#jack tatum

She still doesn't want to get married. Nancy doesn't need a piece of paper to tell the world that her and Mateo love each other and choose each other, but they hadn't gotten around to finalizing all of their paperwork that made them each others medical proxies and power of attorney. They'd wanted to wait until Mateo's citizenship stuff was finalized. Which had just happened two days ago, they'd had a huge party with all their friends and family to celebrate.

Tk was outing the hall on the phone with Jonah going through their night time routine. Tk had arrived with Jonah on his hip, apologizing for bringing him, for Mateo, for not being there when he was hurt. Jonah is with Ashlyn and her four kids since Tk didn't want to leave Nancy, or Mateo, and Carlos and Sam were on a big case.

Izzy and Evie were 'babysitting' Liam and Charlie while Wyatt was at work and Leann studied for her college finals so that Tommy and Judd didn't have to leave the couples side either.

God Nancy was so thankful to Judd and Tommy. She doesn't think she'd have survived having to call Marisol and Gloria Chavez to tell them Mateo was hurt. Marisol and Daniela are on a plane now, but God. Marisol loves Mateo like her own son. Nancy doesn't know what Marisol would do if she lost a second son.

Nancy is twisting the ring around her finger on her left hand. It's not an engagement ring, Mateo had been very clear about that when he'd given it to her on her birthday last year. It was however a family heirloom, his Abuela's ring. It was yellow gold with a cluster of small diamonds, left to Mateo to give to his future wife. Mateo had given it to her as a promise of his love and commitment, no paper work or ceremony required.

There's a knock at the door of the hospital room which makes Nancy look up. Judd is standing there looking bone tired in the civvies Paul and Marjan had brought him. Nancy hasn't bothered changing into the clothes they had brought for her. Standing next to Judd is Captain Tatum looking more lucid than he had last week when her and Mateo had visited him.

Most days Jack can't remember exactly who Mateo is, he thinks Mateo is his son. Watching Mateo care for the man and take on the role of dutiful, caring son had only made Nancy fall more in love with Mateo.

"I heard Mateo got hurt." Jack says slowly approaching the bed taking a seat next to Nancy taking her left hand between his own gnarled, wrinkled ones. Nancy nods, swallowing thickly, fighting back tears. "Is my boy going to be okay?"

Nancy doesn't her best not to break down as she tells Jack about the structural collapse they had been responding to. How Mateo had still been inside doing search and rescue. How he had been looking for a trapped worker who didn't speak any English, how Mateo had refused to follow the IT'S command to evacuate and got trapped in the secondary collapse.

"We won't know until," Nancy swallows again whining away a tear, "if he wakes up."

"He'll wake up." Jack said with such strong conviction, even though his voice gasped with age and illness.

"How can you be so sure?" Nancy asked. She feels so guilty for not having the same confidence as the older man. But she's lost to many people she loves. Her mom, Tim, she is terrified of losing Mateo as well.

"He's got my lucky webbing." Jack says matter of fact lying nodding to wear Nancy had looped it around Mateo's wrist like it were some sort of sacred relic that would bring Mateo back to her. The old captain leaned forward unwinding one half of the webbing from Mateo's wrist, looping it around Nancy's. "And as long as you are holding onto the other end he's a lucky husband hanging onto the other end."

"I'm scared." Nancy admitted tightening her grip on the webbing. "I can't imagine my life without him."

"That's because you have a happy marriage." Nancy bites her tongue, there's no point aggravating Jack by arguing about her and Mateo's marital status. Besides they are more married than some of her friends from high school and college are with their spouses. If Nancy believed in the institution of marriage, Mateo is the person she'd want to marry.

Her and Jack talk a little, light hearted catching up. She tells Jack for probably the twentieth time about the little fixer upper they had bought earlier this year and how renovations are going. How their in the same neighborhood as Tk and Carlos and Marjan and Joe. Paul and Asha are just a neighborhood over and they still get together as often as possible for game nights and family cook outs.

Jack complains about his caregiver being to bossy, and the atrocious food. Through it all, Nancy doesn't lets go of Mateo, or the webbing connecting them.

Jack's time with Mateo and Nancy is running short, his nurse will have to take him back to the care home soon, and It seems unfair that he's only got an hour left with Mateo. And her.

"Baby." Mateo groans from the bed his eyes fluttering open as he tries to move.

"There's my boy." Jack says with a bright smile while Nancy tries to stop Mateo from sitting up on his own.

"Everything hurts." Mateo groaned closing his eyes.

"That happens when a building comes down on your head." Nancy says firmly, running her fingers through Mateo's hair. "Don't ever scare me like that again." She says firmly. Mateo laughs weakly and promises to do his best. Nancy stands up heading to go find Mateo's nurse. In the doorway she pauses looking back over her shoulder at Jack fussing over Mateo and it makes her smile.