Title: In The Darkest Hour
Author: veiledndarkness
Rating: PG 13
Summary: Bobby won't leave Jack's side. Never again.
Warnings: usual disclaimer. not mine. Implied slash.
ooo
"Bobby!"
A strangled cry, tears running down his face. God, the pain. And then nothing but white.
ooo
Jack blinked once, then twice. A white ceiling above him. He shifted his head slightly, his ears picking up the humming of machines, the beeping of a monitor and the steady, soft footsteps near him. He blinked once more before trying to lift his head. A bolt of pain so intense that his eyes rolled slammed into him. He fell back gasping loudly, his heart beating madly as his fear spiked.
He opened his mouth in a silent shout, his eyes burning as the pain hit again, knocking the wind out of him. A hand gently pushed down on his chest, bringing him back down onto the bed. Jack whimpered as his head swam.
"Ssh, easy now," a warm voice said above him. A sharp prick in his arm made him wince. He tried to pull back, away from the hurt.
"It's ok," the voice said, a soft hand patted his head. The hands pulled his blanket up tighter. Jack's eyes closed again. He made a sleepy sound as the medication kicked in.
"B…" he tried to say before he slipped under again.
ooo
Bobby smoked furiously outside, walking in angry paces in the parking lot, glaring fiercely at everyone who looked at him as they passed by. He stubbed out the remains of his cigarette harder than necessary. His hands shaking from the cold, he shoved them in his pockets while he waited.
Angel came around the corner, his shoulders hunched protectively against the bitter cold wind. Bobby looked up and nodded once at Angel. "Took you long enough to get here," he said as they walked towards the hospital doors.
Angel eyed the look on Bobby's face, the dark circles under his eyes, and the tightness of his mouth and shrugged. "Got here as soon as I could."
They made their way upstairs in silence. Bobby stopped at the nurses' station and tapped his fingers impatiently. Finally, one of the nurses looked up and barely managed to hold back a frown. "Go on in. He's sleeping again," she said curtly.
Bobby snorted. "Y'mean 'sedated' right?" he snapped as he walked past the station.
Angel followed along behind Bobby, his stomach rolling uneasily. He'd not been since the first day that Jack had been brought to the hospital, though the memory of the ride over had been forever imprinted in his mind.
They stepped into the room to see that Jack was indeed sleeping. Bobby sat down in the chair next to the bed, his leg bouncing slightly as he watched the steady rise of Jack's chest. Angel grabbed the chair from the other side of the room and dragged it over, earning a glare from Bobby.
"You wanna keep it down?" he growled.
Angel sighed as he sat down and rubbed the side of his head. "Sorry. I don't think he can hear us anyway," he said.
Bobby stared at him for a moment. "So what? Keep quiet anyway."
Angel grabbed Jack's chart from the foot of his bed and flipped through it. He whistled through his teeth lowly. "Five shots and he lived?" he said.
Bobby rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, fuckin' miracle if I ever saw one," he said wearily. He eyed Jack again, as if needing confirmation that he was still there. "Doctors can't even explain it. Three of the bullets in his legs passed right through, one they had to find. The slug in his shoulder went right through, just missin' his lungs."
Angel looked up startled. "How in the hell is that possible?" he said. Bobby sighed.
"Fuck if I know," Bobby mumbled. He noticed with growing concern that Jack was grimacing in his sleep. He reached out one hand and patted Jack's arm gently, rubbing small circles, mindful of the tubes that covered his hand.
Angel scooted a bit closer to the bed. He looked Jack over before leaning closer to Bobby. "You think Ma was there, don't you?" he asked softly.
"Angel, I don't know what to think anymore," Bobby said tiredly. He let go of Jack's hand and stood up abruptly. "I'm goin' for a coffee, you want one?" he asked.
Angel stood up. "I'll come with. He's sleeping anyway. Has he come out of it yet?" he asked as they left the room. Bobby shook his head sadly.
"No, they got him deep under. Something about how his body needs to heal and shit," he said while they waited for the elevator.
ooo
Jack opened his eyes again, fighting hard against the pressing urge to sleep. He'd been so sure that he had heard Bobby. He licked his lips, wincing at how dry they felt. Jack moved his head slowly this time, as he shifted his weight. The first stirrings of pain pulled at him, bringing his heavy eyelids down. He cried out sharply, a strangled yelp as he felt his stomach roll.
"Bobby…" he whispered hoarsely.
He closed his eyes; the whiteness of the room was so bright, his eyes burning with thick unshed tears. The outline of a nurse came towards him, her cool hands already reaching out and checking his machines. He moaned at the sight of another needle, the nurse tapping it expertly before leaning close to his arm.
He pushed one hand at her, keening softly as the tip of the needle slid into his skin. "No, no,no," he pleaded as the darkness swept over him. A tear trickled down his cheek.
The nurse made a notation in his chart, recording the dosage and time. She smiled as he relaxed back against the pillow. "It's alright sweetheart. You just need to rest now," she said soothingly.
Another tear slid down his cheek. He flinched slightly from her, eyes rolling as he went under.
ooo
Bobby sat alone in the room again, Angel long since gone. He sat and stared out the window, watching the snowflakes fall against windowsill. He kept a close watch on Jack. "I owe you that much Jackie," he muttered before resting his head on the cold window glass.
The stillness of the room was deafening. It left Bobby with time to think, time to mull over the things he had done, the things that he should have done and the crushing feeling that what had happened to Jack was something that he should have been able to stop.
Bobby breathed out a loud sigh. He walked back over to the bed and held Jack's hand again. He watched the fall and rise of Jack's chest and smiled faintly as he remembered all the times that Jack had slipped into his bed after a nightmare, wanting desperately to be held and being unable to say the words out loud.
He brought Jack's hand to his mouth and pressed a soft kiss to it. "I'll keep you safe sweetheart, I swear," he said, ignoring the burning tears under his eyelids.
Bobby brought his chair a bit closer and sat so that he could rest his head on Jack's chest. He began to speak then, telling Jack stories about the things he had done when he was younger, telling him all about the first day that Jack had been in the house, talking about the way Ma had confided in Bobby that she knew she could trust him to watch out for Jack. Bobby talked until his voice was strained, unaware of the occasional tear that slid down his cheek, dripping unnoticed onto Jack's hand.
Finally, exhausted, Bobby fell asleep, his head still resting against Jack's, his hand firmly holding onto Jack's.
ooo
Jack opened his eyes and saw darkness. For just a moment, he panicked until he felt a familiar weight on his chest. He breathed out gently, afraid to move, so sure that he was dreaming; he had to be dreaming.
Jack pried his fingers loose from Bobby's grip. Bobby grumbled in his sleep, stopping only when Jack ran his fingers through his hair, sifting through the dark strands. Jack sighed softly. 'If I am dreaming, then I don't want to wake,' he prayed silently.
He suppressed a whimper when a wave of pain hit his legs, sore prickles of pain that made him catch his breath. He held still, afraid to move, sure that if he did, the nurse would come and he'd have to go to sleep again. He whimpered as the pain rippled again, closing his eyes as he gritted his teeth.
Bobby came awake the second he felt Jack's body tense. He lifted his head and stared in amazement as Jack blinked slowly, his eyes watching him. Bobby raised one shaky hand and caressed his cheek, his eyes half closing in pure relief.
"Am I awake?" Jack whispered. Bobby shook his head, unable to speak. Jack smiled gently.
"Good," he said, his throat catching. Bobby handed him the bottle of water that he had on the table, holding it right to his parched lips. Jack sipped at it greedily until he had his fill.
"Bobby, I…" he started to say. Bobby cut him off by leaning in and kissing him.
Jack's eyes opened wide before his mind took over and he wrapped one arm around Bobby's head bringing him closer, his mouth opening under the kiss, his skin tingling as their lips moved.
Too soon, Bobby pulled back, kissing Jack's forehead, his cheeks, and the tip of his nose. Jack smiled and lay back against the pillow, worn out from trying to sit up.
Bobby held his hand as he watched Jack rest, his eyes never straying from Jack's.
"I always wanted…and I…shit," he trailed off, his face flushing lightly.
Jack rubbed his thumb over Bobby's reassuringly. "I waited too long," Bobby said in an anguished whisper.
"I'm here," Jack said, his eyes saying what he wanted to. Bobby leaned in again, stroking the side of Jack's face, content to hold him, to never let go.