Visiting time was hectic, as always. Becky had John's wife moaning and Des' daughter was making loud passive aggressive remarks. The ward was short on health care assistants meaning the nursing staff were being pushed beyond the limit they were already running at.

Heading to the nurses station Becky was pulled aside by Sue "room 3, the brother is in. I told him you would go in and update him if that's ok?"

"Yeah but can you please go and explain to Des' daughter that his sheets do not need changing daily please?"

Sue rolled her eyes, "Christ sake you'd be hard pressed to find that in any hotel!" Sue muttered disapearing down the corridor.

Becky entered room 3.

"Hi you must be Kevan? I'm Becky" she introduced herself.

Jack was asleep.

"Yeah hi, I thought he might be a bit better today" he sighed.

"He's doing well, but he's going to be out of sorts for a bit longer, he'll have another head scan tomorrow and the physio will be round in the morning to get him out of bed."

"I had a call from his agent, the story of the accident is going out tomorrow, they've photos of his car.......I've had to phone our parents, can't let them find out from reading it.....so they're on their way home" he sunk he's head into his hands.

"It's like they never get decent time to themselves without one of us doing something to ruin it for them"

"Ah I think thats part and parcel of being a parent, they'd probably be unhappy to have got home without finding out, to find out it happened and no one told them" Becky said. Being a counselor was a huge part of being a nurse.

"Yeah I know you're right.......can I wake him?"

Becky looked at him, that was definitely a brother wanting to be annoying asking rather than a brother wanting to have a deep and meaningful conversation with his badly injured little brother.

"Best to let him rest" she said.

-

Becky was sitting at the nurses station when Kevan burst out of Jacks room "nurse! Help!" He yelled.

Becky got up and rushed into the room.

"What's up?" She surveyed the scene in front of her.

"Sorry I've ripped this out" Jack held his arm up, minus cannula.

"Are you kidding me? I only put that one in a few hours ago!"

"Sorry it was my fault, I threw the phone at him, he was trying to catch it and stretched up"

"I've.....I really hurt.....me side" Jack told her wide eyed. To be fair he looked like he was in pain.

"Well reaching around with broken ribs does hurt!" Becky grabbed the supplies she needed and set about reinserting a fresh cannula.

She swallowed feeling slightly uncomfortable that Jack wasn't watching what she was doing to his arm, he was watching her face.

"Right all done! Try not to knock this one, honestly you'll just end up covered in bruises!" She told him.

"Sorry nurse"

"You're allowed to call me Becky" she told him as she gathered up the rubbish.

As she left the room she heard Kevan sternly warn Jack "do not!" not knowing what he was referring to she hovered for a moment.

"Wot?"

"Y'know what Jack! You're in hospital, do not pull the fucking nurse!" Oh god no, she cringed at Kevans words and went back to her paperwork.

-

5pm and a bell rang to signal the end of visiting. Becky popped back into Jacks room.

"Tea will be round soon, will you want anything? It's normally sandwiches and salads, or I can do you some toast, probably best to not have anything more exciting than that to be honest"

"Yeah, some toast now would be good ta..... Becky" he smiled.

"How you feeling now?" She checked his temperature, blood pressure and oxygen levels.

"Not too bad if I don' move"

"Don't move then"

"Are ya allowed to talk to ya patients like that?"

"I'm allowed to give you instructions on avoiding pain" she smiled, "do you want to see how you feel without the oxygen? Your levels are absolutely fine"

"Yeah....it's cold up ya nose innit? Why's it cold?"

"I'm not sure, I don't think everyone finds it cold...." She removed the tubes from his face.

"Ya sayin' I'm jus' weird"

"No, that's not what I said, how's that feel, if you feel like you need to breathe deeper and that feels uncomfortable we can put it back" she watched Jack take some deep breaths and wince.

"No!" She couldn't help herself giggle at him "breathe normally....." She watched his chest rise and fall "how does that feel?"

"Quite sore actually" he said quietly, sounding slightly breathless.

"Ok, let's leave it for tonight" she gently placed the tube back.

"Before ya go an' do me toast, is there internet here?"

"Yes you have to do it through the TV account thingy..."

"TV account thingy......" He stared at her. "Ya not technical then no?"

"I can work this stuff" she waved her hand at the monitor next to the bed he was still connected to "but the TV system.....no, do you want me to send someone who can?"

"Yeah ta, there's football tonight"

"Again?!"

"Wot d'ya mean again?"

"Well there was football on Saturday and Sunday!"

Jack looked at her like she had two heads.

"Champions League tonight, Tuesday innit?"

"Your team?"

"Nah....." Jack was looking at her like he thought she might be joking, but she was literally lost.

"Why do you need to watch it if it's not your team?"

Jack screwed his face up in confusion, but then winced as it caused pain to his cuts and bruises.

"I dunno if ya jokin'....."

Becky shuffled awkwardly. "I honestly don't know what I would be joking about?" She watched Jack's eyes flicker across her face. "I'll go and get your toast and send Liam in..."

Becky walked out of the room and could feel his eyes burning into the back of her.

Luckily Liam was already in the staffroom, he was donating a pot noodle (he still hadn't found out who they even belonged to) to a patient that arrived too late to book food.

"Liam can we swap, I'll take that to your patient and you take some toast to Jack and sort his TV and internet out?"

"Yeah course"

"Liam, what's champions League?"

She pulled a face when Liam looked at her the same way Jack had done.

"It's European football Becks......"

"So for the European teams? So it's watching foriegn football?"

Liam suddenly clicked and he knew that Becky literally had no clue

"Jack wants to watch the football tonight doesn't he?"

She nodded.

"Have you embarrassed yourself Becks" he said in a sickly sweet voice.

She put a plate on the side rather heavily. "I just asked why he wanted to watch it if it wasn't his team playing? It's so bloody boring, grown men chasing a ball??"

Liam roared with laughter. "Becks, for some people football is everything and they will watch every match......for Jack it's his job, keeping tabs on other teams is like....." He thought trying to think of a comparison to help Becky understand. "It's like us keeping an eye on the surgery lists and how busy A&E is, because their numbers affects us up here......what other teams are doing affects Jacks team in the league, and they are in two leagues.....premier league and champions League, along with cup competitions too.....it's all relevant"

Becky buttered the hot toast that popped up and passed it to Liam, taking the pot noodle out of his hand. "Still don't make sense" she muttered.

-

Towards the end of their shift Becky and Liam found themselves working together checking everything was in order for changeover. "TV in room 3 is sorted, sorted the internet out too for him, but if he's awake by time game starts I'll be amazed" Liam spoke quietly. Jack being on the ward was still top secret. They had been warned the hospital was being named in the press tomorrow.

Security outside the ward was tight, from tomorrow all Jacks visitors would have a password but, it was down the the staff within the ward keeping other patients calm about it.

They were in agreement to deny his presence on the ward.

The shift finished at 8pm.

By 8.40pm Becky was finally ready to leave. Her final job was to check in on Jack.

Liam had been right, Jack was sleeping peacefully. Martina was taking over on night duty. Becky filled her in.

Before she left the room she muted the TV so it wouldnt disturb him but left it on so he would see the score still if he woke.

***

Wednesday

Becky had agreed to work 12-12 to cover staff sickness so when she arrived on the ward she was surprised that Jack had both already been assessed by the physio and already been and had his scan.

"Bloody hell someone is making sure he's getting special treatment" she muttered to Liam as she read the notes on the system. There was no Dr report yet so obviously not quite first class treatment....

She popped her head round the door to say hello.

He was sitting in the chair with feet on the bed watching daytime TV. He was wearing shorts and a hoody that his brother had brought him in, and he was unhooked from the monitor and oxygen.

"Well you look better!" She entered the room.

"I feel fucked......"

"Well to be fair you've had a busy morning, physio getting you up, and a scan, and you've got dressed, you were still sedated Monday and had extensive surgery Sunday!"

"An' I had a shower earlier.....although I did think I'd hafta push the call button 'cos I didn't feel too good"

"You've probably done a bit too much today, you need to be careful or you'll end up back in bed on oxygen again.....I don't want you doing anything else today other than resting"

"But I can walk to the bathroom for a piss still? Honest when the physio said I could get up an' that other nurse said she'd take the catheter out I couldn't get me dick out quick enough!"

Becky raised her eyebrows at his openess "you can go to your bathroom, but that's it.....actually that is literally it. You need to stay in this room"

"Yeah I know, that is it Sue? The scary one came t'speak to me"

Becky laughed "Sue's not scary"

There was a knock at the door and Jacks lunch was delivered.

"I dunno if I wanna see this....." Jack said as he pulled the lid off the tray.

Becky looked at the plate of steamed fish, green beans, peas and mashed potato. He also had a small wholemeal roll, a pot of jelly, a sealed cup of orange juice and a banana that looked like it had been dropped down some stairs. "Looks delicious" she lied.

Jack looked at her intensely "I heard a rumour that if ya ask nicely the staff round here give out pot noodles an' toast?"

Becky replied in a staged whisper "I don't know what you know about the pot noodles, but that is strictly classified information"

"Please?" He pleaded, his eyes begging more than his voice.

"I really can't......but I can't stop you asking any visitors you might have later to bring you in food" she hinted.

Later on it didn't surprise Becky at all when she popped her head around Jacks door to see him and his brother tucking into a feast of nandos.