The rest of the day was busy. At 5.30pm Becky was filling up water jugs. When she took a fresh jug into Jacks room she found him laying on the bed looking pale, his tea untouched.

She put the jug down and called his name gently as she rubbed alcohol gel into her hands. He hadn't stopped staring at the TV. "Do you feel ok Jack?"

He lifted his eyes to her, he really didn't look ok. She touched his forehead. Clammy.

She pulled the blood pressure cuff out of the basket next to his bed and took his temperature and checked his blood gas as the cuff inflated.

"I'm really cold" he muttered to her.

"No you're really not Jack, you've got a fever"

"T'was the chicken...."

"I really don't think it was, Jack can I see the wound on your chest please?"

He didn't answer, but blinked slowly. Becky carefully lifted his t-shirt. It actually looked fine.

"Jack I'm going to need to do a blood sample, I'll be back in two minutes.

Becky rushed out of the room to the cabinet behind the nurses station.

When she returned Jack was barely conscious.

She hit the call button and started gently taking the blood sample.

Liam was the first to appear "what's happened? What do you need?" He asked sensing the urgency.

"Liam I think he's got sepsis! Can you get the fluids and antibiotics and grab Tim, I saw him on bay four literally ten minutes ago!"

Becky had just finished labelling up the blood sample when Liam reappeared with Dr Tim, Liam immediately took the sample from Becky, swapping it with the IV bags. Becky got to work setting the bags up while Dr Tim examined Jack and confirmed her suspicion of sepsis.

7pm

Becky sat at Jacks bedside. Finally his blood pressure had gone back to normal as the antibiotics took hold.

Liam appeared next to her. "Bloody hate sepsis" he put his hand on Becky's shoulder, being a surgical and trauma ward it was the infection constantly on everyone's minds. "Results not back, I just checked" he said.

Jack was responding well, but knowing which infection had got into his blood would enable them to adjust the antibiotics.

"You off at 8?" She looked at Liam, midnight felt a long way away, but on the other hand she felt strangely relieved to not be leaving Jack just yet. She pushed the feeling down, telling herself she would feel like this is it was any of her patients.

"Yeah, you back at 8 in the morning?"

Becky nodded

"I'll get the bacon butties on my way in babes" Liam kissed the top of his friends head as he set off to finish his rounds before he clocked off.

8pm

Jack's results had come in. Dr Tim had signed off a higher dose of stronger antibiotics.

Jack's eyes fluttered open "head.......hurts" he mumbled before closing them again.

9pm

Jack's temperature had finally started to go down.

Becky walked along her bays checking everyone was ok before lights off.

She helped the night staff sort out the meds required for during the night.

She made herself a cup of tea. The staffroom was empty and calm. Normally she'd relish a bit of peace, but she couldn't relax tonight.

She took her tea and sat next to Jack, taking her paperwork with her. There was nothing strange about sitting at a priority patients bedside during a quiet spell......it was her job she told herself as she watched him. His face twitched, possibly in pain, his eyes darted around behind his eyelids.

His eyelids fluttered open again.

"D'ya live here?" He asked softly.

"No" she whispered.

"D....drink?"

She helped him lift his head to take a sip of water.

His eyes stilled on her face before they slowly closed again "ya beautiful" he whispered.

The water, he definitely meant the water.

10pm

When Becky returned to Jack's room after answering a call bell he was awake.

"Why ya here?" He softly asked.

"I work here" she smiled

"Wot time is it?"

"Ten"

"But ya been ere all day......"

"That's being a nurse for you"

"Are ya here all night?"

"Until midnight"

A sleepy grin spread across his face "ya Cinderella"

Becky smiled. Of all the things delerious patients had said to her, she couldn't recall ever being called Cinderella.

"Will ya stay with me?"

"I can for a bit" Becky sat down.

"Ya got a boyfriend?"

Well she wasn't expecting that question. "No"

"A girlfriend?"

"No"

"Why?"

Becky didn't know what to say.

"Why haven't you got anyone?" Jack presses, his eyes not really focusing on her.

"Well I work all the time for a start" Becky run her tongue around her mouth debating on whether she should ask the question on her lips or not. She doubted he'd even remember this conversation in the morning.

"Why don't you have anyone?"

"I'm fussy" he grinned.

She reckoned he had the pick of the girls wherever he went. He could probably afford to be fussy.

"Did ya always wanna be a nurse?"

"Yes"

"Ya a good nurse, ya don' bruise me arm like the other one when ya put that needle in"

"Well thank you" she'd take that complement.

Becky took his temperature again and double checked the notes were ok.

"Jack I need to go and do some bits, I'll be back in a while"

As she reached the door she heard him groan loudly.

"Urgh, Becky......I.... feelin' sick...."

Becky grabbed a cardboard bowl and helped Jack sit up, she rubbed his back as he retched and dry heaved, just spitting out saliva.

This confused her slightly "did you not eat much of that nandos your brother brought in?"

Jack shook his head, still leaning down. He groaned from pain in his ribs.

"Nah.....didn't really want it once it was here...."

"So you've not eaten much today?"

"Nah" he heaved into the bowl again, this time bringing up bile.

This went on for several minutes before he sat back against his pillows "fuckin' hurts that does" Jack whimpered holding his aching ribs and chest. "Can I 'ave somethin' for me headache please?" He added. Before hunching over again, very clearly in a lot of pain.

"Wait there, I'll be back in a minute"

Becky couldn't find Dr Tim, so instead returned with Debbie, a senior nurse practitioner who Becky had never seen eye to eye with.

Becky had explained the situation and was at least relieved to see Debbie grab the anti sickness and pain medication, although she refused to sign it off without assessing Jack herself.

They found Jack sweating from pain, rather than fever. Debbie sympathised and immediately signed off the drugs, leaving Becky to administer them.

She gave him the oral morphine first. Then sat waiting patiently for him to stop gagging at the taste, hoping he wouldn't bring it straight back up.

"Some people say it tastes like Calpol" Becky offers.

"It don't" Jack tells her with certainty.

"Regular Calpol user are you?"

"I had a headache round me mates an' he only had Calpol"

"Do you get a lot of headaches?"

"Wot? Nah, it were a hangover"

Jack heaved again, Becky placed her hand on his shoulder "try to keep it down"

When he appeared relaxed again, Becky asked him to lay on his side. "This injection needs to go into your thigh" she explained, he was still wearing shorts they were the lose type, made out of tracksuit material so easy enough to pull up.

She stood behind him "relax" she said as she prepared the injection. He didn't though, he tensed as she went in, causing him to sharply yelp "fuck sake" at the sharp pain.

"Sorry...." She rubbed the site, knowing it was too late, it would bruise.

11.30pm

Jack was settled and sleeping.

Becky was quietly checking everyone on the bay. Dr Tim appeared next her. "Ah nurse Hayes, just the person" she turned to him expectantly.

"No nothing major, I just need Liam's surname?"

"Er Connors, why?" Becky eyed him suspiciously.

"I just need to sign something off" he said a little awkwardly.

Bollocks thought Becky he knows full well he can get Liam's surname from the shift rota at the nurses station - he's probably just as scared of Debbie as the rest of them.

Becky's last port of call was to check on Jack again. She was slightly surprised to see him awake.

"How'd you feel?" She asked him gently.

"Shit........I feel......really, really ill"

"You are really quite ill Jack, sepsis is a nasty infection, but looks like we got it early, you'll be ok. The sickness will have made you ache too"

"D'ya live here?" He asked.

Becky laughed inwardly, he'd obviously forgotten he'd already asked her that.

"No, just working too many hours. I'll go home soon"

"To ya boyfriend?"

"No, I'm single, just a grumpy cat waiting for me"

"I can't sleep"

"You should be sleeping like a baby the strength of the drugs you've been given tonight"

"Ya stay with me......?"

Becky checked the time 12.15am.

She sighed.

"For a little while"

"D'ya like bein' a nurse?"

"Yeah, I genuinely love it"

"Ya don' look very old to be a nurse....."

Becky chuckled "I'm old enough that I've been a nurse a few years"

"How old are ya?"

Becky watched his eyes glistening in the dim light. He was laying perfectly still, on his side facing her, like he'd finally found a position that didn't hurt and was determined not to move.

"I'm the same age as you"

"Huh.....ya must be very clever....."

"Depends what you define as clever" Becky was struggling now to keep her own eyes open. She could actually cry at the thought of still being at least an hour away from sleep and knowing she had to be up again in less than 6 hours.

"I feel so ill........is me mom 'ere?"

"Not right now, but I think your parents are coming in with your brother today"

"Today?"

"It's technically Thursday"

"Ya not been home though yet!"

The mix of drugs, infection and tiredness was causing his confusion. As exhausted as she was, and as past her finish time as she was, she still didn't actually want to leave this chair, in this room....

"I'll go home soon"

They sat in silence for some time. Becky would listen hopefully as Jacks breathing would get heavier, but then he'd wince, a pain somewhere waking him again.

"Can I have anotha blanket?"

"I'm sorry, not while you have still got a temperature" Becky stood and pulled the bedding he did have up over his shoulders, tucking it around his back slightly.

"That feels nice......." He whispered as her hand brushed his cheek when she pulled the sheet up.

She snatched her hand away.

"I need to go now, I'll be back in the morning"