This is a work of fiction loosely based on the character of Terry Thorne established and defined in the movie Proof of Life.  It is strictly for entertainment purposes. Please do not copy, publish or alter this work in any way without the written permission of the author.

In Sickness and in Health

By: Thorne's Rose

©2008

Part Two

Pretoria O’Connor was livid. This was the worst thing she had seen since she became a nurse back in her native Ireland. People back home were always moaning about the National Health Service, but at least if you were an emergency you were treated, whether you had money and identification or not. She looked down on her patient.

Yes, they had eventually dealt with his injuries, but they only gave the basic care to keep him alive, all because he had no ID on him and they couldn’t find out who he was, or if he had insurance. It was five hours since they had sewn him up, and no doctor had been in to see him. It was almost as if he had been wheeled into a back room and forgotten.

She should have been off duty over three hours ago, but there was no way she was going to leave him alone. She would do what she could to care for him, if it cost her job in the process. She left him for a few minutes to filch some supplies.

While she was away, one of the A&M security staff was doing the rounds of the corridors and happened to look in through the door she had left open. Joe stopped and stared. He couldn’t believe his eyes, that looked like his boss laying there. He hadn’t been with A&M all that long, but he’d seen Jake on the induction video that new security staff were shown, and was pretty sure the silent figure was the same man. He radioed the control room to speak with his supervisor.

“Paul, it’s Joe up on the fifth floor. You won’t believe this, but there’s a guy laying in a room up here who is the double of Jake Mitchell.”

“Joe, get right back there now.  We had a call from Mike to check the ER’s. Jake went missing earlier today. I’ll get word to him to get over here right now.”

“Will do.”

By the time he got back to the room, Pretoria had returned. She smiled at Joe as he came through the door.

“Hi, Joe, can I help you?”

“Hey, Tori. I hope so. Can you tell me who this patient is?”

“Sorry, no I can’t.”

“Aw, come on. Please don’t do the patient confidentiality thing on me, this is kind of important.”                       

“I’m not, Joe. The reason I can’t tell you is that no-one knows who he is. He was dumped at the back entrance about five hours ago. He was unconscious and had no identification on him. It’s assumed that he was mugged.”

“I think I might know who he is. I’ve got someone coming over to take a look at him. We’d better tell someone.”

“Wait...let’s not tell anyone until your friend has taken a look. Management are on an economy drive, they don’t want to have anything to do with him because they think they aren’t going to get paid, so it’s best to let them forget about him for the moment, in case they decide to throw him out.”

“Hey, they wouldn’t do that would they?”

“Times are tough, Joe. There’s no such thing as charity in this place.”

Mike arrived like a hurricane. His first stop was the security control room to pick up Paul, who directed him to the fifth floor. Joe was waiting for them outside the room and was almost bowled over by Mike as he passed.

“Jake!” he said softly as he approached the bed. “My God, what happened to you?” He turned and spotted Pretoria. “Is he going to be okay?”

“It’s difficult to say, they only did the minimum to stop him bleeding out before they realised he had no ID and they couldn’t be sure he had insurance. It seems that as this is a small hospital, they are having to account for every penny right now, and can’t take on ‘charity’ cases.”

Mike laughed bitterly. “That’s a joke. If they knew who he was they’d be falling over themselves to look after him. Paul, make arrangements for a medivac chopper to come pick him up.”

Paul went off to make the arrangements as Mike turned once again to Pretoria.

“I’ll get him somewhere safe within the hour. Thanks for looking after him Miss...”

“Pretoria O’Connor.”

“What a lovely name.”

“My friends call me Tori,” she smiled. “Now, can I ask who you are?”

“Sorry, of course you can. I’m Mike Taylor, and this is my partner, Jake Mitchell. Now I think it’s time to let the management know I’m here. Would you do the honours for me?”

“I’ll call them now.”

Ten minutes later the hospital senior management came striding down the corridor and into Jake’s room, glaring at Tori.

“Why is this man still here?”

“Don’t worry, he won’t be here much longer. You can probably hear the chopper heading for the roof right now.”

“Mr. Taylor. What are you doing here? This isn’t a security matter is it?”

“It is now. This man, who you don’t want to treat, him being without an identity, so in your eyes, obviously without insurance, happens to be my partner, and CEO of the company. So, even if he had no insurance, which he has in spades, he would be able to pay for any treatment in cash, which he also has in spades.”

“I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Taylor. We’ll move him right away.”

“Too little too late, my friend. I’m moving him myself...to another hospital. If you’d be so kind as to loan me the use of a gurney, I’ll take him up to the chopper right now.”

“I’ll help you.”

“Why, thank you kindly, Tori.”

“Nurse O’Connor, that’s not part of your duties.”

“I think you’ll find I’ve been on my own time for about 4 hours now, so it’s nothing to do with the hospital what I do,” she replied, turning towards the door.

They were soon in the chopper and on their way. Mike looked over at Tori, a worried expression on his face.

“Are you going to be in trouble over this?”

“I don’t care if I am. I’ve lost any respect for that place the way they put money above patient welfare. The way they treated your partner was just the last straw. I’ve got a feeling I won’t be going back there.”

“Really? Once we get Jake settled, do you think we can have a chat. I just might have a proposition for you.”

Tori looked at Mike with interest and nodded her agreement.

They were soon at Northwest Memorial Hospital and Jake was rushed to the OR for emergency surgery on his neck injury, and Mike took Tori for a coffee and a talk.

“Tori, my company is opening a Medical drop-in Centre and we’re currently looking for staff. Would you consider the position of our nurse?”

Tori thought for a moment before answering. She looked Mike straight in the eyes and replied, “On one condition.”

“Name it.”

“That I go through the interview system with the rest of the candidates, even if that means waiting for your partner to be fit enough to take part. I assume you were going to interview together?”

“Yes, we were. We were going through the applications when all this happened. Will you come to my office tomorrow and fill out a form?”

“I’d be glad to.”

Mike gave her his business card, and one of his best smiles, then told her to head off home as he would be okay on his own. He told her she needed to be fresh and alert when they met the next day. She laughed and gave his shoulder a squeeze goodnight, and was gone.                       

Two hours later, Mike was told by the surgeon that Jake was in recovery.

“How did it go, Doctor?”

“The head wound was sewn up quite well to begin with. So we left that alone. The neck wound was more worrying. His larynx has been nicked by the glass and there could be problems with his voice once everything inside has healed up. It’s a case of wait and see right now I’m afraid. The good news however, is that he’s going to be okay. We managed to get some blood into him, and he’s stable now.”

“Can I go see him?”

“Yes, of course. He probably won’t wake up until tomorrow, but feel free to stay as long as you can. I met a detective on the way up here, but I told him there was no use him hanging around and told him to come back after lunch tomorrow.”

“Doc, you’re a star. At least that will give us a few hours of peace. I appreciate it.”

~*~

Jake was confused. His head ached and it was almost impossible for him to swallow. He slowly cracked open one eye and looked around the dimly lit room. He didn't recognise where he was. He heard movement beside him, and tried to focus on what was suddenly in front of his face. In large letters on a pad were the words:

DO NOT TRY TO SPEAK!!

                                                           
He followed the hand that was holding the sign up the arm and across until he could see a face. Mike! He opened his mouth only to see Mike point at the sign.

“Don't try and say anything, buddy. You've got some damage to your throat. I can get you a pad and pen, and you can write anything you need to ask when you're feeling more awake, but for the time being, you're safe in hospital, and as long as you do exactly what the doc orders, he says you should be able to get outta here in a couple of days.”

Jake smiled weakly, and even though he fought valiantly to stay awake, he was soon sleeping peacefully again. Jenny arrived shortly after to give Mike a break, and he left to get some sleep, promising to return in the morning. Jenny kissed Jake on the forehead before settling down in the chair by his bed to read the book she took out of her bag.

~*~

Jake’s head was still throbbing and it was still painful to swallow. At least he remembered where he was. He moved his head slowly until a figure came into view. Jenny was sitting smiling at him.

“Hi, sleepy head. Remember, you mustn’t try to speak, your throat has been damaged.”

Jake raised a hand slowly to his neck and felt the dressing on his throat, he frowned, trying to remember what had happened to him, and winced as pain shot through his head when he tried to lift it from the pillow.

“You got a crack on the head too, Jake. Try not to move too much, and I’ll see if I can find the doctor. If he offers some pain meds, please take them just this once,” Jenny said, smiling down at her boss as she rose to leave the room.

Before she made it to the door, it opened and Mike stuck his head in. Seeing Jake was awake, he bounded over to the bed, kissing Jenny on the cheek as he passed.

“Hey partner. Hope you’re up to writing, or it’s gonna be a pretty one sided conversation,” he grinned, pulling a pad and pen out of his pocket and finding the mechanism to raise Jake’s bed a little.

“How do you feel?”

*Rough* Jake wrote.

“Promise to stay calm when I tell you something?”

*Shoot*

“I called Angie, and she should be here any time soon.”

Jake sighed, *Ta, mate*

“Really? You’re not going to ram my head through the dry wall?”

*No strength*

“Lucky me. Seriously, you’re not angry?”

*Not this time*

The pen fell from Jake’s hand as he lay back against the pillow and closed his eyes. Just then, the door opened and Jenny walked in, followed by the doctor.

“Morning, doc. He was awake and chatting a couple of minutes ago,” Mike announced, holding up the pad. “I think I wore him out though.”

“Good morning, Mr. Taylor. I’ll use the opportunity to have a quick look at his wounds then.”

The doctor peeled back the dressing over the head wound and nodded in satisfaction. “That looks good and clean; now let’s take a look at the neck wound.”

Putting on some medical gloves, he slowly peeled away the dressing on Jake’s neck to reveal an ugly gash, livid red and slightly swollen. He swabbed the wound and redressed it. As he placed his hand on Jake’s forehead and felt the warmth there, Jake opened his eyes.

“Hello, Mr. Mitchell. I’m Doctor Parks. I had to carry out a bit of work on your throat. How are you feeling?”

Jake lifted up the pen and wrote *Hot*.

“Yes, you’re running a bit of a fever from the feel of you. Now, I’ve been warned that you aren’t too keen on medication, but I think we need to give you some antibiotics to clear up the slight infection. It’s nothing to worry about, most likely from the bottle.”

*Bottle?*

“Yes, sorry, I guess you don’t remember what happened. You were hit by a bottle, and then the low life went for your throat with the remains. Now it’s actually not as bad as it sounds, although I want you to refrain from trying to talk, even in a whisper, until I give you the okay. Is that clear?”

*Yes, doc*

“Good man. I was told I was going to have problems with you,” he said, laughing at Jenny and Mike. “But, if you do what I say, and the medication does its job, I think that you will only be our guest for a couple of days.”

That brought a tired smile from Jake. “However,” Doctor Parks continued, “Once you leave here, I want to make it clear that you need to take things easy for the next week or so until I see you again to remove the sutures, then we can see about trying out your vocal chords. Okay?”

Jake nodded and held out his hand, writing *deal* on the pad with his left hand. Doctor Parks shook on the agreement, smiled at everyone in the room, and left promising to return in a few hours to check on Jake.

True to his word, Jake behaved, took his meds, and in a couple of days the infection cleared up, the fever broke, and his discharge was arranged. Angie arrived in time to help him get ready to leave, an emergency at the hospital at home having delayed her flight out for just over a day, and was soon fussing over him in the company apartment. She knew she had the harder job than the hospital staff as once he was out of there, he would try to insist on getting back to work.

Mike gave it a day before heading round to see him. He wasn’t alone, the police came too. Jake still couldn’t remember anything apart from locking the car door and feeling that he wasn’t alone in the parking garage. The interview was short, although it felt like a lifetime for Jake, having to write down his answers. The detectives wished him a speedy recovery, leaving their card for him to contact them if he remembered anything.

Jenny made them all a hot drink and Jake sighed as he leaned against Angie on the sofa and sipped his steaming mug of tea. He smiled at Jenny and gave her the thumbs up. When they finished, Mike broached the subject of the interviews for the drop-in centre. He offered to put them on hold, but Jake insisted that they go through all the applications the following day, and make arrangements for the interviews to commence the day after he went to see Doctor Parks. Mike smiled, knowing that Jake must be feeling better, and happy in the knowledge that sorting the candidates wouldn’t be too taxing for him. They would have to wait and see how he was for the actual interviews.

They managed to whittle the pile down to 15 candidates and Mike smiled when Jake approved Pretoria’s application. Jenny made notes to invite the 15 for initial interviews the following week, and Mike turned to Jake, a question on his lips.

“How do you want to work the interviews, Jake? You may not be speaking by then, and even if you are, you’re not going to want to chat all day long for however long it takes.”

Jake took the pad and wrote one word...*Angie*

Mike looked at them both, “Angie?” he asked.

“Yes, me. Jake and I ‘discussed’ it last night. I can sit in on the interviews. Jake can write down anything he wants to ask, and as your resident “medical expert”, I can ask questions on his behalf. As long as you introduce me to the candidates and explain the situation, I’m sure it will be fine. Also, Jake won’t get over tired that way.”

“Sounds like a plan. Jenny and Alex will get the ball rolling tomorrow and we’ll see how we go from there.”

~*~

The following Monday saw Jake and Angie at the hospital. Angie knew Jake was worried, and was trying to keep his fears from her. When would he learn that he was an open book to her? She held his hand tightly as they waited for Doctor Parks to arrive. Jake would be glad to get the stitches out as they were pulling like mad, and he hadn’t been able to shave around them properly.

The door opened, and in strode the doctor, a broad smile on his face. He sat down behind his desk and grinned at them.

“Good morning to you both. I can see you’re dying to be rid of those little suckers. Shall I do that before we have a chat?”

Jake nodded enthusiastically as he took a seat by the bright light, watching Doctor Parks put his gloves on. It didn’t take too long before all the stitches were out and the itching stopped almost immediately.

“Feel better now,” he asked Jake, grinning at the thumbs up he got in reply. “Okay, take a seat back with your wife and I’ll go over a few things with you. The x-ray and scans we took of your throat all look good. There doesn’t seem to be any permanent damage to your vocal chords. This doesn’t mean you can go out on the lake and scream your head off though.”

Jake and Angie grinned at that remark.

“You may need voice therapy to get you chatting at a normal volume again. I can recommend someone here, or if you want to go back home, I know of a good man in Sydney. Until then, I think it would be a good idea if you keep from trying to talk at any volume. Will that be a problem for your work?”

Jake picked up his pad. *Hell no. Mike can do some work for a change*.

The doctor laughed at that and stood up to shake Jake’s hand.

“It’s been a pleasure, Jake. Sorry we had to meet under such circumstances. If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to contact me.” He saw the gratitude in Jake’s eyes, and before he could stop himself, he embraced Jake warmly and slapped him on the back, then turned to Angie and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Look me up before you leave for Australia, and if I don’t see you before, have a Happy Christmas.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Angie replied, kissing him on the cheek before grasping Jake’s hand and heading out of the office and away from the hospital as quickly as she could.

~*~

They were halfway through the second day of interviews, having a 15 minute break before the next candidate was due, when there was a commotion outside the conference room door. It burst open and a girl flew in, closely followed by Star.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Mike demanded, rising quickly from his seat.

“I’m sorry, Mike, Jake...I tried to stop her...”

Jake raised his hand to let Star know everything was okay, and motioned her to leave the room with a smile.

“You have five seconds to get out of here before I call the cops,” Mike spat.

Jake placed his hand on Mike’s arm and motioned him to return to his seat. Glancing at the girl, he pointed to the seat at the far end of the conference table. He looked at Angie and wrote on his pad.

“What do you want, Bella?” Angie relayed Jake’s question.

“I’m sorry for bursting in like this, Mr. Mitchell. I had to speak to you. I’m too scared to go to the police.”

Mike glared at her, but admitted to himself that his interest was peaked. “Go on,” he hissed.

“I know who attacked you, and why. I was too late to stop it. I’m so terribly sorry,” she sobbed. “It was my boyfriend, my ex-boyfriend. He saw you one night in a restaurant, he took you outside if you remember.”

Jake nodded slowly, remembering the night in question when the man he thought was drunk knocked into him and demanded he go outside.

“Mr. Mitchell, he blamed you for the fact that I lost my job here, and decided to get even. He said it was on my behalf, but I think it’s because he could no longer say he was dating a member of staff in the most prestigious firm in Chicago.

“He called me to meet him in the parking garage downstairs. I had no idea what he was planning. When I got here, he’d already smashed the bottle over your head and two of his friends were holding you up. I think he was going to kill you, but my scream stopped him and the glass didn’t cut your throat as deeply as he wanted.

“I told him that you had tried to get my job back for me, and that’s when he partially came to his senses. He dumped you in the back of my car and we drove to the hospital the other side of town. He threw you out at the back entry and drove away. Please, tell me what I can do to make it right.”

*Tell the police everything you know* Jake wrote.

“He’ll kill me!”

“No he won’t. We’ll look after you.”

Bella, Jake and Angie looked at Mike in surprise. That’s the last thing they imagined he would say.

“I’m the one he should have come after, not Jake. I owe you both. Bella, I was harsh when I fired you, especially right before Christmas, but I made the rules and was upholding them the way I thought was right. I guess it’s too late to say sorry, to both of you.”

*No worries* Jake wrote.

“That’s okay, Mr. Taylor. I’m fine. I just hope you are, Mr. Mitchell.”

Jake held up his pad...*Jake*.

“Sorry...Jake. In the long run, it was a blessing in disguise. I found another position, something I really enjoy, graphic design. Not that Will was impressed. He thought it was beneath me.”

Angie looked over at what Jake was writing and placed her hand on his. “Jake says you’re too good for him, and I agree. I’m Angie by the way, Jake’s wife.”

“Oh cool, you got married. I’m happy for you, but this is neither the time nor the place for chat. I have to do the right thing by you and report this, don’t I. Can I call the police from here?”

“It looks like our next interview will be running a bit late, I’ll take you to my office and we’ll call from there. Would you like us to stay with you when they arrive?”

“I’ll be okay I think. Can I hang around after they go to pick Will up?”

“Of course. I’ll let Alex and Roxanne know why you’re here. They’ll look after you. When we’ve finished for the afternoon, we’ll make arrangements for your safety, don’t worry.”

Mike waited with Bella until the police arrived, and then returned to the conference room.

“She didn’t have to do that, did she?”

*I told you all along she was a good kid*

“Okay, I stand corrected. Now, shall we get on?”

Jake was more than ready to go home by the time the last interview was over. He was tired, and his head was sore. He desperately wanted to have a long soak in a hot tub and go to bed. Angie kissed Mike and pulled Jake from the office and down to the car. Before too long they were back in the apartment and Jake got his wish, sinking slowly into the steaming tub. When he’d finished his soak, he wanted nothing more than to fall into bed and sleep, which is just what he did. Angie found him there later, a blissfully peaceful look on his face. She closed the drapes and turned down the light, slipped out of her clothes, and joined the love of her life in slumber.

The following days passed quickly as Mike and Jake worked their way through the notes made for each candidate, until they finally had a short-list of five for a second interview. Once again, Mike was pleased to see that Pretoria was in the final selection.

They scheduled all five appointments for middle of the week, telling themselves that would give them a chance to decide who was successful, and get the letters out by the end of the week, allowing Jake, Angie and Jenny to head home at the weekend. Jake was sure that Mike would be able to welcome the new addition to the firm without too much help, and he just wanted to get back to Sydney.

~*~

With the final interviews over, and the position filled (Mike was mentally jumping for joy when Jake decided that Tori was the best candidate), there was no reason for Jake to stay in Chicago any longer, so Mike made the arrangements for the company jet to pick up Jake, Angie and Jenny. Before leaving, they made the rounds of the office to say goodbye, Jake hugging the girls while Angie acted as his voice. After a short stop at LAX, they were soon headed out over the Pacific. As usual, Jake slept for the entire flight, sleeping through their brief stop at Honolulu when the relief crew took over, and waking only when the jet started its descent into Kingsford-Smith airport.

Jake smiled as soon as he stepped down from the plane, He was glad to be home again, and couldn’t wait to get into the city. He needed to sleep in his own bed again, lulled by the gentle creaks and bumps of the boats in the marina. He would have preferred to head on up to the farm, but the speech therapist was based at the Sydney Hospital, so that’s where Jake would have to stay for the time being.

~*~

Mike winced and pressed his hand against his abdomen. If it got any worse he just might have to go into the drop-in centre and get Tori to check him out. Despite his discomfort he smiled to himself about that thought. Maybe he would just wait until they got home for her to look him over. Things were going well, the fitness centre was always busy, and he was pleased to see that the medical centre was fast becoming a success too. Tori was working as the only full time nurse, but there was now enough work for Mike to take on two part-time nurses, and he’d made arrangements with his own doctor that their practise would be on a retainer for any cases the nurses couldn’t deal with.

It didn’t seem possible that the clinic had been open almost four months now, or that he and Tori had managed to keep their blossoming relationship under wraps. Mike felt a little guilty when he realised he was breaking his own rule regarding colleagues forming attachments, but one of Tori’s brilliant smiles soon pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. After all, he reasoned to himself, she wasn’t actually working in his office, and wasn’t even on the same floor.

Another twinge brought him out of his reverie, and he jumped when his private line started ringing. Thinking he must change the tone to something less shrill, he picked up the call.

“Michael Taylor.”

“G’Day mate, how ya going?” came a soft enquiry.

“Jake” Man, it’s good to hear your voice.”

“Ta, mate. Not too much volume control as yet, but at least now you have no excuse to chat up my female staff…or my wife for that matter.”

Mike laughed at the obvious humour in Jake’s voice. It had been a long and frustrating few months for Jake, working with the therapist 5 mornings a week for the past 14 weeks.

“So, how’s the presentation coming along?”

“Almost there, Jake. It’s going to be strange doing this one solo though.”

“Hey, you’re more than qualified to do it.”

“Yeah, but you’re much more at ease with public speaking.”

“Not right now, I’m not. Tell you what though, when you’ve got everything ready we’ll set up a conference call and you can use us as a dry run.”

“Sounds like a plan. Appreciate it, Jake.”

~*~

Jake’s door flew open and Jenny rushed in.

“Jake, Alex just called.”

“Righto, are they ready for the conference call?” Jake replied, wondering why a call from Chicago had Jenny in as close to a flap as he’d ever seen her.

“No, Jake. It’s Mike…he’s in hospital!”

“Shit. What happened?”

“Ruptured appendix. Alex said they are operating now…”

“And…”

“Sorry, Jake. Alex said is there any way you can get over there for the presentation next week. Even if Mike is out of hospital by then, there’s no way he’ll be up to it.”

Jake leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I guess I don’t have any choice do I. Can you get the flight arranged? I need to call Angie.”

~*~

“How is he?” Jake asked as he lowered himself into the seat next to Alex in the visitor's lounge.

“He's in ICU, Jake. They said something about an infection. Tori is trying to find out what she can.”

“Tori? Oh yeah, our nurse. Coming in handy, isn't she?”

“She can certainly get more information out of them than they've been willing to give me. They won't let me see him either…I'm not family.”

“I'll see what I can do. I've got power of attorney over his medical matters. I'll get us both in, don't worry.”

“Thanks, Jake. Until I see him for myself I won't rest.”

Jake went off to find the doctor in charge, and after a short discussion, both he and Alex were shown to Mike. Tori was sitting by his bed holding his hand. She quickly let go when she saw Jake enter the room.

“Pretoria, isn't it?” Jake asked, holding out his hand.

“Most people call me Tori,” she replied, shaking the proffered hand.

“Well, Pretoria, thanks for watching out for my friend. Why don't you take a break?”

Knowing a dismissal when she heard one, Tori got up to leave, hugging Alex and telling her she'd see her later.

“Is it the usual practise for staff to sit holding their boss' hand?”

“She's just worried, Jake. Like the rest of us. If it was me, you wouldn't turn a hair.”

“Yeah, luv, the difference being you've known him quite a bit longer than our nurse has.”

“Don't worry, Jake. I'm sure there's nothing untoward going on.”

“I hope not,” Jake mused, subconsciously rubbing the scar on his throat.

Alex went over to the bed, kissed Mike on the cheek, sat down, and took a firm hold of his hand, smiling up at Jake as she did so. Jake went to the other side of the bed, leant over and touched his forehead to Mike's, whispering something in Maori that Alex didn't quite hear. Looking over to Alex, he grinned as he sat down.

“Don't worry, I was just telling him the ancestors are watching over him. You never know, it might help.”

They spent the next few hours sitting quietly watching Mike sleep. He was a little restless, due to the fever brought on by the infection, but Jake was relieved that he didn't look as bad as he envisioned. Alex finally looked over at Jake just at the right time to catch him trying to stifle a yawn.

“Jake, you really don't need to stay here all night. You must be worn out. Why don't I take you out of here and get you a bite to eat, then you can get some well deserved sleep.”

“I'm fine, I slept...”

“No arguments. Don't tell me you slept on the flight either. I'll bet you were sitting there worrying about Mike for the entire time.”

“Okay, you win. Take me to the apartment.”

“No, I think I'll take you home with me. That way we can keep an eye on you and make sure you get some sleep.”

“I don't want to put you both out, I'll be fine on my own.”

“Hey, it's not often I get to boss around my CEO. Do what you're told for once. You're not putting us out. I'll just make a quick call and we can go.”

Jake dropped off to sleep in the car and woke with a start when Alex poked him in the ribs as she pulled into her garage.

“Come on, sleepy. Let's get you inside before you wake the neighbourhood with your snoring.”

“I DO NOT snore,” Jake protested good humouredly.

“I know, got your attention though, didn't I?” Alex laughed, grabbing Jake's bag from the back seat and pulling him gently into the house.

“We're here.”

“I'm in the kitchen, bring him through.”

Roxanne looked up from a bubbling pot on the stove and smiled at her boss. “Hey, Jake, you hungry?”

“G'Day, Rox. I could eat,” Jake replied, hugging Roxanne and giving her a kiss. “You settling in okay?”

“Yeah, it couldn't be better. We can't thank you and Mike enough for getting us the house. Alex is a great house mate and it's a lovely neighbourhood.”

“It was the least we could do, Rox. When your place burnt down we knew Alex was more than happy to take you in, but her apartment was way too small. I could say we were thinking about the firm when we did it. Alex's place is ideal for a company   apartment, so it was a good swap.”

Both girls snorted with laughter knowing that they came off best in the deal as their new house was much more valuable than Alex's apartment. They chose not to argue though as they knew Jake would have a good answer for anything they might throw at him, and truth be told, they couldn't be happier in their new home. There was more than enough space for them to have complete privacy if they needed it, but more often than not, they found themselves curling up on the sofa in the main lounge room at the end of the day, eating together and watching TV.

They sat Jake down at the table in the large kitchen. It was cosier than setting up the dining room, especially at that time of night. Alex got some orange juice from the fridge and set it down in front of Jake while Rox dished up a huge dish of pasta marinara.

“That looks great, luv. I didn't realise just how hungry I was.”

Jake tucked in to the meal in front of him, but before he'd taken more than three or four forkfuls, the girls noticed he was fading fast.

“Come on Jake, let's get you up before you end up wearing your pasta.”

They led him to the guest suite and guided him to the bathroom. While he had a quick wash and cleaned his teeth, Alex rummaged about for a pair of sweat pants she thought she had in one of the drawers, knocked on the door and handed them through to Jake. He came out wearing them and his vest top, yawning fit to burst, looking down at the sweats.

“Not a bad fit. I won't ask who they belong to.”

Roxanne grinned at Alex, who was blushing furiously, and turned down the bedclothes. Jake crawled in and was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. The girls tucked him in, kissed his forehead goodnight, and crept out, closing the door as quietly as they could.

~*~

Mike wasn't a good patient, and within a day of his infection clearing up he was begging every nurse and doctor he saw to let him go home. Jake smiled, knowing exactly what Mike was going through.  He went to find Mike's doctor to run an idea past him. Before too long, he was back by Mike's bed smiling down at him.

“Okay, here's the plan. If we can find someone to look after you, the Doc says you can go home tomorrow. You have to promise not to do anything except rest though.”

“Hey, I can handle that. Anything to get me out of here.”

“Righto, now all we need to do is find you a Florence Nightingale and we're set.”

“Maybe Tori would be willing to take a shift. After all, she's already on the payroll, and we have the clinic covered with the part-time staff. Could you ask her for me, Jake?”

Just then the door opened and Jake turned to see Tori look in.

“No need, mate. Here she is, you can ask her yourself. Come in, Pretoria.”

“Hi, Tori. Good news, the Doc says I can break out of here tomorrow as long as I can get someone to look after me. We were wondering if you wouldn't mind working in a different location for a few days until I'm up and around again.”

“I'd be glad to, Mike, if you both think I can be spared from the clinic.”

“Yeah, we think the others can cope, it's not going to be forever after all. I'm feeling so much better and once I get home, I'll be better yet.”

The following day found Mike back in his apartment with Tori as his full time nurse. They enjoyed the fact that they could be alone together without worrying that anyone from the office would find out. With Jake in town, Mike was feeling even more guilty about breaking his own rules, but he was being led by his heart and not his head. He decided that he would bite the bullet and tell Jake before he headed back to Sydney. Maybe he would take pity on him in his weakened state.

Chapter Three

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