"When I'm rolling with the punches and hope is gone, leave a light, a light on...." - Midnight

*3 days later*

Jonny's POV:

It's been a few days since Lucy was shot and the police are still looking for Carl- they've had no luck in catching the bastard yet. Lucy hasn't woken up at all, but the nurses have reassured us countless times that she's really just sleeping. She hasn't fallen into a coma or anything but we just have to wait for her body to wake up naturally... but it's so hard...

Chris hasn't left her side, only to use the bathroom and we've had to bring him clean clothes,  food and countless cups of tea/coffee trying to keep his health and spirits up but I can tell that he's struggling. The hospital staff have bent the rules backwards by letting him stay with her when he made it adamant that he wasn't leaving. I guess they didn't have the heart to kick him out given the situation. The boys and I have been taking turns to come and sit with Chris during visiting hours, to keep him company and for him to have someone to talk to- just to make sure that he doesn't shut himself off or bottle everything up again...

The other day he told me that Gwyneth has been surprisingly understanding, reassuring him that the kids were okay and promised to phone him/let him phone them when they got home from school earlier today so that he could talk to them and explain what had happened. The shock has probably made her more mellow. I haven't spoken to him since about lunch time so I don't know how they took the news... they're bound to be heartbroken.. they love and idolise Lucy so much.

I walked down the hospital corridor, glancing at my watch and seeing it was now 7pm. Visiting hours was 7-9 so We'd have a few hours to catch up. I entered Lucy's ward and smiled at the receptionist as I made my way towards the private room. I stopped at the door before entering, gazing through the window- my heart sinking at the sight in front of me.

Lucy's still lying unconscious on the hospital bed, and I saw that Chris had inevitably fallen asleep, his head lolled back against the armchair he was awkwardly folded into.
He had drawn the chair next to her bed and had his legs stretched out in front of him, arm outstretched as he held one of her hands loosely . It looked incredibly uncomfortable and it was clear that he hadn't planned to fall asleep- he simply had given the stress, worry and exhaustion of this nightmare of a situation.

I slowly pushed the door open, wincing when it squeaked and made my way into the room quietly, carefully trying not to make any sudden movements or sounds that could wake him. I know He hasn't slept much so startling him awake was the last thing I wanted to do.  I eased myself down Into the matching chair on the other side of Lucy's bed and declined against it, gazing at him intently and waited for any reaction. But he didn't stir, his eyes remained shut and his breathing stayed deep and relaxed.

He looked awful and extremely run down. I noticed that his eyes have sunken in and dark bags had set under them. The stubble on his cheeks has grown and was bordering between stubble and a beard- he definitely needs a shave. His hair was also messy and unkempt, gravity making it lie flat against his forehead. It reminded me of the times when we were on tour, usually when we were travelling. Chris was a fairly light sleeper but he'd almost always pass out anywhere from exhaustion after gigs for hours. Travelling to and from countries with drastically different time zones didn't help either ... He'd just keep going on pure adrenaline until he'd fall into a deep sleep and be dead to the world until someone woke him.

I flicked my gaze back to Lucy, who's laying on her back  still wrapped up in thick bandages; she's as white as a sheet. I still can't believe what's happened to her to be honest. It angers me how the police still haven't found Carl. They know where he lives, the places where and people he hangs out with ... why can't they just find him and send him down for life? There's no doubt that he tried to kill her the other day... surely it should be a life for a life right? Or is that only in the films?... all I know is that he should be punished, and locked up... for real this time.

I sat with them for half an hour, deep in thought when I notice Chris was starting to wake up. His eyebrows furrowed slightly and he let out a low groan, his eyes flicking open as he stretched his arms out, grip tighten on Lucy's hand, his face dropping when he saw that she's still out cold. He tilted his head to the side to presumably get the crick out of his neck before lifting it and noticed me sitting across from him. He gazed at me through tired, half closed eyes and rubbed the sleep from them, drawing out a long yawn.

"Hey Jon" he greeted softly, flashing me a small smile and I returned it, my eyes searching his, silently trying to radiate reassurance to him.

"Hey mate, how are you holding up?" I asked, leaning forward in my chair slightly. God, I've only been sitting in this thing for half an hour and my bum's already going numb! It just showed how tired he was that he actually fell asleep in one!

"I'm fine... I spoke to Apple and Moses earlier and told them what's happened ... I sort of knew that they wouldn't take the news well but they're absolutely crushed... they miss us and they want to come and see  her but I told them they can once she's woken up" he said, picking at a loose thread on his jeans absentmindedly. I could see that replaying their conversation was churning up his emotions as the anguish was clear in his voice.

"Yeah... I think that's a good idea..." I agreed, shifting myself in the seat slightly. I watched as he turned his head to gaze at Lucy, leaning forward and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear tenderly and brought her hand to his lips and pecked it gently before sitting back again. "Have the doctors said anything else about how she's doing?" I asked him quietly, my concern growing when he bowed his head with a sigh and sniffled, directing his gaze away from mine.

"Chris?..." I prompted, suddenly feeling extremely uneasy. Is there something that he hasn't told us? He shook his head, before looking up at me, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. "What is it?..." I whispered, too anxious to raise my voice any louder.

"Y-yeah.. it's nothing bad, they said that she might come round sooner than later... It's just... God, I-I miss her so much..." he confessed, those intense blue eyes boring into my green ones, nervously running a hand through his hair and pushed it back from his face. Oh mate....

"I know you do... we all do..." I said softly, leaning forward to make sure he held my gaze. "But listen to me... you can't give up hope. She's proven that she's a fighter and she'll wake up sooner than you think... we're all gonna be there and help you guys through this" I told him; watching as he rubbed his eyes - preventing the brimming tears from falling.

"I know... thanks Jon, you always know what to say" he chuckled softly, before letting go of Lucy's hand and stood up, walking the short distance between us with his arms held open. I stood up and he pulled me in for a hug, arms wrapping around me tightly, chin resting on my shoulder with a sigh .

"Anytime..." I whispered into his ear as I copied his actions, melting into his embrace. I'm glad that after all these years of being in the band we were still as close as we were during our uni days- that the intimacy and the bond between us has never broken... and that I could still provide some reassurance and comfort when he needed it. He pulled away with a small smile before reclaiming his seat by the bed. My stomach decided to make itself known by rumbling loudly and caused both of us to laugh.

I realised that I haven't eaten anything since dinner - we ended up having spaghetti and mince sauce (it was amazing!). Chloe had served it fairly early tonight (5pm) as the kids' gymnastics class started at 7pm and she didn't want their food to bounce around in their stomachs.

"You hungry Jay?" He laughed, eying me up playfully.

"Yeah... I've already had dinner but we had it early and I'm starving now" I exaggerated , making him giggle. "Have you eaten anything?" I asked, taking in his lean figure.

"Yup! A young nurse came round earlier doing a routine check on Lucy and she was sweet enough to ask me if I wanted anything... so I gave her some money to get me a slice of pizza and some salad. It was lovely." He replied, his eyes lighting up at the memory. I smiled as well, the staff here are so nice and caring.

"Awww that's good! I'm just gonna go to the vending machine round the corner to get us some sweets... do you want anything in particular?" I asked, already getting to my feet.

"Would you mind getting me some chocolate? A twirl or a curly wurly if there's one there?" He asked with hopeful eyes, giving me knowing look and made me laugh. Curly wurly is one of his favourite chocolates in the world... he'd probably live on them if he could!

(For those in foreign countries this is what a curly wurly looks like! They're amazing and Chris is mad on them in real life 😂❤️)

"Sure, I'll be right back" I told him, turning round to open the door.

"Thanks mate... for everything" he said, flashing me a small smile and I returned it before exiting the room, making my way over to the vending machine and saw that it had the chocolate he wanted. Happy days!

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About an hour later....

Lucy's POV:

I'm alive....

I can slowly feel myself becoming aware of my surroundings, the first thing I focus on is the sharp ache in my chest... The memories came rushing back to me and I realised it's where Carl has shot me. The pain isn't as excruciating anymore but it's more like a dull ache. I try to open my eyes but they're heavy and my head's pounding...

I can hear some sort of beeping in the distance... which means I'm in hospital right? It must be a monitor or something. I can smell strong disinfectant and I hear footsteps and voices in the distance too. I feel a hand in mine and its owner has tightened it's grip on mine. I give it a responding squeeze, fighting to try and open my eyes. Suddenly I hear a voice that I've been longing to hear and I'm so glad that he's here with me.

"Lucy? Can you hear me?... Jon, get the doctor! I think she's waking up!" Chris' voice sounds by my ear. There's a panicked tone in it and I hear Jonny getting up and exiting the room. I try to open my mouth to answer but only a raspy noise comes out. "C'mon babe, you can do it.... please wake up..." his soft voice encourages me, although it wavers slightly. It's full of emotion and my heart constricts when I realise that he sounds close to tears.

Suddenly the door opens and I hear multiple people coming into the room and they immediately start checking me and the machinery. "What's happening? Is she okay?" Chris asks the doctor, his grip now practically crushing my hand.

"All seems to be okay... this is normal - you'll be pleased to know that she's waking up" I distinguish as another male voice- presumably the doctor.

I try to force my eyes open again on hearing his words and I'm greeted by a bright light and a white room and immediately shut them again... I try again and blink a few times, letting my blurred vision settle.  When I'm finally able to see clearly I see a dark haired man wearing a white lab coat hovering beside me and I can see Chris and Jonny sat either side of the bed. 2 nurses are also stood at the foot of the bed, checking the health notes about me.

"L-Lucy!!" Chris stutters and I feel him squeeze my hand slightly. He leans forward and suddenly his face is above mine. He's smiling but his eyes are full of unshed tears. "Oh my God..." He trails off, taking a sharp intake of air , something between a laugh and a sob.

"H-hi Babe.." I force out, my voice a hoarse whisper. I slowly reach up and touch his face, caressing his stubbly cheek and wiped away a stray tear that was making its way down his face. "Hey d-don't cry..." I told him, my own voice wavering slightly as tears pricked my own eyes. He just smiled softly and planted a tender kiss on my lips and I kissed him back before he sat back against the chair. I look across at Jonny and he smiled back at me. I saw that he was also fighting back tears himself.

"Hey Jay" I greeted, a massive smile breaking on my face at the fact that he was here too.

"Welcome back Miss Davies. I'm Doctor Murphy, I performed your surgery a few days ago" the doctor greeted. Now that I was fully aware I realised that he had a strong Irish accent, he leaned over me to get in my line of view. I try to sit up slightly but hiss in pain as the ache intensified. "Don't try to sit up yet, you've endured some major surgery to remove the bullet from your chest and we've had to insert 30 stitches internally and externally to close the wound up. You're bound to feel extremely sore but we've given you some painkillers through your IV to fill the pain"he explained, gesturing to the drip and massive needle imbedded in the back of my hand.  I nodded, trying to process all of this information.

"I've been out for 3 days?" I questioned, looking across to the guys as well. They all nodded, confirming my statement. "That's crazy!" I exclaimed. Gazing down at my chest to see the thick bandages and dressings wrapped around it.

"Yes, your body has endured a lot of trauma and it's normal for patients to take a few days for their body to recover properly. Do you remember what happened?" He asked, his eyes searching my face gently.

"Yeah... I was walking home from work but my ex boyfriend and his friends found me... we had an argument and then he s-shot me... the last thing I remember is Chris finding me and taking me to find help..." I explained, tears beginning to sting my eyes as the memories came flooding back.

"Okay, we've got the police out on patrol looking for your ex right now and he'll be arrested for attempted murder. They'll come in to ask you some questions tomorrow . You've been extremely lucky, the outcome could've been very different if Chris didn't find you when he did..." The doctor explained before pressing a button that slowly lifting me up into a sitting position.

"Ok, Thank you" I gave him a grateful look, coughing slightly to clear my throat - hoping to get rid of the hoarseness from my voice.

"You're very welcome. I think that it's for the best if you stay here tonight and we'll discharge you tomorrow morning if all goes well.  I'll leave you guys in peace for now, to have a chance to catch up. A nurse will come back and check up on you later before visiting hours end. Just give us a shout if you need anything" he said kindly, flicking his gaze to Chris and Jonny as well and smiled. I nodded in agreement, as it was quite late already.

"Thank you so much doctor" Chris stood up and shook his hand firmly, his gaze revealing a thousand emotions. Doctor Murphy patted his shoulder sympathetically before turning his gaze to me.

"Oh, I must say that this one's definitely a keeper Lucy, he hasn't left your side since you were admitted" he said softly, a grin stretching his lips and made us all giggle.

"You're a 100% right about that" I replied, meeting Chris' eyes with a grateful smile. I would've probably bled out if he hadn't found me when he did... Doctor Murphy shook Jon's hand too before exiting the room. There was a moment of silence between the three of us before Chris met my gaze and decided to speak up.

"I'm so glad you're okay" he told me in a small voice. From this new sitting position I could now focus my gaze properly on him. He looks pale and absolutely exhausted, he desperately needs a shave and dark  bags lie deep underneath his eyes. I notice that they look red and sore from crying and lack of sleep. Awww Babe...

"It's all thanks to you... my hero" I whispered, hoping that my gratitude would show clearly. He nodded with a small smile and blinked before focusing his gaze to the floor, letting the brimming tears fall freely down his cheeks. I immediately reached for his hand and held it firmly, stroking the back of it soothingly as he rode this horrible rollercoaster of emotions.

"I almost lost you..." he sobbed, looking up and meeting my gaze. The look on his face broke my heart... I hate seeing him so upset. "Y-you passed out and stopped breathing not long after I found you, we had to do CPR and the paramedics had to s-shock you back alive" he told me. That's when I realise that he's been through absolute hell over the last few days. He and the guys' must've been absolutely terrified.

"But you didn't... I'm right here ... " I remind him, gripping his hand tighter and pulled  him closer to me so that he was now sitting on the edge of the bed. "Come here" I told him softly before reaching out (ignoring the sharp pain in my chest as I did so) and pulled him into a hug, wrapping my arms around his lean figure- desperately wanting to comfort him.

He carefully snaked his arms around me before relaxing into my embrace, any tension or stiffness easing away from his muscles. He snuggled up and held me tight against him as he cried and I could feel hot tears running  down my neck. It was almost as if he was afraid to let me go.

" Shhh now... it's okay... I'm okay" I whispered in his ear, looking over his shoulder to see Jon - who flashed me a sad smile.

He pulled away a while later and dried his face with the sleeve of his sweatshirt, I intertwined out fingers together and squeezed his hand reassuringly, smiling at him. "How are the kids?" I asked, keen to change his mind a little. I watched as he picked up a bottle of water and sipped from it.

"They're okay, Gwyneth's been looking after them. I've spoken to them both and told them what happened.. they're worried sick about you. I said that they can come and see you soon" he answered, a small grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. I let out a laugh, those kids are so cute. They've definitely got their father's loving, caring side.

"Awww! I can't wait to see them. What day is it? Tuesday?" I asked, momentarily confused.

"No, it's Wednesday." He said softly, looking down at his watch "and it's 8:30pm now... visiting hours end at 9 but I'm gonna stay here with you again tonight " he said, failing to hold back a yawn. I wanted nothing more than for him to go home and get a decent night's sleep but I know that he probably wouldn't leave me. There's nothing wrong with trying to convince him though right?

"Why don't you go home and sleep properly love ? You've been here for days and I'll be fine here until the morning. I'll only be sleeping" I told him and I watched his eyebrows furrow slightly. He clearly wasn't a fan of the idea.

""But—" he started but Jon interrupted him.

"Lucy's right mate, you need to rest, go home and be normal. You know, have a shower and a shave, eat normal food. I dunno how you've been able to function on like an hour's sleep" Jon said quietly, those green eyes pleading with him. "You can always come home with me and stay over at mine if you'd like? I'll bring you back here tomorrow morning too". He suggested. Chris turned his gaze to me, as if he was debating what to do. But then he bowed his head in defeat, clearly too exhausted and emotionally drained to argue back or think of any excuse to stay here.

"You're sure you'll be okay?" He asked me, his eyes searching mine for any uncertainty but he didn't find any. I nodded and smiled at him. My heart swelled at how genuine he is. He cares and worries so much about me. I love him so much...

"Yeah... well I'm as good as I can be , given the situation " I giggled and they both grinned at my witty humour . We were interrupted by a light knock on the door and a nurse made her way inside .

"Hey guys! I've just come to check on how you're doing. How are you feeling Lucy ?" She asked, her kind eyes boring into mine.

"I'm okay, just a little sore but I suppose there's nothing a little painkillers and rest can't fix" I replied, smiling tiredly at her. She nodded sympathetically before reading the statistics notes at the end of my bed and checking my dressings before turning to the boys.

"Everything seems to be alright. Visiting hours finish at 9 so I'm afraid you guys will have to leave soon" she stated apologetically. She left almost immediately and We sat talking for a while until we heard a bell ringing, signalling the end of visiting hours. I felt Chris tighten his grip on my hand slightly and I flicked my gaze over to Jonny who was reaching  for his coat (he had thrown it messily on the floor by his feet 😂)

"You ready to go?" He asked Chris quietly, his gaze flicking between me and him. Chris nodded and sighed heavily, grabbing his phone which was lying on the table.

"Yeah I suppose so ... I'm sure the nurses must be sick of the sight of me by now." Chris chuckled slightly, running a hand through his hair self consciously. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you babe?" He asked, worry painting his features.

"I'm a 100% sure love... I'll see you in the morning" I said softly, giggling when he leaned down and captured my dry lips with his soft ones lovingly. I kissed him back, wanting the moment to last forever... he pulled away all too soon before leaning down again and pecked my forehead with a grin.

"Get the nurses to Call me if you need anything ok? Or if you can't sleep or something ..." He told me softy. I've already been informed that my phone had been found after Carl dropped it and the screen smashed on the alleyway floor. But the police had taken it as evidence for the trial so I wouldn't be getting it back for a while.

"You know I will! I'll be fine" I told him and Jon laughed at how stubborn I was being. "See you tomorrow" I told them softly, already beginning to feel tired. I leaned back against the bed, squeezing Chris' hand slightly before letting it go. "I love you... Christopher Anthony John Martin" I smiled at him, giggling when he pulled a face at the use of his full name.

"And I love you more... Lucy Eleanor Davies" he giggled before standing up and put his coat on.

"Byeeeee" they both chorused and with that they exited the room. I pressed the button on my bed to make it flat. I could feel myself being whisked off to the land of dreams almost immediately....

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Hi guys!

First of all, I'd like to apologise for not updating in ages! I'm in the middle of exams at college right now and I've been busy with other commitments too (horses/sports/ college/ work etc 😂)

Thank you so much for 10K reads! It really means so much to me ❤️

So this is another filler chapter but it gives an insight into the aftermath of Carl's attack on Lucy. She's woken up!Chris is super cute in this but it breaks my heart to write/imagine him being so upset- I promise there'll be happier times for him and Lucy soon though 😊 also I love writing in Jonny's POV too ❤️

I originally planned to post this yesterday on Chris' birthday (he's 42 now ayyyy 😂) but I wanted to add more onto this chapter.

(This is probably one of my favourite pictures of him 😂❤️)

GUY'S GOT HIS OWN INSTAGRAM NOW TOO! His synchro Sunday sessions are so cool! Such fun way to discover/rediscover music 🎵 Id love it if the others would make their own pages too ❤️

Thank you for the endless support, I hope you guys are all doing okay...

Lots of love - Ffion ❤️