Second Chances

Accidents Happen

Alanna arrives at the hospital with Jack’s baby. She rushed to the emergency room and asked for help. She explained that she was a daycare provider, and the child was under her care when he developed a fever. The baby was rushed inside but Alanna was asked to wait in the waiting room.

Alanna looked for her phone and remembered that she had left it. She left so fast that she forgot to get the phone. She had a seat and nervously waited for news about Jack’s babies. She noticed people standing, staring, and muttering around the TV. She looked to see what the commotion was.

Alanna could see the news. They were playing a skyview video of a massive car accident. The receptionist stood up with a remote in her hand. She pointed it at the TV with her mouth open. She put the volume up. Alanna heard the news reporter say, “this is the scene of the multivehicle crash that has taken the lives of two police officers, a firefighter, and the man that was driving the gas truck. The officers and firefighter perished when the truck exploded, while they tried to free the driver who was trapped inside the truck.”

Alanna gasped as she remembered that the station’s receptionist said that Jack was responding to a car accident. She fears for Jack's safety.

Suddenly, sirens were heard inside the waiting room. The injured from the crash had begun to arrive. Alanna rushes to see if she sees Jack. Her hands shook as she saw each of the stretchers rolling in. Jack wasn’t on any of the stretchers. Alanna was relieved but then realized that it could mean that he was one of the officers that died in the explosion.

Alanna plunged into a chair thinking about Jack. She wonders if she will see him again. She scanned the waiting room. There was a wave of people coming in. Some people were crying, others were dirty with ashes from the explosion, and others were just standing around in shock. Alanna’s eyes stopped on the TV. The news hadn’t stopped showing footage of the crash. Then from the havoc, Alanna saw him emerging. He walked out of the smoke, with his face stained holding on to an older man. “Jack is okay”, Alanna sighed with relief.

Her eyes focused on watching the TV, in the hope of seeing Jack again. Alanna failed to hear a nurse calling her. The nurse walked through the crowd and tapped Alanna’s shoulder. Alanna jumped. The nurse asked her to follow her.

Alanna follows the nurse through the crowd. She was led to the side of a crib where Jack’s son was lying attached to many machines. Alanna was astonished by the scene. She hadn’t expected to see a baby like that. The nurse asked her to wait next to the crib. Alanna walked closer to the crib and caressed the baby's head, telling him, “Your daddy is fine and will be here as soon as he is done saving all those people.” A lady’s voice interrupted her, calling, “are you the person who brought the baby in?” Alanna turned around leaving her hand on to the baby’s hand. She responded, “Yes, I’m the owner of the daycare that he attends and a friend of the father.” The doctor sighed, “Oh, good, because we can’t get a hold of his dad and he needs surgery immediately.”

Alanna’s eyes widened, “Surgery? Is he going to be okay?” The doctor explained that she couldn’t give her any information due to her not being a relative. Alanna nodded and told the doctor, “His dad is a Sargent and is currently assisting in the crash on Main Street.” The doctor asked Alanna if she could get in contact with Jack because they needed to operate immediately. Alanna explained that she tried to get in contact with him, but he didn’t have his cellphone on him, but she left a message at the station. Alanna told the doctor, “I know that as soon as he got the message, he will be here. He loves his son more than anything.”

The doctor exclaimed, “Good!” and then asked Alanna to stay by the baby just in case they needed her. The hospital was chaotic dealing with the injured from the crash, so they didn’t want to lose her. Jack’s baby began to cry, and Alanna looked in his diaper bag for his bottle. She prepared the bottle and asked a nurse if she could take the baby out of the crib to feed him. The nurse found a chair for her and helped her get the baby out of the crib. She showed Alanna how to move him without disconnecting the many cables that were attached to him. Alanna fed and changed the baby and then she sat on the chair holding on to him. A nurse came by to take his vitals and said that his vitals were better. The nurse told Alanna that the baby was more relaxed because she was holding him.

Alanna was coddling the baby when Jack arrived with the Lieutenant. Jack rushed in, almost running to his baby, but he saw Alanna holding his baby boy and stopped. He looked at how loving Alanna was holding his baby and smiled. Jack couldn’t imagine a more tender image. She was talking to him and the baby was quietly staring at her holding her finger. The Lieutenant tapped Jack's shoulder to snap him out of it. Jack continued walking slowly towards Alanna. Alanna saw him coming and smiled, “look who’s here? Daddy!” Jack smiled and reached out to grab his baby. Alanna stood up and handed the baby carefully to Jack. She fixed all the cables over his arms. Jack’s eyes teared up seeing his baby boy with all the machines attached to him. Then he looked up to Alanna and whispered thank you with tears running down his face. Alanna caressed his face and dried his tears as she whispered, “I’m glad you are okay. Sit there. I’ll get the doctor.” Alanna rubbed the Lieutenant's arm and smiled as she left to look for the doctor.

Jack sits with his baby. He fixed the blanket to cover his naked body, full of stickers holding cables against his body. Jack held his son close and said, “Daddy is here.” A tear ran down his cheek. Then he saw Alanna approaching with the doctor. He was going to stand but noticed that the baby was sleeping, so he stayed sitting. The doctor said hi to Jack and asked to talk to him in private, looking at Alanna and the Lieutenant. Alanna said, “I’ll wait in the waiting room.” Jack exclaimed, “No, please stay.” Then he looked at the doctor and said, “You can talk to me in front of them, they are family.” Alanna smiled and stayed.

The doctor cleared his throat and said, “Sir, your son suffers from (AVSD) Atrioventricular Septal Defects. It is a heart problem that normally gets detected when babies are young. We don’t understand how he had been without being treated for so long.” Jack asked with a broken voice, “Is he going to be okay?” The doctor replied, “we need to operate immediately but we won’t know how bad the situation is until the surgery has started. Your child has a significantly large hole in his heart and if we don’t operate it could lead to several complications. Thanks to the ear infection that he came for, we were able to find it. We will do all we can to fix his heart and prevent further complications.”

Jack looked quietly at Alanna and the Lieutenant with tears in his eyes. Alanna placed her hand on his shoulder and told him, “He will be fine Jack.” The doctor interrupted, saying, “we need you to sign up the concern forms so we can perform the surgery immediately.” Alanna grabbed the baby from Jack, and he was handed the papers to sign. Jack singed all the papers and asked Alanna for the baby. He held his baby tight and whispered into his ear, “Hunter, you are a warrior. You will fight and win. Daddy will be waiting for you out here. Please stay with daddy.” He broke down crying as the nurses grabbed the baby away from him. They placed him in another crib and rolled him away quickly. Jack stared at the crib until it disappeared through the doors at the end of the long hallway. He turned to Alanna crying and Alanna embraced him. Jack held on to Alanna tightly, crying uncontrollably.

Alanna wishes she could take his pain away. She remembers when Jack was shot and she had to wait. She remembers that the pain was unbearable, and nothing could have made it better. Alanna kissed Jack's shoulder and hugged him tighter. The lieutenant rubs his back and tells him, “Jack, Hunter is a fighter like his dad, he will be okay. He will beat this like his dad beat up Smith.” The Lieutenant's comment made Jack giggle. Alanna smiled at the Lieutenant. Jack calmed down a little and let go of Alanna. He looked at her with his swollen red eyes and his dirty face and said, “I’m sorry.”

Alanna grabbed his arms and pulled him closer, “ Don’t be sorry. I will away be here for you.” She caressed Jack’s face and said, " Let's get you cleaned up, so Hunter sees your handsome face when he comes out." Jack grabbed her hand and kissed it. A nurse called on Hunter’s family to follow him. Jack grabbed Alanna’s hand and followed the nurse. The Lieutenant follows them closely. They were led to a room with an empty crib, hospital machines all around its chair, and a bathroom. The nurse informed them that once Hunter came out of surgery he would be brought there and, during the surgery, they would be coming with any updates, so he asked that Jack not leave the room.

The Lieutenant asked jack to keep him informed. He needed to go back to work with Jack in the hospital. He had to take care of all the paperwork from the accident on his own. He gave a hug to Jack and told Alanna, “It was very nice to see you always taking care of our Jack” Alanna hugged him and said, “Thank you for always being there for him.”

The lieutenant leaves and Alanna grabs Jack's hand, “come on, we need to get you cleaned up.” Alanna pulled his shirt out of his pants and unbuttoned it without thinking. She was so used to doing it before that it came naturally. Jack was in chock, so he didn’t give it much tough ether. Alanna closes the door to hang Jack's shirt on a hook behind the door. Then she wet a hand towel and began to clean his face with it. Jack stood motionless, staring at her eyes as she began to scrub the ashes off his forehead. Alanna quietly began to tell Jack, “I was so relieved when I saw you on the TV. You need to stop scaring me like this.” Jack’s face was clean, and Alanna moved to his neck and then his shoulders. She cleaned him up gently. Alanna was cleaning his arms when she saw a cut on one of his arms. Alanna grabbed his arms and checked if it was deep. She noticed that it was just a long scratch, so she continued to look for any other injuries. Jack smiled and said, “I’m fine.” Alanna looked at his eyes and placed her hands on his chest, “I know.” She looked at his eyes and tears filled her eyes, “I was so scared.” Jack wrapped his arms around her and looked into her eyes. He licked his lips and moved closer to kiss her. Alanna stood still. He looked at her eyes and held her closer to his body. Alanna didn’t move. Jack moved closer and closed his eyes. He held his lips almost touching Alanna’s lips. Alanna's breath became agitated and she closed her eyes. They stood breathing on each other in silence. Suddenly, Jack broke the silence, “I need you.”

Alanna took a deep breath, dropped the towel, and the movement brought their lips together. Jack gently kissed Alanna. He slowly wrapped her lips with his mouth and tasted her whole mouth as she opened her lips, gently giving him an opening to introduce his tongue. Slowly, their mouths devoured each other passionately. Alanna felt her body involuntarily pressing closer to Jack’s and Jack began to move his hands around caressing her back. Alanna held on to his broad shoulders as she ran out of breath in his arms. Jack's muscles flex as he presses Alanna closer to his body.

Then they hear a knock on the door. They stopped kissing and looked at each other with their bodies still pressed against each other. Then they heard Matthews' voice, “Hello, Alanna. Are you in here?” Jack and Alanna moved away from each other and Alanna placed her hand over her lips, “what have I done?” Jack apologized, “I’m sorry this was my fault.”

Matthew heard voices in the bathroom and knocked on the door that was slightly opened. The door slid open, and Matthew found Alanna with a guilty face standing in front of Jack with no shirt. Matthew frowned and looked at Jack. Jack slid his hand to grab the shirt behind the door as he told Matthew, “I’m sorry Matthew.” Alanna looked at Matthew with tears in her eyes. Matthew looked at the dirty tower on the floor and the faded stain of ashes on the back of Jack’s neck and hoped that nothing else happened, but Alanna’s face told him what he didn’t want to know. Jack put his shirt on and thanked Alanna for her help. Alanna grabbed the towel from the floor and told him, “ You still have a stain on the back of your neck.

Matthew looked at Alanna's clothes too, and noticed that she had ashes on her blouse. Alanna saw him looking at her and saw what he was looking at. She nervously wiped it off and Jack placed a hand on Matthew’s shoulder. He guided him out of the bathroom and explained, “Nothing happened, she was just helping me and I got her all dirty when I had a breakdown and she lend me a shoulder to cry on.” Alanna pulled herself together in the bathroom and walked out after a few minutes.

Matthew grabbed Jack’s arm and said, “Thank you but I understand the nurse told me that your son was in surgery.” Jack’s eyes teared up and he placed his other hand on Matthew's other shoulder and tears ran down his face. Matthew said, “I’m sorry man. I hope everything goes well.” Alanna couldn’t believe how calm Matthew was, but she knew that he had a kind heart and wouldn’t try to fight a man when he was clearly so upset.

Jack hugged Matthew and said, “Thank you, man. That means a lot to me.” A nurse walked into the room and asked for Jack. Jack rushed to the nurse and asked if she had updates about his son. The nurse said that she had great news. She told Jack that the condition was a lot better than they expected. The doctors believed that Jack's son would be fine. They will be in surgery for two more hours, but they expect everything to go smoothly.

Jack laughs, hugs the nurse and then goes to Alanna. He grabbed her head and kissed her, “ He is going to be fine.” Then he turned to Matthew, and said, “sorry man” and hugged him. Matthew was confused but happy for Jack. He ignores what happened. Jack told them to excuse him. He needed to make some calls. Jack walked away from Matthew and Alanna to talk on the phone.

Matthew asked Alanna if she was going to stay long. Alanna asks Matthew to let her say bye to Jack and they can leave. Matthew nodded and waited for Alanna to go to Jack and say goodbye. Jack finished his call and Alanna told him that she was going to head out with Matthew. Jack smiled and hugged her. Alanna's head, his stomach making a noise when he hugged her. She asked him, “Did you eat anything today?” Jack smiled and told her,” don’t worry about that. I’m fine” Alanna looked at Matthew and said, “ We can’t leave him here like this.” Matthew nodded seriously and Jack said, “I’ll eat something later.” Alanna looked at Jack smiling, “what are you going to eat some old bread when you get home.” Jack smiled and said, “No. I’ll order sushi.” Alanna blushed and told him that she was going to bring him something to eat before she left.

Alanna walked out of the room and Matthew followed her. She took the elevator and walked to the cafeteria. Alanna orders a large milkshake and a slice of pizza. She smelled the pizza and became hungry, so she ordered the order to be double. Alanna turned to Matthew and asked him if he wanted something. Matthew told her that he was fine. Alanna grabbed the order and headed back to Jack. In the elevator, Alanna began to drink her milkshake. She said, “mmm, pieces of strawberry. Nice!” They arrived at the room where Jack was waiting for his son and walked into Jack sitting on a chair with his eyes closed. Jack opened his eyes when he heard Matthew and Alanna walk in. His eyes were red as if he was crying. Alanna looked at Jack and told him, “this will cheer you up.” Jack grabbed the bag with the pizza and the milkshake. He took a sip of the milkshake and exclaimed, “strawberry pieces, mmmm.” Alanna smiled and Matthew stared at them seriously.

Matthew began to walk away and mumble mucking Jack, “strawberries, mm.” Alanna told Jack to keep her informed about Hunter's condition. Jack smiled and asked, “call the daycare?” Alanna grabbed his phone and added her number and told him to call no matter the time. Jack nodded and smiled. Alanna hugged him and said bye. Jack whispered into her ear, “I’m sorry for the kiss.” Alanna whispered to him, “don’t worry about that.”

Mathew clears his throat and asks Alanna if she needs more time. Alanna waved bye and met with Matthew at the door. Matthew waved goodbye and told Jack, “Take care man. I hope the baby is okay.”

Jack smiled and watched Alanna walking away with Matthew. Once the door closed, Jack sat down and ate the food that Alanna brought him. Jack ate fast because he was very hungry. He smiled, remembering what Alanna told him and said about the old bread, “ She knows me so well.”

Alanna and Matthew drove home in different cars, giving them time to think about their relationship. Alanna felt horrible for kissing Jack while she was engaged to Matthew and she drove home planning how to apologize for what happened. She plans to tell him and see if he forgives her.

Matthew drives home deep in thoughts. He knows that something was happening between Jack and Alanna when he arrives in the hospital room. He was furious but he understood that Jack was going through a lot. Matthew doesn’t want to lose Alanna. Matthew takes a deep breath as he approaches Alanna’s house and sees her walking out of her car. He stays in his car for a few minutes watching her walk to her house, opening the door, and walking into the house. He takes some time to sort out his feelings before he walks in the door.

Alanna waits inside the house. She thinks about Jack’s kiss and how she felt kissing his lips again. Alanna is startled when Matthew opens the door. Matthew walks into the living room looking at Alanna emotionless.