It was three in the morning and Jack, Aster, Pippa, Sandy, and Sophie were sitting in the hospital waiting room. Jack was huddled in his hoodie but thankfully the violent shivers had stopped after he took fever medicine. Somewhere in the mad dash from the house to the car, Jack had lost his shoes and was wearing hospital shoe coverings to stop the glares the nurses gave him. However, it was Pippa he was worried about.
At two in the morning, Jack had gotten up, stumbled down the stairs, and rummaged through the medicine cabinet in search of pain killers. He wasn't at all sure all of the pain was from the fever, thinking that most of it was probably from the beating he had received from his father. As he swallowed the pills, he noticed movement outside the window as someone climbed the tree outside of the girls window. Jack didn't remember moving but he found himself burst through Pippa's door in time to see his father dragging the struggling but gagged girl out the window.
"No!" yelled Jack, running and diving head first through the window, tackling his father.
The three of them tumbled to the ground. Jack landed, dazed. And by the time he shook the stars from his eyes, Aster and Sandy were running outside, yelling for them, and his father was gone. He looked around and found Pippa still on the ground, shaking and crying, blood dripping from a gash in her hair, her leg at an odd angle.
That was how they had ended up in the hospital.
"Name?" said Jack aloud, his sister curled into his side. "Oh that's an easy one. We should keep going, this is probably important."
Pippa smiled weakly as Jack tried to lighten the mood despite how sick he felt.
"Birthday?" said Jack thoughtfully. "One of the days of the year...but not the leap day. Birthplace? A hospital rather like this one. Current location? A chair."
"Jack," said Pippa, a small smile playing at her lips, looking up trustingly at her older brother. "Be serious."
"Eye color?" said Jack, ignoring her with a smirk, "Now that one I'm not entirely sure is relevant, but whatever. Okay, let's make them guess! She has brown hair and matching eyes, so that would make her eyes what color? Hair color? Read above hint. Height? How tall are you, Pip?"
"Tall enough that I can see over my locker if I stand on tippy toes but short enough to wear heels if I were going out with my boyfriend," replied Pippa sleepily.
"Boyfriend?" said Jack, eyebrows disappearing into his hair, looking down at the head resting on his shoulder. "That had better be the hit to the head that you took talking."
"She's joking, Jack," said Sophie with a smile.
"Good," said Jack with a satisfied nod. "Right handed or left handed? All left handed people can use their right hand, you know that?"
Sandy shook his head at his brothers antics and went in search of coffee.
"Don't go far," said Jack to his brother.
"I'll go with him, I'm hungry anyway," said Sophie, yawning as she got up from her chair.
Aster handed her some money from his pocket and told her not to be gone long.
"Your heritage?" said Jack in disbelief. "Is that even a legal question? Oh wait, they say it's optional. Never mind! The shoes you wore today?"
"It does not ask that," said Aster from his seat on the other side of Pippa.
"It does so," said Jack smugly. "Shoes are for squares so I shall leave that one blank."
Aster shook his head. He knew that Jack was still sick, running a low grade fever, and incredibly sore and tired from getting beat up and staying up late, yet there the boy sat with his little sister, making jokes to distract her from the pain and fear of being in the hospital. It was almost like Jack was superman without the tights but Aster saw through that. After all, Aster was much the same in his care for his younger sister.
"Your weakness?" said Jack, laughing musically. "I have no weakness!"
"Jack," said Pippa, drawing out the vowel sound of his name. "They mean me."
"Of course," said Jack with a teasing grin. "I forgot. Sorry."
"Pippa Frost?" said a nurse with bubblegum pink scrubs, looking around the waiting area as if she honestly expected someone other than the huddled groups of teens to answer, even though the waiting area was deserted.
"Finally," muttered Aster, getting out of his chair.
"Here," said Pippa, fear creeping into her voice. She hated the doctors.
"You may come back now," said the nurse.
Jack handed the almost finished paperwork to Aster, stood, and picked up his little sister. She hissed in pain as he jostled her injured leg. Jack kissed the top of her head, apologizing for hurting her but following the nurse as he did.
"Only family and legal guardians allowed back here," said the nurse.
"I'm her legal guardian that this is her brother," said Jack, nodding to Aster.
He set Pippa on the paper covered bed, letting her settle back.
"The doctor will be with you shortly," said the nurse, glaring at both boys, clearly not believing their story, but pulling the curtain closed.
"Let's finish up these papers," said Jack, letting Pippa hold his hand. "Aster, read us the questions!"
"Your fears?" read Aster. "Why is this a question? This is the most absurd questionnaire I have ever seen."
"I know," laughed Jack. "Pippa, I'm going to go find Sandy and Sophie and, with any luck, a doctor."
"Um okay," said Pippa, apprehensively, unwilling to let her older, over protective brother, out of her sight.
"Hey," said Jack softly, crouching to be eye level with his sister. "I don't have to go, I can send Aster, it's not a big deal."
"No, it's okay," said Pippa softly, realizing that Jack was worried about Sandy being out of his sight for so long. "As long as Aster stays here."
"I'll be quick as a bunny," said Jack.
Jack turned and pulled Aster to the end of the curtained off room.
"I'm going to make sure Sandy and Sophie are fine," said Jack quietly. "Will you stay here with Pippa?"
"Don't worry about her," said Aster, placing a comforting hand on Jack's thin shoulder. "Go find the others and bring them here. We don't know where that creep of a father is and I don't want him finding the kids."
"Me either," said Jack darkly.
*I really have nothing to say...I just wanted to make a note. Yup, that's it. :)
Always- Ari