H-hey guys...
It's been four months.
Wow.
I was writing every day at the begining of quarantine and then stopped writing almost completely for a while.
Anyway... I reread this story last night and reread comments and remembered how much I loved this story.
Thank you guys for being awesome!
Here's the chapter, not long but something!
TW: hospitals and medical talk
~TH~
Race didn't like being alone. Sure there where nurses and other patients and people in the room. But in essence, he was still alone. He needed Medda or Spot or someone to be there, to remind him that he wasn't alone in this. His head knew that was true. He knew he had people who cared about him, but that didn't stop the feeling that he was alone. That nobody cared.
That this was all his fault.
He shouldn't have let Jack go back. It had been a bad idea. A really bad idea. Obviously. If he would have just told Jack no, or if he would have noticed that Snyder had gotten loose or if he had told someone sooner none of this would have happened.
"Race, baby,"
Race jumped at Medda's voice, she was stadning in front of him, a sad smile on her face. Jack's social worker was standing behind her, wearing a soft expression. A nurse was waiting by the hallway door, a clipboard in hand.
"Hey, baby," Medda started again, "Jack's out of surgery, I thought you might like to see him."
He nodded, not trusting his voice. Medda took his hand as they walked towards the hallways. Lydia contniued following at a distance. The nurse lead them through the emergency room and towards intensive care. He squeezed Medda's hand. Most kids woud be embarassed, Race was just happy to have someone close by.
When they reached the room, they stoppd ouside the door. It was dark and there was the sound of heavy weezing and machines beeping that carried out into the hall.
The social worker hung back while Medda and the nurse walked him in. Jack looked awful. He always looked bad but now he looked... awful. He was practically the colour of the sheet he was laying on. His face looked like one giant black and purple bruise, his eyes, even closed, where sunken in and without even the hint of makeup they where more purple then his normal pale complexion. A tube was shoved down his throat and there where wires everywhere. Up his nose, attatched to his arms, everywhere.
Jack's pale, white, arms laid unmoving on top of the sheets, an IV sticking out.
Race had forgotten how much he hated hospitals.
He took a step back, but Medda lightly pushed him forward. Race looked towards the nurse who glanced at Medda. When Medda nodded, the nurse began speaking.
"He has several cuts and bruises and multiple broken ribs. One of the ribs punctured his lung, that's why he was coughing up blood." Race nodded, remembering the blood that sprayed from his friend's mouth.
"Wh-what about the knife?" he said, his voice coming out quiet and shakey.
The nurse smiled compasionatly. "The blade wasn't very long. It went in on the side but by some miracle didn't hit anything. It's been stiched up and so long as it stays clean, there shouldn't be any lasting probelms. He got here fast enough that no permenant damage was done. Our biggest concern at the moment is the punctured lung. It wouldn't be so bad if he hadn't been stabbed. While the knife did't do too much damage, it caused extra strain on the lungs that caused the injured one to collapse. He's on a ventalter right now. It will help build up his bodies strength until he can breathe on his won again. Then we can start worrying about other things, like how malnourished he is. Right now our biggest concern is getting him off the vintalater and out of the ICU."
Race felt like his head was spinning. So much information that he didn't know how to process. There was just one thing he wanted to know.
"Is he going to be okay?" He tore his eyes away from Jack to look directly at the nurse. She still had that sad smile on her face.
"It will take time, but yes, he should be okay."
That's all Race needed to hear. He let out a shakey breath and took a tentative step forward, finally letting Medda's hand fall from his grasp.
"I'll be out in the hall if you need me, baby." Medda said before stepping out, the nurse leaving as well.
Race stood beside the bed. "Uh, hey Jack."
There was no answer, not that he was really expecting one, but still, it left him feeling uneasy.
"Listen I know we haven't been friends for very long, but, I mean, I just, why'd you have to go back in? I mean, I, I shouldn't have let you. I know that... but... I'm sorry." A small sob slipped past his lips. "I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean, but when I saw you, I-I thought you where dead and I didn't know what to do and it scared me!" He wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. "I'm sorry, just, just be okay? You don't have to ever talk to me again, because I know you're mad, but just, be okay."
There was a quiet knock at the door, causing Race to look up. A kid he didn't recognize with blond hair and shining blue eyes was standing in the doorway. He had red crutches attatched to his wrists. Jack's brother. Charlie? Spot was standing behind him, arms crossed, trying and failing to not look worried.
Race couldn't help but stare and Jack's brother. They looked nothig alike. It wasn't because of physical features, it was just how innocent the kid looked. He had wide, searching eyes and a smoothe, oepn face, unlike Jack's who always seemed to look hard and guardered with clouded, angry eyes. While Jack, only a few years older, seemed hardened by the world, Charlie looked so optimistc. Even now in a hospital room, worry in his eyes, he looked so... pure. No wonder Jack had been willing to do anything to protect him.
The boy with the crutches took a small step into the room. Just then an alarm went off behind Race. He spun around seeing that Jack's eyes where now open and was shaking, fightig away the wire and invisible demons that surrounded him. There was no sound but Jack was clearly attempting to scream.
Race felt frozen, unsure of what to do. He could only watch with wide eyes as the quiet room became chaos.
~TH~
Thank you guys for your patience.
I hope you enjoyed this!
Let me know if your still reading and what you thought of the chapter!
Stay safe and God bless,
Jamie
