Chapter 41: Chapter 41
Forty One- Boredom.
Jake's POV -
I balance the two cups of coffee in my hand and push the door open slowly with my other one. A small smile plays on my lips as I notice she's still fast asleep, eyelids fluttering a little. I'd woken up before her and decided to pop to the hospital cafe to start our day off right. I place the cups on the bedside table and yawn, stretching my arms over my head.
Her eyes open gradually as she wakes from her sleep and I realise I'll never get tired of seeing those beautiful brown eyes look at me. I bend down and peck her lips —
"Good morning Muffin."
She yawns and stretches upwards and I hand her the cup of coffee which she takes eagerly. Her hair is sticking up in five different directions and I smile at the adorable scene.
"Coffee and kisses? You're officially my favourite person now Jake."
I grin, giving her a cheeky wink before sitting down on the seat next to her bed.
"I've always been your favourite person." I tell her, reaching inside my pocket and pull out her breakfast.
"Here you go, a muffin for my muffin. . . Get it?" I chuckle and she gasps, her eyes widening at the Nutella muffin in my hands. She leans forward, taking it from me before ripping open the packaging and taking a massive bite. Nutella smears all over her mouth and she releases a dramatic moan —
"It's been so long since I've had Nutella! Thank you!" She says excitedly, taking another huge bite. I sit back and laugh at her, unable to keep the smile off my face. It's so nice to see her full of life again.
"You weren't kidding when you told me I could eat Nutella every day if I woke up," Emily adds, casually taking a sip from her coffee. My eyes widen immediately and I put my cup down.
"You heard me?" I ask her, the shock evident in my voice. She nods, shrugging her shoulders as if it's no big deal.
"Of course I did."
I shake my head slowly in disbelief, running a hand through my hair —
"Wow, that's insane. I literally thought you couldn't hear anything Emily."
She frowns and puts her muffin down onto the hospital bed. Her face appears confused and she appear to be thinking hard before she finally
responds — "No, I remember everything..."
Her words drift off and she seems lost in her own thoughts before she smiles, turning to look at me.
"So are you going to take me on that date?" She asks me. I chuckle, remembering how I'd promised to take her on a proper date. I keep my promises so I nod, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. She immediately wraps her arms around my neck, placing a soft kiss underneath the skin on my ear. Her lips linger for a few seconds and I close my eyes, enjoying the moment whilst it lasts.
The room door opens and I jump backwards, groaning in frustration at being disturbed. Emily giggles quietly and I turn to see her doctor stood by the door, eyebrow raised at me.
"I pay for a private room and get no bloody privacy," I mumble unhappily, throwing myself back into the chair.
"This is a hospital Mr Melvin, do I need to remind you of that?" Dr Green says, pulling a machine through the door. I roll my eyes and sigh dramatically.
"Yes doctor, whatever you say doctor." I say lightly, turning to wiggle my eyebrows at Emily. It causes her to laugh, the joyous sound filling the small room which is music to my ears. I won't ever get tired of hearing her voice or laughter surround me.
"Well, I'm glad to see you're feeling better Emily," Dr Green says, taking a step forward. Emily nods and shifts on the bed, pulling her sleeve up. It's become routine for her to get her blood pressure checked. He nods approvingly at her and straps the machine around her thin arms.
"You've lost quite a concerning amount of weight," the doctor adds, pressing a few buttons on the machine. The wrap on her arms began tightening and Emily nods, agreeing with the doctor.
"I haven't been eating properly."
"We're going to change that as soon as we get home, okay?" I tell her and she nods, giving me a reassuring look. I must have the look of worry sprawled across my face as I watch the doctor do numerous tests. Emily leans forward with her spare hand and takes hold of mine. The small action keeps me sane and reminds me to be patient.
"Is everything okay?" Emily asks the doctor quietly.
"Everything seems to be going well. You'll gradually build back your strength as the days go on. We'll keep you on a small dose of morphine for the pain and we'll have to assess you today to determine whether you can move independently. In the meantime, you need to get plenty of rest and no sudden movements." The doctor advises, giving me a stern look.
I hold my hands up at his last words, knowing exactly what his advice is aimed at. Once the doctor leaves, I turn to face Emily who's watching me intently.
"Did you hear that? No sudden movements Muffin."
She smirks at me, a sparkle in her brown eyes. I raise my brows in surprise as her sudden eagerness but hell . . . who am I to complain?
"What the doctor doesn't know won't kill him."
"That's my girl." I grin at her, leaning forward to place a kiss on her forehead.
*****
"It's been two days and I'm already sick of this bed. I feel gross, I haven't washed my hair in what feels like
forever!" Emily sighs dramatically, throwing herself backwards onto the bed.
I bite the inside of my cheek, holding back a laugh before propping myself up onto the bed next to her. I holds my arms out and she immediately sinks into my body, sighing in relief.
"I'm just glad you're okay," I whisper, resting my chin on top of her head. She sighs and snuggles deeper into my chest, grabbing one of my hands in hers. She begins tracing the lines on the inside of my palm with her fingers and I watch her, both of us sitting in silence.
"I love you," she whispers quietly, breaking the silence between us. My heart warms at her words.
"I love you Muffin, so much."
*****
Emily's POV -
I twiddle my thumbs and actually laugh out loud as I realise what I'm doing. This is how I know I've reached the ultimate peak of boredom. I sigh and attempt to brush my hair back with my fingers, grimacing at how dirty the strands feel.
I grab my phone from my bedside table, turning it on. My eyes widen as it springs to life and I realise I have over fifty messages. I scroll through them, pausing on one from my mother —
I'm so sorry Emily.
I re-read the text over and over again until the four words begin to blur on the screen. Jake's words play through my mind and I shake my head, feeling hurt.
How could she only visit me in the hospital once?
I'm her daughter, her only daughter.
What is she apologising for?
Me being kidnapped?
Or for Trevor beating me?
Being shot by Jones?
Never telling me he was my real father?
The way she treated, spoke or threatened me with Trevor?
The list is endless.
I shut my eyes, my chest overwhelmed with pain. It hurts to have my only alive treat me like I'm non existent. My relationship with her has completely burned down, the flames too thick and strong to ever be put out.
Maybe in the future, we could work on building it back up but right now, things are too raw, cut too deep. I need time to allow the wounds to heal, metaphorically and physically.
My body is a complete mess, proof of the turmoil I've been through. My scars show I'm a fighter and instead of being ashamed of them, I want to learn to embrace them. The scars are part of me and I have to come to terms with that.
I spent years covering the horrible lines that run up and down my skin but now is the time to finally be at peace with my scars. I trace over my wrists, remembering how the ropes had cut deep into them a mere four weeks ago.
When Jake told me Jones was dead, I remember feeling empty. I didn't register the fact he was really gone but once it hit me, a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. Even with him behind bars, I wouldn't have felt safe.
I turn my phone off and throw it to the end of the bed, watching it bounce before finally landing softly.
The door open and I glance up, expecting to find Jake standing there. My eyes meet with two police officers,I've never seen either of them before.
"Hello Emily," the female officer smiles at me and I smile back, sitting up a little straighter.
"Can we come in?" The male officer asks and I nod, knowing what's about to happen. It's time I told them everything I've been through with Jones.
The officers step into the room and close the door over before pulling a chair up next to the bed.
"You understand why we're here, don't you?" The female asks me and I nod, remaining quiet. She nods approvingly before taking her notebook and pen out from her pocket.
"I'm April and this is Oliver, don't be intimidated. It's just a uniform." April smiles warmly at me and I nod for the third time.
"I've seen a lot of the police officer's lately, good and bad." I finally manage to speak, my voice low and trembling. I close my eyes briefly and wish Jake was here to help me through this.
I feel a hand on my knee and open my eyes to find April looking at me with sadness in her eyes. I breathe in sharply, forcing myself to remain strong.
"So what do you need to know?" I ask, clearing my throat. Despite sounding confident and strong, I feel the complete opposite.