A/N: I don't own the Wrestlers. Not even in this younger form. :P Also, I'm making up place names and descriptions as I go along.

A/N: The chapter title comes from All Time Low's "Weightless".

Walkin' After Midnight

Chapter 14: This Is My Reaction To Everything I Fear

When they got to science class after lunch, Jeff wouldn't look at any of them. He nodded when his friends said hello, but he would neither answer their questions nor lift his head from the paper he was carefully drawing on. Phil leaned over so he could see the paper, then sighed and turned to Shannon, brows scrunched. "Trees," he muttered.

Shannon sighed. "Fine, Jeff. Don't talk to us. Draw trees. Whatever." He turned to Serena. "So how are you?"

She bit her lip and pushed past Shannon and Phil, sitting down next to Jeff. "Hey."

"What?" he asked, not looking up from his trees.

She sighed. "Jeff, you're the best friend I've got here. It sucks to have you mad at me."

"I don't want to do this."

"What? Talk to me?"

"Go to see Dr. Gould."

She lowered her head. "I know. I shouldn't have asked you to do it. But Jeff… It's important. I don't want you to be sick."

"Going to the doctor won't make me sick or not sick," he said, putting another line on one of his trees.

"Yeah, but then we'll know whether or not you are."

"Do you think I am?" he asked.

Serena shrugged. "No, but your brother seems to. So maybe this will get him off your back."

"Maybe I am sick," he said thoughtfully. "But maybe if I am, I don't want to know."

"Why not?"

"What if they can't do anything for me?" he asked. "If that's the case, then isn't it better not to know?"

"No," she said firmly.

"No?"

Serena shook her head slowly. "Think about it. If you don't know, then you won't know whether or not you've got time to do all the things you want to. Wouldn't you do different things if you knew you were going to die? I know I would."

"Like what?" he asked, glancing sideways at her.

Serena shrugged. "Maybe something crazy."

"Crazier than shaving your head?" Phil asked over her shoulder.

"Shut up, Phil," Shannon said. "Let the girl talk."

Jeff looked up from his drawing, eyebrows raised at Serena. "I'd still like to know like what."

She smiled. "Would you?"

"Yes?"

"Okay." She leaned toward him. "But just you, not Phil and Shannon."

Jeff nodded and leaned close. "Okay, tell me."

Serena glanced around, then closed her eyes and kissed him. Jeff was startled, but it only took him a moment to return the kiss. It was brief, and it ended when Shannon cleared his throat and said, "Teacher." They broke apart, both of them grinning. "See?" Serena said. "I'd never do that otherwise."

"Hmm," Jeff said. "Yes, you do have a point."

"Geez," Phil said. "Only you would somehow manage to get a girl to kiss you in science, Jeff."

Jeff chuckled. Serena said, "So are we good, Jeff?"

"Mm. Yeah," Jeff said. "We're good."

%

Matt brought the summons himself, about ten minutes before the end of science. The teacher read the slip, frowned, and beckoned to Jeff, who was already standing. "This is unusual," he said, indicating that Matt was there, "but you're excused."

"Thanks," Jeff muttered, eyeing his brother. Then he turned to look at his friends. "I'll call you guys."

The teacher cleared his throat and went back to teaching before Jeff had even moved. It was as though, now excused, he became invisible. He rolled his eyes and waved, then followed Matt out. "What an ass," Matt muttered.

"Thanks," Jeff said, grinning at his brother.

Matt paused, his eyes on Jeff. "What's gotten into you now?"

"What do you mean?"

"At lunch, you were making a scene about this appointment and now, all the sudden, you're in a joking mood? What gives?"

"Who says 'what gives'?" Jeff asked. "I swear, that's like book talk or something."

"I say it all the time, Jeff."

"Yeah, I'd swear you said it a minute ago and everything."

Matt eyed his brother. "Whatever. At least you aren't sulking any more."

Jeff smirked. "It's a long ride. I may as well be civil, right?"

"I suppose." Matt started walking again. "You're not going to try to hijack the car or something, are you?" The words were said in a conversational tone, but Matt was entirely serious.

Jeff laughed. "And how would that convince anyone that there's nothing wrong with me? No, Matty. I'm going to go to the doctor, let him run whatever tests he wants, and prove to the world that I'm perfectly healthy. There's nothing wrong with me. Everyone has nightmares sometimes, right?"

"I guess. But not many people have nightmares like the ones you're having."

"How would you know that? I don't even know what they're about."

"That's my point. Most people remember their nightmares."

"Do they tell you that?" Jeff asked. "Besides, maybe I just want to forget, move past the things that scare me in my sleep and have a normal life when I'm awake. That doesn't mean that I'm sick, or that there's anything wrong with my brain. It means that I'm not dwelling on the things that my subconscious is throwing at me. What's wrong with that? More people should do it."

"If that's a jab at me…" Matt began.

"Does it feel like it is?"

Matt shrugged. "Let's just try to get through the afternoon, shall we?"

"Sounds good to me."

%

Jeff threw a CD into the player and they had a mostly quiet ride, with the music just loud enough that the lack of conversation felt less awkward. Once they were parked in Dr Gould's lot, Matt turned the car off, but made no move to get out. "Something wrong?" Jeff asked, turning in his seat so he could study his brother.

Matt's fingers tightened on the wheel before he forced himself to relax. "You don't really blame Dr. Gould for mom's death, do you?"

"I don't know," Jeff said. "It's always seemed a little odd to me that she was doing so much better right before… and then she got worse so fast."

"Jeff," Matt said with a sigh. "That happens sometimes. People get better for no apparent reason, and then they relapse and end up worse than they started."

"And they die?"

"Sometimes." Matt turned to his brother. "But no matter what happens in there, I'm going to be there, okay?"

"Sure." Jeff turned to look at the office door. "I hate doctors."

"You and me both, Jeffro."

"We should probably go in."

"Yeah." Matt stared at his hands on the wheel. "You know I didn't mean what I said earlier, about not helping you if you have another nightmare, right?"

"I know."

"Good." He sighed again and pushed his door open. "Let's get this over with, then."

%

Dr Gould's receptionist looked up as the two them entered. Matt went to the counter, leaving Jeff to find a seat. "We have an appointment," Matt said, "for Jeff Hardy?"

The woman smiled. "Of course. Have a seat and the doctor will be with you shortly."

Matt dropped into the chair next to Jeff's. "Won't be long. You okay?"

"Sure." Jeff picked up a magazine and flipped through it. Matt snickered. "What?"

"How's that issue of Modern Woman?"

Jeff dropped the magazine. "Not all that modern. It's almost as old as I am."

"Jeff?" the receptionist said. "Why don't you come on back?"

Jeff stood up. "Thanks. You coming, Matt?"

"Do you want me to?"

"It's up to you."

Matt considered, then shrugged and stood. "Sure. May as well, right?" He and Jeff followed the receptionist down the narrow hall, into an examination room. Jeff hopped up on the table, leaving Matt to take a seat in one of the chairs against the wall.

"The nurse will be right in," the receptionist said, and then she closed the door.

"Cozy," Jeff said, his eyes on his brother.

"Mm hmm."

A soft knock sounded and a nurse peeked her head around the door. She looked over the pair of them, then smiled. "I'd know you two anywhere."

"Miss Ida!" Jeff said, a genuine smile on his face for the first time since they'd stepped into the office. He hopped down from the table and embraced the nurse.

Ida chuckled. "So you haven't forgotten me, huh?"

"Of course not," Jeff said. "You were the best part about… you know." He let her go and leaned against the table.

The nurse nodded. "I was damned sorry about your mama."

"Thank you," Matt said. "We appreciate it."

"So what brings you two in today?" Ida asked. "I can't imagine it's for old times' sake."

Jeff glanced at Matt, unwilling to say it. Matt sighed. "Jeff's been having nightmares."

"Oh?" Ida looked from Matt to Jeff. "That true?"

Jeff shrugged. "A couple bad dreams is all. Dad and Matt are worried about it. I'm fine, but you know… better safe than sorry, I guess."

"They about your mom?"

"I don't know," Jeff confessed. "I don't remember them. That seems to be why everyone's worried."

"It's not that uncommon to forget your dreams."

"They've been pretty bad," Matt said. "He wakes up screaming and crying." Ida looked at Jeff, who nodded. "It's happened twice in the last week."

"And you don't remember anything at all?"

"No," Jeff sighed. "Not a thing."

"Our mom had some pretty bad nightmares, back when she first got sick," Matt said.

Jeff frowned at his brother. "She did? I didn't know that."

"Yeah. Dad told me about it later."

"Well," Ida said, "it's true that sometimes when there's something going on with the brain like your mother had, it can cause some pretty disturbing dreams. But I'm sure you're fine, Jeff."

"Still, I think we'd all feel better if we knew for sure," Matt said. "Which is why we're here."

"All right," Ida said. "Have there been any other symptoms? Any headaches or changes in behavior?"

"No," Jeff said.

Matt said, "He's been a little more spacey than usual. And we did have that argument about that song."

Jeff said, "That again?"

"What happened?" Ida asked.

"We were in the car, and a song came on the radio," Jeff said. "I don't know what it was, but it's been in my head for days. I wanted to listen to it, maybe see if the announcer would say what it was, but they didn't. Matt said it was a song that it wasn't. We got into a fight about it." He shrugged.

"And what do you say happened, Matt?" she asked.

Matt looked at his brother. "We were coming home from school, and this old country song came on that we've probably both heard a million times. Jeff went all weird and wouldn't let me touch the radio. He yelled at me when I turned the car off, so I turned it back on for him until the song finished. He basically made that same comment about the song and not knowing what it was, and when I told him, he got really angry and stormed off."

"Because it wasn't that song," Jeff said. "And I don't know why you keep saying it is."

Matt sighed. "Maybe we could play it for you again and see if you know it." He looked over at Ida. "It was Patsy Cline's Walking After Midnight."

"That shouldn't be too hard to test," she agreed. "Jeff? What do you say?"

"I guess," Jeff said. "If it'll put the question to rest, sure. Why not?"

"Good," Ida said. "I'll see if I can't locate a copy of the song while the doc's with you." She smiled at Jeff. "Don't worry, sweetie. We'll get to the bottom of this mess."