1. Chapter 1

Part 1

Sue wasn't sure how long she'd been sat by Jacks bed, but through the blinds the nurse had come and closed earlier, she could see that it was now getting dark outside, yet she made no move to switch on the lamp, instead she pulled her chair even closer to Jacks side and rested her head in her arms on the edge of his bed. Her intention was just to close her eyes for a few minutes while she willed the pain that was searing through her head to go away, but even it was to fade she knew the pain in her heart could only have one cure.

She prayed he'd wake up soon.

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><p><em>His head seemed to beat in time with his own heart, slow and steady, yet somehow it aggravated him. Slowly, as the thumping in his head began to fade he realised that he was huddled on the floor, almost foetus like in shape. He uncoiled himself and allowed his body to stretch this way and that, then finally opened his eyes as he tried to stand. Scrambling to his feet he once again felt his head echo the beat of his heart and he saw nothing but a dense mist all around him.<em>

_Taking a couple of timid steps forward he tried to gage just how steady on his feet he was; finding no issues he stood to his full height and began to explore his surroundings. As he moved forward, the mist slowly began to clear, areas beginning to take shape around him, but still he had no idea where he was._

_Turning on his heels, he noticed a chair that he was sure had not been there before. He sat down, only once he'd taken his seat, did he notice for the first time that he was naked. Looking around and seeing no one he stood and walked over to areas where the mist was slowly beginning to clear. _

_Suddenly from somewhere behind him he heard something…_

_something almost..._

_Indescribable. _

_It was as if a chorus of angels were singing to him, but he couldn't discern any particular words, as though they were serenading him in a different language. As the beautiful sound became louder and louder he felt as though someone must be drawing nearer, and for the first time his nakedness made him feel ashamed. Looking around he begged that somewhere in this room of mist and mystery there would be some clothes. No sooner had this thought occurred to him than a pile of clothes appeared on the bench where he had sat just moments ago. Facing the bench he placed the clothes on, still straining to hear the sound of the angels, then turning to see if he could see them approaching he gasped as he saw the that mist had finally cleared. _

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><p>"Jack Jack please wake up! You must be able to feel me here beside you. You must know how much I - how much I care about you. Please, please come back to me." Sue had stayed by Jacks side since the minute he'd arrived back from theatre, the others had popped in and out, but she had simply refused to move from her spot. Still it had been nearly 24 hours since she had eaten or slept properly. Deciding that eating would be quicker, she decided to walk to the hospital restaurant, grab a sandwich and eat it back in Jacks room. As she reached the door way she turned and looked back at Jack, sending a silent prayer upwards.<p>

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><p>"Please don't let him wake up before I get back."<p>

_Turning quickly he tried to figure out where the angels must be hiding, he'd heard it as clear as anything this time. He wasn't to let someone wake up before they got back…but whom? He was the only person there, and why were they leaving? Through his confusion he still felt an overwhelming sense of peace, the mist having cleared he still couldn't explain what he could see. It didn't seem to be just one thing, but an amalgamation of everything he loved. Things seemed to float in and out of focus, and if he thought about something hard enough it would appear in front of him. Turning around to the bench that seemed to bring him his every desire he saw a man who seemed somehow familiar. _

_Walking over he took a seat next to the person who he was sure was his friend. Neither spoke, for there seemed nothing in his mind to say, up until now he'd simply done everything that had popped into his head… "You're wondering what this place is, aren't you?" The stranger spoke first, his face friendly, his mannerisms familiar._

"_Actually I was trying to figure out who you are?" _

_The man looked and smiled, "Who are you? Who I am depends wholly upon who you are my son." _

_The mist seemed to be closing in again, "Well I'm… I'm…" _

_The man jumped to his feet and began to circle the bench, "You don't know who you are? My, this is a bad case… they almost always know who they are! Even if they are still not sure who that makes me… This is unprecedented I'm sure. You really don't have a clue?" _

_Beginning to wish he had stayed huddled on the floor he could feel tears spring into his eyes. _

"_Well my boy, I suggest you wonder around and ask some people, someone must know. There must be someone in your heart that truly knows who you are." _

_He wiped the tears from his eyes before looking once again at the stranger… "Where did he go?" The man had disappeared without a sound, vanished from the spot. Standing again he felt that he needed to explore, there must be someone here who knew who he was. Walking directly into the mist, feeling encouraged by this new 'mission' he looked around again for any sign of someone other than himself. _

_In the distance he could see a glow, as he walked closer and closer the glow began to warm him inside and he could hear a familiar sound, "Woohoo!" Entering what felt like a small hut he looked around, mist filled the room but cleared immediately as if the next 'Woohoo' had sucked it all in. _

"_Woah, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. Can I help you?" Again the man in front of him seemed strangely familiar, the room he found himself in seemed to resembled the man in front of him in every respect, it was narrow but immensely tall, which caused the mans frequent exclamations to echo around. The mans 'woohoos' seemed to celebrate his success in throwing a basketball into a hoop. Looking round the hut there were shelves lining every single one of the walls, running all the way up to the ceiling, and no space could be seen on any of them._

"_I'm sorry, I know this seems like an odd question but, would you happen to know who I am?" _

_The man looked puzzled for a second, then slapping him on the back he answered, "Not strange at all mate, it is the question everyone wants to know. And I do have an answer for you, though I'm not sure it will help… You are the man who helps me when I am low, you are the one to whom I can always go, you reign me in when I go to far, you're the one who set on fire his very own car! Some people think you are kind of narky, but to me you will always be the one and only Sparky."_

_Shaking his head in an effort to try and clear the fuzz that this explanation of his identity had caused, he once again opened his eye and saw that the hut in which he had just been stood had been replaced by a garden. The smell from each flower was different, each step forward he took another smell that he loved from his childhood memories or a whiff of perfume, all filled his nostrils, lulling him into a sense of calm he had never felt before. He could see a man at the very end of the garden primping a very large rose bush, he was sure he had never seen roses like them, they seemed to twinkle and let off the most amazing smell. _

_As he neared, the man he cleared his throat. "Oh I do apologise, can I help you?" He felt somewhat distracted by the delicious smells that surrounded him, looking round he wondered if there was a bench so that he could perhaps sit here for awhile and take in some of the wonderful odours that were filling his senses. However the question he knew he needed to ask, seemed to be flashing in his mind, and he felt the only way to get rid of it was to allow it to escape out through his mouth. "Do you know who I am?" _

_The man smiled, it was a kind but pompous smile that caused him to warm to the man and yet feel a slight annoyance all at the same time. "Well I know who I believe you are… You are the man that knows what's right, and is always up for the fight. You are the man, who leads our team, and whom I secretly esteem. From meeting you I have changed since, you are the man I like to call the Prince." _

_Once again as soon as the man had finished he seemed to blend into the new mist as it rolled in before him. He could now see the bench with the old man, approaching him he sat down. "I think I know who I am. I am Sparky the Prince." Feeling rather contented with this answer, he was quite taken aback when the man beside chuckled and turned to face him, looking at him intently with kind eyes. _

"_That is not who you are. That is merely facets of yourself that you allow to be seen. Who I am depends upon who you __truly __are." _

_Without time for another word the man disappeared once again. Sitting on the edge of the bench, he tried to rack his brains, hoping that maybe the answer to who he was lay not in other people, but was hidden within. Finding nothing in his mind he strained as he thought he could once again hear the voices of a thousand angels floating towards him. _"I'm here, you're not alone anymore. I told you I wouldn't stay away too long."

_Standing he turned this way and that, trying with all his might to find the angels, he looked for their light, listening to their sound… but once again all was silent. _

_Just as he was about to sit back down on the bench, he heard a familiar sound, a laugh that, despite his impatience to know his identity, made his heart soar and a smile appear on his own face. Heading towards the laughter, he had to dodge a couple of flying objects. Each time one missed him another one came hurtling towards him. The speed at which they flew past made it impossible to determine exactly what someone was using as a missile and whether he was the person they were intended for. _

_As he reached the laughter, the mist around him once again faded away and he saw a beautiful young woman crouched down with her back towards him, on a chair to one side sat a man who had a laughed just as loud and heartily as the woman with him. _

_As another object came hurtling towards him he realised it was in fact a shoe. Clearing his throat, he dived forwards in the hope of dodging yet another flying object, "Excuse me." As the woman in front of him stood and swirled around, he saw a smile that seemed to light up the whole room in which they were stood, now the room before him seemed illuminated and all he could see, other than the two people in front of him, were shoes, in every direction that he looked he saw shoe after shoe. _

"_Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there! Dad you were supposed to be keeping a look out." The woman's father laughed and then replied, "Well I couldn't see for all the shoes you were throwing around." The pair fell about in fits of laughter, until the beautiful young woman seemed to remember they had a guest. "Oh I hope none of those shoes hit you! Just throwing out all the trainers you see… why would anyone wear trainers?" _

_Feeling happy just to see the woman's smile, he didn't mind the momentary distraction. "I was just wondering if you know who I am." The woman looked at her dad and her smile widened, increasing the light that shone into the room. "Do you remember me telling you about him daddy? I know who you are… You're the man who always has a date, and without my organisational skills would always be late. You're the man who all the women praise, but for you I know they are just a phase. The woman you love is my best friend, and I know you'll get together in the end, then my work will be finally done; you are the man I call Jackson. _

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><p>Having re-entered his room with her sandwich, Sue had been so happy to see that Jack hadn't woken up, as much as she wanted him to be fine, she didn't want him to wake up alone. Having sat just inside the door to eat her sandwich, she now moved back to his bedside. Taking his hand in hers, she looked at his closed eyes. She had stared at his features so many times through the last 4 years, memorising each and every line and curve, still she longed to know more, to learn more about him, to hold not only his hand, but his heart.<p>

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><p><em>Everything had once again disappeared; he could now see his bench, though it was just becoming clear through the mist. Hearing the sound of the angels once again, he was rooted to the spot as a beacon of golden light flashed and spread through the mist, instantly he could see one of the angels was sitting on the bench, slowly approaching he could eventually make out that the light was coming from her golden hair. Finally reaching the bench he somehow knew that he needed to face her, so he sat diagonally on the bench; for a moment her beautiful face held him speechless.<em>

_Slowly his hands began to move in rapid formation creating a language that he hadn't realised he knew, "Do you know my name? That is do you know who I am?" _

_The angel too began to move her hands, light shone from her whole body. And though she moved her hands he could hear the sound of a thousand angels giving him his answer. Quickly he realised he had not been hearing a group of angels since he had awoken here, but simply one. _

"_I feel I know you well, and of what I know I can tell... You are a kind man, with such a big heart, and I think maybe I have known it from the start. You support me, make me feel so strong and you're judgement is very rarely wrong. You saw past my outer shell, which I admit made my own heart swell. You helped me find out who I am, now lets do the same for you if we can. Some call you Sparky, of which I am one, though only because you were careless is this done. Others call you a prince, though I know not why, but I think it's 'cause you get everything done without really needing to try. A few friends call you Jackson, but it's only when you've messed up that this is done. _

_I can't explain who you are in merely thoughts or rhymes, but this is what I have come to know about you over time. I love you Jackson Samuel Hudson, and I wish you were mine. _

_Leaning in, he felt her lips gently meet his own; nothing had ever felt so good or tasted so sweet. Yet in between the pure moments of ecstasy he was sure he could taste the salt from her tears. For the first time since he'd awoken in this strange place, he felt a pull on his heart calling him away from this mysterious land. _

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><p>Sue didn't know why the urge grabbed her, but as she sat staring at his face, tears flowing down her own, she stood up and stroked the side of his face before leaning in and whispering "I love you Jackson Samuel Hudson, oh how I wish you were mine. Please come back to me." Gently she pressed her lips up against his, willing his eyes to open at the touch. When nothing happened, her tears began to fall harder, fear welling up inside her that she'd never be able to tell him how she felt.<p>

_Would you know my name  
>If I saw you in heaven<br>Would you be the same  
>If I saw you in heaven<br>I must be strong, and carry on  
>Cause I know I don't belong<br>Here in heaven_


	2. Chapter 2

She thought she had seen Jack stir slightly as she'd begged, through her tears for him to come back to her, but she knew realistically that it was just her imagination willing him to move, to give her a sign that he could hear her, that he was going to wake up. Nurses had been in and out all day, telling her that there was very little change; each had told her to go home, but she'd ignored all their entreaties, she knew that Jack would want her here, she knew that somehow he could hear her…she knew that her own heart would never let her leave his side.

_As soon as he had seen and heard her say his name it was as though he had always known it. _

_Jackson Samuel Hudson._

_ Even when the smiling woman had called him Jackson nothing had clicked, but now things were beginning to come together. Feeling the angel next to him take his hand in her own, he realised that none of the other people he had seen had seemed sad, or wanted to help as much as she did… but then again she was an angel! _

_As she held tightly on to his hand he could see pain in her eyes and he willed it to go away. Over and over again he could hear her whisper, "Come back to me Jack, don't leave me, please. Please come back to me." His head felt dizzy as each time she spoke he was sure he could hear a thousand angels singing a sweet melody to him, and yet each harmonious song seemed to make his heart pang, and once again that feeling, that tugging on his heart had returned. _

"_Can you help me home?" He asked her, he didn't know where the question had come from, and even as he asked he wondered where that might mean going. Placing an arm around him she helped him to his feet, his dizziness making it hard to stand alone. Slowly the pair seemed to float along through the mist heading, he hoped, for any place that would take the pain out of her eyes. _

_They seemed to walk for hours, their surroundings still seemed unchanged, and Jack began to think perhaps they weren't moving at all. These fears were silenced however when in the distance he eventually saw a tiny dot, and something within him told his heart that's where they needed to head. Though the light began to fade, and he knew night was falling they continued on, the angel beside him lighting his way. It seemed that though her glowing hair and eyes gave off much of the light, each time she spoke the surroundings were completely illuminated, encouraging him to keep going… he knew there was no choice, this wasn't where he belonged, he needed to make his way home. _

_Would you hold my hand  
>If I saw you in heaven<br>Would you help me stand  
>If I saw you in heaven<br>I'll find my way, through night and day  
>Cause I know I just can't stay<br>Here in heaven_

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><p>She had sat by his bedside all day. Holding his hand, speaking words of encouragement to him - though she was told by many that it would not help - she simply refused to give up hope. As the light had flooded in and out of the hospital room she had stayed close to his side, praying that he would come home soon.<p>

As night fell, she couldn't fight off hunger or sleep any longer. Gently placing his hand on the side of his bed she told the nurses at the nurses' station that she was just going for some food then she would be back. Her plan was to once again eat and sleep in his room.

_In this mysterious place, there seemed to be no concept of time, but somehow Jack felt like they had been walking for hours. The only things that gave him hope was the sight of the dot in the distance getting closer and closer and the strength of a thousand angels singing out through just one._

_As their surroundings became darker and darker, he felt the grip she had held onto him with begin to slip. Time it seemed was beginning to catch up with him and suddenly he could feel a weight upon his shoulders, it pushed him onto his knees, where she let go of him completely and quickly moved back the way they had just come, so much faster than he could travel. He felt a pain that seared through his heart, as if her sudden absence had caused it to break. On his hands and knees he tried to reach out to her, to call her, to beg her, "Please, please come back!"_

In the empty room that Sue had just left, a nurse entered to close the blinds and fill the water jug. She knew that Sue would probably come back and want to sleep, so she placed a pillow on her chair, hoping it would give some small comfort. She finished checking his chart and machines then turned and left the room.

As she reached the door, unseen by the back of her head, Jacks arm stretched out and his fingers moved.

_Time can bring you down  
>Time can bend your knee<br>Time can break your heart  
>Have you begging please<br>Begging please_

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><p><em>As quickly as she had disappeared, the angel returned, and although she no longer filled his ears with her harmonious melodies, just her comfort pushed him forward. As he got closer, he saw that the dot he had seen so long ago was in fact a door. He squeezed her hand and pulled her wanting to reach the door as fast as he could. Once again he could hear the choir of mourning angels, willing him to come home. <em>

_"I love you Jack, I can't live without you, and you promised me last time we were here that you would look after yourself that you would always come back to me. Come home Jack. Please come home."_

_ Once again, this time without kissing her, just it seemed from hearing her words, he could taste her tears, and he couldn't bare her sadness._

_Moving faster and faster towards the door finally he came to an abrupt stop. They had reached the door. Her entreaties that he come home to her continued as he stared at the door; for a moment a seed of doubt suggested that he could stay here…where everything he wanted seemed to appear at once, where at first he had felt such a peace; but as he looked at the angel beside him, he knew that if he stayed, she would have to stay with him. _

_Though he still didn't know where he was, he knew that pain and suffering didn't belong here; neither did her tears. Slowly he pushed on the door…_

_Beyond the door  
>There's peace I'm sure.<br>And I know there'll be no more...  
>Tears in heaven<em>

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><p>Sue lifted her head up from her arms, she was sure she had felt him pull on her hand this time, still she had sworn he'd done it a thousand times already in the last hour, and each time the nurses had assured her there was no change. And yet there it was again…<p>

Slowly but surely different parts of his body seemed to move and twitch as if begging to be allowed to stretch out and be used.

"Nurse, nurse! He's waking up, I'm sure of it…"

Jack began to stir more and more, his whole body moving this way and that. The nurse walked in slowly, a stern look upon her face, "I've told you before Sue, I know you want him to wake up…but the doctors say it is unlike…"

At first, the nurse thought that she too was imagining things, but Jack had now begun to move with such a force that no one could miss it! Calling other nurses in to help her, she began pulling back Jacks bed clothes and tried to keep him still. Sue couldn't believe her eyes; he was coming back to her… Jack was waking up.

"Jack! Grabbing the hand she had let go of only when the nurse entered the room, she slowly stroked his face, eventually he calmed down and began to move his lips. "He's mumbling" said one of the nurses when Sue looked at them for clarification.

"Sue." There was a word she recognised instantly, he was calling for her.

"I'm here Jack, I'm right here.

Opening his eyes, Jack saw the angel from his dreams, "Sue, I came home to you…"

Sue took the glass of water one of the nurses offered her and slowly placed it at Jacks lips allowing him to take a sip. After a few moments, he seemed to have calmed down, "I'm so happy you came back Jack."

Jack looked at her beautiful face for a moment then answered, "I had to. I don't belong in heaven, I belong wherever you are."

_Cause I know I don't belong __Here in heaven__._

_It is hard to know who we really are, though hiding ourselves has bought us far. Would people know your name, if in heaven you met, or would you be so easy to forget? How would they describe the person you've become, would the answers make you glum? Would they say you had a heart of gold, could the truth ever be told? Have you given your heart to someone you cherish, for they will be ones who keep your memory living on, they will be the ones that will never let you perish._

_And what about the man at the beginning of our story, would you give him all the glory? Who he be familiar to you, would you know he was true? What would be his name… would his love be lost in vain?_

_Would you know my name  
><em>_If I saw you in heaven  
><em>_Would you be the same  
><em>_If I saw you in heaven._

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><p><strong>AN - Thank you so much for reading this. I know it is a little bit different but I was inspired a long time ago by a challenge to use the lyrics of the beautiful Eric Clapton song, Tears in Heaven. He penned the song himself after his young (I think maybe he was 3) passed away. If you don't know the song, do go and have a listen it is hauntingly beautiful. The lyrics used in the story are underlined. <strong>

**Please do leave me some reviews...that would be lovely, whether you loved it or hated it, let me know! :-)**

**(Normally I would bribe, but well it doesn't seem right after such a soppy fic! lol You can erm, Nurse Jack back to health now he's finally woken up?) **


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