He didn't have much time left. Jimmy had spent the day with him, in the white-walled room of that hospital, holding his wrinkled hand and rubbing his steel thumb over the back of it gently. The doctors had said the Commander probably wouldn't be able to recognize him in his last moments, and that he could go at any time. Dementia had begun to claim his mind now that he was so old, but Jimmy still had a small hope that he'd hear the Commander-the real Commander-before...the time came.
He looked up as Ricky and Eaglebones entered, the both of them far older now, but still somewhat healthy at least. Jimmy frowned slightly, looking to Eaglebones, "Is he going to be okay now, Eaglebones?"
The man nodded, nudging Ricky, the younger man getting out a hankerchief to blow into, his eyes red and puffy. It wasn't surprising that Ricky had burst into tears when he'd entered hours ago, and had taken so long to calm down. The Commander had always been like a father to him, and given recent events, he was already greatly depressed. Ricky sniffed for a moment before nodding, "I-I'll be okay...Eaglebones helped out a lot."
The older man smiled, patting Ricky's shoulders before leading him back over to where Jimmy currently was, looking down at his Commander, still rubbing his hand, looking to the weak pulse on the heart monitor from time to time. Eaglebones watched Jimmy for a moment, before he gave his shoulder a pat. The man tried to say something encouraging, anything to help Jimmy, but no words came to mind. How could he comfort him? He'd been the Commander's best friend for years, even when the Commander had completely forgotten who he or any of the other bats were. He'd been with him since...forever, really.
The Commander came to, just a little, Jimmy looking up as he did so, Ricky nearly tearing up again at the dull green color in the Commander's eyes, ones that used to have so much spark to them, now almost lifeless. The Commander looked around, seeming tired and dazed, looking to Jimmy. "...Hey, you the nurse around here...?"
Jimmy took his hand, smiling softly. Eaglebones was unsure how Jimmy was keeping it together as he spoke in a calm, even tone. "No Commander, it's me, Jimmy the robot. You remember, right?"
The Commander seemed to look off into space, thinking for a long moment, "...Jimmy...yeah, that does ring some bells..." He took in a few wheezing breaths, "Sure you're not a nurse..?"
Jimmy gave a light chuckle, "No, no, though I have taken care of you a lot recently, I suppose...So you could consider me one, I guess."
The Commander seemed to think again before nodding stiffly, "Alright...so, what am I in for now..?"
Jimmy's expression faltered briefly, trying to think of something to say. What could he tell him exactly? What would be the best thing to say? "...You're here to visit, Crash. You remember him, right?"
Ricky started to cry again, Eaglebones adjusting Ricky to lean into his chest and cry there, not wanting to upset the Commander at all right now. The Commander thought, a toothless smile crossing his face, "Crash...Haven't seen him in a while." He looked around, before frowning just a little, "So, where is he..?"
Jimmy gripped his hand just slightly, "Soon, you'll see him soon..." He looked to the Commander, his blue eyes glowing slightly, before turning to Eaglebones and Ricky. "And you remember them?"
The Commander turned slowly, watching Ricky sob into Eaglebone's shirt, and Eaglebones pat Ricky's back as he tried to get him to calm down. He nodded after a moment, "Yeah...crazy kids... since when have you both been so tall...?" Eaglebones glanced up, trying not to cry in front of Ricky, shushing him slightly as Ricky nodded, trembling, gripping fistfuls of tear-stained shirt. The Commander frowned a little, "What're they crying about..?"
Jimmy looked to him, thinking for a moment, "Well...to see Crash, you're going to be...to be going away for a while." He swallowed thickly, before continuing on, "I-it's a nice place though. There's lots of trees, and animals and...and a kitchen, full of doughnuts. Fresh doughnuts and fancy robes and pizza and swimming pools."
The MC blinked, before frowning a little, "What good'll that do me...? Can't swim well, my teeth are gone, and if the kiddos are gonna be that upset..."
Jimmy gripped his hand a bit further, "You'll have a better body when you get there to use all that stuff...Everything will be perfect...someday, they'll get to visit you too..." Jimmy knew he was just telling the Commander what could just be a bunch of lies, a story the Professor had once told him, when testing animals went away for a while and didn't come back. It was easier then telling the truth he found, easier then just telling him outright that this would be the last time he'd be around to see them.
Before he realized it, Jimmy could feel himself start to cry, trying to keep his expression as calm as possible, looking up briefly as Eaglebones left the room to calm Ricky and himself down. Jimmy blinked, feeling a hand suddenly on the side of his face, glancing down, his eyes widening. The Commander was looking at him, a bit of color in his eyes that Jimmy hadn't seen in a long while, "C-..." He couldn't talk. There was a tight feeling in his chest that seemed to shut off all audial processors, and he could only watch while the Commander gave him a weak laugh.
"Sorry Jimmy...but even I know that's kind of a lame way to go out..." Jimmy stared, swallowing, tears freely dripping down his face and down to the Commander's. The man watched Jimmy for a moment, shakily moving his hand to wipe away the tears, "You've been the best nurse a guy could...could ask for... you still kinda suck at those stories though..." Jimmy felt his face contort, trying to hold in the sense of grief that had been gripping at his insides like tar in his gears. He'd known this day would come for so long now, spent so much time preparing, and yet he was breaking apart at such a critical moment.
The Commander smiled to him, whistling weakly. "Hey...hey it'll be okay...I'll be okay, like you said...only with maybe more tigers to ride, hm...? Something awesome like that..." The Commander moved his hand down again to rest on his chest, breaths starting to slow down, his eyes drooping just a little. Jimmy choked, taking his hand shakily and holding it against his face again, the Commander watching him dimly.
"...Jimmy...can you...do something for me..?" Jimmy took in a shaky breath, looking to the Commander sadly, blue eyes seeming to shine with the tears flooding up around them. "...Sing that one song...I'm feeling kinda tired and...and it helps..." The Commander smiled softly, "I wanna get in a nap...before I go...goes something like...like this..." Slowly, the Commander hummed a few notes of it.
Jimmy stiffened, and that pain in his chest only seemed to spike, but he did what the Commander wanted, "...H-here's, something to think about...When things, go wrong all the time..." He couldn't stop crying, but he sang it. It was only fair to the Commander to go out how he wished. And it was fitting, even without the Commander's voice in it.
"So close your eyes, cause i-it's alright to say, h-hellooo..." He looked down to the Commander, watching the serene expression come over his face, as the heart monitor flatlined. Jimmy sucked in a breath, "...Goodnight..."