A/N: The media above is my own photo from a car accident I was in when I was a journalist. Every day, I am grateful to be alive and appreciate the people I love.

Mood: Swipe left and tap the media to listen to a cover of By Your side by Ane Brun. This is Lydia's song to Jake. Or, tap below:

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Lydia

Shortly after Zach's funeral, Jake planned to travel to a country town to interview a controversial politician who was running for a seat in an upcoming state election.

"Are you sure you'll be alright to drive alone for so long?" I asked Jake, as he packed some shirts in his travel case. He was taking the company car to drive west to Innridge, which was an eleven-hour drive, not factoring stops.

"I'll be fine. There's nothing that Jake can't do," he grinned his million dollar smile.

"I just worry for you, Jake." I sighed and embraced him. I breathed in his masculine, spicy scent, which aroused me.

"I'll miss you, darling," I whispered into his chest, while I listened to his steadily beating heart.

An hour later, as I watched Jake drive away, while Violet (who was normally up at around 6 a.m.) blew 'bye bye' kisses in the air, I felt a funny feeling in my stomach.

Call it gut instinct. Something was not right. I couldn't pinpoint it, but there was something off about this trip.

It was 7 a.m. on a Thursday when we waved goodbye to Jake. His interview for his story was scheduled at 8.30 p.m., after a state council meeting that politicians were attending at Innridge.

***

At 3.45 p.m., I was at a work meeting when I received a phone call from a number I was not familiar with. I thought that it was an assistant at Violet's daycare, who was ringing to tell me that Violet had fallen ill.

I excused myself from the meeting, and stepped out of the room.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is Darcy Mayland from Greenfield Medical Center. Am I speaking with Lydia Somersby?"

"Yes, that's me," I responded.

The next few minutes were like a motion film rolling, while I tried to focus on what I was being told.

Jake had been in a car accident.

Darcy explained that Jake was brought to the medical center, where he was under care while waiting for an ambulance to take him to Grant Valley Hospital.

He was conscious at the time he asked for the center to call me, but soon passed out. Darcy said she would keep me informed on when the ambulance would arrive to take Jake to the hospital. She gave me a number to her contact at the hospital, who also received my contact details.

My heart nearly jumped out of my throat, and my adrenaline rushed to maximum level.

I had no idea how badly hurt he was, and if there were any injuries that could put his life in danger.

I went into the meeting room and packed my things up.

"I have to go. Jake's been in an accident," I said.

"Oh my goodness. Lydia, just go. Do what you need to do and don't think about work," Saph said.

"Thanks, Saph."

"Call me when you're ready. Prioritize your family first," she replied.

As I rushed outside work, I called Angie and Robbie to tell them the news, and that I needed help. Robbie was going to drive down that evening to pick up Violet and drive her to their home, where she would stay with them for as long as we needed.

Who could I call to take Violet for the next few hours until Robbie came for her? I needed to get on a plane immediately to Grant Valley and cab it to the hospital. I needed to be with Jake.

"Carrie, I need you to do a big favor right now." I called Carrie, who was my lifeline.

After telling her what was going on, she agreed to leave work a little earlier than usual to pick up Violet from daycare. I called Robbie, told him to pick Violet at Carrie's place, and I provided him with the address. I also alerted the daycare that Carrie was coming for Violet.

After sorting out the logistics for Violet, I immediately checked my phone for flights to Grant Valley this evening. There were no direct flights until tomorrow night.

Shit. All tickets for the next direct flight this evening were sold out, marked in gray, according to the website.

Plan B was to take the express train to Grant Valley that evening, and arrive in the morning, which was better than waiting for tomorrow's afternoon's direct flight and faster than driving a car.

C'mon, there has to be something, I said to myself, so I called the airline. I was sticking with Plan A.

Long story short, I pushed and argued my way to get a direct flight from Port Willington to Grant Valley that evening. They had an available seat that was not shown online. My ticket was electronic and an SMS was sent with the flight details.

I had now an hour to battle traffic, get to the airport, go through the security queue and board the plane. It was 4.17 p.m.

I hopped in the gray Audi and drove to the airport, zipping through lanes like a madwoman, while sticking to the speed limit, of course.

As soon as I arrived at the airport, I convinced one of the guards at security control to let me bypass the long and crazy queue so I could make my flight. I got through.

I took my heels off and ran as fast as I could, barefoot, to get to the gate, as I heard the announcements calling for last passengers on board for my flight.

I slowed down when I received a call from Darcy at Greenfield Medical Center, who informed me that Jake was taken to Grant Valley Hospital half an hour ago. She filled me in on the details on what was happening and who to contact at the hospital.

At 5.30 p.m. I boarded the plane. I had made it. At 6 p.m., the plane flew over Port Willington and was on its way to Grant Valley.

---

A few hours later, I was at Grant Valley Hospital, waiting for Jake to come out from all his scans and tests. I was sweaty, tired, and hungry, but I didn't give a damn. I wanted to know that Jake was okay.

"Mrs Somersby? My name is Dr. Alex Kelly." A dark-haired physician in her mid-fifties approached me.

I got up from my seat and greeted her by extending my hand, which she shook firmly.

"How is he?" I was desperate to know how my husband was. My heart raced as if it was affected by amphetamines. My hands were drenched with nervous sweat, and my feet were in pain.

"Your husband is resting in recovery now. He was driving a long stretch and apparently fell asleep behind the wheel. The police were called to the scene of the accident, as the car was completely destroyed. I can give you their number," she responded.

"I don't care about the car! I want to know how my husband is!" I raised my voice through gritted teeth.

"Your husband sustained some injuries, but it's nothing permanent. The x-ray results showed that he broke his right arm and left pelvis. He also sustained a considerable amount of whiplash," Dr. Kelly replied.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" I placed my hand as a figurative gesture to protect my heart, which throbbed with intense pain.

"Mr. Somersby has some contusions and lacerations," she said, staring directly at me.

"Can you please speak in layman's terms? I'm not a medical professional." I sounded short with Dr. Kelly, but I demanded answers that I could understand.

"Your husband has some bruises and cuts, but they will heal in time," she responded curtly.

I did not care if I was testing Dr. Kelly's patience. I was a nervous wreck who cared deeply for my only love. My first love. My last love. My forever love.

"So, he's okay?" I rubbed my forehead, which was wrinkled with worry.

"He is doing fine, Mrs. Somersby. He's resting in bed right now," she responded with a gentle smile.

A generous sigh of relief submerged from the depths my lungs and and escaped from my quivering lips.

"He's a lucky man. It could have been much worse. We had another victim of a car accident brought in to us earlier today. That patient lost her leg," Dr. Kelly continued.

"Oh my God," were the only words that could escape from my lips at that point of time.

"He'll be fine, Mrs. Somersby. He's in good care," the doctor spoke with an air of comforting confidence.

"I'll ask one of the nurses to take you up to see him." Dr. Kelly's eyes expressed warm empathy, before turning the other way toward an area restricted for medical staff only.

I sat down and waited for a while, until one of the nurses came and escorted me to where Jake was resting, which was in hospital wing D, a two-minute walk from where I was sitting.

As I approached Jake's room, I saw a shadow of a man resting in his bed, with a tube from an IV drip attached to his left arm. His right arm was bandaged in a cast.

"It's the morphine. It helps ease the pain. He's asleep, but he is doing fine," the nurse said.

"Thank you," I whispered.

Jake was alive. That was all that mattered to me.

I later received more information from one of the medical staff, who was also told that Jake had fallen asleep behind the wheel while travelling on a lone country road. No other cars were involved, and it was only Jake who was hurt.

He awoke during the crash and managed to crawl out of the car. A driver on the road saw him, stopped and took him to the nearest medical center, one in a town called Greenfield, where he received help, before being transported to Grant Valley Hospital.

I walked to Jake and placed my hand on his sleeping hand. Tears sprang to my eyes. Tears of relief that he was sleeping peacefully, and that he would recover. I waited there for a while and prayed a silent prayer for him, before being asked to leave the room.

I came for Jake, to be by his side, and to take him home when he was ready. I planned to stay with him until he was ready to be discharged from the hospital. I called Saph and told her I was taking a few weeks off work to be with Jake.

Violet was in good hands with her grandparents, who explained in a tactful way that a child could understand, what was going on and why she was staying with them. Carrie took Batman in her care, while I was away. I gave her the pin code to open our keyless door.

My priority was Jake. Aside from Violet being in good hands, nothing else mattered.

The next day, after staying at a nearby hotel for family members of hospital patients, I was back at Jake's side. I arrived while he was sleeping, sitting at his side and holding his hand. I had some magazines to keep me occupied while I waited for him to wake up.

"Missy, you're here," Jake murmured, as he awoke from his deep slumber.

His eyes looked weary, but there was a sparkle in them when he looked at me. His smile was enough to make my heart want to burst into song and dance.

"I'm always here for you," I said.

"You're still wearing yesterday's clothes, Missy." He smiled sweetly.

"I didn't pack for this trip," I joked lightly, which elicited a smile from Jake's face.

"I love you so much, Jacob Somersby. So much. I am here for you. Always."

My hands tightly squeezed his. I felt that forever was right here, by my side.

Over the next two weeks, we fell into a routine where I arrived during visiting hours, and stayed for as long as I was allowed. I bought him magazines to read, and we watched Netflix films on my phone. I managed to find a local clothing chain store, where I bought some basic essential clothes that I could use, wash, and re-use.

He couldn't get out of bed, due to his broken pelvis, but I brought the world to him. We talked to our families and friends from my phone, and Violet was thrilled to hear her father's voice.

"Mmm, bacon," he said, when I brought in a bacon sandwich that he craved. He asked me to buy him "real food", as he grew tired of the boring hospital meals.

I fell asleep on the hard seats in the waiting area a few times, while waiting for Jake to return from a check-up with the doctor or while he was cleaned by one of the nurses.

Flowers from different people arrived for Jake. His boss visited him one day, and we had a private chat while Jake was asleep. Jake had gone through enough. The least I could do was fight for his employee rights.

After I had a series of phone calls with his boss, a union representative and the company's health and safety personnel, I made sure that Jake was generously compensated, through worker's compensation, and the company car was not even mentioned.

He would take the time he needed to fully recover before he was ready to return to work. When he returned to work, there would be no more ridiculous demands on him or any other co-worker. The situation his company placed him in was a breach of workplace health and safety regulations. They were lucky that I did not sue them, and they knew it.

When Jake was discharged from the hospital, I organized a flight home, and picked up the car from the airport's long-term car park. I drove him home, and helped him move around. He was on crutches by this stage. Violet came home to us shortly after Jake returned, and she was back in her usual daycare routine.

Jake's rehabilitation was slow and lasted for weeks. He had lost weight and looked thin. I booked him with a physiotherapist, who helped him regain strength and his ability to walk and move properly again.

At times, during those weeks, he sank into depression. I knew all too well about depression, and I noticed all the signs he was showing.

I took him for short walks and drives, and we watched his favorite slapstick comedies, including Vampires Suck, a Twilight parody. I couldn't stand slapstick comedies, but I would do anything for him. Besides, it was fun watching him laugh at the jokes that I did not find amusing. I was happy to see him smile.

"Missy, do you know that a big, strong guy like me needs a bit of love and rescuing from time to time?" Jake murmured in my ear, as we lay on the grass in our backyard one night to gaze at the stars.

"I think we all need a little rescuing at some point in our lives," I replied, with a grin.

I learned that life was short and precious, and to live each day to its fullest. I learned to appreciate each day the people who I loved most. You never know what the next day would bring.

I would fight for Jake when he needed me to fight for him.

I wanted for us to grow old together.

I did not want our relationship to be another statistic in the divorce list. I knew people who gave up easily. I was not one of them. Neither was Jake.

What he and I have together is for keeps.

Forever.