Jim squeezed Tasha’s hand a little tighter as he questioned why he hadn’t suspected some involvement in this from Mickie or at least been suspicious of her illness. If he had, he could have kept her onside, maybe even kept her close by until the police gathered evidence and now she would be behind bars along with Tasha’s father. This whole mess was likely to break her heart when she found out about it. He just hoped it didn’t break her.
Over the next few days Jim seemed to settle into a routine of sorts. Mike arrived each morning, early, with clothes and food. He would quickly wash and change then attempt to eat something whilst talking to Tasha until Bobby arrived. They spent about half an hour together and then he would head off to work leaving Jim to wait for Stan to arrive with an update, the most recent update being that Tasha was stable and her sedation was being reduced. By lunchtime there had usually been a couple of visitors, Jim’s family, Sara, Amanda, Abby, Sandra, Juan, Philip, Lizzie, Pippa, Dan or Celia and Paul. Whoever came in the morning knew they’d had their turn for the day as Jim rotated visitors and then at the end of evening visiting he sent everyone away, settling down for the night shift when it was just the two of them. He even attempted lying next to Tasha a couple of times, just to be close, hoping she could sense his presence and wouldn’t feel lonely or alone, but he worried in case he lay on something he shouldn’t, so those moments were fleeting.
Everyone had been kind and genuinely concerned for Tasha and Jim, although Paul was clearly holding Jim responsible for Tasha having almost died and in fairness he blamed himself so could understand where the other man was coming from. Having said that, the barbed digs were beginning to piss his off, but for now he was biting his tongue because he knew Tasha wouldn’t want him to fight fire with fire where her grandfather was concerned.
The nurse was doing another round of checks on Tasha, possibly the last one of her shift and explained that with the reducing sedation schedule Stan had suggested, Tasha was now at zero sedation which presumably meant she could wake up at any time. Even after the nurse had left and a new one had come onto shift Jim found himself staring at Tasha, more so than usual, hoping and praying to see some sign of consciousness.
The police arrived just before lunchtime, still with no news of Mickie’s whereabouts but they seemed to be aware of the change in Tasha’s medication, meaning they’d spoken to Stan. Jim assured them she was still unconscious and pointed out that after such a traumatic accident she might not remember anything. Masterson agreed but insisted he’d still need to speak to her, just in case. With irritation at being away from Tasha, Jim found himself giving the police a few pointers on just what they should be doing in their unsuccessful pursuit of Mickie before he saw Stan entering Tasha’s room which is when he excused himself and returned to her side.
With everything still stable and all signs looking positive a couple of hours later he continued to watch and wait and then he saw a movement. Tasha’s finger moved, he was sure of it, although it wouldn’t be the first time he’d imagined movement. The truth was he imagined movements daily, several times a day. If wishing for signs of life produced actual signs then she’d have been moving and talking days ago. Jim stood over her once more, looking down at her apparently lifeless body, desperate for something that suggested she was recovering or at least coming to. Briefly, he closed his eyes and took stock with an internal pep talk for himself that he needed to remain positive because if he didn’t he had no clue how he’d get through the minutes, hours and days that would follow. With a final deep, calming breath Jim opened his eyes and focused on Tasha and found her eyelids twitching erratically as if she was dreaming or attempting to open them. Maybe wishing had finally paid off.
Chapter 3
Everything was so bright and loud, noises everywhere when Tasha finally opened her eyes. It seemed to take an eternity for them to fully open and as she attempted to take in her surroundings, she felt overwhelmed by a gagging sensation. She was choking. What was happening? She saw Jim standing over her and questioned if he was choking her, but he couldn't be. His hands were up in the air near his face and he was shouting. She couldn't hear what he was saying, there was too much noise from the electronic sounds that were surrounding her, Jim’s voice and the rushing of blood through her ears as she felt her mind and body panicking at her compromised breathing. Jim’s face and expression were filled with fright and concern, convincing her that the choking sensation she felt was nothing to do with him. She tried to call out to him, however, she couldn't seem to find her voice to form words or stop gagging.
Suddenly, Jim was pushed out of the way by a stern looking woman, a nurse who began speaking to her in a reassuring tone, but still the words remained unclear as her panic rose further. In the blink of an eye, what seemed to be a dozen others in medical uniforms appeared while the nurse continued to smile and speak to her.
“Tasha, I'm Chloe and we’re going to make you more comfortable.” She smiled down and reached towards her face. The choking sensation she'd felt quickly disappeared.
Gasping loudly, Tasha felt dry, hoarse, but the choking feeling was replaced with distress and confusion. She was crying, loudly and shaking like a leaf on a windy autumn day. The sound of her distress began to drown out all other sounds and as the volume of it increased so did her confusion, but she had no clue what was happening or why she was reacting in this way. Chloe helped her to sit forward briefly, before settling her back against the pillows. At the same time a junior doctor continued checking her over and reassuring her further that she was okay and doing well, that she was safe and in hospital before finally looking across at Jim, giving him an unspoken cue to step in, a cue he took perfectly, settling himself at Tasha’s side, taking her hand in his.
The nurse held back slightly, speaking softly to Tasha, who was calming down slowly. Between Jim’s fingers stroking the back of her hand, his reassuring smile and the nurse’s words and presence it was just a few minutes before Tasha’s breathing returned to normal and her high state of disorientation and anxiety began to pass.
“Your doctor's on his way, but I’ll leave you with your guardian angel for a while and maybe you can stop him from being such a difficult relative,” Chloe said, smiling, first at Jim and then at Tasha. “But take it easy and not too much talking. Any problems, hit the button,” she told Jim before being followed out of the room by the other people in uniform, presumably meaning she was in no immediate danger, that her signs were all good.
“Hey, baby,” said Jim, nervously sitting next to her, enclosing her hand more tightly in his.
“Hey, yourself,” she replied hoarsely, wincing as she tried to shift up the bed.
“Tasha, are you okay? Should I get a nurse?” he asked, panic struck that she might be in pain or deteriorating.
“No,” she replied groggily. “I'm just moving, but I think I really do feel as though I have been run over by a steam roller, twice.” She grimaced as a few sparse details emerged in her mind. “What happened?” She coughed a little making her clutch her ribs firmly while Jim brushed the remaining tears from her face.
“Let me get you some water or something.” Jim cautiously headed for the door, not really wanting to leave her for even a second. He almost bumped into Chloe who was on her way in carrying a cup of ice.
“You can suck on this, Tasha, and the doctor will be down soon. He has an emergency. I have some pain relief for you.” She held up a tray with a syringe on it.
“I'm fine,” replied Tasha stubbornly.
“Baby, take the pain relief, you're hurting,” Jim told her.
“Will it make me sleep?” Tasha asked Chloe.
“Yes, but you need to rest.” The nurse sighed, already sensing an objection.
“I’ll have it later, I promise. I would like to talk to Jim for a while first.”
They both shook their heads at her making her smile. “Please,” she pleaded, her voice no more than a whisper now.
“Ten minutes and then I will be back to check your vitals,” said Chloe. “And then you need the meds. I am acting under orders,” she said seriously before leaving them alone again.
Jim held the cup of ice up for Tasha to suck on then sat back down taking her hand again.
“These machines look really expensive.” Tasha gestured to all the equipment she was attached to.
“You know I only have the best for you, honey.” He smiled, stroking the back of her free hand.
“What happened?” she asked again as he pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly; each finger in turn, from her thumb to her little finger before edging towards her palm and finally coming to rest at her wrist where the pulse hammered away beneath the surface of her skin.
