The woman at the front desk barely gets halfway through asking for a last name before somebody behind her freezes.
โWait.โ A trauma nurse looks up from a computer terminal, recognition flashing immediately across her face.
โYou're Allison?โ The question comes out with visible relief. โThank God.โ efore Ally can even answer, the nurse is already stepping around the desk. โCome with me.โ Her pace is quick but not rushed, the kind hospitals reserve for situations that are serious but no longer actively spiraling. โDr. Cole said you were on your way.โ
The elevator ride feels impossibly slow.
โHe was brought in a few hours ago after a motor vehicle collision,โ the nurse explains quietly as they move. โMultiple fractures. Concussion. Pulmonary contusions. A lot of bruising.โ She hesitates briefly before adding, โHe was lucky. The Jeep took most of the impact.โ
The ICU doors slide open. The room they stop outside is dim except for the glow of monitors. Machines hum softly around the bed. Jack lies motionless beneath a blanket, one arm heavily bandaged, bruising visible along the side of his face and jaw. There are stitches above his eyebrow, oxygen tubing beneath his nose, and enough monitoring equipment attached to him to make it clear just how close this came to being worse.
The nurse softens immediately. โHe's been in and out,โ she says quietly. โMostly sleeping. We finally got his pain under control about an hour ago.โ
For a moment, the room is still. Then, as if sensing movement even through the medication haze, Jack's brow furrows faintly. His head shifts against the pillow before one eye cracks open. The effort alone looks exhausting.
It takes him a second to focus. Then he sees her.
"...Ally?" The word comes out rough and slurred with exhaustion. Confusion flickers across his bruised features before a weak, familiar attempt at a smile appears.
"...pretty sure..." He pauses to gather enough breath for the rest. "...you weren't supposed to find out about this until I came up with a really good story."