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He then called the nurse and told her what happened. She said it was a step forward, and she’d let the doctor know. Donna returned a few minutes later with food for him.
“Tripp woke up for a minute,” he said as she handed him a sandwich, fries and a Gatorade.
Her eyebrows shot up. “Really? That’s fantastic.”
“It was brief, but the nurse said it was a good sign and a step forward.”
She went over to Tripp and took his hand. “You keep fighting, Sweetie. I know you can do it.” She kissed his forehead, patted his hand; then took a seat in the chair next to the bed.
Donna was amazingly positive the whole week. Whenever he got down, she knew just what to say to give him hope. She never doubted that Tripp would wake up, not once. He wished he could say the same, but he couldn’t. His mind took him to dark places, especially at night when trying to get some sleep.
About an hour later, there was a knock on the door frame. He looked up to see Tripp’s nurse, Bridget, standing there with a smile on her face.
“Hey, Jayme, you have some visitors in the waiting room.”
His eyebrows cranked down. “I do?”
She nodded. “Yep.”
He glanced at Donna, who smiled knowingly. He narrowed his eyes at her, and she laughed.
“Go on,” she said, and shooed him with her hand.
He walked out to the waiting room to see his family sitting there. His mother stood when she saw him and walked toward him with her arms open. He hugged her tight, tucking his face against her neck. Fuck, he needed this. He didn’t even know he did, but now that they were here; he absolutely did.
“Hi, Sweetie.”
“Hi, Mom,” he said, his voice muffled.
When she let him go, he sniffed and brushed away the tears running down his face. Dammit, he was so emotional lately. He understood why, but shit. He couldn’t keep crying like this. His dad was next to hug him, followed by his brothers and their spouses.
“What are you guys doing here?” he asked.
“Donna called and said you needed us, and here we are,” his mom said.
“You need all the support you can get,” his dad added.
He nodded, and brushed away more tears.
“How’s he doing?” Seamus asked.
“He woke up for a couple of minutes not too long ago."
“That’s great,” Mitch exclaimed with a bright smile.
“Do you think we can see him?” his mom asked.
“You sure can,” Donna said from behind them.
He turned, and gave her a grateful smile. She sent him a wink in return.
“It can only be one at a time, but you can all see him,” Donna said.
Jayme ended up bringing his family in one at a time to visit with Tripp. They all gave him encouraging words, and kisses on his forehead. He was very grateful that they cared enough to come to Galveston and see his fiancé. It showed him that they loved Tripp and considered him part of the family.
Jayme stayed in the waiting room with his family and talked with them for a little longer; before the urge to be with Tripp became too much to ignore. He thanked them profusely for coming and said that whenever he was out of the ICU they could visit again. They agreed, and he left them to go back to Tripp’s room.
~~~
Jayme
The next day, Jayme and Donna walked into Tripp’s room; to see the nurse checking his vitals and changing his saline bag. Jayme walked over to the other side of Tripp’s bed, and took his hand.
“Has he woken up again at all?” Jayme asked.
“He woke up a little last night, said he was thirsty; then drifted off again,” Bridget replied with a smile.
He snorted, and shook his head. Bridget finished what she was doing, then left him and Donna alone with Tripp. He leaned in and kissed Tripp on the lips and said good morning to him.
As he pulled back, Tripp turned his head toward him. “Morning,” he whispered.
Jayme’s heart leapt into his throat. Donna appeared on the other side of the bed. She smoothed her hand over his hair.
“Hi, Sweetie,” she said softly, as if she were afraid to scare him.
He turned his head toward her and gave her a faint smile. “Hi, Mom.”
Donna smiled brightly. “I knew you could do it.”
Tripp then turned back to him and cracked his eyes open. “Did you catch the puppy?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, I caught the fucking puppy.”
Tripp smiled weakly. “Good. That’s good. Now give me a hug.”
Jayme gathered Tripp in his arms and held him tight. He tucked his face against Tripp’s neck, and fought back tears. Damn it felt good to have Tripp’s arms around him again.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too, Baby.”
“I’ve missed you,” he croaked.
Tripp hummed, and stroked the back of Jayme’s head. “Wish I could say the same, but I’ve been unconscious.”
