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Chapter 2: Trip
When they get back to the pole Sandy and Bunny, to their annoyance, have to get back to work. The time they had spend getting Jack and waiting for the meeting to began had taken much more time than they had originally put to the side.
Easter was just around the corner and Bunnymund had to prepare. Sandy couldn't leave his dream cloud alone for much longer, he would eventually have to catch up the the thing and redirect it's path.
Tooth put baby tooth in charge of the other fairies and knew they would be okay for a while. So bunny reluctantly stomps his foot against the ground telling North that he would return as soon as possible. Sandy touches Jacks forehead with one of his small golden fingers to give him good dreams and says that he'll try to be back soon as well.
And Tooth and North are left alone with the Injured spirit. North doesn't waist a second. "Tooth I need your help to set Jack's arm back into place." Luckily the break was clean, but that didn't mean it would be painless for Jack when set. Tooth gives him a faint Nod.
North looks down at boy in his arms sadly as he hurries over to the guest room he'd set up for Jack when he had first joined the guardians.
Jack hadn't used the room once. North slowly places the boy on the bed and gives directions to Tooth, who just brushes them off telling him that she's already aware of how to go about it.
Carefully Tooth manages to pull Jacks Hoodie and pants off of him, trying hard not to disrupt all the little bruises and burns that cover his arms and legs. Jack's now only in a pair of blue boxers.
Together they manage to set his arm into place, Jack's face is screwed up in pain and he's gone several shades grayer by the time their done, but Sandy's dream sand is still in affect and Jack never wakes. Tooth wraps the spirits arm to the back of his neck in a sling.
"Tooth, I need you to go fill up the bath with the coldest water possible, so we can soak his burns." Tooth Nods, casting one sad look to Jack before fluttering out the door. North quickly grabs a rag from the closet and runs it under some cold water from the nearby sink. He can't help but think why Jack never used this bedroom.
He's asked Jack to stay with him multiple times, during the summer months especially. Three hundred years of solitude could defiantly damage a persons trust issues and the three years they had spent getting to know the spirit seemed like nothing compared to the time he'd spent alone.
But North was worried about the boy, even now he preferred to be alone, barely visiting any of the other guardians. They all wished that he would open up more but seriously doubted that would happen any time soon.
A low moan Jars the Russian man from his thoughts and he scrambles quickly back over to Jack quickly, hoping that he hadn't strayed from his dreams just yet.
To his relief the boy is still asleep, his breathing is ragged and his eyes are squeezed shut but Jack is still fast asleep.
North starts to mop up the boy's blood from the wound that's seeping from the the side of his head and back of his knee. Jack's temperature, To North's surprise and worry, had gone up since he'd last checked it. North quickly but carefully wraps Jack head and knee in a thick layer of gauze as Tooth flies in a tells him that the bath is ready.
The fairy floats outside of the bathroom as North takes Jack to soak in the tub for fifteen minuets. Every second feels like an hour to Tooth, as she nervously flutters from one end to the room to the other, pacing.
Finally The door opens and North holds a damp Jack frost in a white fluffy towel, being extremely careful not to jar his broken arm he lays Jack back on the bed. His boxers are back on and North slowly towel dry's the boys sopping hair. They rewrap everything because the Gauze had gotten soaked in the Bath. Tooth sits on the chair next to the bed and Cups Jack's cheek with her small nimble hand.
A pink flush is still high on his cheeks still signaling a fever. North rubs at His temple nervously and eyes Tooth.
"he's gonna be okay Tooth." North says comfortingly every word wrapped in his thick Russian accent. "But, he does have quite a few second degree burns. Those can take up to three weeks to heal." Tooth's face falls. Three whole weeks?
"I'm going to go get some ointment for them. Be right back." The Russian man manages to leave the room silently for once.
Tooth takes one of Jack's cold thin hands and rubs circles into it with her thumb soothingly. "Oh Jack, what were you doing in a fire?" She bit her lip and brushed away some hair from his eyes. Jack was well aware that he couldn't take too much heat.
Tooth's eyebrows scrunch together as she thinks. Jack must have had a really good reason to of gone anywhere near a fire. He didn't even like helping her cook because of the stoves open flame.
Suddenly she feels heat rise to her face as she looks at him. Because Jack isn't wearing anything but a pair of boxers. She mentally slaps herself, Here Jack was. Almost naked, Injured with a broken arm and fever and Tooth was blushing.
She shakes her head, now wasn't the time for this. Tooth pulls her hand away from Jack's and he instantly moans. Tooth freeze's, was he waking up, was he in pain- "Too...th..." Jack moans quietly.
There was no way that he was saying her Name, Toothania must just be imagining it in her embarrassed state. "T-Tooth..." this one is easier to make out, Jack was saying her name. Timidly Tooth grabs his hand again and a small pained smile spread across Jack's face.
Tooth couldn't help but feel giddy despite herself.
North suddenly comes through the door again and Tooth jumps in surprise. "That was fast." She smiles sheepishly at the tall man. North raises his eyebrow at her before placing a jar of bitter smelling green ointment at the end of the bed. Tooth crinkles her nose at the odor. "North, what is that stuff?"
North takes two fingers and dips it into the paste. "It's my special recipe, works great on burns!" He begins to rub the stuff on jack's injuries and motions for her to do the same
Through the whole process Tooth doesn't let go of Jack's hand once.
Jack still feels hot, and sweaty. His left leg is heavy and painful and he can't seem to bend his knee either. Pins and needles run all up and down his arm, but the worse of it is his head.
It feels as if someone is slowly stabbing him with a knife and twisting it around in his brain. Jack attempts to shift his weight only succeeding to send another wave of pain through his limbs and cause his throat to seize up painfully.
He feels weak and dizzy and nauseous and so very tired. He wants to go back to sleep, he really does but first he has to know where he is. Jack manages to pry his burning eyelids open, only to realize something terrifying.
He can't see anything.
His vision is just... gone, completely dark. Jack's mind instantly wanders back to Pitch's lair, it was so terrifyingly dark in there.
Was that where he was? Had Pitch risen again and managed to capture him after he passed out in front of Alice's house. Desperately Jack blinks several time trying to adjust to the sudden darkness. But it's futile, his vision isn't clearing.
He had to get out of there, to escape Pitch and tell the guardians about him so they'd be ready to fight again. Jack struggles to a sitting position every movement is hard on his aching limbs and head. Suddenly Jack starts coughing, not really able to stop. He throws his hand over his mouth trying to stifle the noise's because if Pitch heard him he'd probably lock him up further, Jack would have no way to escape then.
Not realizing how injured his leg is Jack slides off the bed and puts full weight on it. He gasps in pain and stumbles across the area he's in only to slam into a nearby wall. A wince escapes him as he slides down the wall not able to hold up his weight and sits on the cold hard ground.
Where was his staff? The thought hits him suddenly. Jack feels around aimlessly in the dark for it with no luck
Staff or no staff Jack still had to get out of there and away from Pitch, and as quickly as possible.
Crawling to his feet Jack leans heavily against the wall, pressing his good arm against it for balance. The idea works perfectly for a few steps before Jack trips over something and falls right on top of his injured arm.
He can't bite back the howl of pain that escapes his dry lips as he lands with a sicking thump. he rolls onto his back and pulls at his arm in pain. Wincing and trying to hold back frustrated tears that are starting to pool in his eyes.
The sound of a door being thrown open snaps Jack to attention. He throws his hand in front of his face and screams at whatever had entered. "Get away from me!" His voice is cracked and horse and to Jack's annoyance filled with fear.
"Jack! Calm down it's just me!" Was that tooth's voice? Had Pitch managed to capture her as well, what about the other guardians. "How did you get on the floor?!" Her voice is layered in worried as she picks him up easily and lays him back on the soft platform he'd woken up on.
"Tooth?" he questions, confusion lacing his sore voice. "what's going on?" A hand presses against Jack's burning cheek.
"Ah! Jack, your burning up." She doesn't answer his question but instead pulls her hand away and calls out into the darkness. "North! Jack's up and I think his fever is back!" North was here too? This was bad. Really bad.
"Tooth, We have to get out of here! Do you see my staff anywhere?" He reaches out aimlessly and finds her arm, he holds onto it tightly as if it where an anchor.
"Jack, what are you taking about-" The sound of the door flying open again makes Jack jump.
"Jack my boy, how are you feeling?" North's voice booms loudly. Jack's head snaps in the direction of the Russian man's voice. Tooth and North weren't scared, or hurt by the sounds of it and they moved around the room as if they could see perfectly.
"Where's my staff?" before Jack could think of anything else he had to know if it was okay. Someone inhaled sharply.
"Jack, I'm sorry we didn't realize..." Jack needed his staff, without it he felt powerless. Sure Jack still had his powers, but he couldn't harness them enough to really do anything.
"We'll get It okay, I Promise we'll find it." Tooth assured him, gently stroking his shoulder.
Blind.
The horrifying word came back to Jack suddenly, he gasped without thinking. Was he really the only one not able to see. had he really gone, dare he say it... Blind?
"Are you okay sweet tooth?" Tooth's soft worried voice brings him back to reality. Jack just stares straight ahead at nothing.
Tooth can't help but notice how Jack's normally bright blue eyes look pale and glazed over as he stares slightly to the left of her unblinking.
"I can't see anything..." He breaths suddenly. Tooth cocks her head not quite sure what he means, North's hand goes up to stroke his beard confused for a moment.
"Jack, What do you mean by that?" Tooth asks worriedly.
"I mean I can't see anything! like I, I don't" His voice sounds choked like he's trying not to cough, or panic. But how else could he explain it. It was just that simple, he couldn't see.
North is the first to speak after a few seconds of silence. "I was afraid of this..." Jack perks up squinting towards the voice, trying to prop himself up without any success.
"What do you mean, North, you- you knew this would happen?!" Jack is defiantly on the verge of panic now.
"Well I didn't know but I thought that maybe, you see Jack something struck you pretty hard on the back of the head... I'm not sure what it was but it must of caused you to lose your sight." Jack's jaw hangs slightly open as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Tooth's eyes dart from Jack to North. "I-It will come back though, right?" North bites his lip looking a little grim.
"There's no telling at this point... the best Jack can do now is get plenty of rest." Jack looks horrified. His hand clenching almost painfully around Tooth's arm.
"You mean, there's a chance I could be... Blind. forever?" North doesn't need to answer because Jack already knows what he'll say.
Jack's grip slackens and he lays back staring without seeing at the ceiling. He winces suddenly pressing the back of his hand to his forehead. North places a cold towel on Jack's burning head before Sighing loudly to relive some of his built up stress.
"Don't worry Jack I'm sure it'll be fine. I'm going to go find your staff." Jack's heart sank. What if something had happened to his staff and this time he wasn't able to fix it. What if it had gotten completely burned in the fire, it was wood after all. "Tooth, Keep an eye out for him."
Jack listens to the sound of the door closing quietly. Tooth squeezed his hand. "It's gonna be okay Jack."
Jack focuses on the sound of Tooth's fluttering wings and breathing.
He chews on the inside of his cheek clenching and unclenching his fist missing the familiar roughness of his staff in his hand. it would be okay...
right?
OMFG I didn't even realize how long this chapter was until I finished it
they usually won't be this long, they'll more likely be the length of the previous one
Well anyway I hope you like this one as well and...
COOKIES TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! I love you guyz!
-Lenella
