Jo became aware of her surroundings slowly. First, she noticed that she was warmer than she'd ever been and that she was being held by someone. Something else then caught her attention, the sound of voices. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but they sounded hurried and anxious. Someone asked the person holding her something and she felt, rather than heard the reply. The speaker's voice rumbled nicely in his chest and just hearing the warm tone of it made her feel safe. She almost unconsciously snuggled closer to it, wanting to be nearer to it. The rumbling abruptly stopped and she almost wanted to beg it to continue, just so she could lean into it and feel the comfort it gave off. But no, her consciousness started fading away again and she slipped into that cool blackness somewhat unwillingly.
Jo was pulled, somewhat roughly to brutual consciousness by the splitting headache she was experiencing. Groaning, she opened her eyes to glaring light. Squinting a few times, three shadows made themselves known over her. Still unable to see, Jo was able to deduce who they were by their voices.
"THANK GOD!" was Fargo, with much relief evidenced by his overdramatic exclamation.
"Ah good, she's awake, now I can get those blood tests without her trying to kill me every time I try to get a sample," Allison's voice rang with wry relief as she typed hurriedly away on her tablet. The two other faces came into view slowly as Jo tried to sit up.
"Whoa,whoa!" Carter moved forward to restrain her, with trained hands. "Hey there, trooper," he smiled softly at her. "Good to see that you're back, none of this unconscious stuff there now." After kissing her forehead, he backed off to talk to Allison letting the fourth and unnoticed until now visitor have his moment.
"Feels like déjà vu," drawled a voice from her right. "First time you get shot, second time you try to commit suicide," his voice turning tight at the end of the sentence.
Jo closed her eyes for a second. Of course he'd be here. The one person she tried the hardest to avoid ends up next to her hospital bed. She opened her mouth to deny his statement but he cut her off.
" I mean, seriously, of all the ways to die? Going out in a fiery tin ball? What the hell were you thinking Lupo?" All the snarkiness drained out of his voice as he got viciously quiet.
"Are you going to let me speak?" she demanded, fed up with his assumed accusations.
"Go right ahead," he growled angrily back at her, "nobodies stopping you from doing anything else stupid either. Apparently somebody needs to get you a keeper." Zane folded his arms across his chest and glared at her, waiting impatiently for her to explain.
"First of all, I was Not committing suicide, second of all, I do not need a fucking keeper," she continued, outraged, and was struck by a second thought. "How the hell did you know where I was and what I was doing? I didn't tell anyone where I was going or what I was going to do…" She trailed off, eyes narrowed at him.
Giving her stare for stare, Zane answered. "I saw it. I saw everything that happened. I don't know how it happened but I got zapped by some light up by the telescope and suddenly could see snippets of the future. Or present, whichever way you wanna look at it."
Jo looked down, suddenly confused. Running a hand through her messy hair, she let out a frustrated growl. "I went there to get away from everything, to get away from my problems, which mainly consist of you." Snorting, she added, "obviously, that didn't work". She softly added, not looking at him, "I just became the problem".
Zane looked at her, thunderstruck. Were his ears deceiving him? Or did he just hear Josephina Lupo admit that she had become vulnerable? He examined her expression carefully, only to find no trace of sarcasm, only tiredness, defeat and depression flickering on her face. Desperate to get Jo back to her omnipotent, old self, he admitted " You're only all the right problems, Jo."
Jo jerked back, startled that he had heard her. She peered up at him, afraid he was being snarky and douche, but his completely serious expression threw her. Was Zane Donovan, snarky, trickster, horn-dog that he was, being completely honest with her? Well, she didn't know this Zane as well as she'd known her own.
Zane figured, while he was turning over a new leaf with this Josephina, might was well be unexpected while he was at it. He got up to leave, but turned back to her so fast that she couldn't pull away, and kissed her on the forehead. Turning back around, he started to saunter to the door, smirking silently in triumph. Score one for the Donovan, he smirked as he walked out. Her look of startled vulnerability would be permanently scarred into the backs of his eyelids for the rest of his life.
Oh-Ho-Ho-Ho! And a very merry Christmas to you too! Haha I'm gonna leave this delicious cliffy until I can actually write the very long chapter that will be up either Wednesday or Thursday that will be quite juicy! Hope y'all enjoyed the story so far! Don't worry, with things heating up between the cute couple, it's bound to get interesting ;D Now, no killing me until I can update, but reviews miiiiiiiiight persuade me to make it sooner!