Disclaimer: Alternate storyline that explains itself.
The hospital walls were pristine and white. Every surface in the room appeared to gleam with a polished cleanliness. The bitterly sweet smell of disinfectant clung to the bleak air and a deafening silence reverberated off the bare walls.
Beep.
The harsh mechanical sound echoed through the room, accented by the tiniest of spasms in the display of the heart monitor. A mess of machines and wires lay sprawled with a casual elegance across the bed, the mangled shell of a person lying listlessly upon the sheets, bone white skin blending into its colourless surroundings.
The pale white sheets rose gently- then fell, one soft, shuddering breath after another flitting through its lips in a hesitant but even rhythm that held its lifeless being grounded to the world.
A hunched figure was seated to the right of the bed, eyes fixed upon the near-motionless body before him, disbelief, shock and pain in his dark brown pupils. Jim inhaled smoothly and closed his eyes, holding his breath for a moment as he waited for the body before him to do the same, before exhaling, allowing his thoughts to engulf him.
He was numb.
Everything was empty. No pain, no sorrow, just a hollow, resonating emptiness that tore at his very being. As though he himself had stilled, but the world around him continued to operate beyond his personal realm of…
Nothingness.
It was as if his core being was now suspended in that moment, frozen with a tentative fragility that threatened to be compromised in an instant.
He slipped a hand into the ghostly pale one upon the sheets before him. His hand trembled in the air between them, but his grip was strong and firm.
A reassurance.
Beep.
Flashing lights of all colours filled the crowded room. The thick smell of sweat and alcohol clung to the air, taunting him with its restlessness. A bar stool to his left screeched in protest as it was scraped along the worn floorboards, onto which a second man dropped himself upon, his face strangely illuminated by the sporadic lighting and grinning in unjustified amusement, clearly well beyond tipsy.
"You're drunk." Jim stated. It wasn't a question.
"'M not." came the slurred response.
Even at such a time, Jim couldn't help but admire the relentlessly stubborn nature that was a defining quality in his friend. Lowering his head to hide an amused smile, he forced himself to his feet, one hand outstretched to the man beside him.
"Come on, let's get you home."
He raised an eyebrow in surprise as the other responded immediately, obediently shifting from his stool.
"You're too good to me, Jim," the other murmured to the floor, "y'know that?"
Jim watched as his companion suddenly rose dramatically, raising his glass towards the ceiling with an enthusiasm that sent a good third of the amber liquid cascading to the floor.
"To Jim!" He slurred drunkenly, "The best mate any drunken idiot could ask for!"
A fond smile tugged at his lips, paired with an exasperated sigh as the other promptly dissolved into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, both inhibitions and sensible thought driven from his mind as he sank to the filthy floor, body racking with silent laughter. Jim rolled his eyes, both disapproving and inwardly amused, and he bend forward, grabbed his inebriated companion by the hand and gently but firmly hauled him to his feet.
An aid.
Beep.
"You were always so careless." Jim sighed to the floor, his hand tightening its grip around the other's.
A silent tear slipped down the bridge of his nose, falling to the vinyl floor.
Beep.
Soft wisps of snow drifted lazily from misty skies, painting a path of white through the drowsy city, clinging to clothes and reddening the noses of busy office workers as they shivered their way to work.
Through the pale streets, a single halo glowed, bathing its surroundings with the promise of heat, the alluring smell of coffee and baked goods drifting in thick clouds from behind its closed doors.
A welcoming tinkle chimed, and a burst of chilled air invaded the sanctuary of warmth for an instant, a fresh pair of snow-covered boots stepping in to soak up the comfort of the small store.
Patterns of ice decorated the smooth panes of the windows and Jim sighed, kicking the ice from his feet and shrugging off the thick winter coat around his shoulders, grateful for the peace that now enveloped him, distancing him from the chaotic hustle and bustle of the world beyond.
Joining the end of the line to the counter, he exhaled in content, allowing the layered smells of the shop to radiate through, banishing the bitter cold from within him.
"Hey."
He turned, startled, raising an eyebrow in surprise as a hand was extended towards him, its owner watching him with a small grin.
"You know, I read somewhere that you should try to introduce yourself a complete stranger every single day. Something about improving social skills." The other said with an awkward laugh, "So, hi. I'm John. Nice to meet you."
It was almost a question in the way he spoke, his hand hovering in the space between them.
"Jim, and you too," he responded after a slight pause, chuckling slightly himself, a wry smile at his lips as he accepted the handshake.
A greeting.
Beeeeeee-
Flatline.
The biting sting of the sustained sound filled the room, deafening in Jim's ears.
The sheet upon the bed rose once- and then stilled.
The world around him shattered, vanishing, the universe disintegrating, crushing, suffocating…
Bodies burst in from all around him, voices calling words that never quite met his ears, the flash of needles, the world of chaos enveloping the small space…
Something was holding onto his shoulders, guiding him backwards from the room…
His grip loosened…
His hand slipped…
A limp hand fell, hanging, fingertips just brushing the floor…
A loss.