A/N Oh look, my first full length Jendall. Based on the episode ummm… Big Time Rescue, I think? Idk. I forgot my now. The one with the pink sweater. This has been sitting in my documents for like, ever. And today since I actually have a few hours off I decided to go through my documents to organize the huge mess that they are and this was the first one. I don't know why I never posted it but here you go.
Summarry: What if Jo really did get hurt, just like she predicted, while helping Kendall rescue Carlos? Rated T for language.
Jo rubbed the back of her head with her palm, wincing as her cold fingers made contact with the tender, swollen skin, right on the same spot where she hit her head rather hard while playing hockey with Kendall.
Jo loathed hockey. But she played anyway, just that once, because she knew how important it was to Kendall that he save Carlos. And when it came to Kendall, nothing really mattered to Jo except his happiness, even if it meant going against her own better judgment. Jo smiled to herself when she thought of how happy and proud Kendall was that he saved Carlos, even if he was a little insane to actually think Jennifer was a witch.
Now, it was later that evening, and even though Kendall promised Jo he'd take her out to dinner for being such a good sport all day, she was laying on the couch in her sweatpants and hoodie, staring blankly at the television set, the flashing lights sending beams of pain through her skull. Jo contemplated turning the TV off, but her legs were sore and cramping from riding that stupid bike, not to mention she felt oddly dizzy.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, startling Jo. Her head pounded at the loud and intrusive sound.
"Come in!" She called in a rather small, pinched voice. The door swung open and closed gently, and Kendall strode in, wearing that God-awful pink sweater she made him wear as a punishment for "breaking up" with her so harshly. Even though Jo still wasn't completely over that, she couldn't help that warm, fluttering feeling that filled her heart every time she saw her man.
Kendall grinned a dimpled smile and bounded over to the couch, a little surprised that his girlfriend was not dressed to go out. But he was so elated to see her, that he didn't think anything of it at first.
"Hey babe," Kendall said joyfully, pressing his lips against Jo's forehead. Jo automatically leaned into the comforting touch. Kendall felt this and let his lips linger a few more seconds longer than usual.
"You're wearing the pink sweater," Jo pointed out, running her fingers along the soft, ribbed fabric. Oddly enough, he looked kind of handsome in the girlish sweater. It went well with his skin tone and made his green eyes pop. Yes, light pin was definitely his color. Of course, Jo would never tell him that.
Kendall chuckled.
"Yeah well, I kinda deserve it after today," Kendall said, his cheeks turning the same color as his sweater. But his bashful expression quickly turned to one of concern, when he saw Jo wince and rub the back of her head.
"You okay?" Kendall asked softly, moving Jo's blonde hair from her face, which he realized was kind of pale compared to her normal light tanned color. He felt his gut sink slowly. Was Jo sick?
"Yeah, I'm fine," Jo said, a little too quickly.
"Okay," Kendall said. He didn't really believe her. Something was wrong, he could feel it, but he hoped that maybe she was just really exhausted from today's events and not ill like he feared. "Well, you still up to going out? You're not dressed yet…"
"Go where?" Jo asked, her brown bushy eyebrows knotted in confusion.
"T-to dinner, remember? I promised I'd take you out after putting you through all that crap today," Kendall reminded her slowly.
Jo was quiet for a moment, trying to remember what she had forgotten so suddenly. Her head was really starting to hurt.
"Oh."
Kendall waited for a response other than "oh" from his girlfriend, but none ever came.
"Jo, are you sure you're feeling alright? We don't have to go out for dinner tonight, I can make something here and we can watch a movie… Jo?"
Jo blinked and rubbed her forehead, as if waking up from a momentary stupor. "Sorry, I spaced out, can you repeat that Kendall?"
Kendall watched his girlfriend, seriously worried now. Green eyes bore into glazed over honey-brown ones. He noticed she was having trouble focusing on him. "I said, I can make us something to eat here. I don't think you should go out tonight, you look like you're coming down with something."
Surprisingly, Jo nodded rather than put up a fight. Kendall was expecting her to argue with him that she was perfectly fine, being that she could be just about as stubborn as he was.
"Sure, that sounds good. I'm not really hungry though babe, can we just watch a movie?"
"Yeah, of course, come here," Kendall said, eager to get his obviously unwell girlfriend into his arms to comfort her. She nestled herself against Kendall's chest and closed her eyes with a yawn.
"You sleepy babe?" Kendall asked, rubbing her shoulders lightly. Jo mumbled a response and settled down in his arms, but her peace didn't last very long. Within minutes, she was rubbing her head again, whimpering softly into Kendall's sweater. She was sure her head was going to explode, and her stomach did several twists and turns.
"Jo, tell me, what is it?" Kendall asked with alarm, holding his shaking girlfriend by the arms. He tried desperately to make eye contact with her, but her eyes bounced around dazedly and her small angelic face was screwed up into a cringe of pain.
"It hurts Kendall," she choked out in a tiny voice, followed by a sob of agony. Jo had never experienced a headache like this before. It was worse than even a migraine. The whole room seemed to be spinning and her stomach twisted with nausea.
"What hurts? Baby you gotta tell me so I can help you," Kendall said, trying to keep his voice calm and steady despite his nerves. He ran his fingers through her wavy lengths of hair. A sweat was breaking out on her forehead and her breaths came in short gasps.
"My head," Jo whimpered.
"Your head?" Kendall repeated. "L-like a migraine?"
Jo didn't answer. She was crying into his chest, trying to burrow deeper into him for warmth and comfort. Kendall didn't know what to do besides hold her. He noticed her hand was gripping the back of her head, as if that's where all her pain was coming from. Kendall gently snaked his hand under her soft tousles of hair and nudged her head out of the way, where he felt quite a bump, as if she hit her head really hard…
Kendall suddenly had a flashback of earlier that day, when his girlfriend fell backwards trying to convince Carlos he still loved hockey. She went down hard on the pavement, and obviously the helmet didn't do much help.
"Jo, honey when did your head start hurting?" Kendall asked, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't upset her headache any further.
"This afternoon, after we saved Carlos I guess?" Jo said. She rubbed her eyes. "Can I go to sleep now?"
"No baby, I think you have a concussion," Kendall said, swallowing hard. He was pretty sure his sweet girlfriend had a concussion, and it was his fault. "We need to go to the hospital."
Jo pulled back suddenly, frightened by his words. She loathed the hospital. After spending day after day, year after year visiting her mother in a hospital, she learned to hate the smell and the feel and the look of the whole place. It felt like death to her.
"I don't want to," Jo pleaded, shaking her head. "I-I'll be okay. I just need some headache medicine."
"I'm taking you to the doctor, Jo. I have to. I don't want you any more hurt than you already are."
Jo was too exhausted and in too much pain to argue. She let Kendall pull her to her feet with his strong arms and leaned against him, feeling dizzy. Kendall caught her and held her steady against his chest. Realizing she was too dizzy to walk, he lined one arm under her back and the other beneath her knees, than lifted her up easily. Cradling Jo in his arms, he hurried to the elevator and carried her to the car.
"I'll get you help baby, just hold on," Kendall promised, putting Jo in the backseat. She laid down limply and moaned, hair falling into her pale face. Kendall tucked the loose strands behind her ear and kissed her head before getting into the driver's seat and taking off, heart pounding and fingers tapping the steering wheel nervously. What had he been thinking, letting Jo do all that rough and tumble stuff just to help him? He had been so consumed with getting Carlos back that he forgot about the safety of his girlfriend! She told him no yet he pushed her to do something she didn't want to do, and now she was hurt because of it.
"Almost there, Jo. You doing okay?" Kendall asked. They were stuck in a bit of traffic now. It was taking longer than he had hoped to get to the hospital.
Jo didn't answer. He didn't even hear a moan or a whimper.
"Jo, honey?" Kendall adjusted his rearview mirror until he saw Jo's reflection. The girl was completely still, head against the window and eyes drawn shut. She was out like a light.
"No, Jo, wake up!" Kendall exclaimed, his voice high pitched with fear. She wasn't supposed to fall asleep. Keeping his foot pressed firmly on the brake pedal, he twisted around in his seat and shook her shoulder gently. She didn't even stir.
"Damn it," Kendall whispered, turning back to the steering wheel when somebody behind him honked because the light turned green. He sped through the light and passed several cars in his anxious rush to get to the hospital, ignoring the angry honks of other drivers.
Finally, he arrived at the nearest hospital and carried Jo to the check in desk.
"My girlfriend fell playing hockey. I think she has a concussion and she won't wake up," Kendall explained to the lady behind the desk. The woman stood up in alarm and called in a doctor.
"Ok, they'll take care of her honey. Calm down," she said softly. Kendall swallowed thickly. He didn't even notice that he was nearly hyperventilating with panic.
Moments later, a doctor came with a gurney and took Jo from his arms.
"Jo," Kendall cried, grabbing the side rails of the skinny bed. He wanted to come with her, be there for her. How could he just sit waiting when his girlfriend needed him?
"Son, you have to let go. She'll be okay. We're going to help her now."
Kendall nodded nervously, but he couldn't let go of the rails. Finally the receptionist had to come over and pry his fingers off, then led him to the waiting room and brought him a cup of coffee to calm his nerves.
While Kendall waited, he punched in Logan's cell number with shaky fingers and pressed his phone to his ear. He needed the guys with him, plus they deserved to know that Jo was hurt. She was their friend, too.
"Hey Kendall, what's up?" Logan asked from the other line.
"Hey buddy," Kendall said. He tried to sound normal, but he couldn't keep the emotional quae from his voice.
"What's wrong?" Logan asked, immediately knowing something was up.
Kendall scrubbed a hand over his face. "Jo's in the hospital, Logan. She hit her head really hard. She went unconscious before I could get her to the hospital. I don't know if she's okay."
Logan was silent for a moment, letting the information sink in.
"Kendall, I'm so sorry. We'll be right there."
"Okay. Hurry. Please." Kendall pressed the end button and rested his head on the wall behind him. All he could see was Jo looking so small and hurt on the couch, her pretty brown eyes filled with agony. He couldn't shake the image away. He knew it would stay in his mind until he found out Jo was okay.
Minutes that felt lie hours passed. Kendall could hear James' frantic voice out in the hallway.
"Where is he, Logan?"
"I'm sure he's in the waiting room, come on," Logan replied as he rounded the corner with James and Carlos trailing behind him.
As soon as James caught sight of Kendall he rushed over and put his arms around his shoulders. Kendall leaned into his best friend.
"You alright?" James asked. Kendall nodded.
"Just freaking out."
"Any word on how she is?" Logan asked hopefully.
"No, I haven't heard from anybody."
"She'll be okay dude," Carlos said, always the voice of encouragement. He rubbed Kendall's shoulder. Kendall was a tiny bit more relaxed now that he was snug in James' arms with Carlos and Logan comforting him, but he still felt the guilt and panic eating away at his stomach.
"Dude, are you sure you're alright? You look like you're the one who should be in the hospital. All pale and stuff," Logan commented worriedly.
"It's my fault, Logan. She told me she didn't want to do that stupid shit and a practically forced her. Now she's in the hospital because I wouldn't leave her alone."
"Hey, don't you blame yourself," Logan scolded gently, placing a hand on Kendall's shaking knee. "Accidents happen."
"Yeah, and we get concussions all the time!" Carlos said. "I've had like 7 and I'm fine."
"Well I wouldn't say that," Logan mumbled teasingly. Carlos pushed Logan so hard he nearly fell off his seat. Kendall managed to crack a small smile, but it was gone quick and it came.
"She just looked so sick guys. The worst part is she was trying to hide it from me. If she would have told me her head was hurting when it happened I would have gotten her help and she'd be fine right now. I should have been able to recognize the signs, but I thought she was fine."
"Dude, quit beating yourself up. Jo's tougher than she looks," Carlos said.
"She's delicate," Kendall argued.
"Don't let her hear you say that," James teased.
Kendall smacked James' knee.
"Jo Taylor?"
Kendall scrambled to his feet, untangling himself from James' arms and ran the short distance to the doctor who just entered the room.
"Yes, she's my girlfriend! Is she okay?"
"She'll be fine. She suffered quite a concussion. Apparently during her fall her helmet slipped and she ended up hitting the back of her head with brute force. That's a very sensitive area. What was causing her so much pain was a bit of fluid back up, but we managed to drain it all and she's perfectly stable now. She was asking to see somebody named Kendall, is she around?"
Kendall rolled his eyes. "That's me, I'm Kendall. Her boyfriend. It's a unisex name," Kendall explained. "You mean Jo's awake?"
"Yes she is and you can go see her anytime. She might be a little groggy from the pain medicine. Room 303."
"Thank you so much!" Kendall said with relief, turning to James, Carlos and Logan.
"Go on buddy, we'll be in there in a bit. You 2 need some time alone."
"Thanks bro," Kendall said sincerely before racing down the hall and up the steps to Jo's room.
"Jo?" Kendall breathed when he entered the room. She looked like she was sleeping, but as soon as she heard Kendall's voice, honey colored eyes opened to meet worried green ones. "How are you feeling baby?"
Jo moaned. "Like I was hit by a truck…"
Kendall stroked Jo's bangs with his fingertips and kissed her forehead. "I'm so glad you're okay. You had me worried there for a moment. Are you sure nothing is hurting you?"
"I'm fine, Kendall." She rubbed her head tenderly. "Ugh, the things I go through for you."
"I am so sorry," Kendall apologized, grasping Jo's hand. "You have every right to be mad at me. You can even hate me if you want. I didn't listen to you and I made you do things you didn't want to do. What kind of boyfriend does that? I made you get hurt. But I swear I'm going to make it up to you. I'm going to take care of you until you get better. No work, no guy time, nothing until you feel ok again."
Jo listened to Kendall's apologetic rant, waiting for a moment to cut in, but he just wouldn't shut up. He kept going on and on and must have said he was sorry 13 times. Finally, Jo weakly reached up and wrapped her fingers around Kendall's neck, then pulled him in and planted her lips on his. This quickly shut Kendall up. He went with the flow, reveling in the familiar yet static feel of her soft lips moving against his. When she finally released, he stared at her breathless, his kiss-swollen lips agape in shock. She just smiled.
"So, you're not mad?" Kendall asked.
Jo smirked. "How could I be mad at my boyfriend when he's wearing a giant pink sweater? Besides, this whole thing happened because you just wanted to help Carlos, which is incredibly sweet. It's not your fault. You were just trying to be a good friend."
"Well I promise, no more crazy antics. I swear it."
"Sure, you know you're strange friends will get themselves in trouble again next week and I'm going to be the first one you run too," Jo said light-heartedly.
"Well, probably," Kendall mumbled abashedly. Jo smiled and opened her arms wide.
'C'mere, I want to cuddle my adorable pink boyfriend."
Kendall grinned and settled into her warm embrace, placing tiny kisses on her jawline.
"Ya know, there is something you can do to make up maiming me."
"Hmm? And what's that?"
"You can wear that sweater every day for a week. What? You look hot!"
Kendall pouted playfully. "I thought you were going to say sympathy sex."
Jo giggled. "That too, and lots of it if you keep on wearing that sexy sweater."
"You know suddenly, this sweater isn't so horrible," Kendall said, tugging on the pink fabric. He leaned over and placed a kiss to Jo's nose. Jo cuddled into him, suddenly very sleepy now that she was safe in her boyfriend's arms.
A/N Tada, my first Jendall. Hope you enjoyed Reviews make me implode with rainbow sprinkles (OMG HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE PLEASE)