Jackie woke up when they were about 30 minutes from Bloomington.
"Looks like the drugs worked," Catherine smiled.
"Looks like it," Jackie replied, as she rubbed her eyes.
Catherine saw her wince. Considering the time, she assumed that Jackie would be in pain.
"Need some pain meds?" Catherine asked.
"Yes please."
Catherine unbuckled her seat belt and went to grab the pills from her bag, while holding on to the overhead compartments as the plan rattled.
"Looks like someone is becoming more comfortable on airplanes."
Catherine smiled as she handed her the pills.
"Here you go. Missing the IV yet?"
"Sadly yes. These pills have nothing on that morphine  drip," Jackie said after she swallowed the pills down her throat.
"Junkie," Catherine teased. "Good news is that we should be landing soon."
"Did you sleep at all?" Jackie asked, as she stretched out her leg and back.
"A little bit," Catherine lied.
Catherine just smiled at her, not wanting her to know how draining it has been living in that hospital. The last person she wanted any sympathy from was Jackie.
****
Since it was a private jet, they would thankfully be landing directly in Bloomington. In which it would save them the hour drive from Indianapolis.
Due to the time difference, it was already 7:30pm. After landing, a car was waiting for them and the driver came aboard to help Jackie out of the plane.
"Welcome Miss Kirk. It's my honour to drive you to your destination this evening."
"What's your name?" Jackie asked.
"Ben."
"Nice to meet you Ben. The formality ends here, alright?"
He traded looks with Catherine and they both laughed. Once Jackie was seated in the car, she looked around.
"Who knew all it took to be treated like an A-lister was to survive a deadly car crash," Jackie commented.
"I'm glad to see you humour is back," Catherine laughed.
Ben went through the drive-thru for them since they hadn't eaten all day. McDonalds was Jackie's choice, of course. Catherine had refrained from passing judgement on her because for the previous weeks, all Jackie had consumed was supplements provided through her feeding tube or what the hospital offered for the last week.
Once they arrived at Catherine's house, Ben helped Catherine to get Jackie out of the car and inside the her house.
"I think we're all good here. Thank you for everything, Ben."
"It's been my pleasure. Take care and let me know when you need me next."
Catherine shut the door once he left and turned to Jackie.
"Home sweet home!" Catherine said while raising her arms dramatically.
Jackie smiled and looked around before turning her direction to the sitting room.
"Is that for me?"
"Ah good. It came! Yes, that's your bed," Catherine replied.
"Oh..." Jackie said, suddenly looking distraught.
"Don't worry. I'll be camping out down here with you until we can get you back upstairs."
Jackie didn't say anything for a minute. Then she asked where Ethan was.
"He will be here tomorrow. I thought we could use the night to settle in first, so I had the dog sitter to keep him at her house. Now let's eat. I know you're starving."
Catherine  pushed Jackie's wheelchair into the kitchen and pulled her up against the table. Jackie insisted on trying to eat her hamburger by herself one handed. She moaned in ecstasy after taking her first bite and ketchup was dripping down her mouth. Catherine couldn't help but laugh at the site.
"Don't judge me. This is the best moment of my life so far," Jackie said through a mouthful of her hamburger.
Catherine attempted to wipe her face when Jackie was finished, but she grabbed the napkin from her.
"Did I get it all?" Catherine asked.
Catherine tried her hardest to keep a straight face, knowing that Jackie's independence was crucial to her. However, her entire face was still covered in ketchup.
"Almost. Can I?"
After wiping the remnants of her dinner off her face, Catherine kissed her to make it seem more like a loving act than just being her caregiver. Jackie smiled with a look of pride for the first time since the accident. She realised that any little act Catherine could do would go a long way. It was definitely the little things.
Once getting Jackie situated on the couch, Catherine handed her the remote and went upstairs to unpack and start the laundry.
"Catherine!
She heard Jackie calling her from the living room and rushed downstairs.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's nothing serious. I just need help getting into my chair. I need to use the bathroom."
After getting her to the bathroom and helping her stand and getting her balance, Catherine reached for her pants.
"No, don't. I can do it."
"Jackie, I don't mind."
"No please," Jackie begged. "I promise that I will be okay."
Catherine looked at her reluctantly but agreed after seeing the desperation in her eyes.
"Fine, but I will be right outside."
****
Several minutes later, Catherine started to become concerned about Jackie and knocked on the door.
"Jackie, are you okay in there?"
"Yeah, just a minute!" She called out and her voice was breaking.
"Are you okay? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just give me a minute, please!"
Jackie was inside the bathroom with her sling off and shirt lifted. She was staring at herself in the mirror. Although she had been up using the hospital's bathroom for the last couple of days, there was always a nurse in there with her. In which she was always rushing to get out and don't have the time to look at herself. That's when she became curious about the rest of her body and slowly lifted up her sling and t-shirt.
Catherine called her name again and she could tell she was catching on. So Jackie quickly locked the door.
"Jackie, did you just lock the door?" Catherine asked as she jiggled the door handle. "Jackie, come on. Don't play games right now."
"Just give me a minute!" Jackie called out again.
"Jackie, open the door. I'm not messing around."
Jackie was silent inside the bathroom.
"I have a key. Don't make me go and get it."
"Catherine, please! Just leave me alone for a minute!"
As much as she wanted Jackie to have the independence she longed for, she was far too injured to give her this much freedom right away. Catherine searched through the desk drawer and found the key. She ran back to the bathroom to quickly unlock the door.
"Jackie, I'm coming in."
She slid the key through the lock and unlocked it, slowly turning the handle and opened the door.
Jackie was wiping her eyes with her good hand and her shirt and sling were both lifted above her shoulder.
"What's wrong?" Catherine asked with worry.
Jackie pinched the inside corners of her eyes, to try to stop the tears, and shook her head no.
"Come here. Sit down," Catherine said, as she closed the toilet seat and helped her sit.
Catherine knelt in front of her and carefully pulled her shirt back down over her shoulder and body, trying not to touch her bruised ribs. After it was in place, she slowly put her arm back into the sling.
"What's wrong? Was something hurting?"
"No," Jackie replied back softly as she kept her head down.
"Then what is it? Do you want me to help you with a bath?"
Jackie swallowed hard and wiped another tear from her eye. She didn't respond.
"What is it? Let me help you," Catherine said, as she placed her hands on Jackie's knees.
"It's nothing. I was just looking at myself."
Catherine was relieved that nothing was wrong, but then realised it was probably the first time Jackie saw the extent of her injuries.
"Are you okay? I know it's probably scary to look at the bruises, but you're going to return to normal in no time. You already made so much progress."
"I don't know how you still look at me. Let alone kiss me everyday," Jackie said as she placed her hand back over her eyes.
"Stand up," Catherine replied, putting her arm around Jackie. "Come on."
Once Jackie was on her feet, Catherine balanced her in front of the mirror and stood behind her with her arms gently placed around her waist. Jackie wouldn't even look in the mirror.
"Look in the mirror."
After a few minutes, Jackie finally looked in the mirror but did it so self-consciously.
"You're alive. They literally cut you out of a car after it wrapped around a telephone pole, and you're alive. Not only that but it was a week ago and here you are standing and talking. Look at your eyes."
"They're swollen and disgusting."
"No. Look closely at your eyes," Catherine instructed. "Are they the same eyes you see everyday in the mirror for the last 23 years?"
"Yeah," Jackie replied softly.
"That's all I see when I look at you. I was so afraid when I first saw you lying in that hospital bed, but the first time I saw you open your eyes made me so happy. You're still you. After all of this, you will be a stronger version of you."
Jackie smiled a tiny bit.
"Was that a smile? Don't do it. Don't you smile," Catherine teased, copying Jackie's technique of getting people out of their head.
"You're gorgeous to me not matter how you look because I only see the beauty in your eyes and heart. The only things that matter. I hope you're prepared for me to hug you once these ribs and shoulder are healed," Catherine smiled.
Jackie dropped the sad demeanour and let out a small laugh.
"Was that a smile and a laugh?"
Jackie looked at her through the mirror and gave her a big smile.
"That's more like it. Come on, let's dope you up and get to bed. It's been a long week."
After Catherine got Jackie situated in her fancy bed, she asked if Jackie was comfortable.
Jackie nodded.
"Are you sure? I can get you more pillows."
"Catherine, I'm fine. Come and lay with me."
"Okay," she smiled.
Before turning off the lights and crawling into bed with her, Catherine asked Jackie the question.
"Jackie?" Catherine whispered.
"Hm?" Jackie replied, not opening her eyes.
"Are you happy?"
"Mmhmm," she murmured before falling asleep.
Catherine spent the next thirty minutes just staring at Jackie's face and appreciating every single breath she took. Hoping Jackie would learn to as well.
A/n Thanks for reading my story. Please vote and drop a comment. Comments will help me a lot more than you might think. â¤ï¸