Well, despite repeated distractions, I finally managed to get this chapter finished.
Again, there's going to be some cross referencing to "White Noise", so... Yeah, there's that, lol.
I looked this over quite a few times to hopefully catch mistakes, but again, you have no idea how many times my train of thought kept getting derailed. Yipes...
Anyway, here ya go~
They weren't kidding about the side effects of the anticonvulsant, Jacky did indeed feel like he'd spent hours on a tilt-a-whirl, and the vertigo was making his eyes dance back and forth as he tried to stablize his see-sawing vision.
He was sipping at a cup of ginger root tea to stave off the gross feeling in his stomach as well as trying to counter that annoying dry mouth that was also a side effect. He would have preferred the remedy in the form of a ginger ale soda, but apparently there was concern that the fizz would upset his stomach further, but he suspected that it was just a ploy to deny him something sugary, which he understood would have likely triggered a bad headache in his injured state.
The shock of learning yesterday about the precise reason for his fall had disapated considerably, but that was probably because he was more preoccupied with trying to ignore the mild dizziness that was a side effect of the treatment.
"... Do these bruises look like hand marks to you?" He said, holding up one of his arms. "I mean, I know that I'd probably have a lot of bruises from the fall, obviously, but these ones on my arms and wrists look like hand marks, like I was grabbed."
"Those look really big to be any sort of hands I've ever seen, are you sure you don't remember if you might have hit something odd shaped instead?" Claire said before looking at the nurse. "Do you know what might have made those? They look almost the same on either arm."
"They hurt, too." Jacky added, turning his arm slightly to get a better look as he squinted to clear his vision. "All the bruises do, but these ones feel less like I hit something and more like it stayed for a bit and pulled me around. The whole arm's all sore, really, even where it's not bruised. Both of 'em."
He awkwardly placed his hand back on the cup to hold it in both, and carefully raised it to take another sip, very concentrated on not spilling any at all. He really hated this disorienting feeling and couldn't wait for it to level out. He tried to stifle a yawn, but failed miserably.
"You getting a little sleepy there, Jacky?"
"... Unfortunately." He blinked twice, struggling to keep his eyes open. "... Doc wasn't kidding, this stuff really wipes you out..."
"If you want to just take a nap, go on ahead, I'll understand."
"Aw, but, that'd be just rude, Claire. 'sides, it's hardly noon, I've barely been up a few hours..." His words were starting to slur a little from the drowsiness, and he was determined to stay awake as long as possible so long as Claire was around. Truth be told, he was a little concerned that he was going to fall asleep and wake up to find out that another unrealistic amount of time had passed and be told of another myriad of offenses he'd committed in his altered state.
His eyes were a bit crossed and he set the half empty cup down on the side table with a bit of difficulty, and he was a little embarrassed to find that he'd almost missed the tabletop entirely, had it not been for Claire quickly grabbing the cup before he'd let go.
He looked at her helplessly, and it took all his willpower to keep himself from bursting into tears. He suspected the disorienting sensation of the drug's side effects was to blame for his emotional sensitivity and poor coordination at the moment, and oh man, it was embarrassing.
He suppose that the only saving grace was that he had yet to be physically ill from the prescribed treatment, but as the minutes passed, he was becoming less confident that he could keep that true if he tried to stand.
Apparently, these were common side effects, and nothing to be concerned about unless pain was involved. Yes, he was dizzy, but at least it wasn't a headache. Yes, his stomach was a bit uneasy, but at least it wasn't a tummyache. Yes, he was getting sleepy, but at least he hadn't flat out fainted.
It was normal, he was assured, as he chattered off each complaint of every disorienting sensation.
He wondered if he would have been able to tell the difference between an ouchie from the medication and one of those nasty little bruises that was beginning to flair up all over his body now that some time had passed.
The worst of the bruises, it seemed, was a set that was along his right side, which he assumed was were the majority of the impact had happened when he landed on the pavement. The set was along the right side of his shoulder, face and collarbone, and had wasted no time in making itself known under his pale plumage, announcing itself in a purplish hue. He was told that it may take a week or so for the contusions to fade, and all he could think of was how it hurt the side of his face to raise the edges of his beak into a familiar smile.
"... I don't like this, Claire..." Jacky mumbled, leaning back into the fluffy pillows that was propping him up. "... The last time I felt this gross and tired, I was having withdrawals..."
"... Wait, you remember that?" Claire was a bit surprised and wondered for a moment of his memory of the last four months was trickling back.
"... Of course, Claire, I've been telling you all week that those were sugar pills..." Jacky grunted, rubbing at his eyes, then heaving a sigh. "... Sorry, it's been longer than a week, hasn't it? Ugh, it's so weird to me that everything in longer than it feels like to me..."
Claire's heart sank a little.
"... Actually, Jacky, we... it was confirmed that those were the wrong... yeah, they were sugar pills." She said guiltily, recalling the week before Jacky had completely gone bonkers after realizing that his monthly prescription had been swapped out for placebos by someone that was never caught.
For the first time since he'd been reunited with her, his eyes lit up despite the fact that he was inebriated, and for a second, a relieved grin flashed on his face before the bruising reminded him to stop.
"I knew it! Didn't I tell you? I knew I wasn't... Um... Oh, well that's not exactly true, is it..?" He quickly lost steam once he recalled that he was unable to claim total mental stability, and he visibly deflated. "... I bet that's why I can't remember anything... I broke under the shock, maybe..?"
"I don't know, Jacky, and really, you can't just assume. Catch-22, you know?"
"I know, but I'd just like to have a solid explanation of what happened to me." Jacky folded his arms while pouting.
He yawned again, this time more theatrically, and he flinched a little when it set off another bout of soreness from his bruises. His head drooped back somewhat, as it seemed like his neck muscles were getting weak from trying to hold it up right, and he stared upward with a distant look, thinking to himself about how bright the lights were at the moment and how they burned at his eyes.
"Jacky, why don't you just try to sleep this stuff off?" Claire said, helping him pull his head upright and then helped him into a more comfortable position with help from the nurse. "You're clearly tired, and it wouldn't hurt to rest a little."
"... You won't let me run off again, will you?"
It took Claire a moment to realize that was a weak attempt at humor and she was willing to let him slide on that comment given that he was more or less under the loopy influence of a sedative that steadily gaining dominance over his ability to stay coherent.
"I don't think you'd be able to, to be honest." She said as he reached for her wrist with an awkward grip, not unlike that of an eager child wanting to get someone's attention.
He suddenly had a fit of the giggles and gave a pained smile when it subsided enough for him to be able to speak again.
"... You're funny..."
"... Go to sleep, Jacky."
"... Kay..."
Claire was honestly surprised that it had taken Darkwing this long to arrive at the hospital after having been the one who brought Jacky in to the hospital to begin with.
No matter how much she explained to the Masked Mallard, Darkwing seemed adamant that Jacky was more than capable of interacting with him.
"You don't understand, Jacky isn't able to talk to you right now, he's resting."
"Ah-ha, so he has woken up from his little coma!" Darkwing said, perhaps a bit too loudly, waving a finger in the air. "I knew QuackerJack would bounce back, just like he always does!"
"... He has a head injury." Claire tried to be polite about it. She knew full well that Darkwing Duck was just doing his job, but it wasn't going to be helpful for Jacky at this time. "Jacky doesn't even remember anything that happened to him after he snapped at QuackWerks, and he doesn't remember the other night. He's very confused, and the only reason he knows anything about it is what he's been told or seen on TV."
Darkwing blinked awkwardly before he regained his composure.
"That's a little convenient that he'd forget just that particular chunk of time. A little too convenient, if you don't mind me saying." He said, trying to sneak a glimpse at the resting toy maker.
"I've seen the x-rays, I've been with him, I've seen him react to all this, and I'm totally convinced that he's telling the truth, he has no reason to lie to me." Claire reasoned, making sure to descretly prevent him from barging past her. "I know that there's a lot to be sorted out, but just leave him alone right now, he's been through enough, and he's sleeping off the pain and medication."
"QuackerJack's been known to be a little theatrical, milk it for all its worth, are you absolutely sure he's serious about all this?"
"I'm absolutely sure." She said flatly. "No doubt, he's very upset about this. He just doesn't remember the last four months."
"Im sure if I just get some one-on-one time with him, I could probably jog that memory of his!"
Darkwing's confidence was exhausting to Claire. No wonder he and Jacky always locked horns and had such spectacular little battles of wits and gadgets... Darkwing was almost as stubborn as the toy maker clown when it came to sticking with a task. Almost a perfect foil, if you will.
Claire heaved a weary sigh.
"It's not going to work. I've read the information they gave us about what to expect." She explained as carefully as she could. "He has retrograde amnesia. It's very localized, very unpredictable as to how long its going to last, and there's no way to actually trigger anything he's forgotten. His brain is injured, like actually physically damaged, and it needs to heal first. Trying to force anything to work when he can't process it is going to do more damage than it will to fix it."
"I think you're really underestimating how tough he is with-"
"And you're underestimating how serious this really is." She said over him, without raising her voice but with a level tone. "It's not about how tough he is, or how he's been able to recover quickly before. Jacky's had an accident, and he needs to be able to recover. You can't just come in here and force him to 'get it', he's just barely started to settle down from the shock of what he saw on the news report yesterday. He's very upset with himself."
"..." This seemed to have shut Darkwing up for a few seconds, and he visibly recollected his thoughts and said: "... Are you absolutely certain that he has no memory of the other day? That's going to be very difficult for him to convince those office workers who had to go through those hours of being his hostages. There's surveillance tapes of the whole incident, and he's going to have to go back to prison anyway. That's going to add to his sentence he was already serving, on top of him escaping a couple months ago. This isn't going to be a pretty case, Claire. Are you absolutely sure that he has no memory of any of this?"
"He insisted that he hasn't seen you since you disappeared a while back. He doesn't remember any of the confrontations in the last four months, and he insists that the last thing he remembers before he woke up here was that he was still working at QuackWerks. He's completely gobsmacked, it's a very genuine reaction that he had once we were able to get him to understand that he's been out of it for a while now." Claire said, mildly relieved that Darkwing was starting to follow this information now. "He's asleep right now, he's been put on some medication that's supposed to help keep him from developing a migraine disorder, and keep him from having any other complications. There's a whole packet to read, I could see if we can get a copy for you, if you want."
Darkwing managed to sneak a quick glance at the momentarily incapacitated clownish duck, and immediately noticed the distinctive bruising that had now settled in and visibly marred his skin under his feathers. Particularly, he noticed the large splotch of purple along the right side of QuackerJack's face, shoulder and collarbone, and Darkwing had to wonder if that was the point of impact.
"... So, he has been awake since the other night, then?" He said, mentally recalling just how battered of a state the unconscious toy maker had been in after Darkwing and his pilot companion had carefully loaded him into the back seat of his aircraft transportation. "He's been up and walking about, yes?"
"He's got a bit of a limp to his walk at the moment, but yes, he's been awake and conscious, if that's what you're asking." Claire said, looking back at Jacky, who shifted uncomfortably for a second in the bed before he settled back to sleep with a weak but contented sigh. "... He's almost exactly how I remember him, it's like he never left."
"Unfortunately, we can't guarantee if that's going to last, and the justice system is going to want to get ahold of him." Darkwing added, realizing exactly what sort of pickle they were in now. "This isn't the first time he's gone crazy, and it's not his first brush with the law, and he was on thin ice to begin with."
"... Can't you do anything to help get an easier sentence?"
"Lady, I only catch the criminals and get them put in a cell, I'm not the judge or jury."
"But, if anyone knows him well enough to argue his case and has enough influence in the system to get a good word in, it's gotta be you, right?"
"... I've been working against QuackerJack for years now, no one is going to believe that I suddenly-"
"Jacky. His name is 'Jacky'."
"... Right, of course. Jacky." Darkwing corrected himself with a bitter undertone, but it wasn't clear where the animosity was directed. "The point is, Jacky is going to have to answer to a whole host of questions and people who want nothing more than to see him locked up for his crimes. You've heard the news reports, haven't you? He threatened to run a lady through a paper shredder after he used the Molecular Digitizer on her. Those people are traumatized, and they want him to pay for it."
"... I could vouch for him, can't I?" Claire looked back at Darkwing. "I convinced you to help him, I know him, the real him, I can help, can't I?"
"You do know that he's got years of offenses against him, right? There's too many people who have been scarred by his actions, even before you met him." Darkwing shook his head, and folded his arms to adopt a more assertive stance. "What he's done to me alone is nuts, he's kidnapped my kid more than-" Darkwing suddenly stopped and it was obvious that he'd almost given away a bit of information that would have given a clue to his identity.
"... You hate him, don't you?"
"What?"
"It's what it really boils down to, doesn't it? You just don't like him." Claire didn't make eye contact. "I get it, really. But, I do. I like him. I quite like him."
"Look, I could tell you stories about what I've seen him do, I just-"
"He thinks highly of you, you know?" She added, almost desperately. "Apparently, you were his favorite 'playmate', he said that you were 'fair' and constantly wondered where you were this whole time you were gone."
Darkwing hesitated before responding.
"... Of course, he just thought it was all fun and games, I'm not surprised..."
"... You really don't know what QuackWerks did to him." Claire continued. "He really tried to do everything right, but... Everything just clashed. They wanted to stagnant him, really hold him back, and he never really fell in line like everyone else. Maybe he was just a little too smart for the system, he knew something was going on, and he fought back. He wasn't just an interesting person in the Toy Department, he was determined to not let them take away what made him unique, what was his character. But, you really wouldn't know, you weren't around for the worst of QuackWerks."
"... Actually, I was."
"What?"
"What, you think this is who I am all the time? I have a life outside of crime fighting, you know?" Darkwing shrugged sheepishly. "I told you, I have a kid."
"... What? Are... Are you saying you were actually there?" Claire was a bit thrown for a loop, and honestly, the knowledge of this now was a bit disquieting. "You were there, you saw what was happening to St. Canard and... you didn't do anything?"
"I did what I had to!" Darkwing snapped back defensively, hands in the air. "I had to go into hiding to protect my family! You have no idea what I had to deal with! Do you think I actually enjoyed watching everything go on like Darkwing Duck had never been there, like they were better off anyway! People were even forgetting my name!"
"... Jacky didn't." Claire said calmly, which seemed to make Darkwing's hostility deflate rather quickly. "... He almost always had something positive to say about you. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume you were old friends. He was really hit hard when you disappeared... And he just knew that someone in particular had gotten to you."
"... Who?"
"He could never say. There was one name that always stirred such a bad reaction in him if he heard it or tried to say it, and he never managed to tell me directly." Claire shrugged sadly. "All I really know is he's the same one who 'killed' Mr. Banana Brain, and that he looks like you."
Darkwing Duck blinked, and it was immediately apparent that he knew exactly who was the culprit.
"Negaduck." He said under his breath, before smacking a fist to an open palm. "Of course, that makes too much sense. He'd definitely be cruel enough to do that..."
"... So, Jacky was right, then?"
"I don't know how he could have guessed, but yes, Negaduck was the main reason why I had to go into hiding." Darkwing nodded, suddenly looking serious. "Quacker-! Um, I mean, Jacky... Jacky was unfortunate enough to be under his 'employment' years ago, along with a few others of my adversaries. Negaduck is... well, simply put, he's a bully, the worst sort. It wasn't a secret that he was cruel and treated his underlings less than the dirt they were standing on. I wouldn't doubt that he'd have no qualms about ripping that little banana buddy away from Jacky, probably just to watch him squirm."
"... Goodness, I had no idea. Jacky was very quiet about all that, really." Claire was stunned. "It really hurt him, he was still grieving when I met him, in fact. It took a good while until he was able to really explain any of it without having a meltdown."
"Negaduck was-"
There was a squeak of discomfort that sounded behind them, and it became known that Jacky was sitting up in bed, slumped forward with a very groggy look in his eyes, which he was rubbing at with one hand, moaning like a fussy youngster who has been awakened rudely in the middle of the night. It was immediately obvious that he wasn't exactly awake, and his hand dropped to the bed heavily as he leaned forward, braced himself awkwardly, and then hung his head with a deep breath before snoring softly as his eyes drifted shut again.
The look Darkwing gave was halfway between confusion and pity.
"You know, speaking of Mr. Banana Brain, I'd like to have him back now." Claire said, catching the Masked Mallard off guard.
"Huh?"
"Well, since I paid for him and everything in that auction, that means I legally own him now." She said, biting back a small grin. "And I want to give him back to Jacky."
"... And how do you expect to explain to him that you've managed to get this doll back completely intact?" Darkwing said, begrudgingly rummaging through one of his many mysterious pockets before finally extracting the smiling doll and holding it out by the arm. "You said he doesn't remember anything that's happened in the last four months, that means that he doesn't remember his little pal being repaired either. As far as he knows, his doll is 'dead', and you said yourself that his memories probably won't be triggered so easily."
"I don't want to trigger his memories, I just want him to be reunited with his old friend." Claire said as she reached for the silly looking doll with the goofy little smile. "... He needs this."
She wasn't exactly sure what to expect at the moment, as she knew full well that Jacky was still inebriated from the medication, and it was very likely that he wouldn't actually be able to understand exactly what was happening.
She touched his left shoulder and the woozy duck opened his eyes unevenly, tilting his head sideways and unintentionally leaning to the right as he stared at her without actually seeing her.
It was about then that Darkwing realized that this was actually one of the first times he'd really noticed what QuackerJack looked like without his costume. "Thin" was the first word that sprung to mind, and not like "thin" as in "fit and trim", but "thin" as in "give this poor soul some decent food". Had he always looked like this? Maybe the puffy clown costume and frilled collar was more deceiving than Darkwing realized.
"Jacky, wouldn't it be easier to sleep if you were lying down?"
He looked in her direction with an unsteady gaze for a long time before finally speaking in a mumble.
"... Chicken pudding..."
"That's certainly a response." Claire stifled a small laugh. "But, not really relevant. There's someone who really wants to see you later, but you should rest for now."
"... M'kay..." Jacky didn't question anything about it, and simply dozed off again as she helped ease him into a more comfortable sleeping position.
"... What did you say they had him on, again?" Darkwing was rather surprised that QuackerJack hadn't so much as looked in his direction, and it was a little jarring to see the hyperactive clown be so sudued and docile.
"I didn't say. I just said that he was 'sleeping off the pain and medication'." Claire said earnestly, reaching for the paper packet on the side table, which was folded open to the page because she'd been reading it over before Darkwing had arrived. "... They put him on an anticonvulsant, you can read it right here, but, that's why he's all drowsy right now, it's a common side effect for the first several doses."
"... Anticonvulsant?" Darkwing felt like a bag of bricks had narrowly missed him. He blinked. "Are you saying he's been having seizures?"
"Oh, no, I hope not!" Claire said quickly, realizing that she should have elaborated further, as it certainly sounded like it was a misunderstanding. "It's mostly so he doesn't develop migraines, but apparently there's a very rare chance that he could get that until his brain heals. Actually, the physical prognosis looks pretty good, they said he's actually pretty lucky, because it could have been worse from that high of a fall."
"... Oof..." Was the noise Darkwing managed before he was able to collect his composure. "... So, he really doesn't remember the other night?"
"He knows what happened, he just doesn't remember doing any of it. He saw the news coverage, and knows that it's him in the surveillance footage, but he doesn't have any memory of being there. I don't think he even knows how he fell out the window."
"... How long is he going to be asleep?" Darkwing said, looking at the resting, drugged duck. "I'd like to come by again, when he's more alert."
That particular time of the day would be about five hours later, into the early hours of the evening, when the purpling sky was smeared with gorgeous reds and oranges as the sun sank behind the towering skyscrapers of St. Canard.
Darkwing was peering in through the observation window, having to stand on a chair, given his short stature. His daughter, Gosalyn, had tried so hard to convince him to bring her along, as she was very curious about what the toy clown looked like without his hat covering his face, but that daring dad of hers insisted otherwise, as he didn't want to risk either his identity, or do what equated to broadcasting her vulnerability as his kid.
She settled for him to simply bring her up to date on the info once he got home after the visit.
QuackerJack was still a little addled and weary from the med dosage that had begun to wear off, but he was certainly more coherent than he had been hours ago, and his tired eyes lit up as he smiled brightly upon recognizing that Claire was there.
"... Hi, Claire." He was sitting up in bed, and stole a glance at the window to the outside as the attending nurse shone a light in his eyes to test his ocular reflexes. "Ooh, the sky looks really pretty tonight, I like those colors. Those are nice."
"How are you feeling, Jacky? Any better?"
"... Everything hurts." He said before there was a sudden change in the manner of the physical exam as if responding to that statement, so he quickly elaborated as he pushed the hands away as the feathers on his shoulders and head prickled: "I meant the bruises! It's the bruises that hurt! Keep those cold probing fingers to yourself, lady!"
"It's important to take any complaint of discomfort with a serious approach right now, Mr. QuackerJack. We're concerned about any internal injuries that haven't been located yet, as well as any adverse effects the medication may have caused, particularly to your liver." The nurse explained calmly, swiping something across the duck's forehead that felt like smooth, cool metal and issued a beep when it was done.
"What's that thing for?"
"Taking your temperature, it's a lot more efficient than just sticking one of those old things under your tongue and waiting a few minutes." The nurse said, writing down the information. "We want to monitor your body temperature as well, it's very important, as a sudden drop could be a complication from the anticonvulsant."
"... Wow, fancy." Jacky said as a blood pressure cuff was fitted over his arm. "Oh, I know what this one is! I don't know what the name is, but I know how it works."
It seemed that his vitals checked out rather well, because there was no sense of alarm or concern, and Darkwing would probably admit later that it was a little amusing to see QuackerJack balk at the idea of having a blood sample taken from his arm for further testing, as it was followed by him having to be coaxed (more accurately: "bribed") with the promise of a candy sucker, which the clownish duck was then very disappointed to find it to have been "sugar-free", but he accepted it anyway, albeit with an air of feeling somewhat cheated.
"... Once they give the okay for me to have proper sweets, I want a whole mason jar full of jellybeans..." He grumbled, shoving the sucker in his mouth in the most unenthusiastic way. "... That, or cake."
"Well, I'm glad you're up now." Claire said as the nurse left to bring the blood sample to the lab. "Because, you've got a visitor that I'm sure you'll want to be awake for."
"... You're already here, but you're talking like you don't mean you, so I don't know anyone else who'd want to visit me that I'd be just as happy to see..." Jacky said slowly, taking another glance at the window.
"Oh, I think you're going to be pretty amazed at this one."
"... What, you managed to book Darkwing or something like that to drop in and say 'hello'?" He said flatly before snorting out a short laugh. "Gosh, wouldn't that be something? Could you imagine what he'd have to say if he-?"
Jacky didn't quite finish his sentence, as Claire held up something that immediately left him flabbergasted. His mouth hung open and the candy sucker caught on his lower teeth after almost falling out. He looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"... Jacky, close your mouth, you got candy in it."
"... Is... Is that... Cuh-Claire, how did you..?" He squeaked hoarsely, eyes wide in absolute disbelief. He reached out a shaky hand, and gently prodded the item in question, the feathers and downy fluff on his head and shoulders prickling and ruffling involuntarily in a completely physical reaction. "... No way... I thought..."
"It wasn't easy to find him, but someone had found all the parts and patched him up. Looks like he's been through the wringer, too." Claire explained, gently pushing the banana headed doll into his hands, which he had dropped to be on his lap. "Cost me a good bit, but I think it's worth it."
Jacky stared at the doll numbly, before bringing it eye level and staring at it as if inspecting it carefully. There was a tense half a minute as he slowly and cautiously sniffed it, and it seemed that the faint scent of old cedar sawdust had jarred something in his core, as his eyes immediately began to water and a tremor had settled in his jaw.
"... Jacky? Are you alright?" Claire was alarmed when she realized that he was breathing rather quickly, and the tremor in his jaw had spread to being a full body tremble. She put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a careful but firm shake, trying to snap him out of this trance. "Jacky, say something!"
"... Something..." He muttered before shifting his gaze to her and grinning brightly. "... I don't know how, but you found him." He wheezed out another breath and thick tears fell. "I... I don't know what to say, I just... Claire?" He reached his arms out for her and grabbed her in a squeeze of a hug. "Claire. Claire! I can't think of anything that could top this, there's nothing I can do for you that's going to be a better gift than this!"
"How about you just repay me by working on getting better?" She would have returned the embrace, if not for the fact that her arms were pinned to her sides as Jacky bounced in place and clung to her with all the enthusiasm of a kid having just learned that they were going to be able to skip school because of a surprise trip to the most amazing theme park ever.
She smiled as he let go of her and held up the doll to be eye level with her, both hands under either arm as he waved it around.
"Look at that, he's got stitches just like me!" Jacky's grin hadn't faded, and it was nice to see him so lively now. "Mr. Banana Brain and me are hospital buddies!"
There was a mildly amused noise that sounded off in the hall and had drifted through the ajar door, which made the excited battered duck swing his head towards the direction of the source curiously. Before Claire could ask him what was up, Jacky had already crossed the room before she realized it, and was now pressing his face and hands to the observation window (not unlike a youngster staring into a candy store) as he looked around for the culprit. He suddenly gasped and squealed with excitement, then shuffled just outside the door before he returned, dragging in a very confused looking Darkwing by the arm, chattering away a million miles a minute as his minor limping in his stride didn't seem to dampen his spirits, nor did his bruises. At some point, it seemed that he'd dropped his candy sucker, but he didn't pay it any mind.
"Oh my, I must have been a very good boy this year if you're here to visit me, Darkwing Duck! What brought you back to town, it's been too long, I'm sorry, I must look like an absolute mess, I had a bit of an accident but I'm supposed to be doing better, oh, I cannot wait for you to meet my girlfriend, I've told her so much about you and you're here now and I can't believe it, where have you been, I thought you were gone forever, wow, this is just fantastic, we have to catch up on things, I've been trying to be good, really, I think you'd love to hear all about it, Claire, this is Darkwing, Darkwing that's Claire!"
Darkwing blinked as he exchanged a glance with the lady duck after he was pushed forward.
"... I told you he could be sweet when he wants to be." Claire shrugged, giving a small smile.
Jacky was visibly confused before he understood the comment.
"... Oh. You've... already met..?" He said hesitantly, looking as though he'd been denied a chance to set up a presentation.
"Jacky, Darkwing was the one who brought you here, remember?" Claire said gently, putting her hand on his shoulder. "He was there when you were hurt, he was the one trying to talk you down. I asked him to help."
"... I don't remember that. You've told me, but, I don't remember it..." Jacky said quietly, sitting on the bed before bringing his feet up so he could wrap his arms around his knees and set his head down. "... I'm sorry, Darkwing, but I've... I-I'm having a hard time with my memory right now. I fell and hit my head, and now I don't remember at least the last four months. Apparently, that's the whole amount of time that I've been having a... an 'episode', and I've done something... bad. You probably know already, why am I telling you..?"
The deflation of his prior excitement left him looking absolutely miserable. Darkwing was used to seeing QuackerJack swing quickly between moods, but it was usually with nearly astonishing levels of extremes. Here, the bruised toy maker just looked silently crestfallen.
It also occurred to Darkwing that QuackerJack was speaking with a sense of clarity, which was a far cry from the unstable and distracted jittery mess of a clown he'd been during the incident the other night at the Whiffle Boy Entertainment office. It was honestly a little jarring to hear QuackerJack without that infamous underlying giggle that had been present in his voice over the years, and the only time Darkwing could actively recall such a time where it had dropped was when the poor clown had clung to him and begged for his help after the pair of them had been trapped in a pocket dimension residing in a cursed jack-in-the-box.
"... I don't expect you to believe me." Jacky added, eyes locked to the floor. "I mean, I had trouble believing this happened too, but... for what it's worth, I'm willing to cooperate. I don't remember anything, but I'll take the sentence if it's the right thing to do."
This was met with more silence from Darkwing, who had yet to speak since being pulled into the room, and Jacky became painfully aware of that. In fact, it stirred up a sense of anxiety in him that made his stomach feel a little sick at the thought of it.
"... Darkwing, at least have the decency to talk to me, please." Jacky lifted his head and stared at him with a look of discomfort, gesturing wildly as the anxiety snowballed into panic. "I know I messed up bad, but I didn't mean to, really! I was working in the Toy Department at QuackWerks, do you really think I'd mess that up on purpose! I'm not saying that I didn't do all that stuff, I'm saying that I don't remember doing any of it! I hurt my brain, Darkwing! I don't remember anything about the other night or anything in the last four months! It's all blank, do you understand! I just have to know if you understand that!"
"Yes." Was the simple response from the Masked Mallard.
"... That was easy. That was too easy. I don't like that, I don't like that at all..." Jacky mumbled nervously, sliding off the bed to stand so he could look at Darkwing head on. He shook his head. "I don't think you get it, I said that my brain was hurt, Darkwing. I have amnesia, and I... I feel dizzy, why am I dizzy..?" He blinked and crossed his eyes in confusion, frowning as he put a hand over one of his eyes in an attempt to clear his sight. "... I think I stood up too fast... I'm woozy..."
"Should I get someone?" Claire said with a little bit of alarm in her voice, putting a hand on his arm. He stared at her distantly, visibly disoriented. "Jacky? Do you want me to find the nurse?"
"... Kinda..?" He seemed very unsure of himself, and it wasn't hard to see that he was subtley rocking in place. "... I'm not sure if it's because I'm freaking out, or getting too worked up, or if something is actually wrong..."
"You want me to do that just in case?"
Jacky hesitated before nodding slowly.
"... Doesn't hurt to be sure." He said, smiling weakly, placing a hand on the bed to steady himself. "They did say that they take any complaint of discomfort seriously, y'know..."
The visitor chair was scooted in his direction, and he gratefully took it, as it would have taken too much effort to crawl onto the bed again. He scrabbled his hand across the top of the bed until he felt familiar fabric, and quickly dragged Mr. Banana Brain into his arms as he watched Claire leave, then brought his attention back to Darkwing Duck, who seemed to be at a loss of what to say about the situation.
"... Soooooo, Darkwing." Jacky broke the silence, kicking his feet idly. "What happened to you? You disappeared for a long time, and just left us all here in St. Canard."
Darkwing wasn't sure what threw him for a loop more: QuackerJack speaking to him civilly like he was an old friend, or QuackerJack speaking to him without so much as pawing at him in his weirdly "playful" manner, as what had been such the norm so long ago whenever the clown had managed to get close enough to count the stitches on his hat.
He scratched at his head feathers awkwardly before finally speaking again, picking his words carefully.
"... Got run out of town by Negaduck."
Jacky's face visibly drained of color and he tightend his arms around the doll unconsciously. He stopped kicking his feet, and the expression that had crossed his face was not unlike the sort of face one would have if a shark fin had broke the surface of the calm water around them.
"... I was afraid of that..." He said in voice that sounded like his throat had constricted painfully. "... He hurt Mr. Banana Brain, y'know? Broke him to pieces, threw them in my face. It hurt. But, I guess someone must have fixed him, because I got him back now." He sniffled, and it was obvious that the sting of that event was rising to the surface again. Jacky huffed a deep breath as if to banish the thought and forced a smile back on his face while laughing feebly. "Oh, man, I just realized, you've finally got to see me without my hat. How funny is that?"
"... Hilarious." Darkwing said dryly, before he shifted his stance and leaned against the bedframe subtley.
"... You don't sound like you find that hilarious."
"QuackerJack, do you fully understand the sort of mess you are in right now?"
"Well, of course, I'm not an idiot." Jacky said, giving an unamused look, going as far as to stick his tongue out. "I might have a brain injury, but I'm still a clever ducky. I think it's all terrible, I can't believe I did all that, but I saw the news reports and that's definitely me, I'm not denying it."
In all his time of knowing QuackerJack, Darkwing Duck had never known the crazy toy maker to ever take responsibility for his own actions, and it was more common for him to push the blame elsewhere, anywhere, anyone but himself, often to the point of throwing a hissy fit over it. Claire must have certainly been a good influence on him, no doubt.
Claire returned with the nurse before the conversation went further.
"So, Mr. QuackerJack, you said you were feeling a little woozy?" Said the nurse as she pulled out a pen light.
"... Just a little. I'm fine otherwise, I think I may have stood up too fast, that's all, but you did say you take complaints seriously." Jacky said as a light was shone in his eyes again for the umpteenth time, while he followed it. "Can I have another sucker? I kinda dropped the last one on the floor."
"Not a problem, I can get you another one." The nurse said. "Let me just take your blood pressure and temperature again. Any other issues you might be having right now?"
"Nope." Jacky said in a matter-of-fact tone as his vitals were checked yet again. "Aside from the fact that the candy doesn't have any real sugar in it. Kinda sleazy if you ask me."
"Jacky." There was a warning tone in Claire's voice.
"What? I'm just saying what we're all thinking, don't 'Jacky' me, you know I'm right. How can you make candy without sugar?"
"And yet, you're still asking for another one."
"It's the only candy I'm allowed right now, of course I'm taking it."
The following day, Claire would find Jacky sitting on the bed, legs crossed, leaning forward with a hand on his ankle as he held the television remote in his other hand, staring intently at the screen. He seemed to have not bothered to have the shades drawn back, as the room was admittedly darker than it should be for late morning, and the main source of light was the flickering of the TV screen and a single side table lamp.
His head turned towards her direction quickly the moment she shut the door, and he shot his gaze between her and the TV as if trying to find an explanation as to what he was doing, though honestly it wasn't really needed.
"Jacky, how are you feeling today?" Claire didn't seem to acknowledge his odd behavior, perhaps because she was used to it and was silently relieved that he was acting more like himself than he had been for the past few days (or rather, months). She crossed the room to the window and pulled the shades back, letting more light in, then she switched off the lamp. "Sleep well?"
"... I guess." He shrugged, looking back at the TV. "I'm still all bruised up, so I'm still pretty sore, and I can't really tell if I'm actually tired or if it's just the ouchies making me feel tired."
"To be fair, these last few days have probably been a bit exhausting for you."
"Yeah, no kidding." Jacky snorted weakly. He blinked and added: "... The news coverage is on quite a few channels already. I think everyone in Calisota knows what I did now, except me, of course."
"Maybe you should stay away from those channels for a bit, it's probably not good on you emotionally." Claire suggested, while carefully tugging the remote from Jacky's hands, which he didn't do much to protest.
"... I keep hoping maybe I could trigger something, maybe jar it back in my brain, so then maybe I can figure out why I did all that..." He said quietly, continuing to look at the screen as Claire cycled through the channels for something not so news related. "... It's all really terrible stuff, looks like. I just don't understand how I can be able to do something that complicated without any memory of it, let alone be able to for months."
"You fell out of a third story window and hit your head. The memory loss is most likely from that, or it could be because of something else, or maybe both of those." Claire knew that her answer wasn't going to satiate his desire to find out, but she felt like she could at least be able to offer a plausibility that he could latch to until (or if) it was found. "Frankly, I'm impressed that you're up and about barely three days after such an accident, it could have been a way worse outcome, especially since you landed on your head."
"... Guess I've just got a thick skull, then." He quipped, snorting again but with more enthusiasm than the last time.
Claire paused on a channel running a cartoon about wacky colorful sea critters, and looked at Jacky, who was now pawing idly at the "peels" on Mr. Banana Brain's head. As far as she knew, he hadn't let the doll out of his sight since thier reunion yesterday, and she had no doubt that Jacky had slept soundly that night, knowing that his little banana buddy was where he belonged.
Jacky looked up at her, noticing that her attention was away from the TV, and he smiled that smile that he usually kept for her. Despite the bruises, stitches and scrapes, it was still her Jacky, and she was glad to have him back after these last few months of uncertain chaos.
"... I wonder if they'll let me go outside today." Jacky said suddenly, glancing out the window. "It looks nice out, and I can see a courtyard down there, there's benches and trees, like a park."
"I guess we could ask, but we should wait at least until after your check up today, you know that those meds wipe you out for the afternoon."
"Aw, but afternoon is when the sunshine is the best." Jacky crinkled his beak in disappointment. "I don't like this, I don't like being cooped up, and I really just don't like being so out of it..."
"I know, but we need to follow these rules so you can get better."
"And 'get better' doesn't necessarily mean that I get my missing memory back, just that I'm physically capable of being sent out of here." Jacky said nonchalantly. "Not that I'm complaining too much about that, but I wish I'd be able to have a better thing to tell people than 'I don't know' if I get asked about that incident, because you know people are going to ask me. What do I say to that?"
"You're worrying too much about something that won't be a problem for good while." Claire said, taking a seat beside him on the bed. "I really don't know, Jacky."
"... What if I don't get my memory back?"
"Then you don't, I guess."
"Claire, I'm serious."
"I know. I'm just saying that you don't have to force yourself to get it back. In fact, it's probably more likely that you won't be able to, so you're just stressing over something that might not even happen."
"But what is going to happen is that I have to still have to answer for all that." Jacky sounded exasperated, and Claire couldn't really blame him. "Who's going to believe that I just conveniently got bonked on the noggin and lost all memory of the whole four months that I spent doing... whatever I was doing?"
"Me."
There was a silence that greeted that response. Claire looked at him again, and saw that he was staring intently at Mr. Banana Brain, whom he was holding under the arms with both hands.
He lowered the doll and looked back at her again.
"... Claire? During those four months... I didn't do any of that to you, did I?"
"... Hmm?"
"The stuff that they're saying I did. I didn't do anything like that to you, did I?" Jacky reiterated with a bit of desperation in his tone.
"Oh, no, no of course not!" Claire reassured him quickly, realizing that this was probably something he could have been wondering for days and had yet to actually voice it until now. "I did find you at one point not too long after you'd disappeared, but you were so scared and confused when you saw me that you ran away. It was like you didn't want me to see you that way, to be honest."
"... I don't remember that."
"You were with this guy that looked like plant and didn't seem like he wanted to really be near you either."
"... Oh my goodness, that's Bushroot, what in the world did I do to him, we weren't exactly on the best of terms all the time, but I wouldn't think that I'd-!"
"Jacky. Jacky! It's fine, you're fine right now."
"You don't understand, I was the normal one on that team. Megs' got that electricity thing, Bushroot controls plants, and Liquidator is water. How could I have been able to overpower any of them, I don't have any special skills beyond toy making or really good agility, but that's not exactly intimidating to someone who could string me up by the foot with a vine in a second." Jacky was certainly distressed at the idea. "I mean, I definitely teased and messed around with them, but I don't think I could have ever actually intimidated them..."
"Jacky, I know this is all scary and all that for you, but it's not going to help to just speculate if you aren't actually sure." Claire said carefully, putting her hands on his shoulders as he stared at her with wide eyed apprehension. "We really don't want someone to misunderstand that as a possible memory when it isn't, so, while I do understand that it's upsetting for you and you want answers, I don't have the answers and I definitely don't want to feel like I'm misleading you. You get that, right?"
"... Yeah, Claire..." Jacky said quietly, looking back at Mr. Banana Brain with half closed eyes. "... Okay, I do..."
I apologize for any breaks in the flow, you have no idea how much everything seemed to want to impede my writing process, lol
Fun fact: Very loosely based on an incident when I was 7 involving doctor error and me having retrograde amnesia of a specific two weeks of time. I'm 28, and that chunk of time leading up to eating lemon pudding in a children's detox ward still hasn't returned, and QuackerJack's confusion is based around that legit POV.