#ozthethird

Jessica runs her fingers through her hair, pushing it back out of her face. It's a cool day but her face is warm with embarrassment. She hardly knows him after all, her only real connection with him being the time she'd spent treating him after his release from Zelena's spell. But she still feels responsible for him. At least to a degree. She's warned him time and again that he should be resting for a little longer, that he shouldn't push himself so soon. Each attempt to convince him to spend more time on recovery, however, was met with push back. He was insistent on leaving, recovering his hidden heart. So she had decided to stop pushing him to stay. Instead, she focused her persistence on getting him to take her along. It hasn't been easy, but she thinks she's wearing down on him. Has he begun to notice that she's only doing this because she cares about his well being? Or is he still skeptical of her intentions? “You know you shouldn't be doing this alone.” She scolds him, trying to seem more firm in her words than she feels. Emma had told her to let him go alone if that's what he wanted, but how could she do that with a clear conscious? Jessica has to be stern, be tenacious in what she's trying to do, “I know you don't want to hear it, but you haven't recovered yet. Not fully. You could seriously hurt yourself.” She crosses her arms, trying not to feel so self-conscious and perpetually defeated by his refusals to let her help, “If you're leaving, I'm coming with you. Having someone with some medical knowledge would be ideal. You know, in case something happens. I just want to be sure you're okay.” She swallows hard. There's not much else she can say that she hasn't already and she's sure that now is her last chance to convince him. Her only other option would be to try to follow him despite him having turned her down. And that wouldn't be easy. His stride is longer than hers and, when it gets dark, she would lose him completely. One last time, she makes a small plead to help, “Please.”