Demons

"Don't get too close

It's dark inside

It's where my demons hide"

~Imagine Dragons, Demons~

Jack glared down at his glass. The whisky he'd consumed was doing nothing to calm his mind or alter his mood. Angrily he threw the glass at the wall, cursing loudly as he watched the remains of the whisky drip down the paintwork. He knew that he should get up to clean it, preferably before Elsa, Anna and Kristoff returned home, but he couldn't be bothered moving. Instead he leaned back against the wall and lit a cigarette, his eyes fixed on the shattered glass.

He hadn't always been this moody or angst-ridden. There used to be a time when he was fun, happy and full of life. At just twenty-one he seemed to have had it all; a gorgeous girlfriend, great family and friends and he was in his last year of university studying to become a Graphic Designer. However, it seemed that his happiness was to be short-lived when the events of one night forever changed his life and the lives of those nearest and dearest to him.

It had been a warm summer's night when Jack had gone to see his best friend, Jamie, who was in need of a friendly ear after he'd caught his girlfriend of a year cheating on him. Arriving at the Bennett home, Jack had decided that the only suitable solution to Jamie's mood was pizza and a night of Call of Duty.

The friends had been on their way to collect their dinner when it happened. The traffic light had turned green and Jack had pulled back onto the road, heading towards the pizza parlour. Jamie had had his head down sending a text when the speeding car had come from the opposite direction and plowed into Jack's car.

The car had struck them on the passenger side where Jamie had been directly in its path.

Jack had felt his head being jerked back when the airbag opened, but he was lucky enough to remain conscious. Looking to his right, he'd seen Jamie lying unconscious with a small trail of blood pouring from a gash on his head. Closing his eyes, Jack had willed it to be a bad dream. Unfortunately when he'd opened his eyes he realised that it wasn't a dream.

Within minutes police and an ambulance had arrived on the scene. They bundled Jack into the ambulance. He'd tried arguing with the paramedics, telling them that he was fine and wanted to wait with Jamie, but they'd refused and had told him that he needed to be seen by a doctor. The last thing Jack had seen before the ambulance doors had closed were the emergency personnel cordoning off the area and diverting traffic, while waiting for the machinery known as the 'Jaws of life' to arrive so they could retrieve Jamie from the car.

During the drive to the hospital, the paramedics had taken Jack's emergency contact details and had called Elsa, alerting her to the situation. She'd been seated in the waiting room with Anna by her side when the ambulance had pulled up with Jack on board and had been visibly upset seeing Jack wheeled past her.

Jack had been rushed through a series of check ups, x-rays and tests and was diagnosed with a mild case of whiplash. He was ordered to spend the night in hospital for observation. He'd argued with the doctors, claiming that he was fine and simply needed to know how Jamie was, but they had been firm in their decision. He'd been left with no choice but to agree to a night in an empty ward.

Elsa had cried and hadn't wanted to leave Jack. She'd been determined to spend the night by his bedside, curled up on the stiff hospital chair, but Anna had stepped in, telling her that she and Jack would both need a good night's sleep. He'd then watched as she was led tearfully from his room.

Jack had spent a restless night in the hospital. He'd been consumed with concern for Jamie and for Elsa who he knew would be worried sick. Sleep eluded him. He'd spent the majority of the night trying to get answers about Jamie's condition from any doctor or nurse that passed by his room,and growing frustrated with the lack of information he was being given. By the time Elsa burst in to collect him the next day he'd managed to get only two hours of sleep and had resigned himself to surviving on a diet of strong coffee.

After being signed out, Jack and Elsa had made their way to reception to enquire about Jamie. The receptionist pointed them in the direction of the ward where Jamie was. Thanking the woman, they'd then proceeded to make their way to the ward. There they had found Jamie's mum sitting with his sister Sophie. Taking a seat opposite the pair, they had sat dumbfounded as Mrs Bennett tearfully informed them that Jamie was in surgery, having suffered a spinal cord injury from the impact, and would need a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

The news that his friend had gone from being able to walk to being reliant on a wheelchair in less than 24 hours had hit Jack like a tonne of bricks. He'd felt the grief consume him as the guilt began to set in.

Jamie had come out of the hospital in a wheelchair. Jack couldn't help but blame himself. A small part of him knew that he shouldn't feel like this, and Jamie, Mrs Bennett and Elsa had all stated that he wasn't at fault, but it didn't help. His best friend, the guy he'd grown up with, was stuck in a chair for life and it was all thanks to Jack. It was singlehandedly the worst thing he'd ever done to his mate, far more serious than the previous pain he'd caused him.

The last major injury Jack had caused Jamie had been 13 years ago when they were kids. Jack had pushed him down a steep hill on a sled, only to have Jamie to crash into a tree, resulting in a wobbly tooth being knocked out. Back then it had been resolved with Jamie leaving the tooth for the tooth fairy and being given a dollar for his effort.

Now, thanks to him, the Bennett house had to undergo expensive changes to accommodate Jamie and his new chair. The expense of the home modifications had taken their toll on the Bennett's finances and had meant that they'd had to give up on the overseas holiday they had been planning. Also Jamie had been forced to delay his last year of studies in order to focus on his rehabilitation and learning to live in a chair.

The Bennett family kept up the air of positivity, but Jack knew that behind closed doors they still shed a tear.

Elsa sighed as she dug in her messenger bag for her house keys. The toll of the week of studying had finally gotten to her and she was hoping for a relaxing weekend.

Pushing open the door she stepped inside, her eyes taking a moment to acclimatise to the change in light. Blinking, she reached her hand out and flicked the switch, bringing light to the lounge room.

"Jack?" she called, dropping her bag on the couch.

When no response came, she headed upstairs, wondering if Jack had taken a nap. He'd been sleeping more often in the months following the accident and it wasn't unusual to come home and find him asleep. She peered into their bedroom, but he wasn't there. She tried to ignore the familiar worry that crept up, and to come up with reasons for his absence. It was possible that he'd gone for a short walk and had simply forgotten to send her a text to let her know of his whereabouts. Frowning, she turned to head downstairs, deciding that she'd check the kitchen in case Jack had left a note.

Stepping into the darkened kitchen she flicked the light switch, and felt her breath get caught in her throat as she took in the sight that greeted her.

Lying, slumped against a wall, was Jack. By his side lay an empty bottle of whiskey, one she remembered having been more than half full when she'd left for uni that morning. Her eyes glanced at the wall opposite Jack, noticing the whisky stain that was drying on it, and the shattered glass lying below it, leading her to believe it had been thrown with some force. Ignoring the mess, she ran to her boyfriend's side. The mess she would clean up later, but right now her priority was Jack.

"Jack, wake up," she ordered.

When he didn't stir she got up and moved to the sink, filling a cup with water before returning to Jack and tipping the cold liquid over his head.

Jack gasped as he jolted awake. "Elsa, what the hell?" he barked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Elsa snapped. " I come home, call for you and get no response. I check our room, only you're not there. You didn't send a text so I come in here thinking maybe you've gone out and left a note, only to find you passed out with an empty bottle of whisky and a broken glass."

"I needed a drink," Jack argued. "Now you've found me. I'm all good. Can you turn off the light? It's too bright in here"

"No," Elsa said defiantly, crossing her arms across her chest.

Jack grumbled and slowly got to his feet, suddenly regretting his decision to drink so much.

"Fine, I'm going to bed," he stated.

"Don't think this is over," Elsa warned, grabbing the dustpan and broom as she went to work cleaning up the broken glass. "We're going to talk some more when you're not drunk."

Thud.

Elsa looked up. Jack, in his drunken state had managed 3 steps before tripping over his feet. Sighing she rushed to his side, sliding one of his arms over her shoulder and carefully guiding him up the stairs to their room.

Dropping Jack on the bed, she slowly began to peel his clothes off, taking in the new stains that would require soaking to remove.

Chuckling, Jack looked at her. "Oh, Elsie, can't keep your hands off me," he smirked, attempting to grab at the waist of her jeans.

Elsa swatted his hand away and glared at him. "Hands off, Jackson. Let me get your pyjamas on you. I'm going to need to soak these clothes as soon as possible, unless you want them to be stained forever."

Elsa groaned, watching as Jack lay back on the bed and fell asleep whilst she struggled to change him out of his dirty clothes. She wanted to be mad at him for causing her to worry yet again, and for putting himself at risk of injury. However, she couldn't be mad at him, not when he was most in need of love and support.

Sighing, she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead before scooping up the stained clothes and making her way downstairs. She figured that she may as well get the laundry soaking whilst she dealt with cleaning up the mess he'd made in the kitchen. With any luck she could have the kitchen back to normal before her sister returned home with her own boyfriend.

"Thank god it's Friday! Am I right, or am I right?!" shouted Anna, dropping her backpack on the couch.

Kristoff walked in a bit slower and headed straight for the backdoor where his chocolate brown Labrador, Sven, was waiting for him.

"Where's Jack?" Anna asked.

"In bed asleep. He was passed out against the kitchen wall when I came home. Scared me half to death when he didn't answer," Elsa explained, sighing. "He smashed a glass against the wall and downed the rest of the bottle of whisky we got last week."

Anna nodded and moved to wrap her arms around Elsa, gently leading her to the couch. They sat in silence for a while with Elsa's head resting on her sister's shoulder, and waited.

It didn't take long for the wall to crumble and for Elsa to start sobbing. She tried so hard to hold back her emotions, to be strong for Jack, for everyone, but she was still human. Sometimes she needed to just let go. Out of the corner of her eye she spied Kristoff as he quietly entered the room with two cups of hot cocoa and a block of chocolate in his hands. He gently placed the drinks on the coffee table before turning to leave the room, nodding at Anna.

"You've trained him well," Elsa sniffled, reaching for the chocolate.

"Oh believe me, it's been a challenge," laughed Anna. "Now, onto Jack. What's going on there?"

Elsa sighed. "I don't know. It's like I can't get through to him at times- no one can. You've seen it. He has these moments where he's his normal, happy self, but then his mood changes. He continues to blame himself for Jamie's situation even though it wasn't his fault. He did nothing wrong," she began. "The Bennett's are worried about him. Jamie's hardly heard from him. He's spending his days cooped up in the house, often not bothering to change out of his pyjamas. He's either sleeping all day, drinking, chain smoking, playing video games or just watching movies. He hardly leaves the house anymore. He says it's because his car was written off and he doesn't want to take public transport or walk."

Elsa paused, taking a sip of her drink, before continuing. "I just don't know how to reach him. I've tried suggesting seeing a counsellor, or going to see a doctor, but he refuses. He says he has to live with the consequences."

"Have you spoken to his mum?" Anna asked, gently placing her hand on Elsa's arm.

Elsa nodded. "I speak to Caroline on a weekly basis. She's at a loss, too. She's told me that she tries to visit during the day when I'm at uni, but Jack just blows her off. He says he's 'fine', and not to worry." She stopped and dabbed her eyes with the corner of her sleeve. "We all know that's not true, though."

Anna snapped her head up, an idea forming in her head. "What about an intervention?" she suggested, "I mean, you're worried, Mrs Frost is worried, I'm worried, The Bennetts are worried, and Kristoff tells me that Hiccup, Flynn and the rest of the guys on Jack's hockey team are worried, too. Maybe if we can at least get a few people together, Jack would take notice."

Elsa gazed at Anna while pondering the suggestion. "That could work. I'll talk to his mum. I'm due to have lunch with her tomorrow. I'm going to see if I can get Jack to go with me."

Kristoff came into the room and sat down next to Anna on the couch. He remained silent for a moment, then spoke.

"Guys, what do you want to do for dinner? We were meant to do a grocery shop tonight as the pantry's pretty bare, but I somehow don't think it's the right time for that. I say we order in pizza, my treat," he offered.

Elsa nodded. "Sounds good to me, I can't be bothered to shop or cook. We can go shopping in the morning before I go to lunch with Caroline." Standing up, she moved toward the stairs. "I'm going to check on Jack and take a shower. Anna you know my likes in terms of pizza and Jack, if he comes down, will eat anything."

She walked into the room and found Jack fast asleep. He looked so innocent when he slept, his silver-white hair sticking up all over the place. Leaning down, Elsa placed a kiss on his head. Her heart broke to see him like this. She knew he was depressed. She just wished she could help him more.

Twenty minutes and one relaxing shower later, she was curled up on the couch with Anna and Kristoff. The pizza's and garlic bread had been placed on the coffee table. Kristoff had decided that he was in charge of entertainment for the night and had opted to put on a selection of his favourite comedies, hoping that it would help cheer them all up.

Jack woke the next morning feeling grateful for the lack of hangover. He glanced over to where Elsa lay fast asleep and snoring lightly. Smiling, he leaned over to gently brush aside her platinum blonde hair which allowed him a better look at her angelic face. He knew he was lucky to have her in his life. Not many girls would stick by a guy under the present circumstances, but then again, Elsa was not like other girls.

He felt Elsa stir under his touch. "Morning," he whispered.

Elsa's eyes flicked open. "Hi," she replied, her blue eyes looking into his. "How's your head?"

"Surprisingly, not that bad, although, I am starving," he laughed, a grin forming on his face before returning to a frown. "I'm sorry, El", he said, sitting up.

"I know you are," Elsa sighed, sitting up to give him a kiss.

He watched as she climbed out of bed and stalked over to their wardrobe. Flinging the door open, she pulled out a dress before grabbing a pair of his jeans and t-shirt and turning to toss them at him.

"Go have a shower. We have to go do a grocery shop before going out to lunch with your mum," she ordered.

Jack groaned. "Babe, I can't do lunch. I'm just going to stay home. You know what I like. You don't need me to go shopping with you," he reasoned.

Elsa shot him a look. "Jackson Overland Frost, this is NOT negotiable. You are coming out with me today whether you want to or not," she stated.

Jack sighed. He knew better than to push his luck, especially with the trouble he'd caused her last night.

An hour later Jack was in the car with Elsa, Anna and Kristoff as they hurtled towards the supermarket.

Kristoff spoke first. "So, Jack, good to see you back in the land of the living," he joked, earning a playful slap from Anna.

Jack laughed. "Yeah, Elsa said that if I'm a good boy today she'll give me a special reward tonight," he grinned, looking over to watch the blush rise in his girlfriends cheeks.

"Jack!" Elsa screeched. "I most certainly did not. Be thankful I'm driving or else you'd be getting a smack too."

Jack smirked, unable to resist playfully teasing her. "Save it for tonight, babe. You know I like it when you play rough."

"Anna, can you please reach around and give my boyfriend a slap?" Elsa joked, shaking her head.

He shuffled around the supermarket, happily selecting items to go in their trolley. His eyes widened as they passed the condom aisle. A cheeky thought entered his mind. Reaching out, he saw the largest box available and tossed a few of them into the trolley before stopping to wink at Kristoff.

"She's got it bad," he explained, chuckling as Elsa's face turned a deep shade of red.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. After dropping their groceries home, they'd gone for lunch with his mum. She had been overjoyed to see him and had placed plenty of kisses on his forehead. He'd even managed to sit with a smile on his face while his mum and Elsa joined forces, claiming he needed to speak to someone. Adamantly, he denied them, stating that it was just the circle of life. Not every day was shit. After all, today had turned out to be somewhat decent and he'd felt like his normal self.

Climbing into bed, he let out a loud yawn. He felt the bed move as Elsa shuffled in next to him.

"You know we all love you. We're worried for you," she murmured, wrapping her arms around him. "I love you so much, it breaks my heart to see you in pain."

He sighed, wrapping his arms around her. "I know, and days like this I feel somewhat normal, but then something changes and it all goes to shit again."

He could feel Elsa shift as she pulled back to look at him. "I know and that's why you're going to the doctor's on Monday morning," she declared.

"W-what, I don't need to go see a doctor," he stammered.

Elsa cut him off, her voice firm. "Yes, you do. Your mum has made the appointment for 10am Monday with Dr. Roberts. You've got the choice of going with me, or your mum." She shifted position, climbing over so she was lying on top of him. "Of course you don't have to go, but there will be some benefits if you do," she winked, bending down to kiss him on the lips before settling back on her side and smiling.

Jack groaned. Silently he cursed his girlfriend for knowing how to push his buttons. "If I go, then can we, will you…"

Elsa leaned in. "If you go, I will do anything you ask of me afterwards," she whispered, pausing to nip at his earlobe.

"You know, don't take this the wrong way, but sometimes I really lote you," he smirked, his hands running through her hair.

"Lote?" Elsa queried, furrowing her brows. "What the hell does lote mean?"

"It's a new word I've created, a combination of love and hate," Jack retorted. "Perfect for situations like this,"

Elsa laughed. "Go to sleep. You're going to need to be well rested for Monday."

Jack woke early on Monday, ignoring the nerves that were plaguing him.

The drive to the surgery was somewhat silent. Elsa had switched the radio on while she hummed along to the song that played. To his relief, she'd not pressed him to talk. At most, she had reached over to give his hand a reassuring squeeze from time to time. He'd spent most of the ride staring out the window, trying to psyche himself up for the impending appointment.

The wait in the doctor's waiting room had been agonisingly long. Jack had scrolled through Facebook on his iPhone while Elsa thumbed through an old gossip magazine. They both ignored the sound of the clock as it ticked, loudly counting down the time. From time to time the peace would be interrupted as a patient entered, or exited the waiting room.

Finally, Jack's name was called. Gulping, he stood up. He briefly toyed with the idea of making a run for it. He'd stood frozen on the spot for a split second before Elsa had reached down to grip his hand, interlocking their fingers and giving him a warm smile. Swallowing his pride, he'd allowed himself to move and had followed the doctor as he led them to his room.

Dr. Roberts cleared his throat. "So, Jack, it has been a while since I've seen you. The last time was the check up following your accident. How have things been for you since then?" he asked.

Jack gulped, turning to look at Elsa who gave him a reassuring nod. "It's been... I can't... I'm a mess," he stammered.

The doctor looked at him over his glasses and nodded. "How so?" he pressed.

"It's like, I have these moments where I feel normal, but most of the time it's as if something is overshadowing me. I can't be happy because my best friend is in a wheelchair because of me," Jack began, feeling the emotions build up. "The logical side of me knows that it wasn't my fault. I wasn't to blame for the accident, but for some reason, I can't listen to that logic."

Jack felt Elsa apply a soft squeeze to his hand. Turning, he looked at her and noted the faint traces of tears in her blue eyes.

"Go on," Dr Roberts urged.

Jack sighed. "It's changed everything. I've not been able to return to my studies. I feel guilty for feeling happy. I feel selfish for being like this and I know that I really have no reason to be like it. I mean, Jamie's in a much worse situation, and yet I'm carrying on like I am. I feel horrible. It pains me to know that I'm putting so much strain on Elsa, but it's hard to explain. I can feel happy some days, and then it changes and I'm back to feeling like shit."

Dr. Roberts leaned forward in his chair, making a few notes on the computer. "Sounds like it's been quite a challenge. What have you been doing with your spare time since you're not studying?" he asked, softly.

"Not much. My days have been filled with either sleeping, drinking, smoking too much, playing video games, or watching movies." Jack admitted, "A few times I've tried to do stuff around the house so that I can at least feel helpful, but that don't happen often. I'm lucky I've not been chucked out on my ass to be honest."

A small chuckle escaped Dr. Roberts lips. "Sounds like you've got a pretty good woman here," he said, gesturing to Elsa.

Jack smiled. "She's the best. I really don't know what I've done to deserve her, but she's the only one who keeps me going," he replied. "We've been together for 5 years now and for some reason she still wants to be with me."

Elsa looked up, her eyes focused on Jack. "That's because I love you, all of you," she smiled, wiping back a tear.

"So, Elsa, how have things been with Jack? What can you tell me?" Dr Roberts asked, his gaze shifting between the young couple.

"Well, pretty much what Jack's told you. He's not left the house much and has shut out most of his friends and even his mum and me at times. He's started smoking and drinking more, which has been hard to watch. It's not easy to watch someone you love hurting," she admitted, tears falling from her eyes. "I've tried to be there for him the best that I can, but I feel so helpless, and it hurts, because I love him so much."

Jack reached over, feeling the need to wrap his girlfriend in his arms and to wipe her tears away. Taking a deep breath, he spoke up. "I need help. I know that. I don't want to continue feeling like this. I don't want to be the reason my girlfriend cries. I want to go back to feeling like my life is going somewhere, not just in a vicious circle."

"Well, what you've done today, coming here, admitting all of this, is the first step in making some positive progress," Dr. Roberts began. "Depression can strike people at different points in their lives. It can be scary, but it is something that can be dealt with and managed. I'm going to give you a script for anti-depressants which I want you to take daily. I also want you to come back to see me in a month for an update,"

He reached over, handing Jack a script for anti-depressants. "I also urge you not to suddenly stop taking the tablets. It's important that you take these tablets daily. I've seen a lot of patients who have a day or two where they feel better so they figure they can stop taking the tablets. It doesn't work that way I'm afraid. You still need to take the tablets daily."

Jack stood up, helping Elsa to her feet before leading her to the door. He paused briefly to look back at the Dr and give him a nod. He realised that he was far from cured, but he had taken the first step in the right direction.

The following weeks proved to be a time of progress for the couple. Elsa was always watching and ready to remind Jack to take his tablets. She'd also started to drag him out the house for a daily walk around the neighbourhood before leaving for university.

Jack cut back on the vices he'd been relying on. Gone were the cigarettes, the late nights, and the alcohol. He channelled his energy into completing small tasks each day. He'd even started to call in to see his mother where he could help her with various jobs around her house before returning home.

Perhaps the biggest step forward came when Jack and Elsa paid a visit to the Bennett's one afternoon. They'd been heading home after seeing a movie when Jack had decided he wanted to go see Jamie. Elsa had been only too happy to oblige and had turned the car around to steer them in the direction of the Bennett home.

Jamie had been happy to see Jack and had filled him in on the progress he was making. His rehabilitation had been going well and he was starting to adapt to life in a wheelchair. He had even taken Jack out to show him the special adaptations to his car that enabled him to drive. The two friends had then made their way out to the backyard where they'd shot hoops and exchanged friendly insults like old times.

Elsa had remained indoors, helping Mrs Bennett and Sophie bake a cake. She stopped periodically to peer out through the window, smiling at the sight of her boyfriend and his best friend clowning around like old times. It was a sure sign that things were going to be okay.