Chapter Nine
Breaking Points Surpassed
Jackson, Melissa, Daley, Nathan, Lex and the assembled parents stood and sat in the small private waiting area at the hospital. Tina Wu had used her not inconsiderable influence to gain the use of the room for them. The privacy was welcome. Neither Cody nor Mel was in any condition to deal with any strangers just now. By God's own Grace, Melissa's Uncle Li was the psychiatrist on duty and he had enough background information on them for them to be open enough to give the exact detail that had led to the nearly successful suicide attempt.
It had been like a nightmare, waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Eric had already lost enough blood that Cody and Mel were unable to make head or tail of the few words he had mumbled. He seemed to be in a fantasy world and try as he might, Jackson couldn't work up the rage he wanted to feel at Eric's actions. Not after all Eric had been through in the less than four days back home.
We should have seen this coming. The signs were right in front of us and we didn't see them. And at least Mel had the valid excuse that she couldn't be around him 24/7 like I have . Eric's tougher than any of us gave him credit for being, but even he has a breaking point. A point here that all of the overconfidence and overcompensating with jokes and puns just wasn't enough. He played us all; he acted so normal we didn't realize how bad his mother had hurt him. And we should have known. I should have known. Jackson got up from the chair he had been brooding in and resumed his slow pacing of the room, his dark thoughts visible to all who knew him.
Melissa Wu had dark thoughts in her head as well. She had rushed to change clothes after the ambulance had came; her white outfit had been covered in blood here she had helped Jackson try to slow the bleeding. Her owl shirt she had worn so often on the island and the blue short she had frequently wore with them were on her . She had been fine until she went to the restroom and had seen herself in the mirror. And realized that it was the exact same outfit she had worn when they had been captured, tortured , raped and had eventually begun falling in love with Eric and Jackson both and that was when the very real possibility of losing Eric had finally sank in. Daley and Gwen both had came rushing in, hearing her hysterical crying and it had taken them a half hour to get her to here she could face the others again .
I don't want to lose him. Not now, and not like this. He's been through so much. I still haven't begun getting over losing Daddy, I can't lose Eric too. And if he dies, Cody may lose it too. He blames this on himself; it's plain from how he's acting. And the bad thing is, I blame us too. We should have known. Eric's never once been straightforward about his feelings, not unless he was pushed. And after the past few days, we didn't push. We were all two occupied with the other things to see just how bad, how much worse, he had it even than us. And now, it's coming back to haunt us.
The door to the small waiting area opened. A medium sized and built man, Oriental in appearance, with gold wire framed glasses over a kindly round face came in. His black hair was graying around the fringes and his lab coat had definitely seen better days, but he had a air of quiet dignity about him. Li Fang pulled the door too behind him , then turned, clearing his throat before addressing the group in a high, almost tenor voice.
" He barely made it. Five more minutes, one more cut, and he would not have. He's a very lucky young man, with more resilience than his relatively small frame would lead one to think. He'll bear those scars the rest of his life, but he doesn't seem to have inflicted any nerve damage on himself. That is not to say, " he removed his reading glasses, hanging them in his lab coat's pocket , "that he didn't inflict a great deal of damage. He has over seventy stitches on him. Those three slashes were the work of a person who was serious about harming himself. He has to stay for a minimum of forty eight hours. Both for mental and physical issues. He lost three units of blood, for starters. And , like all of you, the constant stress he was under, the repeated rapes and drug exposures and the more recent events have him in a state of complete exhaustion."
He walked over and guided an ashen Jackson to a chair with a firm, yet gentle hand. He waved Mel over as well, to the seat beside Jackson. " I know about the unusual relationship between the three of you. This is going to be a difficult time for the three of you. He needs stability. He is already mad at himself and realizes that the two of you are not pleased about this. But this isn't the time for anger and recriminations, self or otherwise." There as sternness in his voice as he made certain he caught their attention. " If you are allowed to see him tonight, it will only be for a few minutes. He needs to know you are here, but he needs rest more than anything right now. If I can get the e.r. head to agree, you to may go back there. Since technically Jackson is a legal adult, he can accompany you back there and be in accordance to the rules Melissa. But remember, five minute and then you have to leave. You may come back in the morning and see him again then. Understood?" he focused his gaze on them.
" I do, Uncle Li." Mel said in a small, scared voice.
" Yes sir, " Jackson said. He rose to his feet and offered an hand to the older man, who took it. " Thank you."
" It's my job Jackson." Fang said as he got up and quietly left the room, after shaking hands with the other adults.
Five minutes later, Tina Wu walked in. " Cody, Melissa, come th me and I'll take you back there for a few minutes."
They rose and walked out the door .
And were promptly assailed by a obviously drunk Roslin McGorrill.
" I hope you and that little Chink slut are happy now that you've made my son a pervert and a fruitcake He nearly died because the two of your asses got into his family affairs! If he dies, I'll make you wish you had died instead of him!" The ginger haired woman swayed on her stiletto hells, her shimmering red dress the same color as blood to Jackson's slitted eyes as he roared back at her.
" You goddamn bitch, you're the fucking pervert of the family. Closer kin deeper in seems to be the motto you live by! Sick whore, you're calling me and Mel perverts when you tried to get your own son drunk enough to fuck you?! And you tried to drive him crazy by telling him your on brother is his dad? Fuck you. I don't believe in hitting omen, but kicking a damn bitches ass, that I can do!" He stepped forwards, his left hand in a tight fist, only to be pulled by back Mel and Nathan. " NO! Let me go!" he protested as they tugged him back.
Roslin, never a true lady at the best of times, spat at him. And the spittle hit Mel instead. Who instantly went red. She advanced a step forward, ready to pick up where she had left off earlier that day, only to be stopped by her mother.
" I believe you've said enough here. I've already alerted security, now leave or go to jail. Now." her surgeon's voice of command had terrified a generation of nurses and aides, not to mention recalcitrant patients, but it had no effect on the intoxicated Roslin. She got nose to nose with the dark haired Wu, ho stood her ground unflinching.
" You damn coolie wench! I'll have you deported at the same time I whip your kid's ass! " She slapped Tina, leaving a red welt on her sharp olive complexioned face. It sounded like a gunshot in the hallway. No one noticed Nelson on his cell phone in the melee.
And then, Roslin received a fast lesson in how dangerous a woman with twenty years of training in the human body could be if forced to combat as Tina Wu lost her temper at last, in the face of the evil woman. She cupped her right hand and sent it smashing upwards into Roslins nose, then drive a knee into the other woman's stomach, before sending a excellently timed uppercut into her chin. Roslin lay on the floor, barely conscious, with a bloody broken nose.
" That was for my daughter and for what you did to the young men she loves. Both of them, but especially for Eric. And we'll be filing assault charges in the morning."
Nelson came striding up as hospital security belatedly arrived, huffing and puffing, the older of the two mumbling something about the high price of Depends as he wheezed up and grabbed at Roslins arms as she struggled to her feet. " If I hadn't heard you with my own ears, I wouldn't have believed it possible for you to be even stupider than I thought you were. Why are you even here? There's a restraining order in Youth Court on you. You're not supposed to be in contact with Eric. Not even by phone. And no, I find out you assaulted him earlier today and you just assaulted Dr. Wu here, threatened Jackson and attempted to assault Melissa. "
" Fuck you! I don't answer to you, you pig!" she said, her face a crimson mask now. Tina had done a really good job of breaking the harridan's nose, Nelson thought to himself before smiling at her.
" And now we can add verbal assault to the others. You're under arrest Roslin. For violating a restraining order, violating the conditions of your bond, for assault, battery, verbal assault, public intoxication, and by the way, if your Porsche is in the parking lot, we'll be adding DUI to the list. Want to hear about your rights?" he asked in a tone of mock solicitude as he had the security guards turn her around so he could handcuff her.
" You goddamn smartass. I have friends in high places! I'll have your badge for this. And I have forgotten you two either, " she ranted, turning a venomous glare at Cody and Mel as the guards helped Nelson pull her down the hall. " Your so called love nearly killed him! You'll pay, just like he will for choosing you over me!" And then, mercifully, one of the guards "accidentally" pushed her head into the wall as Nelson somehow went temporarily blind for three seconds. And then they were gone.
A gasp behind them took them all by surprise. They turned and Eric was there, holding his arm., barefoot, in a hospital gown. Blood dripped from here he had pulled his IV out. He was wide eyed, pale as a ghost and sank to the floor after uttering five words as he looked straight at Mel and Cody.
" Please don't leave me now."
They dove together to his side even as Tina Wu called out for help.
And Jackson never saw as an enormous man walked quietly up the hallway after them. He stood there silently as three nurses rushed up they were joined by a c.n.a. with a gurney. It was not Jackson who finally noticed him there. It was Lex, who knew in an instant who the man had to be , with the cross on his neck and the Samoan tattoos on his face and neck. He walked up to him and held a tiny hand out.
" Hi, I'm Lex. You must be Big J. It's good to meet you. Your brother, Little J saved my life."
The huge man took the hand with a smile and a chuckle that sounded like it came from a cave, " Well, it's good to meet you Lex. And to hear my brother did something good for a change. " The smile faded slightly as he looked at where Jackson and Mel ere embraced, both in tears. " Well, looks like my old student needs help again. I better get to work."
And then he sank to his knees and did so, saying a prayer , there in the middle of a hospital hallway at one in the morning , for a young man he knew well and for another he knew not at all.
When he finished, a familiar hand was there to help him up.
"Hey there boy. I missed you." Big J said as he wrapped Jackson into a tremendous bear hug."
Jackson's eyes were moist as he hugged his mentor back, " I'm glad you're here. I need your help. Again."
The rest stood back respectfully as the two friends had their reunion at last.
Author's Note: People, the method Eric used is the same one Kevan, the young man in Jackson's Other Lives used, earlier this year. I nearly lost my best friend, my brother in fact if not in blood, because he was depressed. We had simply assumed he was dealing with things when he was just going trough the motions If you have thoughts about hurting yourself, please tell someone. If you have a friend and they seems depressed or withdrawn, reach out. You never know what is in someone's mind unless you try to communicate with them.
