jessi-reyes

[jessi-reyes]

Jessica's smirk was even bigger when she noticed the small jump in his pulse rate on the monitor. Their normal banter was never shown to her in such a clear display before. "Cruelty? Nunca te haría eso, mi amor." Her voice was a jovial tease while she continued, "Think of it as... motivation." Jessica winked while giving his forearm a gentle squeeze.

Being able to make him still have humor despite his position in the A&E brought her an inner joy that she would not explain to a soul. His following joke about Félix got her to chuckle, "He is a good man, great even; however, I am practically his sister, so I have to keep him grounded."

Jessica had her eyes locked downward at their hands while he spoke of her tests being a 'punishment'. With her head still downcast, she flicked her eyes up to meet his through her lashes. "If I were going to punish you, I wouldn't keep it secret," Jessica spoke clearly, needing him to know she very much would 'punish him' for intentional behavior that would land him in the A&E.

His promise to stay put settled her medical mind. She opened her mouth to tell him about her rotations on the floor when he spoke about breathing easier. Her heart beat faster, and a flush came to her chest and neck. Closing her lips tight, she smiles at him, "I'll be here every minute I can," she assures him, giving his hand a small squeeze. His request for food earned him a shake of her head, "Maybe, give me a second, babé," the term slipped out before she could think too hard about it, and she tried to push forward to ignore the strange feeling of calling him such a term.

Slowly, she pulled her hand from him, albeit with reluctance, and moved to the door. Proping it open, she called on another nurse in passing and quickly got the information she needed regarding the CT waitlist. After a few minutes of pulling strings, she got him moved up in line to be next. Coming back into the room, Jessica stood at his side and rested her hand on his shoulder once again, "Good news. I got you moved up in line. In a few minutes, a couple of my friends will come in and take you to get your CT done for your head, neck, and torso. Once you come back, if you have behaved for them, I might get you the good food."

Her words hit him first—the line about a more comfortable bed—and then the meaning caught up to him. Even doped up and bruised, Óscar blushed. A flicker of pink along his cheekbones, barely visible beneath the swelling, but it was there.

"Joder…" he muttered under his breath, a huff of a laugh caught somewhere in his chest. "Don’t say things like that when I can’t move properly. Cruelty in the workplace." But the look he gave her: soft around the edges, and a bit shy. It spoke more than the joke.

When she mentioned Félix, he couldn’t help but snort, even though it hurt. "If Félix’s AARP, then I’m getting wheeled in for bingo night," he rasped, shaking his head with exaggerated mock-horror. "Man’s got better sense than me, though, so maybe I should shut up."

The warmth of her hand on his shoulder kept him grounded when he tried to sit up again. He let her push gently, didn’t resist. Let himself be guided. He watched her face as she rubbed his wrist, thumb tracing lines like she was memorizing them. Then her hands shifted, settled over his forearm, and the contact made his pulse skip just once. He didn’t flinch. He leaned into it; subtly, but on purpose.

"Una batería de pruebas," he repeated softly, testing the phrase. "Sounds like you’re about to hook me up to jumper cables. You sure this isn’t some secret punishment for worrying you?"

The attempt at humor faded as he looked down at their hands. His thumb lifted again, this time tracing one of hers. Lingering.

"I’ll stay put. I promise. Just—don’t leave yet, yeah?" His voice dropped to something smaller. "Feels easier to breathe with you here." he said honestly; perhaps too honest from the morphine, "Also," he added, a ghost of a smile, "I’m starving. Hospital rules say if I survive a Vespucci, I deserve something that tastes like food. You wouldn’t break the heart of a wounded man, ¿verdad?"

[jessi-reyes]

'His body relaxed'

It was a line she often read in books on her Kindle. Jessica never thought she would see it happen until she watched Óscar do just that. Could she have such an effect on him? The idea makes her heart beat a little faster.

"I'd be far happier to see you outside of the A&E, you know," she says it without thinking, an easy, flirtatious line that they often shared, "My idea even had a much more comfortable bed option,"

Sitting on the edge of his bed, she lets their hands rest on the bedside between them. "Félix. Wonderful. Good to know my best friend is being guarded by AARP's member of the month," Jessica had to find ways of laughing in her times of fear- otherwise she may cry. She would be damned if she cried in front of Óscar.

His attempt to sit up made her chuckle, and she placed her free hand on his shoulder to steady him. "No thanks needed, just stay still, would you? You need a battery of tests before you get out of this bed- or eat for that matter," running her thumb along his inner wrist, she shakes her head, "If you clear your tests, I'll see what I can do for you, but I make no promises,"

Sat with him, she let herself feel a moment of selfish relief that he was okay. Of course, he was injured and going to take a long time to recover, but he was alive. All too often, that could not be said for every fighter that entered the arena. Her hand traveled down from his shoulder, along his bicep, to join her other hand on his forearm. 'He is going to be okay,' she repeated the fact over in her head as she looked up from her hands holding his forearm, met his eyes, and whispered, "You will be okay." Was she saying that to reassure herself or him?

Well, Óscar didn’t need a mirror to know how bad he looked. Jessica’s wide-eyed reaction confirmed it well enough. Her words hit like another jab to the ribs, but he took them, like he always did.

"Yeah," he muttered with a low wince, "Vinnie Vespucci. One and only." He didn’t say her name, but they both knew who had set the fight. Lara wasn’t one for apologies, and Óscar wasn’t one to ask for one. Especially since he still respected her much more than others. "We gave them a good show. Bailamos hasta que empezamos a sangrar."

Her hands moved quick and precise, even when she was flustered. That was something he always admired about her. Even now, when she looked like she wanted to shake him and wrap him in bubble wrap all at once. Then she touched his arm in return, and something in him settled; like instinct recognizing the rhythm of her pulse against his. "I’ll take the mad even if it means a little scolding. Still get to see you," he said, softer now. Honest. Maybe too honest. But the meds blurred the lines and dulled the usual edges he kept so sharp.

At the mention of Yvonne, his jaw clenched, and he exhaled slowly.

"Félix," he said after a moment, nodding faintly. "She’s with the rest of the detail and the staff are on high alert." He blinked, turning his hand palm-up to loosely catch hers as she rubbed along his wrist. "I wouldn’t leave her if I didn’t trust she’d be protected."

Wincing, he tried to sit up. Faltering only slightly. Looking up with a lopsided grin, teasing, "But thanks for saying it. About the job. About me being needed," he finished with a wink, then his lips twitched.

"You still gonna bring me the good Jell-O later, or did I lose my snack privileges?"

Because some part of him—stubborn and stupid—still wanted to make her laugh.

[jessi-reyes]

Tight. That was the only word she could use to describe the feeling in her stomach while she watched Óscar in his bed with Nevra at his side. It wasn't jealousy, after all there was nothing to be jealous of. It wasn't bitterness, because she was thankful he had a support system to check in on him. No, it was a tightness in her gut that made her uncomfortable.

Her smile was just as tight, but she couldn't manage anything more. "Just doing my job. He is just lucky he wasn't any worse than he was, otherwise they might have taken him to ICU," she admits, knowing well how much she argued with the team to keep him in the A&E bay so she could stay by his side.

His remark of being her 'problem' again got her attention and pulled her eyes to him. She opened her mouth to remark that he is the easiest 'problem' she has to deal with when she saw it. He searched for her hand. Jessica had teased him endlessly for months about 'finding a woman'. Seeing him actually do it was wholly unexpected.

"I-" She found herself stumbling over her words, "I was actually just getting off my shift," the explanation was weak, but not a lie, "I just wanted to come up and make sure you were stabilizing," Jessica steps back to stand at the foot of his bed.

Looking back at Nevra, she nods, "We've met a few times. It's been a while. I've patched up almost all of the Rutherford employees at one point or another," she tried teasing to ease her own tension. After all, if he was happy and Nevra was who made him happy, Jessica should be happy for him. So why did she feel like an uncomfortable third wheel that was interrupting an intimate moment?

@erdogan-nevra

Nevra couldn't stop the slight blush creeping up her neck into her cheeks. While she was trained in controlling her reactions, a necessity of the job, there was little she could do when it came to that. Her voice, however, she could control and it came out even when she spoke. "I don't think you're giving enough credit to the good nurses and doctors of this hospital." Only, her words were lost as someone else spoke over her.

Her head snapped up at the intrusion, eyes finding the source of the sound. She knew that face but only just. Johnathan's fiancé, wasn't she? Nevra couldn't remember the last time they'd crossed paths but knowing she was a Rutherford was enough to release the tension from her body.

It was only when Jessica was standing next to her, offering her hand in greeting, that Nevra remembered just how close she and Óscar were sitting. It wasn't a crime but somehow it felt...she wasn't quite sure. They'd been in their own bubble at Fight Club where Nevra could ignore everything else around her. Sitting under the harsh hospital lights, under another person's gaze, all but popped that bubble.

Where her voice had been even before, it now came out stilted.

"Right, it's been a few years but you look well. So does he, thanks to you and your team." Óscar was still worse for wear but it was true he looked better than the night before. "He's lucky you were on call. You'll be the one monitoring him, right?" Better her than someone who they didn't trust.

She'd shifted away from Óscar's bed slightly during the exchange and was able to take them both in now. Nevra took a moment to study Jessica's face first and then Óscar's. She'd only been there a few moments but it was clear the two knew each other.

Interesting.

[jessi-reyes]

"Hey Charlie," Jessica swung around the nurses' station at the inpatient care unit to read up on Óscar's file before checking in on him. She had stabilized him and done as much as she could for him last night in the A&E, but she knew he would need to stay for at least a day or two for recovery. Now, just getting off her shift downstairs, she was going to swing by to check on how he was doing. "How is my walk-in from last night?"

After the fellow RN gave her the highlights from his file, he added, "Make sure the woman in there knows visiting hours end at five this evening." This gave Jessica pause, with her eyebrows knit together. She did not even have to vocalize her confusion, the fellow RN just elaborated, "Your walking punching bag has had a friend with him since my shift started. I say 'friend' loosely because I don't hold my friends' hands while they sleep, but to each their own,"

Charlie turned away to continue his charting, leaving Jessica with a pit in her stomach. Who was here to see him? Why would they be holding his hand while he sleeps? Would Yvonne have come without Félix?

All those thoughts and more go through Jessica's head as she walks towards the door of his room. Pulling her hair out of her messy bun, she tosses her hair to release the tension. She needed some sort of tension release. Pushing the door of his room open, she is greeted by the sight of a woman at Óscar's bedside with their hands held together.

Nevra. She had crossed paths with her a few times when Jessica was still engaged to Johnathan, but never since. Were she and Óscar together? They certainly looked cozy enough. "Don't discount morphin. You are on a lot of it at the moment, and will be for another six hours at minimum," Jessica remarks, moving into the room, clutching her work tablet to her chest. "Feeling better than when you came in?" It was a simple question, one without any real personal touch. Almost as if she were just working with another patient. Because here... he was, wasn't he?

Looking up to Nevra, Jessica extends her hand to her, "I'm Jessica, I think we have met before. Nevra, right? I was the RN in the A&E when he came in. Took a while to get him stable, but the team managed."

@erdogan-nevra

The effects of the medications were taking their toll. Coupled with how his body was handling the injuries, Nevra saw how he was fighting to stay conscious. She smiled down at him, keeping her hand firmly planted in his.

"I promise I'm not going anywhere," she whispered as Óscar's eyes slid closed. His breathing evened out and the sounds on the machine held steady. He dearly needed some rest.

Nevra scooted her chair into a more comfortable position and let herself relax. A nurse came in over the next few hours but didn't make her leave, nor did she ask if she was family. Maybe he recognized her let it slide or maybe he knew that the man in the bed needed some company. Either way, she was grateful to him. The quiet gave her time to think, the rhythm of Óscar breathing grounding her.

Talking about her parents had been easy. They were never a sore spot in her life so it caused no pain to broach the subject. Her grandmother, as well, was a topic Nevra liked to recall fondly. The old woman had died when the assassin was in her early twenties and though she missed her, she was better off there than here. Haringey was too dangerous now and it was a small comfort that she didn't have to worry about the woman.

Óscar wanted to know more though. It was clear that he intended on sharing a lot more information with her and though Nevra wanted to respond in kind, where would she start? What could she talk about that wasn't tinged with sadness and guilt? She didn't want to bring that into his life.

Her employment and life with the Rutherfords seemed the safest choice for the moment. She'd tell him about Ayaz and Melissa; about Leyla and Adya. That thought led to Emine, which made her huff out a laugh. He might get a kick out of that whole situation. But that would lead to Kerem and then where?

To the person she wasn't ready to talk about.

Óscar's hand shifted in hers, pulling her eyes to his face and giving her a start when they met his open ones. "How was your nap?" She smiled and took his face in her hand, turning it left and right. "Looks like you've improved about three percent. Food will help with that I think." Nevra positioned the movable table with a tray of food in front of him, giving the food a wary look. "I wonder if it's better than what I can make." A joke since she absolutely could not cook, but he didn't know that.

[jessi-reyes]

His half smirk and mild explanation were not enough to earn him her reprieve. Jessica continued to move around him while he spoke, and she quickly jotted down what she could assess for herself on a diagram on her tablet. "Vinnie... Vespucci?" Jessica stared at Óscar with her eyes as wide as dinner plates, "Jesús Cristo- that... why would she... of all the match-ups she could have..." stumbling over her words, Jessica shook her head and moved to step away from his bed when he grabbed her wrist.

Looking down at his hand holding her, she lets out a sigh before looking at his beaten face. "Still here, sure, but here as a patient in the A&E is a shit place to be," she points out before moving to the side of his bed. Gently, she twists her hand to grip his forearm in return. His pulse was steady under her fingers. "I will be mad each and every time," she says, looking into his eyes, "You have an important job- with you out of commission, Yvonne will be vulnerable." It was far easier to focus her worries on his position with the Rutherfords than on his position in her life. At least with the Rutherfords, his relation and status had a title. Nevertheless, she subconsciously rubbed her thumb along his inner wrist. "Who is with Yvonne now, do you know?"

Óscar didn’t need to open his eyes to know who it was. That voice—sharp, warm, and furious in a way only she could pull off—cut through the haze of hospital antiseptic and lingering pain meds clearer than anything else.

He cracked one eye open anyway. Sure enough. There she was. Moving around his bed like a damn hurricane in scrubs, cursing him out in two languages without even raising her voice. Classic Jessica.

"…Hola to you too, nurse hermosa," he rasped, the corners of his split lip twitching with a smirk. "Miss me?"

She told him not to talk, but that never really worked on him before.

Óscar let out a breath—somewhere between a sigh and a laugh—and winced as the pressure caught up to his ribs. He shifted slightly, watching her fuss with the machines like she wasn’t mad, just terrified. And that made it worse. Because she was one of the few who knew better.

"I was thinking," he said slowly, "that Vinnie fights dirty after a good, long fight. And I didn’t want him doing to someone else what he did to me."

He paused.

"...Wasn’t planning on the knockout, though. That part surprised both of us."

His hand reached out, just enough to catch her wrist as she moved past him.

"Hey," he said, a little softer, voice rough but steadier now. "I’m still here. Still talking. Don’t be mad that I made it back in one piece. Be mad when I do it again." That faint grin again, half-apology, half-promise.

Because she knew him. And he wasn’t done yet.

[jessi-reyes]

A&E Fight Club Aftermath

Where: St Cathrine's A&E When: Post Fight Club, April 2025 Who: @oscar-velholobo

_____

"What are the odds of Patrick letting us off an hour early?"

Stella was a new CNA to the A&E staff. Jessica didn't have too much on an opinion on the woman just yet, but she didn't like how much she talked about leaving early when her charting was half-assed. For those reasons alone, Jessica was leaning towards not liking her.

"Not likely. We are about to get at least 2 or 3 pretty bad cases walk in," Jessica remarks, noticing the time on the clock and knowing that Fight Club would end any minute. When Stella asked how she knew that, Jessica shrugged without looking at her, "RN's intuition," was her answer, because she wasn't going to tell her how she really knew.

The main board lights up with two new names on it from triage, both with red dots of urgency next to their names. Sparing a smirk to the CNA as a 'i-told-you-so', Jessica pulled her hair back into a low bun as she moved to meet the triage team with a stretcher. "Stats?" Jessica calls out, zoning into work.

"Male, mid-forties, Pulse Ox is low, broken nose, potential concussion, fresh bruising on the head indicates blunt force trauma to the head- look out for TBI, more bruising can be found-"

Jessica listened with intent while looking at the notes on the tablet, but when she looked up to the stretcher and saw the patient, he chest squeezed, "You have got to be fucking kidding me," she mumbled following into his curtained room. "Hijo de puta, what were you thinking- you could have been- I mean look at- you know what, don't talk," she rambles as she moves around his bed fussing with his machines while others got him started on an I.V.

[jessi-reyes]

@jessi-reyes || I'm not dead yet #ThirtyOne

[jessi-reyes]

Adria Arjona

[jessi-reyes]

[jessi-reyes]

To Jessica's intoxicated eyes, the blonde's hair sparkled in the bar light. A beautiful thing in such a normal -some would say even dull- atmosphere. Mutual, huh? The retort piqued her interest as she moved along with her and her friend. Jessica never let go of the taller woman she had stumbled into. Once sitting, some clarity came to the brunette's mind. Who was this woman? Should she even be here with her? Was this dangerous?

"Sonia," Jessica repeated, looking at the other woman. Jessica smiled at her but said nothing else—names often muddled waters, and she was just intoxicated enough that she thought it better not to bring attention to her name. Even with her eyes on the shorter woman, Jessica moved her hand to sit comfortably on the taller blonde's thigh.

Feeling the blonde match her, Jessica turned back to her and felt emboldened. Jessica ran her hand up her companion's arm from its place on her thigh to the joint of her shoulder. Placing her grip on it, Jessica leaned her face closer and rested her chin on the back of her hand to whisper in her ear, "I don't typically like blondes, and I rarely find strangers in bars that I want to get to know privately," Pulling back some, Jessica keeps her face just inches away, "You seem to be the exception,"

The grin Viktoriya flashed her was almost equally as wide. It wasn't like she hadn't heard the statement before and she certainly wasn't humble enough to deny it. Humility was not in her wheelhouse. Nor was shyness. "The feeling is mutual." She lifted her voice enough so the woman could hear her over the music, leaning into the arms slung around her neck. Sonia danced around and within the pair, keeping the three of them moving.

Viktoriya pulled both girls into a vacant booth when the song died down and hailed a waitress over, securing even more alcohol for them. Her eyes trained on the brunette between her and Sonia, well aware how tight the seating was.

"What do you think Sonia? Does she pass?" The other blonde was already finishing off her drink, eyes dancing with trouble.

"I think you know that answer to that already." She laid a hand on their companion's thigh. Vika was still looking at the dark haired beauty. "I think she likes you. She doesn't often approve so easily. Neither do I."

[jessi-reyes]

Jessica and a few other women from St Catherine's had been at the bar for a few hours. Wanting to blow off some steam from the holiday rush of cooking accidents and car injuries, a few women encouraged Jessica to come along and have a night off from studying. Reluctant at first, the brunette agreed and found herself 4 shots deep and on her third mixed drink.

With the music moving her around the dance floor, Jessica hardly noticed the new arm around her wasn't her friend's. Looking up to see the blondes, Jessica chuckled and wrapped her arm around her neck, "Tequila makes me good at many things, but balance isn't one of them," she said rolling her hips to the beat. Looking over her new partner's face, the alcohol diminished her filter as her thoughts came out without warning, "Damn, you are pretty," she said with a wide smile to match.

Event: Mistletoe 2024 (Canon)

Date: December 27th

@jessi-reyes

"A dive bar?" Her eyes swung toward her friend before rolling around once. "I don't do dive bars." Sonia knew this perfectly well and the shit eating grin on her face confirmed it.

"It's one bar and you're already half in the bag. Get your ass inside."

Few people could have said those words to Viktoriya and come away with their tongue. Sonia was one of them and her own shit eating grin confirmed it. The pair used each other to stabilize themselves and found a very loud, very dirty, yet very boozy atmosphere inside. It would do.

The blondes were three more shots gone by the time they made it to the dance floor and Viktoriya was doing just about everything she could to stay straight. Being in such a way was dumb considering they weren't technically in Russian territory but fuck it, it was Christmas.

Something bumped into her from behind and she almost uttered the same sentiment at the woman she now faced. Minus the Christmas part. Instead, Vika looped her arm around the brunette's waist, pulling her into their duo.

"You'll have to dance better than that or Sonia won't let you stay." Said blonde nodded her agreement and spun around. Viktoriya actually laughed. She also got a better look at the women in their circle. Good choice.

[jessi-reyes]

Jess knew it was difficult for Yvonne to accept her little one was getting bigger. Though she would likely never have children, watching her friend's children go up felt like a privilege. "Thermal leggings, hats, the works. You got it," she agrees taking a bite of her taco. The time allowed Yvonne an extra moment to gather herself. Félix suggestion made Jessica chuckle, "I think you would enjoy it. I almost saw it on Broadway when I was in New York last year, but we drank too much and never got the tickets," holding her hand up, she began to tick off a list, "Okay, so; movies with Maria, mini shopping trip with Maddie, maybe a lunch date with just them. Gets them out of the house, away from the baby, and time for just you two to be with the baby," looking between Yvonne and Félix she asked, "What can I get you two for Christmas?"

@yvonne-rutherford

Yvonne thought for a moment, taking a sip from her own water to buy herself a minute. "Well, we've decided Maddie's old enough to start ice skating lessons, so I'm sure she would love some cute skating clothes. She's also getting better at her puzzles." She turned away to grab the bag of cheese (and hide her sniffle from Jess). "Just, no toys. God knows their grandparents have that handled already."

[jessi-reyes]

Who: @yvonne-rutherford & @felixrodriguez Where: Rodriguez Home When: 2nd of December

Jessica placed a dish of elote (off the cob so it was easier to eat) next to the shredded meat for tacos. "You still haven't told me what I can get the girls for Christmas," she says before taking a sip of her water, "I know I procrastinate, but you gotta give me something,"

[jessi-reyes]

[jessi-reyes]

[jessi-reyes]

Jessica grimaced before taking another bite of her granola bar. "I love my job as 'fun aunt' and I intend to keep it that way," Jessica said crossing her leg to bounce it slowly. The mention of her co-worker raised her brows, "Gideon is really still giving you shit? Doesn't he know you are past the point of contemplation? What stick is up his ass," she mumbled the last part while she rolled her eyes. Yvonne was finally happy, so of course someone from the family wasn't. "I'll keep my eye on him. If he acts up, I'll speak with him," pausing her thought, Jessica sipped her water before getting excited, "I've heard a lot of brides enlist a friend to enforce rules and keep people in line so they don't have to worry about looking like a 'bridezilla' on their wedding day. I can do that for you," she chuckled, "I'll be your bitch for the day,"

"Like I said, the most awkward experience of my life. But, no thank you on Jesus Jr. Regular babies are stressful enough as it is without bringing "Son of God" into it." Yvonne scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Damon may be Damon, but Gideon might still be trying to convince me that it's not too late to rethink things as I'm walking down the aisle. We might need to dedicate someone to stopping him from objecting when the priest asks." She loved her older brother, she really did, but he did not keep his opinions secret.

[jessi-reyes]

Did she speak French? No.

Did she have any interest in the French culture? Also no.

Did she love food? Yes, and she would throw down money for good food.

She waited at the bar for her drink all the while enjoying her 'fancy ham and cheese'. Originally, Jessica had come out with a few other nurses from work. Still, having been separated from them, Jessica wasn't too worried as she had her belongings and food readily available. The man's call out from beside her pulled her attention as she swallowed her bite of food and shrugged, "Where I am from, we say something similar to that every year on the 4th of July," she replied with a smirk.

Location: French Quarter Date: July 14, 2024

@mobscene-starters

Even England winning the Euros (which it was still bullshit that England made it to the finals and France didn't) could do nothing to diminish Jean's mood as he took in the festivities. The English could have their little victory, the French had culture and would be making it all of London's problem for the day.

He'd long since lost track of how many drinks he'd had, or even who he was dancing with at this point. Paris was a shithole, but there was no stopping a French man from enjoying his national pride. Unless his drink ran out. Jean frowned at his empty cup and pushed his way through the crowd to the nearest bar for a refill. What was the point if he could still remember this day tomorrow?

Once the bartender set to work pouring another drink, Jean leaned back against the bar and turned his head to look at the person beside him. "Vive le France and fuck the English."