in sickness and in health.

Payton couldn't even begin to describe how relieved she was when Jacob told her that the doctor had discharged her. Her shoulders sagged in relief and she winced slightly as she sat up, turning to let her legs hang over the side of the bed. The weight on her ankle made her ankle throb, it was still very much so broken but she didn't care at all. Payton just wanted to get home with Jacob. He'd done nothing but care for her in any way that he could, bringing her treats and telling her stories of their life together. Payton didn't remember much so it was making her frustrated but Jacob was doing his absolute best to cheer her up. She had to admit that he was doing a damn good job.

A light blush covered her cheeks as she looked up to Jacob, biting down on the inside of her lip. "You brought me a change of clothes, right?" Payton grinned when Jacob presented her with a pair of sweats and a shirt that he claimed was his - that she loved to wear. Payton realized why she was so hesitant to change. She would be naked in front of Jacob for what felt like the first time even if she knew that wasn't the truth. THat Jacob was her husband, of course, he would have seen her body before.

"Do you.." Payton trailed off, huffing when she realized how silly she felt. She didn't want to make Jacob feel bad, not when he'd been nothing but an absolute sweetheart to her. "Can you help me? I just don't want to try and put weight on my ankle," she explained, deciding that was a better option than being completely truthful with him.

Jacob watched Payton with stubborn eyes, watching as she turned herself to sit up on the hospital bed. He gripped the clothes tighter in his hand, taking a few steps back to close the hospital room door. "Of course." A gentle smile appeared on his face as Jacob moved to stand in front of her, lightly setting the change of clothes down on the bed next to her. "Hold on to me." Jacob spoke quietly, his large hands covering hers and bringing them to rest atop his shoulders. Goosebumps popped up long his arms and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end feeling her so close to him. He could feel her spirit as if it hung thick around him, his hands slowly wrapping around her, untying the hospital gown before letting one arm linger around her waist, holding her up as he tugged the fabric from her body.

His eyes wandered down her frame, looking over her for the first time. Her skin looked so soft and plush, even if parts of her were bruised and battered, like the cuts that decorated her chest and arms. Jacob let his hands glide over her bruises, wondering what he would be doing now if the car crash had taken her life. He wouldn't wish that it had never happened, because that almost fatal accident was the only reason he was here now, holding her in his arms. Payton couldn't remember who her husband really was, what he looked like, or how he sounded. It had been laughable how easy it was, just striding into her room, teary-eyed, with a shaking voice that was so grateful she was alive. Now here they were. She was so close to being trapped in his grip.

Grabbing the sweats from the bed, he shook them out before leaning down, Payton anchoring herself to his shoulders to stay standing. Jacob helped her step into the pants before grabbing the shirt, only helping her sit back down when she was fully dressed. "There's a wheelchair in the hallway, let me grab it." He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, before he dipped out of the room, returning only seconds later with the wheelchair. He pulled it up to the side of the bed, taking her arm and helping her move over to the chair.

Jacob's hands were positively shaking as he wheeled Payton from the hospital room, walking down the hallway with purpose, making sure to smile towards every nurse he passed, making him seem confident in his actions. Inward, he was terrified, worry plaguing him that someone might try to stop him on the way out. He was only able to let out the breath he had been holding once they passed through the exit doors, moving through the parking lot towards his car.

@ castle.

Payton set her hands on Jacob's shoulders, bracing herself to keep her balance while she lifted her injured leg. She hesitated before she leaned against the bed, trying to support as much of her weight as she could when she set her uninjured leg in the other pant leg. Payton breathed a small sigh of relief when she was finally dressed, nodding quickly when she pushed herself back onto the bed in a proper position. Payton was quiet as she waited for Jacob to return with the wheelchair. She was admittedly far too eager to return home, where she could start healing. Eventually, she would have to start going to physical therapy and start to return to her everyday life. hopefully, at that time, Payton's memory would start to return more. That's what the doctors had all said anyway. She just hoped it was right because she didn't think she could handle not working or doing anything else in her life.

"Thank you," Payton murmured when Jacob helped her into the wheelchair. She groaned, setting her foot on the leg rest. It wasn't until they got out to the parking lot that she looked up to Jacob, giving him a bright smile. "Do you think we could stop for some McDonalds on the way? I just want something horrible and fattening," she joked. Jacob had brought her a few things over the course of her hospital stay but she was definitely left craving chicken nuggets.

Once Payton was settled into the passenger seat of Jacob's car, she relaxed back in her seat. She glanced toward Jacob and gave him a gentle smile. "How far is the drive?" She asked after a moment of hesitation. Payton didn't exactly like having to ask such simple questions because she was an adult. She should know where she lived and yet she didn't remember anything. She hardly could even remember that Jacob was her husband. It just made sense to her because Jacob had been there since the moment that she had woken up and he'd been there just about every other moment. He had charmed the nurses and doctors as much as he'd charmed her. She had no reason to believe any different.

"You said you called my work and let them know that I won't really be ready to go back until a few weeks of physical therapy, right?" Payton murmured. She was a bit disgruntled because none of her coworkers had shown up. While she might not remember them, it would have made sense for someone to show up, right? Or at least send flowers or something.

Jacob had helped Payton into the passenger seat, leaning against the frame of the car as he smiled in at her. "McDonald's it is." He didn't care to give her whatever she asked for, knowing that once he got her home... She wouldn't ever be leaving him. Standing up straight, Jacob closed the door on her before taking the wheelchair back to the lobby of the hospital, jogging back to the car and sliding into the driver seat.

Starting the engine, Jacob leaned forward and turned down the radio, eager to get out of the hospital parking lot. He was already so giddy with excitement, mentally already congratulating himself for getting away with his crime. "It'd about an hour, hour and a half. So we'll get you something to eat, you can take some of the pain relievers the hospital sent with us and rest until we get there." He took his eyes off of the road for a second to smile over at her, before bringing his attention back to his driving.

"Don't worry about your job, okay? I've taken care of everything." Jacob relaxed his shoulders into his seat, heading straight for the interstate. He'd stop off at an exit somewhere to get her McDonald's, once they were out of the city. It had been difficult keeping Payton's real husband from finding her. Jacob had worked diligently to ensure her husband couldn't find out which hospital and which room she was in by changing the last name on her charts and by informing nurses that if anyone called for her, not to give out any information, that she had a crazy stalker looking for her Her husband would call the hospital and just by glancing at their clipboards, they'd see no woman with his last name. He had to also work quickly, knowing that plan wouldn't work for very long, so he had lied about her discharge after only the second day of her being in the hospital.

The first exit they came to outside of city limits, Jacob took, happy to see the small town had a McDonald's. It was their only fast food option, but luckily, it was the one that Payton had requested. Pulling into the drivethru, Jacob reached over to cover her hand with his, giving her a gentle, comforting squeeze. "What do you want, hmm?"

@ castle.

Admittedly, Payton was tired and in a fair bit of pain from moving around so much but she didn't want to take her painkillers until after she had eaten something. She was quiet as Jacob drove, not really thinking too much about the fact when he headed straight for the highway. She just assumed that he wanted to get home as quickly as possible so that Payton could get settled in and relax enough so that she could heal. Payton nodded at his comment about her not worrying. She wasn't because Jacob had done nothing but care for her since her accident. He'd been nothing but helpful and she had to appreciate it, even if she didn't really remember their relationship before the accident.

When they finally pulled up to the McDonalds, Payton was far beyond relieved. She was hungry and she knew she could take some of her painkillers after she had eaten. She squeezed Jacob's hand in return, looking over the menu for a moment before she looked back up to him. "Can I have the chicken nugget meal? Just a root beer, or whatever, to drink," she murmured, her thumb lazily stroking against Jacob's hand. She wasn't comfortable with much more affection at the moment but she was trying to do as much as she could without feeling overwhelmed or uncomfortable.

"Thanks," Payton said as she took the bag of food from Jacob, all too eagerly. She looked inside, snatching a bite of fries before she glanced toward Jacob. "Do you want to just park long enough so you can eat?" She asked softly, nodding toward the food he'd picked out. She shifted in her seat, trying to get a bit more comfortable.

Handing Jacob his food, Payton breathed a small sigh of relief. "I'm just happy that I don't have to suffer through crappy hospital food anymore. I always forget just how bad it is until it's too late," she said with a small laugh.