Chapter Text
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Dot rubbed the back of Hugh’s neck as his head hung low. “You got him out and the doctor said he was alright.”
“That’s… that’s not what the doctor said, Dottie,” he countered weakly, but he laid his hand over her knee in gratitude as she continued to soothe him.
“I’m sure he will be,” she said sincerely. Hugh responded with small jerk of a nod, then took to fidgeting with his trouser leg.
“I just… “ he took a deep breath, Dot looking at him patiently. “I can’t stop seeing it. It all happened so fast, but when he fell to the floor… and even when I got him outside, he was so weak; all the color gone from his face. … He wanted me to tell something to Miss Fisher, but he blacked out. Like he was trying to say his goodbyes,” Hugh brought his fist to his forehead and grimaced, willing the image of it not to haunt him, “I… I don’t think I can ever forget it.”
His wife laid her head on his shoulder, taking one of his hands in hers and squeezing lightly. “You don’t need to forget. It’s an awful thing that happened, but it wasn’t your fault. The inspector did exactly what you would’ve done had the roles been reversed.”
“That’s just it,” he sniffed and her brows knit together in confusion. “He was trying to help… just trying to do a good thing and save someone… and he got hurt, anyway. Just like… “ he shook his head as if trying to rid his mind of the thought and Dot gasped softly in understanding. He knew she would; she was the most remarkably perceptive and empathetic person he’d ever met.
“Like your dad,” she finished the sentence for him and he swallowed the sob that threatened to rise from his throat. “Oh, Hugh… “ her arms encircled him all at once and she kissed him tenderly on the cheek. “I hadn’t even thought… you must’ve been so scared.”
He hugged her tighter into him, leaning his face into her shoulder to find the comfort of her scent, “For a second, I… it looked like him. Blood on the ground where he laid… not moving. It felt like a nightmare.”
“I’m sure it did,” she whispered.
“If he doesn’t… I don’t know how I can live with it again,” he said shakily.
Dot pulled back, cupping his face in her hands just as Miss Fisher had earlier, looking deep into his eyes as if to speak to his soul. “He will,” she told him with conviction that gave his battered heart a caress of hope. “Miss Phryne would never have told us to leave if she didn’t believe he would be… and she’s never wrong.”
He smiled gratefully then, feeling the first bit of true relief he had all night, laying a hand over hers where it still rested on his face. “No… no, she isn’t.”
——-
“The bullet hit through the side of his right abdomen,” Dr. Evans explained as they walked past the surgical suites towards the recovery rooms. “Luckily, it missed any major arteries, but it did pierce his liver.”
She nodded soberly, taking in every word while simultaneously cross-referencing it with the medical knowledge she’d learned in her time as a nurse. It wasn’t good, but of all his major organs, it wasn’t the worst.
”We had to remove a substantial amount… his gallbladder entirely,” he said this part with a look of apprehension, as if expecting to be confronted. “But there’s been some recent literature that suggests the liver is rather resilient! We’ve discovered it has the capability of regenerating itself, though we’re not yet sure to what extent.”
Yes, she thought she remembered reading something to that effect in one of Mac’s medical journals once, though if she recalled correctly the study had only been observed in rodents thus far. She could only hope that it had similar results in humans.
“Even still, his recovery won’t be without some hurdles and he’ll have to maintain a rather strict diet. Lots of protein, less carbohydrates and sugars… “
Oh dear, she thought. Hurdles indeed. He has no idea how much this man loves to eat.
”And absolutely no alcohol.”
Well… fuck. This was going to be a test for them both, then. Poor Mr. Butler was going to have to run interference on all of this and likely receive a healthy dose of sass in return. She made an internal note to double his pay as soon as possible.
“As far as emergency surgeries go, his went as well as could be expected. He did lose a fair amount of blood, so he’ll likely be lethargic and we’ll need to keep him here for a few days to monitor him.”
”Of course,” she said softly as the doctor slowed to a stop outside a recovery room door.
”I should note, as well, Mrs. Robinson… “ Dr. Evan’s awkwardly gestured with his hands, seemingly uncomfortable with what he needed to say. “The healing process will take about three to four weeks, so no strenuous exercise or… marital activities until then.”
Jack was such a private soul that he would be absolutely mortified by this conversation. If not for how anxious she was to see him, she would have burst out laughing. Instead, they shared an awkward pause, then she blinked slowly and nodded. “I think I understand, doctor, thank you.”
”Excellent,” he offered a tight smile, then gestured toward the door, “Yes, well… “
She breezed past him with a grateful glance, passing over the threshold, “Gives us an opportunity to practice some non-marital ones.”
Phryne didn’t even need to turn around to know the look on the doctor’s face was nothing short of scandalized.
——-
“Jack… ”
The moment she saw him would strike her for many years after the fact. It was such a violent tide of emotions - relief mixed with shock mixed with pain… and then a love so strong it felt as if it might burst out of her entirely. He looked himself, yet not at all. His skin was pale, his hair mussed, and he seemed somehow… small. She had always considered herself to be the more flamboyant of the two of them, with a personality so bright it could nearly blind. But never again would she take for granted the magnitude of his steady, quiet strength from the way he looked so diminished now.
“Oh, darling… “ she touched the back of her hand gently to his face, wincing at how chilled she found his skin. On instinct, she reached for his wrist, pressing her fingers there to feel for a pulse and sighing in relief once she did. Not the strongest, but not the weakest, either.
Turning her attention to the muffled voices coming from the corner of the room, she saw Dr. Evans speaking with the nurse, who she had been too focused to realize was even there.
”Has he awoken at all?” Phryne asked, finding her throat constricted with unshed tears.
The nurse took a step closer, nodding reassuringly. “Yes, briefly.”
”He’ll likely be in and out of consciousness the next day or two,” Dr. Evans added and they shared a moment of silent understanding.
“Are you Miss Fisher?” the nurse asked kindly.
Phryne turned, instinctively leaving a protective hand on his forearm. “I am,” she said and then quickly remembered that no, actually, she wasn’t. “Or I used to be… “ she recovered, giving an acknowledging nod to the confused Dr. Evans, “My maiden name.”
”Ah,” he responded and the nurse regarded her warmly.
”He was asking for you,” she said softly and Phryne felt a deep tug in her heart. “It was all he said, ‘Miss Fisher. Please tell Miss Fisher.’”
A warm tear rolled down her cheek as a somber smile spread on her face.
“I think he’ll be very pleased to tell you whatever it is himself now.”
The bitter taste of anxiety on her tongue washed away like a gentle tide as she let her tears flow freely, turning to look down at him fondly. “I’ll be very pleased to hear it.”
——-
It took some convincing and the name-dropping of Aunt Prudence, but any insistence on her honoring visiting hours ceased and she found herself in a not-entirely-uncomfortable chair at his bedside. She had sourced extra blankets from the linen closet herself and was pleased to see the hue of his face turn brighter under the additional warmth. She also found a dependable ally in the kind nurse, Nurse McAllister, who brought her tea and a sandwich and told her how much she admired that they could remain so devoted after so many years of marriage.
She couldn’t even find herself to feel guilty for it. In fact, she found that the more she was called “Mrs. Robinson,” the more natural it felt. It wasn’t something she was letting herself ponder too deeply on, but almost losing Jack had made it clear that she never wanted to. He was hers and she was his; that was truer now than it had ever been before.
The next several hours required patience, which was one of the skills Phryne never excelled at, but she told herself she could master it for this short bit, for him. He stirred every little while and she softly called his name to try and rouse him. Thus far, he’d only let out a soft groan or two before slipping back into sleep, but she took heart when this last time, he had faintly squeezed her hand that was held in his. “Take your time, darling, I’m not going anywhere.”
Head laid next to his on the pillow, it wasn’t long after that he stirred again, a low rumble almost inaudible leaving his lips. “Phryne… “
Her head shot up as her heart raced in hope.
“Phr… Phryne, tell Phryne,” he murmured weakly.
”Jack, I’m here!” she whispered sharply and the lids of his eyes fluttered as he tried to open them.
”Collins… “
”He’s alright. Hugh’s safe, it’s alright,” she laid her hand on his face to soothe him, her thumb stroking his cheek.
“Tell Miss… Collins, tell Miss Fisher… “
Oh, God. He thought he was still at the warehouse.
“Tell Phryne I lo… I love… “ his breath becoming more deep and labored.
Tears welled in her eyes anew and she leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth fondly. “Shhh, darling,” she cooed. “She knows. She already knows.”
He let out a deep sigh as if relieved to hear it and she laughed quietly, kissing him gently again as she lulled him back to sleep.
She was awoken some time later by the bright rays of sun shining through the curtains of the room windows. Mewling her displeasure at the light, she sat up to stretch her neck and blinked to clear her eyes of sleep. When her vision came into focus, she was stunned to see a pair of blue eyes and a crooked smile looking back at her.
”My apologies, Miss Fisher… I fell more than two steps behind,” he said groggily, his voice little more than a rasp.
She breathed out a soft laugh that quickly morphed into pained tears. “Oh Jack, thank God!” she cupped her hand around the back of his neck and leaned down to kiss him all over his face, her entire body shaking in grateful sobs. Holding him close, she rested her forehead to his and cried all the harder as she felt him kiss her tears.
After a few long moments she pulled back slightly to look at him properly, carding her hand through his hair and scanning him over adoringly. “I’ll forgive it this once,” she told him, matching the smile that spread on his face, “But with one condition.”
”Oh?” he asked, the mischief in his eyes belied by the tiredness of his voice. “What’s that?”
She smiled wider then, gazing down at him with unabashed sincerity. “Marry me.”
His face lit up briefly before turning serious. “There’s a problem with that.”
She narrowed her eyes in mock suspicion. “Yes?”
He gave her a warm smile, the image of which she would hold dear in her heart for decades to come, and said softly, “I was told my wife spent the night at my side. So… we might want to ask her first.”