"It's cold…" Renee observed. She rubbed her hands together, and then shoved them into her coat pockets.
Jack wandered a few steps away, glancing back at the hospital as they left it.
The parking lot was deserted, and, other than Renee's occasional complaint, it was silent.
He caught up to her, and forced a tight smile.
"What?" She quizzed him, as he seized her shoulders. He seemed to be in an unreasonably good mood.
Was he paying attention or not? They'd just left from a meeting with Dr. Macer, who was retiring. Despite the President's pleas, Macer left Jack's case open to another medical team.
With Jack's current treatment, which was the most advanced thing science could offer, he was given a year and half to live.
Jack, however, was optimistic, and ignored whatever estimates Dr. Macer threw his way.
"What?" Renee repeated. All she had to do now was drop Jack off at his apartment. There would be no emotional goodbye, there would be no conversation, beyond a necessary set of questions and answers.
Renee stopped his arms before they trailed any further; they had barely reached her waist.
Renee gently slapped his hands away. Jack blinked sharply to reprimand himself.
"My car is right here, Jack." She informed him, and promptly stopped walking. She dug through her purse for her car-keys.
Cautiously, he placed his hand back onto her shoulder. He chose a safer path, allowing it to trace its way to Renee's hand instead. He met a jagged, swollen patch at her wrist.
She lunged forward to slap him again, but couldn't bring herself to do so. Did he really need any more pain? No, of course not! That alone was the reason that Renee would not allow herself to love him.
Her eyes narrowed and faded into an unforgiving, almost steely shade of grey, and she glared at him through a cage of her hair.
Softly, Jack picked up both of her arms. He held them forward, inspecting them before Renee's headlights. She had unlocked the car, and fully intended on getting in.
Jack was pained to see at least a dozen scars across each of Renee's wrists. They overlapped one another, all in a hurry to reach her veins. The soft flesh was permanently scarred and dented. On each wrist, the shape of an asterisk was perfectly formed, as if planned. Certainly planned.
Entranced, he harshly removed her jacket, throwing it to the ground. She stood and allowed the examination to continue. Really, what was the point in arguing?
"Jack, I can explain…" Renee lied.
"I don't want to hear it." Jack tenderly placed her hands back down at her sides. He retrieved her coat and escorted her to the car door.
"Get in." He told her sternly.
Why am I obeying him? Should I just tell the damn lie and get it over with? He'll keep pursuing this, no matter what I do. Renee's mind was cloudy, and a single tear jumped to her steering wheel. But I don't want him to worry…
Jack sat quietly in the car. Renee had yet to turn the key.
He looked at his knees, while she looked out the window at the pale sky. They both inhaled, in sync, and then looked right at each other.
"Why, Renee?" He asked. His voice was low and quiet.
She cried.
"Jack, I don't want you to worry about it. I'll just drop you off at home…"
She started the car.
"I'm not going to leave you alone, Renee."
"What?! I don't need your supervision! If you want to hear the story, I will gladly tell it. But this goes no further."
He nodded. All his life, he had become accustomed to making such deals. In time, of course, he would get all the answers he wanted. That's the way it always worked.
She pulled out of the narrow parking space and began down a dim road. The way to her house. They would not be stopping by his that night.
As she wound through side-streets, she told her story.
A story of the pain and emptiness that she felt without him. And all the reasons she wanted to spend every minute of their lives together.
Every minute that his new estimate would allow.
Author's Note: There it is, chapter one. Your input would certainly make it easier for me to continue... Is it too angsty?