You Could Have Saved Her
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to James Patterson and CBS. I was really sad at the lack of Chloe X Jackson FanFiction, so I figured I would add my contribution. Yes, this one follows the canon plot, so prepare for a tear-jerker. I warn you in advance. Now, onto the story; I hope everyone enjoys! Oh, also, I don't speak Swahili other than what I know from Lion King, but several websites gave me the same translation. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!
"You could have saved her," Jackson accuses Mitch as the safari guide continues his vigil over his precious Chloe.
"I'm sorry?" comes Mitch's response, confusion permeating those two words as the pathologist comes into the lab.
"You could have saved Chloe," Jackson growls, gritting his teeth as he strokes his hand over Chloe's cold wrist as if that somehow will bring her pulse back. "You could have saved her, Mitch, and you didn't," the mutating ghost gene carrier continues his accusation.
Jackson looks up, and it's then that Mitch notices how bloodshot and tired the younger man's eyes are.
It's obvious the grief mixed with the mutation does not make Jackson the most cognitive person at this point in time.
"Why, Mitch?" his question is sharp, cutting, and straight to the point, containing no shred of emotion other than anger.
"Jackson," Mitch starts off before faltering, not quite sure how to respond to such an accusation without upsetting Jackson any further. "You know I did everything I could for Chloe," he continues his explanation, only to be cut off by the grieving man.
"Everything except saving her life," Jackson deadpans, dropping a kiss to Chloe's blonde hair.
"The extra adrenaline would have killed her, Jackson!" Mitch yells, getting fed up with Jackson's blame and mood.
"The gas did anyway!" Jackson shouts through gritted teeth, running his right hand through Chloe's hair, sending the smell of her strawberry shampoo into the air.
A scent he would never smell in that hair again…
Hearing all the yelling coming from the lab, Abraham steps out of the bathroom of the plane, his face slick with cold water from the shower.
"Jackson, I'm not going to stand here and let you blame me for a situation that was out of my control!" Mitch tells Jackson, both men's dark brown eyes storming in anger.
"Then go away," Jackson growls, still clutching Chloe's hand like it will wake her up. "We don't need you here," the ghost gene carrier snarls, appearing almost animal-like in appearance, and it scares Abe to see his best friend, his Rafiki, his brother looking so murderous and beast-like.
"There is no need for this behavior, Jackson," Abe quietly speaks as if he is talking to a spooked or angered animal. "We need Mitch to help with the cure, Rafiki," Abraham gently reminds, readjusting the light blue towel around his neck from taking a shower.
"Chloe, she- she- she's not coming back, Abe," Jackson whimpers, motioning for Abe to come closer.
"I-"Abe starts off, only for his voice to get stuck in his throat. "I know, Rafiki. I am truly sorry," the safari guide tells his grieving best friend. "But, you know we did everything we could for Chloe," Abraham reminds, coming to sit on a chair on the opposite side of Chloe where he can face Jackson directly.
"Not everything, Abe," Jackson admits, his light brown eyes looking up at Abraham and the older man's mouth falls open in shock upon seeing Jackson's bloodshot eyes.
"Jackson…" Abe tries to comfort in that soothing, gentle voice of his, but Jackson raises the hand that's not clutching Chloe's and shakes it from side to side.
It's the young safari guide's way of saying 'Not now, Abe'.
"The highly esteemed Dr. Morgan couldn't even perform a simple life-saving operation on a human, Rafiki," Jackson cruelly remarks to Abe with a vicious look on the mutating man's face.
Abraham Kenyatta knows this is not going to end well for either Mitch or Jackson. He's just going to have to wait and try to contain their fiery tempers.
Before Mitch can respond, Jackson speaks up again, his voice sounding almost animalistic in nature.
"Imagine how bad he must be at saving animals that need him," Jackson laughs to himself, catching both Mitch and Abraham off guard.
"You know what?" Mitch speaks up, grabbing a bottle of drink he had been planning to leave for Jackson before the young man began yelling. "I can't anymore. I just can't," the veterinary pathologist sighs, starting to make his way towards the door that leads to the plane's bedrooms. "Abe, please try to knock some sense into that friend of yours' thick skull," he manages to comment through gritted teeth.
"I will," Abe warmly says, standing up and placing a comforting hand on Mitch's left shoulder. "And I know you did everything you could to try and save Chloe," he softly remarks.
"Yeah, well, I couldn't stand to lose another member of our team if I could prevent it," Mitch comments with a grim expression on his face.
"I bet you would have been successful if it was Jamie on this table and not Chloe."
That sentence proves to be the last straw.
Mitch drops the bottle of drink on the floor, shattering the glass into thousands of pieces before he springs towards Jackson with pure malice in his eyes. Jackson jumps up as well, kicking his chair backwards and dropping Chloe's hand in the process. The moment Jackson stands up, Abraham grabs a fistful of his best friend's shirt, holding him by the collar. At this point in time, Abe does not care that Jackson is wearing a tux; the man obviously needs to be restrained before he can inflict any more damage. Meanwhile, instead of grabbing Mitch by the shirt, Abe simply places one of his large hands in front of Mitch's chest, effectively keeping the two apart. The situation is becoming akin to keeping two fighting dogs apart from one another.
"Rafiki, that is enough," Abe comments in a stern tone of voice, keeping a firm hold on the back of Jackson's shirt.
"But, Abe! You saw what he did—What they did to Chloe…!" Jackson trails off, his voice sticking to his throat and refusing to continue.
"Enough Jackson," Abe commands more forcefully this time, and Jackson's eyes start to become lighter and less enraged as his mutating DNA begins to wane away in its effects.
There is no doubt that the mutating ghost gene is still in Jackson's blood, but for now, the effects do not seem to be as strong. Jackson can feel his body become less numb, can feel the blood starting to circulate through his veins once more. Abraham Kenyatta sure knows how to calm someone down, no matter the species. Just like the dog in Africa, Jackson feels his breath regulate, and it's all thanks to his best friend.
With Jackson no longer struggling in Abe's grasp, Abraham turns his attention to Mitch. The pathologist looks to be on the verge of trying to break past the barrier that is Abe's muscular arm in order to lunge at Jackson.
"Mitch, I have got this under control," Abe softly assures, not wanting to raise his voice and further aggravate the current situation.
"No, Abraham, I don't think you do," Mitch begins to say, his eyes still heavy and dark with emotion and adrenaline. "See, I still want to teach a certain Jackson Oz a lesson about doubting my abilities to save Chloe," the older man practically growls, working at a way to lunge at Jackson.
Mitch tries to push Abe's arm out of the way to get to Jackson, much like arguing siblings or wolves trying to fight for the position of alpha male in the pack. Abraham simply pushes Mitch back, the safari guide's eyes filled with what can only be described as desperation.
"Please, Mitch," Abe begins, his tone soft and low. "I am doing this for your own good," he reasons with Dr. Mitch Morgan, the man who feels terrible about not being able to save neither Chloe nor Jamie. "I can handle Jackson. Please, just stay out of the lab until I am through talking to him."
"Fine. Whatever," Mitch remarks, throwing his hands in the air before turning around and starting to head for the door to exit the lab. "We already all knew who your favorite person on this team was since the beginning," the veterinary pathologist calls over his shoulder, turning to fix Jackson with a piercing, icy stare.
"Mitch, now that is not fair. Jackson and I—" Abe starts to mediate between the two fighting men once again, setting the towel around his neck on a table.
"Yeah, I know. All buddy-buddy and that "Rafiki" mess you're always yammering on about," the dark-haired scientist sighs, raking one hand through his tussled brown hair in the process. "But, last time I checked, I don't remember you being team leader. Thought that was Chloe's job."
Just like that, Mitch Morgan is gone, no doubt into his room to pour over his research, or maybe call to check in on Clem, Henry, and Audra.
The silence is so thick in the room that it is almost deafening. Abraham releases the collar of Jackson's shirt from his grip, allowing the younger man to move about as he pleases. Jackson sits down on the chair next to Chloe's still form before he picks up Chloe's hand to hold one last time.
"So, what happens now, Abe?" Jackson inquires, his voice thick with emotion and his eyes filled with unshed tears. "Is this the part where you ground me and send me off to my room?" he jokes, soft brown eyes returning once more as he looks up at Abe.
Still standing up beside the table holding Chloe, Abe shifts his weight on his feet before speaking.
"Only if I were your father and Mitch were your sibling would I ground you, Rafiki," Abe assures, crossing his arms over his chest and trying his hardest to imitate the stern, disappointed look Elizabeth Oz gave her son after he did something incredibly rash or unpredictable.
One such instance would be the time Elizabeth came home to the safari camp from treating a patient in the field to find a fifteen-year-old Jackson wrestling in the grass with four cheetah cubs who could not have been more than six weeks old. What made the situation worse is young Jackson then began to race the young cheetahs, enjoying the thrill of the cubs nipping at his tennis shoes. Both Elizabeth and Abraham had to get Jackson out of the precarious situation that followed; Abraham distracted the mother when she looked keen on making Jackson her dinner for the evening. Abe stepped between Jackson and the hungry cheetah who began to lick her lips in anticipation while Elizabeth scooped her son out of the savannah grass by looping her hands under Jackson's arms and hauling him up to his feet. She then took her son inside their tent to give him a very strong talking to while Abe allowed the cheetah to reunite with her cubs. If Abe hadn't heard Jackson's screams of delight and excitement… No. No, Abe did not want to go down that road of possibilities then, and he certainly doesn't want to get into the details and "What ifs?" now. Not after Chloe….
Jackson's next statement snaps Abe out of the memory that had been re-playing in his head the entire time.
"Sometimes I wish you were my father, Abe," Jackson brings up, mischief in his eyes as he tries to muster a small smile.
"Ha!" Abe scoffs at the comment, batting his hand through the air like a cat trying to catch a bird in flight. "You do not wish for me to be your father, Rafiki," the older man laughs, creases smoothing out on his dark face in the process.
"Sure I do, Abe!" Jackson argues, realizing that Abraham Kenyatta does not know how much Jackson respects and admires him.
"I mean, you give me great advice, just like a father would. You always are there to get me out of trouble when it finds me," the young safari guide admits to his best friend.
"Ah. I do believe you mean when you find trouble," Abe grins, a teasing tone in his voice as he claps a hand over Jackson's shoulder. "Trouble does not simply find you, Rafiki," he continues to tease his best friend and surrogate younger brother. "You simply are attracted to any and all trouble you can get into," Abe finishes, sitting on the chair across from Chloe's…
He couldn't find it in himself to say corpse. Abe could barely stomach the idea of Chloe being gone from his life, and he had only known the French Intelligence Officer for about a year and a half now. In his heart and brain alike, Abe can only fear the feeling that would sweep over him if he were to lose Jackson to the animal apocalypse as well. Like all the times he almost lost him in Africa… Like when he was shot by the rebels and had to be taken to the hospital low on supplies and infested with disease and leopards alike.
"No, Abe. Don't think like that. Remember that Jackson and Elizabeth are fighting spirits who will never give in," Abe's mind starts to wander, and the African native's mouth begins moving before he can process the words.
"You would not like for me to be your father, Jackson," Abe returns to their conversation.
"Why? Because you would keep me from attracting trouble like a magnet?" Jackson smiles, a real genuine smile this time as Abraham starts to calm him down.
"No. Though, I will always advocate for you to find less trouble to get yourself into," Abe makes known, and Jackson can't help but smirk at Abraham's statement.
"Come on, Abe. We both know that's not my style. My life would be so boring then," the Boston native grins, looking all the world like a smug teenager.
"Boring, yes," Abe says with a grin of his own before turning more serious. "But, it would be a lot safer in the world for you. Also, it would keep both your mother and myself from worrying so much we end up with grey hairs sooner than intended," he admits, taking one of Chloe's cold hands in his much larger and warmer ones before beginning to hum a soft tune in Swahili.
Jackson simply sits in silence, closing his eyes and listening to the soothing voice that belongs solely to the singing Abraham Kenyatta.
When Abe is finished singing his song in Swahili, he leans down and presses a soft kiss to Chloe's forehead.
"Kuwa na safari salama, Chloe," Abe tells her, his voice barely more than a whisper as he looks at her face and studies it one more time. "Have a safe journey," he whispers, pushing a stray piece of her blonde hair behind her ear.
"I miss her already," Jackson speaks up, his eyes once again bloodshot and filled with hot tears that keep insisting on leaving his eyes. "Abe, I miss her. Chloe, she—she—she was light, hope, and love in this world," he chokes out, the tears running into his throat as he refuses to let anymore drip from his eyes. "And—and now she's gone all because of Davies… and Dariela… and Mitch," the young safari guide continues, his voice thick with emotion as he swallows heavily.
"Oh, Jackson…" Abe sighs, standing up and then going to place his steady hands on Jackson's shoulders. "I know you miss her, Rafiki. I do as well. But, you know Mitch did everything in his power to save Chloe," he reminds, looking the younger man in the eyes.
"Yeah. I—I know he did, even if I don't admit it," Jackson admits, his voice shaking as his breath hitches in his throat. "But, I wish we could have done more for Chloe. She didn't deserve to be ripped away like that," the younger man continues grasping Chloe's cold hand as he feels the steadying force of Abe's strong, muscular hands on his shoulders.
Jackson presses one last parting kiss to Chloe's lips before he turns his head to look at Abe.
"How'd you do it, Abe?" is the next question.
"How did I do what, Rafiki?" Abe inquires, equally confused.
"How did you ever get over the grief after your brothers…?"
The question is left unfinished due to the sensitive subject matter being discussed.
Abe takes a moment of silence, his breathing uneven at first as he thinks of Malik and Kalim and the gruesome experiences he shared with the two of them. As more time passes, Abraham's breathing begins to level, and he can talk without tears filling his eyes now that the initial gut-wrenching pain has worn off from their deaths.
"When my baby brothers were killed, I knew they were in a better place," Abe begins, and Jackson listens intently to every word Abraham says, knowing that the entire subject is still painful to discuss. "However, I also could not accept that they left the world so young. So, at night in my tent when the rebels weren't listening, I would cry and weep for hours. I just prayed every night I did the right thing and had done enough for Malik and Kalim when they were with me, safe and protected from harm," the ex-soldier continues, a grim look on his face. "It gets easier over time, but that doesn't mean it will not still hurt," he cautions.
"Thank you for that talk, man. I—I will have a hard time processing that Chloe— "Jackson gratefully remarks before clearing his throat. "But, uh, for what it's worth, you take real good care of me, Abe. Your brothers were lucky to have you looking out for them."
"Mm-hmm. Kukaa karibu, Jackson. You have become part of that family," Abe admits, his eyes soft as he begins to back away from Jackson. "And that is why you want me as a brother rather than a father," he smirks.
"And why is that, Abe? You never got around to finishing that thought."
"Ah, yes. Well, only a brother could put up with your crazy schemes, Rafiki. Good night," Abe laughs, starting to head for his bedroom.
"Abraham!" Jackson playfully shouts after him before turning back to Chloe to mourn her properly.
Author's Note: And there it is! My first ever Zoo FanFiction! What did you guys and girls think? Yes, I am aware that this story was extremely sad, but I unfortunately decided to go through what I wish had been included after Chloe's unfortunate passing in the TV show. I promise, the rest of the Jackson X Chloe stories from me- for the majority- will be fluff and not have any major character death in it at all! There may be angst from time to time when I deem it necessary or crucial to a plot, but there will always be a fluffy healing section after that. Well, I think that's all I have to say other than I hope you all enjoyed this one-shot! I would love to hear what my dear readers thought of this piece, so any and all reviews will be greatly appreciated! Until the next time, my dear readers! Have a nice day, afternoon, or night!