm surprised you're here. I can't believe you'd abandon your wife at the hospital.

Lou played interference. "Girls, dad, let's let Grandpa go and get cleaned up. He's had a rough day, and he doesn't need a million questions right now. We can talk while I make him a sandwich."

Tim scoffed and followed Jack to his bedroom. "What's really going on? Why are you home?"

Jack was not in the mood to deal with Tim and his pushiness. He really did just need a shower, some food, and some sleep. He decided to say as little as possible while he grabbed some clean clothes. "Visiting hours are over until morning. Lisa needs rest so her body can heal. The faster she heals, the faster she can come home." Jack went into the bathroom and shut the door.

Tim stormed into the kitchen, and Lou interrupted him before he could start talking. "Dad, don't start. Grandpa just had a really awful day, and he doesn't need you on his case. I know that's how you show concern, but it's not helpful right now. Or ever. Thank you for staying with the girls today so that both Amy and I could go to the hospital. Now, please go back to the loft. I need to make Grandpa a sandwich, and the girls need to go to bed soon. Lyndy should have been in bed already."

Tim started walking toward the door but turned around. "What aren't you guys telling me? You aren't giving me any details. Are you intentionally being vague?"

Lou sighed, "Dad, I'm just trying to protect Grandpa. You know how much he loves Lisa. Imagine if it was Jessica who had been hurt. You wouldn't want questions either. It's been a long day. Lisa was hurt pretty badly. Her side of the truck slammed into a tree. There isn't much else to say at this point. We're all just tired and need to rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Fine," Tim said in a way that made it clear it was very much not fine.

Lou heard the shower running and started making her grandfather a sandwich. "Okay, girls. Let's talk. You know about how your GGs were in a car accident. Grandpa, you can see, made it out with just some cuts on his hand, but Lisa hurt her head and her arm a bit. She has to stay in the hospital for a little while."

"Can we go see her?" Lyndy asked.

Lou hesitated. She didn't want to worry the girls or tell them too much, but they were smart and could figure out if she was not being honest with them. "She's in the ICU currently, and kids can't be in there. Maybe if they move her to a regular room and she's feeling better, we can go see her, but we'll worry about that later. Let's just try to be quiet tonight and not bother your GG. He's exhausted and probably sore from the accident. Once he's out of the shower, I need you both to brush your teeth and go to bed."

Jack ate the sandwich Lou made for him. He didn't feel like eating, but he was a little hungry. Amy came through the kitchen while he was eating. She gave him a hug and went to check on Lyndy and go to bed. When Jack finished his sandwich, he went to bed as well. He didn't have much hope of falling asleep, but he also just wanted to be alone. There were so many thoughts and questions swirling around in his brain. Will Lisa remember me eventually? Will she be okay with the fact that we are married? Is she going to accept me as I am? Lisa thinks of herself as being almost 20 years younger. The age difference is already big. This will make it seem even bigger to her.

Jack rolled over and rested a hand on Lisa's side of the bed. He missed his wife so much. Much more than if she was on a business trip. Thinking about Lisa being in the hospital, he wondered how she was doing and worried she may be getting herself worked up about her missing memory. He knew that she tended to withdraw if she was feeling insecure, and this situation could definitely make her feel that way. Jack hugged his wife's pillow. It smelled like her, and that was comforting to him. It helped him to relax a little bit. He eventually fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Lisa slept off and on. The pain meds took the edge off and helped her fall asleep. Staying asleep was an issue, though. Nurses were coming in every couple of hours to check her vitals and change her IV. It was also impossible to get comfortable with her arm in a splint and wrapped up. Lisa was grateful for any sleep she was able to get because her mind was racing as she tried to consider all the possibilities for how her life turned out. She desperately wanted to know who this Jack Bartlett was to her. Apparently, they were close enough for him to try and kiss her, but she had no memory of him at all. She didn't even remember seeing him around town, although it was likely that she had since Hudson is such a small town. It was very early in the morning when the need for sleep won out over the distractions, discomfort, and pain. She was finally able to sleep for a while.

Back at Heartland, Jack kept waking up. The adrenaline from the day before had worn off, and the whiplash from the accident had kicked in, and he was sore. At about 4:30 a.m., he gave up on sleep and got up to take a pain reliever. He thought about making coffee, but he didn't want to wake anyone else up. He hated it when people fussed over him. Since he wasn't making coffee at home, Jack got dressed, grabbed the keys for the Porsche in their room, and left the house as quietly as possible. His first stop was Tim Hortons for a cup of coffee and something to eat.

Jack drove to the hospital and sat in Lisa's car until visiting hours began and then went to her room to see her. Entering the room, he saw that his wife was sleeping. Despite the bruises and the swelling, he was still blown away at how beautiful she was and just stood there admiring her until someone came in with her breakfast and interrupted him. Lisa began to stir just then.

Jack moved to sit on the sofa by the window. He felt nervous, but he was determined to be there for Lisa in whatever capacity she allowed.

Lisa cried out in pain as she began to wake up and stretch her muscles. Jack was out of his seat and by her side as fast as his sore body would take him. Holding her left hand, he asked, "Are you in a lot of pain?"

Lisa was surprised by Jack's presence and his closeness, but the pain prevented her from caring at the moment. She nodded, unable to speak.

A nurse came into the room and was moving toward the computer so they could get ready to take Lisa's vitals. Jack got the nurse's attention, "Can you do something for her pain? She can't even speak. She is in so much pain right now."

The nurse checked on Lisa, looked at her orders, and said, "Let me talk to her doctor. She has basically maxed out the dose that has been prescribed." She turned to Lisa and got her attention. "Just try to breathe and relax. I know that's easier said than done, but it can help sometimes. I'll be back soon."

Jack pulled the chair right next to Lisa's bed and took hold of her hand. "I'm so sorry I lost control of the truck, and you got hurt so bad. I feel guilty that I walked away relatively unscathed. I would trade places with you if I could."

Lisa shook her head and shakily whispered, "No. I may not remember you, but I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Hopefully, the doctor can up my pain meds soon."

They sat in silence as they waited for the nurse to return. Lisa had so many questions about why Jack was here again so soon, but the pain was making it hard to think straight. For reasons she didn't currently understand, Jack holding her hand was a small comfort. When she could manage, focusing on his big, warm hands around her smaller one helped her to relax.

Lisa's nurse finally returned to the room with good news. "I got a hold of your doctor, and he increased the dosage on your pain meds. He also wants to add an anti-inflammatory to help with the swelling, but we can't start you on those until after surgery on your elbow. Hopefully, with the increased dose of your pain medication, you'll start to feel better soon."

As the meds started to work, Lisa was able to relax and eventually fell asleep. Jack relaxed a bit, too. He was so worried about how bad Lisa's pain was. Lisa seemed to be sleeping deeply, so Jack took the opportunity to use the bathroom. When he entered his wife's hospital room again, Tim was just standing at the end of Lisa's bed. Jack whispered, "Get out of here. I don't want you to wake her up. She needs the rest."

Jack walked out of the room to the hallway and Tim followed. Jack was angry that Tim was there. "How did you get in here? It's family only."

Tim smirked, "I am family. I'm your son-in-law."

"Not anymore. You're not. You haven't been for years. Go home. Lisa needs rest, and you being around would provide the opposite of that."

"You were just so vague that I thought you were hiding something," Tim challenged.

Jack, seeing glares from the nurses as their conversation got louder, pushed Tim toward the waiting room. "Let's move this to the waiting room. We're in the ICU, and these sick people don't need to hear us argue. That won't help them get better."

Tim reluctantly went to the waiting room. Jack followed and pulled Tim to a corner. "I'm not hiding anything," Jack lied. He knew Tim would be mad that they lied, but he wanted to give Lisa a chance to get her memory back on her own without pressure from people like Tim. "Lisa is just in bad shape, and she needs rest. She was in so much pain earlier. They had to increase her pain meds. I don't like to see my wife in pain. Her being asleep means that her pain is at least somewhat under control."

"I get it, Jack. I'd be a mess if this was Jessica. I just needed to see Lisa for myself. Everyone was so vague last night, and I was surprised you left the hospital. She looks rough, but she can recover from this. Don't worry about the ranch. Everyone is working together to take care of everything. Amy and Lou are helping with the cattle. Peter got in this morning. He has been helping out in the barn and is going to pick Katie and Lyndy up from school."

"Thanks, Tim. It's just been hard to see my wife in so much pain. I need to get back to her now." Jack turned and left Tim standing in the waiting room. He returned to Lisa's room and tried to relax on the sofa there. He eventually decided lying down would be more comfortable for his back. All of his muscles are still pretty sore after the accident. He just wanted to find a comfortable position so he could rest while he waited for Lisa to wake up again.

To be continued