hi! could you do a figure skating inspired fic? reader is dating jack. she has chronic tendinitis and asthma. she was always taught to push through pain and that the show must go on so maybe she has several hidden injuries that she poorly takes care of bc she’s too focused on her upcoming performances. jack finds out she’s been downplaying everything and she actually took a really hard fall in rehearsal during a lift causing some serious damage. he becomes super stern and protective as he basically rescues her from herself’s unsafe mentality. just something dramatic and she ends up in the hospital (but it’s a struggle since she’s so stubborn). you don’t have to follow all of these, just a rough plot to help spark some inspiration! looking forward to reading the final product!! xx
hiiii thank you for the request! I love the idea <33
enjoyyy! xxx
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Summary as above + Jack Abbot is the hockey team’s doctor. The reader is a professional ice skater, but also an ice skating coach for young kids.
TW/Tags: as above, mention of injury, destructive behaviour
Word count: 5k
A tendon is the tissue that links muscles; it allows your bones to move when muscles contract or relax. Tendonitis is the inflammation of a tendon. With chronic tendonitis, pain is always present but worsens on movement. This also causes stiffness and weakness. A common cause is repetitive movement that causes a strain on the tendon. This is a very painful condition, because it can sometimes be unpredictable. One wrong move can trigger an agonizing flare up.
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“Coach Tompson” Jack nods as he walks into the hot and sweaty locker room. “Looks like practice was… long and blistering”
“Dr Abbot, pleasure as always” the coach says, “You know the drill?”
"Bring them on." Jack walks into the examination room that is adjacent to the locker room and sets his bag on the side. He snaps his gloves on, and calls for the first hockey player to come in.
The main types of injuries were always the same — minor and easy to treat. Jack loved doing this because it was the complete opposite of PTMC. The pace was much calmer; he got to talk to the players, loved their dedication to the game and admired their passion. The free tickets to the hockey games were a bonus.
The players begin to leave one by one, and as he calls out "next", a child walks into the room.
Jack does a double glance at the young girl who wears a squin unitard, with her hair tied up into a bun and she has skates on. "Hi" Jack says softly as he approaches her. "Are you here to see me?'
She shakes her head. "You need to come with me"
"Oh...okay?" Jack hesitates for a moment. "Wanna tell me what's going on?"
"My coach needs help"
He moves off his chair quickly, "Okay is she hurt?"
She nods.
"Can you show me where she is?"
She nods again and puts her hand out for Jack to take it. Jack fights back a smile at the cuteness as he follows the young girl to the entrance onto the rink. A young girl points at someone in the distance who was lying on the ice, with kids surrounding her.
"Okay uh-" Jack stutters at first, trying his best to think of the logistics of how he will get on the ice.
"Do you know how to skate?" the girl asks.
Jack shakes his head. He doesn't know how to skate, and wouldn't know how his prosthetic would react to walking on the ice. He steps onto the ice and slips slightly but then manages to steady himself.
"Walk like a penguin" the girl says, "it helps"
He again hesitates but does as she says. Few moments later, Jack makes it safely over to you.
You lay on the ice, fully conscious, teeth chattering due to the freezing surface pressed against your back. You look up at the man hovering over you, and you recognise him. He was the hockey team's doctor — the handsome one and the one that everyone talks about. Even Coach Tompson said he was handsome, and Coach Tompson never compliments anyone.
"Hi I'm Jack" he says as he carefully lowers himself on the ice. His first thought was how beautiful you are. "How did you get hurt?"
You say weakly, "I just fell, hit my head, but not the first time. Every time I try and stand up, I go dizzy again."
Your leg had been aching terribly the last few days, and you knew that you shouldn't be doing any of this, but did it anyway. And now you were paying the price.
"Can I examine you?"
You nod. The kids all watch Jack as he checks your pulse first, then puts his hand under your head to feel for any cuts or injuries. He gently helps you sit up, then takes off his jacket and wraps it around you. The kids go "awwww" in unison. You can't help but blush, and Jack smiles softly, "Do you think you can skate back to the examination room if I support you?"
Jack helps take your skates off, then helps you stand slowly. "Apparently, it helps if you walk like a penguin."
You let out a small, embarrassed laugh and nod because you, of course, knew that. He wraps one strong arm around your waist to help you steady yourself, and you walk slowly together back to solid ground.
Jack helps lift you onto the examination bed, a movement that feels and looks intimate. His touch was warm against your cold skin, and you grieved the loss of his touch as he pulled away.
The kids all follow into the room and watch Jack as he starts asessing you.
"Are you okay miss?" Robin, one of the kids, ask.
"Of course I am!" you say, trying to sound positive, although it was the opposite of how you felt. "Dr Abbot here is going to take good care of me."
Jack wondered how you knew his name and felt incredibly happy at the thought that you knew who he was.
"How about you guys sit in the room next door hmm?" you stutter due to how cold you are, "and Robin, you can be in charge. No one is to leave the room and if they do, yell. Okay?"
"Yes miss!" Robin answers brightly.
You shiver hard on the examination bed as Jack continue his assessment. The cold from the ice had sunk deep into your bones, and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t stop shaking. Jack notices immediately and he wished he had something more to warm you up with, but there was nothing nearby.
You knew why you had the fall, but this time you didn't anticipate that tendonitis would betray you this early into your teaching session. Usually, your pain was worse toward the end of a session, and sometimes you actually got lucky. Because with fewer movements came fewer triggers for your pain, so teaching sessions were meant to be 'easy'.
"Everything looks okay, but i'd suggest getting checked out with your doctor too." Jack says softly, "do you still feel dizzy?"
You shake your head.
"Is there anyone who can take you home?"
"I have to wait for the kid's parents to come" you say as you wrap Jack's jacket around yourself tightly. "I can drive later it's fine"
"I have nothing else to warm you up with" Jack says sympathetically, as he sits on the stool next to the bed, "Is there a cafeteria? I can grab a hot drink?"
"It'ss ok-kay" you stammered, jaw clenching from the cold, "I'll warmmm up soon. I was on the ice for too long"
"Maybe one of the hockey players left a jumper, i'll go check" Jack says but as he stands up, you reach for his hand and pull him back. "Llleave it. I'll be fine, I promissse."
Your fingers were ice cold, and Jack, without thinking, holds you hand in both of his hands as he warmed it up. He sees how you instantly relax at the warmth, so he grabs your other hand. You smile at him shyly. Jack returns the same soft, slightly nervous smile. He asks gently, "Can I warm you up?"
You whisper, "yes please"
He sits on the bed and gestures for you to lean into him. He pulls you against his chest, your cold cheek pressed against the soft fabric of his shirt. One of his hands strokes the back of your head while the other strokes your spine, warming you up.
Moments pass as the two of you sit in silence, and Jack feels the tension ease from you as you warm up. "Feeling better?" Jack whispers.
"Thank you, I do", you feel yourself slightly get embarrassed at the interaction. You didn't know him, never actually spoke with him until today. "I have to go check on the kids" you say as you pull away from him slowly. "they are too quiet."
Jack shifts off the bed, then reaches for you. In one quick motion, he helps you down, keeping his grip gentle but secure on your waist until you are steady on the floor.
"Thank you Dr Abbot" you say then realise it was the second time you mentioned his surname, although he didn't give it.
Jack listens as you make your way back to the kids, chatting with them and reassuring everyone that you are perfectly fine. He smiles to himself while he packs up his bag, but the moment he steps outside, he spots you limping across the concrete car park toward your car.
Jack tries to catch up, desperate to ask for your number. He yells across the concrete car park, "I forgot to ask for your name!"
You turn around and as you see him standing there, you feel a rush of excitement. So you tell him.
"What about your number?" Jack smirks.
You walk toward each other, and you blush as you take a step closer to him. "Are you asking me out, Dr Abbot?"
"Is that okay?" He gives you a lazy smile. You were still wearing his jacket, and he thought it looked incredibly good on you. "I want to know you more. An hour with you is nowhere near enough."
Your heart did a little flip. You hold out your hand for his phone, type in your number, and hand it back. "Text me," you say softly.
“I will,” he promises, watching you with interest as you walk away.
By the time you make it home, Jack has already texted asking how you were. You reply excitedly, smiling down at your phone like a teenager. He wastes no time asking when you were free, and you can't help but think how eager he is, though you were just as eager yourself. You say yes to dinner. Then to a second date. Then a third. By the fourth date, you invite him over to your place.
You had just finished practice and limped through the front door in pain, your knee throbbing from the tendonitis that refused to settle. Every doctor gave you the same advice: strengthening exercises, rest, and avoiding the one thing you loved most: skating. You wrap your knee in a compression bandage, despite the conflicting opinions you’d received from different physiotherapists. One told you not to, another encouraged it. Either way, you decide that Jack doesn't need to know any of this... not unless it came up.
You open the door to a very handsome Jack, holding flowers. He walks in and kisses your cheek, which sends a shiver down your spine. "Hi" you say softly.
"Hi gorgeous" he says, "you look beautiful as always"
You wore a long dress, which was put on purpose so he wouldn't see the bandages that wrapped your knees.
He joins you in the kitchen as you prepare dinner, conversation flowing as you cook together. But Jack noticed your subtle limping as you moved. He notices how your gait was off, like your leg was stiff and you couldn't bear weight on it. He was well familiar with unstable gait.
"How was practice? And the kids?" He asks casually.
"Today was practice day for me and my partner" you reply, then turn to face him. He leaned against the counter, arms resting on the counter, showing off his chest muscles. You try not to stare too much but Jack notices. He always notices the small details. He pulls one arm, wrapping it around your waist and brings you to him. He smiles as you lean into him. “Can I ask you something?”
“Mm”
“Are you hurt? Did something happen at practice? Because I noticed you’re limping.”
You thought you hid it well, and felt your cheeks instantly flush. “I have chronic tendonitis in my knee.” You admit, which felt like admitting to a crime. You wait for unsolicited advice but it doesn’t come. “And when I practice too much, it starts to hurt.”
“And you invited me for dinner, prepped all this food, and stood on your feet knowing that you’re hurt and in pain?”
You mumble, “it’s nothing”
“It’s not nothing.” Jack straightens his posture and leans in, “you’re gonna sit on the sofa, put on something to watch and I am going to finish up dinner. Hmm?”
Your lips part, wanting to say something, but nothing comes out. You simply couldn't resist the authoritative voice so you nod slowly.
“Good girl.” He smiles. “Let me take care of you.”
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You hadn’t met anyone like Jack before. The type of guys you dated were not completely the opposite, but slightly different. They offered to do things for you, but the offer felt more forced on, with an expectation of something in return. But with Jack, he did it flawlessly. Ever since you told him about your chronic pain, he checked in regularly but never pushed to know more.
But you also hid a lot from him and told him it was all managed well. You didn’t tell him about the aches in the night, the pain that sometimes ruins your whole day, or the many falls you were now taking at practice because your knee simply couldn't carry your weight anymore.
You hid it because, in your opinion, your diagnosis was just another tick box on a piece of paper.
The first box ticked asthmatic.
The second box ticked chronic tendonitis.
So your illness was another thing you had to deal with, and you dealt with a lot. You underestimated the extent of what you were going through because you simply ignored it. You thought that if you stopped ignoring it, it would then become a problem that needed fixing, and your chronic illness wasn’t fixable.
But by ignoring, it meant you let it damage you slowly, and you were too stubborn to see that.
Jack found out about your asthma casually too. One day you took a puff of your inhaler, and Jack didn’t question anything further. He was curious, however, about how you dealt with it during exercise and in the cold arena. You shrugged and said, “dunno I just manage.”
Jack had the feeling that you didn’t like to talk about your chronic illnesses and he was fine with that. He didn’t push further, because you convinced him everything was well controlled.
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“I’ll do it” Jack mumbles as he sees you reach over for the cream that sat on the bedside table.
“Jack I can do it, it’s fine”
“But then what’s my job here?” He smirks. He grabs the Ibuprofen gel, and gently massage sit onto your knee. “Hey by the way, don’t ever take this in tablet form okay?”
“Sure but why?”
“Can’t have them in asthma. Best to avoid them”
“Shit I’ve taken them before?”
“It’s okay, you’ll need to take a strong strength or too much for it to trigger an attack” he says as he makes soothing circles on your knee. “Sorry it’s the doctor in me talking I’ll turn it off”
“No” you murmur, “I like it”
“Oh yeah?” He raises his eyebrow teasingly. “What else do you like?”
“Mmmm” an unexpected soft giggle comes out as Jack moves his hand form your knee to your upper thigh.
“The reaction I expect when I do this isn’t laughter, sweetheart”
You bite on your lip and pull him toward you, kissing him deeply. The kiss turns heated, and Jack shifts you on the bed as he takes your pyjamas off. As his eyes move to look over at your naked body, he freezes. "What the hell?"
You are covered in purple and blue bruises scattered across your ribs and hips. They aren't all fresh; some had already faded into a yellow colour, which told Jack this had been happening for some time.
He sits back slightly, confused and shocked, “Sweetheart… what happened to you?”
You swallowed, suddenly feeling exposed in a way that had nothing to do with being undressed. “I… I had a few falls recently"
“Falls?” he rasps as he starts tracing a nasty bruise on your side. “These look bad. Really bad. How many times have you fallen?”
You hesitate, then let out a shaky breath. “More than I want to admit."
His reaction changes from confusion to worry, "and you didn't think to mention it?"
You blurt out, "it's my knee, giving me more trouble recently."
"Some of these bruises are weeks old"
"Okay more than just recently"
"What else?"
"That's it" you say, but not look him in the eye.
He tilts his head, and gently lifts your chin up to face him. "What...else?"
"The pain has been terrible recently, and I keep losing my balance" you admit. "Jack, I don't need advice, I don't need you to tell me to go see someone or do—"
"Hey, hey" he shifts over net to you, "I promise I wasn't gonna do that. But you have to tell me these things okay? It's serious because what if one day you were seriously injured?"
"I won't let that happen, not when I have a big performance coming up. I can't afford to let that happen."
"But if you don't let me help you, then you might not have a choice"
Jack's truthful words hit you in the chest like a dagger. Maybe your ignorance to your illness might lead to a serious injury one day. "I promise i'll be careful"
He smiles and says, "good, now can I check you over?"
You nod.
He leans over and starts tracing kisses over your bruises, and you giggle, "I thought you were checking me over!"
He mumbles through a mischievous smile, "I am. I only do this to my special patients."
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Jack respected that you told him you'd be careful, but that doesn't mean he believes you. Ever since he saw your bruises, he started picking up on more destructive habits, and in all fairness, he thought you did a great job at hiding them.
So he found a way around it.
He checked in regularly, but instead of asking about your pain, he'd ask if you wanted pain relief. Instead of asking if your knee is giving you trouble, he'd apply the pain relief gel. But one thing he could not get you to do was attend physiotherapy classes, so he offered you to go to the gym with him.
He also noticed how your asthma is worse when your pain is bad. So he'd offer you the inhaler without asking.
You, of course, don't tell him that you are in pain, but he notices as you try to lift something heavy, then you try not to pull a face, so he steps in quickly but quietly.
He noticed how when you start limping, you try to correct it so it's not too obvious, but then you'd go too quiet because you're focusing. He once asked if he could watch you practice, which you lied and told him he wasn't allowed. But Jack was allowed because Jack worked at the arena too. You couldn't have Jack there because your practice sessions were mainly you and your partner arguing about you insisting on doing a move, and him protesting it.
Until one day he gets a call from your phone, but it was Luke calling him to say he needs to pick you up. And Jack couldn't hold back anymore.
You sat in the locker room with a bloody nose and a cold compress pressed against your face as Jack rushed in. "Sweetheart? what the hell?'
"It's nothing"
"It's not nothing."
"I fell"
"Face down?!"
You nod.
"This gotta stop!"
"No, no" you bite back. "i'm fine!"
After holding back an argument, he drives you back to your apartment and helps you get out of your blood-soaked clothes. The number of bruises around your elbows and hips had increased in numbers dramatically, and you winced in pain with every movement.
"You're destroying yourself" Jack says.
You reply rudely as you pace around the apartment, "I'm not"
"Sit down" he commands, "right this fucking second."
You do as he says.
"How much are you hiding from me?"
A lot, you think.
"Seriously? you can't even be honest right now?"
"Why are you so angry?"
"Because i'm scared for you! i'm worried about you, how can I not be?" You're covered in bruises!" You can hear the hurt in his voice, and how it shook as he says, "Christ, if someone were to see you with me, looking like this, they're gonna think I had something to do with this! You look like you've been beaten up!"
"Its nothing"
"You have a bruised face" he states, "which by the way is going to terrify the kids tomorrow. "You have a massive haematoma on your hips, and you should have had that checked out. You should have at least told me!" he cires out, "You've hit your head so many times I dread to think what your scans would look like!"
"I don't need help"
"Why the hell not!"
"I'm not used to that " you yell, "I can't give anything in return!"
"But you can give me something in return" Jack says a lot softer now, "you being here safe and sound is you returning the favour. I can't even pick you up because wherever I touch you, there's a bruise, and you wince in pain." He approaches you slowly, and you feel yourself starting to tear up. "Let me take care of you." He wipes the tears off your cheeks, "I want you to get used to it, because i'm not going anywhere"
You blurt out, "I don't know what to say"
"I need you to be honest with me, moving forward. I need you to tell me everything. And I need you to start taking care of yourself."
You dip your chin down but Jack lifts it back up gently with his hand. "Promise me. No more secrets."
"I can't promise that."
"You can't promise me that because you don't think I care? or because you don't?"
"Because I think one day you'll get bored of me"
Jack frowns at your words, but after a few seconds, he smiles, "tell that to my silly heart, that's so madly in love with you. Honey, i'll never get bored of you."
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"Miss?" Robin pokes at your side, poking over one of your bruises and you wince in pain. "Miss, are you okay?"
You cough and nod. "All good buddy. All good"
"Miss you're making a funny noise"
"I just need to grab something from my bag." You skate away from him, rushing over to your bag to grab your inhaler. You take one deep puff and wait for a few minutes, feeling your lungs slightly relax. You take another one, just before going back on the ice.
Today's class took too long only because you were not in the mood to be here. You are tired and, of course, in pain, with your chest playing up. You also have a practice session planned straight after this, and you deeply regretted agreeing to it.
You wave goodbye to the kids as your partner comes on the ice.
"Hey Luke"
"Hey Bambi"
"That mean" you pinch him, "i've only fallen a few times"
He smiles, "How's the knee?"
"Meh, survivable"
"That's the attitude," he winks. "Ready?"
"Born ready" you lie. Not a fibre in your body was ready for your practice session. Because not even twenty minutes into it, you winced in pain loud enough for Luke to stop the session.
"We're done" he says firmly, "i'm not letting you fall on my watch again."
"But the performance-"
He cuts in, "By the looks of it we might not make it to the performance! I'm not letting you get hurt"
"Luke..." you say softly, "please?"
He shakes his head.
"One last spin and we call it a day."
Luke could never say no to you, because he had been your partner for years. He had seen what you were capable of, and he was lucky you stuck with him and not partnered up with someone better.
He agrees to it and you go back to practising, but this time Luke takes it easy. But with so much insistence, he agrees to a pair lift, and just as he lifts you up, you extend both arms and legs, a movement that sends pain shooting up from your knee to your thigh, making you jolt and eventually fall face down. You, luckily, don't hit your head, but land on your shoulder. Luke's horrified screams fill the arena, but you simply stand back up, wincing in pain, too calmly for Luke's liking.
You had injured yourself too badly, and you knew you were the only one to blame. But you couldn't let Luke know that, so you pretended you were fine. "Let's call it a day" you say.
"What the hell dude!" Luke snaps, "Are you okay! we're going to hospital, now"
"Luke I promise I'm good!" you say despite the agonising pain.
"Man you're a good liar but you're not fooling me. I'm calling Jack"
"Absolutely not!"
You convince him you were fine, and he gives you a pot of pain relief meds he carries on him and tells you they'll help with the pain. You promise him you'll let Jack know what happened.
Without researching what the pills were, you take two pills as you get home, and sit on the sofa with an ice pack on your shoulder and of course, not tell Jack.
It wasn't until your fingers were tingling, with pain starting to shoot up to your jaw and chest tightening, that you called Jack, who was at work, and he, of course, picks up as always. "Hey, sweetheart, how was practice?"
"Uhhh" you try and speak, but suddenly your chest feels even tighter, "I had a fall."
Jack says, concerned but not surprised, "how bad?"
"I hurt my left shoulder this time" you say, feeling your chest get tight. "But Luke gave me something for the pain. I might need an X-ray"
"An x-ray? that bad?" Jack says quickly, "let me see if Shen can cover, and i'll be right over"
"No, no Jack that's not why I called" you say as you walk over to your bag and grab your inhaler. "Please don't worry"
"You sound breathless"
"That's just....my motto," you reply sarcastically.
"What pills did Luke give you hun?"
You read out the word, Naproxen.
"Sweetheart, how much did you take?" he says as he rushes over to Lena, and starts writing on a paper. I'm gonna need an ambulance.
Lena frowns at him in confusion.
"Two pills...when I... got home" you cough and mumble fuck.
Jack writes your address down and hands it to Lena. ?Asthma attack, hx of tendonitis, taken NSAID
"Sweetheart what are you wearing?"
"Huh?"
"Your outfit what is it?"
"My purple unitard"
Jack writes down, wearing purple unitard. might be outside. depends how bad it is. Jack's hand shakes as he writes, might be unconscious.
"Sweetheart, I need you to listen to me very carefully, alright?" Jack says firmly, "You will need to leave your apartment and try to head downstairs. Do you think you can do that?"
"Uh..." you cough again, "I feel dizzy Jack"
"Okay, okay, can you at least unlock your front door?" Jack follows Lena to the ambulance parked outside. Lena fills in the paramedics and Jack watches as the blue-lit ambulance sets off in the distance.
"Sweetheart?" Jack says again, rubbing his temple, "I need you to stay awake for me"
"I'm... trying" you say again, "i'm at the door"
"Okay have you unlocked it?" Jack rasps, fighting back tears, "I need you to keep talking and I know it's hard"
"My chest hurts"
"Baby, can you sit on the floor for me? Outside the door?"
"I'm in the.... corridor"
"Okay good job, you're doing so well. Do you have your inhaler?"
"Yeah...."
Jack paces around the ambulance bay. "Take another puff for me okay?" Someone approaches him, trying to ask him something but he gestures for them to back off. Jack would have driven to you himself, but he would not have been quick enough, and wouldn't be able to help when he got there. Sending an ambulance would be the wisest choice, despite it killing him that he couldn't be with you.
Jack keeps asking you questions, and you try your best to fight the tightness in your chest. And now the sleepiness was taking over, but you stayed awake as you saw boots approach your head that lay on the floor.
"Dr Abbot we've got her" the paramedic says on the phone, "i'm hanging up now"
And with that, Jack wasn't able to reach you for the next fourteen minutes and 37 seconds. He timed it as he paced outside the ambulance bay with a team of medics standing nearby, waiting for the ambulance.
"Parker do you have nebules?"
"Check"
"Shen, steroids?"
"Check"
"Oxy-"
"Jack" Parker cuts in, "we've got this. Alright? I promise you we've got it"
"I know but-"
Lena now cuts in, "Jack, it's your team and no one else's. They know what they're doing."
Jack lets out a sigh as he continues to pace.
But as the ambulance arrives and they open the doors, instead of Jack rushing to be by your side, he takes a step back. He can hear his heartbeat in his ears as it thumped, and suddenly his throat feels tight. He hadn't felt like this in many, many, years. He can hear the team talk to the paramedics, but he can't register what they are saying. The sounds were muffled, and despite the darkness outside, the street lamp felt too damn bright.
But it was only when you put your hand out to him, trying to reach him, that Jack managed to move forward.
In Jack's mind, he had a checklist. He ticked off each item as he supervised the team and spoke to you.
☑️ high flow oxygen
"Hey, hey… look at me, sweetheart. I’ve got you," Jack murmurs softly, "You're safe because you're with me, okay?"
☑️ nebulised salbutamol
"You’re doing so good. I know it feels scary, but your body knows what to do. Just let the medicine work.”
☑️ IV magnesium sulfate
His hand brushes through your hair. "You'll start to feel better in no time."
☑️ IV steroids
"I'm staying here and I'm not going anywhere. I promise you."
You manage a weak nod as you audibly wheeze.
"Good girl. That’s my girl. You’re so strong, even when it feels like you can’t breathe."
You nod again as you feel your ears tearing up. He wipes your tears away. "I’m so proud of you."
"I.... think it's working," you say.
"Okay that's good, that's really good." he leans forward, resting his head just by your temple, "A few more minutes and you'll start to feel so much better."
"My shoulder-"
"I know, we're gonna get that scanned and fixed I promise." He murmurs, "But first priority is your lungs. I promise we'll sort it all out."
"Jack...it hurts"
"I know, baby, I know, we'll give you the pain meds once your lungs have settled, okay? I promise you."
"I'm sorry I messed up."
"No, no you didn't. Baby, I promise you didn't. You did the right thing," he says gently, "you called me, and now you're here, and you're safe."
"I'm scared" you cry, "I'm scared i'll never be able to skate again."
"That's not true, you'll always skate but only if you accept help and get better." Jack promises, "And i'll be there to help you, every step of the way."
"I don't know if I can do this anymore"
"You're gonna have to, sweetheart," he smiles, "Because I already bought myself a prosthetic skate, so it'll be a shame to waste it?"
You break into a smile, despite your pain, "Seriously?"
Jack nods eagerly, "fifty years too late, but I gotta start somewhere?"
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