Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Jamie had now been taken out of surgery and put in the ICU, at least now he was stable. Gwen had sat in the waiting room for 7 hours now and it was night time but she refused to go home until she heard something. Finally, after 30 minutes, the nurse came back and grabbed Gwen and brought her to Jamie's room, and explained his condition on the way there. When they arrived at his room and opened the door, Gwen was shocked by the number of wires he was draped in and she nearly cried. Noticing this, the nurse said "I know it looks bad but most of those wires are just monitors for his vitals...anyways I'll let you know when his family arrives.
Truth be told, Jamie's family lived in Virginia, including his grandparents, so when she meant family she really meant his wife. Gwen looked at Jamie and she felt horrible, he had saved her life by cushioning her fall and protecting her from debris that fell on top of them when the first explosion happened. She felt like this was her fault and she didn't know how in the hell she was going to face Marsha and say how Jamie saved his life while risking his own. Deep down, she prayed Marsha wouldn't come or that Jamie could wake up before she arrived but she knew that wasn't going to happen and that her best friend needed her.
As she looked at him she began to tear up...this wasn't the first time he saved her, in fact, the way they met was during 6th grade when these boys were sexually harassing her on her walk home. Jamie, being the guy who was never afraid to help, pretended to be her adoptive brother for the rest of that school year. Eventually, he came to be her real adoptive brother and she became the sister he never had but needed. Gwen was a very sloppy and laid-back person to the point where it constantly got her in trouble in more ways than one. Her parents didn't really care and her friends didn't care but Jamie did and he showed it by bailing her out of summer school and teaching her how to fight
He also taught her how to dress properly around men and at one point he even came and picked her up from a party that had been busted by the cops and yelled at her on the way back. The most recent things he did for her and it was the biggest was he let her crash at his place and got her a job at his store when her parents tossed her out. He even went far as to vouch for her to get the manager promotion when he left the store. He always listened when she needed help and he was there to comfort her not once did he take advantage of her during her drunken shenanigans. Jamie taught her how to be responsible and she unknowingly taught him how to be laid back and patient, which ultimately ended with him finding and marrying a woman who would help him grow even more.
Despite that, she didn't feel it was enough, she was tired of him saving her, tired of herself for needing the saving and thanks to her it may even cost him his life she thought to herself. True enough, she teased him every chance she could but it was only to keep him from asking about her or finding something else to be disappointed in her about. Truth be told, Gwen was overthinking and Jamie was in fact highly proud of her. Gwen's thoughts continued racing until tears trickled down her face but she managed to stop it before she lost control...she had to be strong right now. After another hour, Gwen succumbed to her physical exhaustion from today's events and fell asleep holding Jamie's hand.
Meanwhile, Lila and Marsha were completing the last leg of their trip and had just pulled into the outskirts of town but since it was 4 AM, the hospital's visiting hours were closed. Not wanting to wake Marsha up, she drove her home. After pulling into the driveway, she entered the keycode and unlocked the door before coming back and carrying Marsha inside and into the first bedroom she could find. Afterward, Lila went into the living room and turned on the TV for a bit before she too fell asleep. Lila woke up first and was surprised to see Marsha still asleep in the now messed-up bed...she could tell the girl had a rough time sleeping. Even with her hair all messy and her face stained with tears and sweat, Marsha still looked so peaceful and serene as if she isn't carrying a heavy burden inside her heart.
As much as she wanted her to rest more, she tapped the girl gently and woke her up. Marsha's eyes flickered open as her mind warmed up. After a minute she sat up and looked around confused about how she got home, and questioning if she was really awake. Lila sat on the bed and said, we got home at 4 am last night, and visiting hours ended, you were exhausted so I brought you here for the night and I slept on the couch...I'm sorry I didn't wake you but you really needed the rest". Marsha sat up, smiled, and said, "That's okay, you did the right thing, now let's go".
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Underneath the skin: Open Wounds
RomanceJamie finds himself caught up in a terrorist attack and Marsha's psychotic Besties return. The ensuing chaos opens Old wounds as well as new ones and the question is will they survive or will their intrusive feelings destroy them both? Read to find...
