An Ending
Almost a week later, Jesse was hobbling around the hospital on his crutches. He was beginning to get feeling back in his leg, but not quite enough to allow him to walk yet.
"Mark, when can I go home?" Jesse pleaded with him, finding him in the Doctor's Lounge.
"Jesse! What are you doing out of bed? You are a patient, remember?"
"Yeah, Mark, I remember," Jesse said. "But I am a bored patient." He sat down at the table where Mark was.
"I'll make you a deal," Mark told him. "Tomorrow is Saturday. You can leave the hospital, but only if you stay at the Beach House for a while. That way, you can relax, but still keep out of trouble."
"Mark, that is the best thing I have heard all week," Jesse replied solemnly.
So, the next day, Mark retrieved Jesse from the hospital at lunchtime, and drove him to his house.
"Thanks for this, Mark," Jesse showed his appreciation as Mark unlocked the front door. "It has been a while since I got some peace and quiet, and..."
Mark opened the door, and Jesse saw four bright faces smiling at him.
"Surprise!" They all screamed, almost knocking Jesse off his crutches.
"What?" Jesse asked in amazement. So much for peace and quiet, he thought to himself.
"This is a little welcome home party we made for you," Mark told him.
"You deserve it," Steve added.
"I don't deserve it," Jesse told them, hobbling into the living room.
"What makes you think that?" Mark asked.
"We made you a cake," CJ told Jesse.
"You did?" Jesse asked. "Well, that was really nice of you."
Jesse tried his best to enjoy the party, but his heart wasn't in it. Later, when Amanda and her boys had gone home, Jesse tottered out to the balcony whilst Mark and Steve cleaned up.
"What do you think is up with him?" Steve asked.
"I'm not sure," Mark mused. "I don't think he likes being reminded of what happened last week, but I think there's more."
"I'm going to talk to him," Steve said, dumping the plates on the counter.
"Be careful," Mark said. This time, Mark was not referring to Steve's safety, for Steve to not hurt Jesse, physically or emotionally.
"Hi," Steve said, standing next to Jesse, who was leaning on the railing of the deck for support.
"Hey," Jesse replied, not taking his eyes off of the ocean.
"Tell me something," Steve requested. "Why don't you think you deserved the party?"
"All I did was something that any other guy would do," Jesse replied blandly, still not looking at Steve.
"You reckon?" Steve asked him. "I know for a fact that a lot of people in your position put themselves first. You, on the other hand, put your life behind everyone else's, and you saved just about everyone in Bob's that day. That's special, you know. It's stuff like that that makes you a special person."
Jesse merely shrugged his shoulders.
"I think there's something else that's bugging you, isn't there," Steve considered.
"And what would you know?" Jesse snapped, turning to look at Steve for the first time. Steve was taken aback. Jesse had never snapped at him before. Then, Steve noticed that Jesse had been crying.
"Hey, buddy?" Steve tried to console his friend. "Can't you tell me what's up?"
"You wouldn't understand," Jesse growled. "NO ONE understands."
"Try me," Steve said shortly.
"I wonder, have you got any notion, and idea at all what I have been through in the last couple of weeks?" Jesse put towards Steve. "Firstly, I was doing great, then my boss and one of my closest friends shouts at me for something I can't help doing. Sure, after a couple of days of depression, he gets over it. But then, last Saturday happens."
"I know, Jess, it was hell for everyone," Steve assured him.
"Like you'd know. Where you the one that could see yourself trapped under a truck load of rubble?" Jesse stopped as he heard the words he had said.
Steve was stunned. "You had a near-death experience?"
"Nice one, Sherlock," Jesse retorted.
"What happened?" Steve asked him, putting a concerned hand on Jesse's shoulder. He shrugged the hand off.
"Well, there was me, seeing the ground, and a pile of bricks on top of me. And then it started to go all fuzzy, but then you came in, I think, and you took the rocks off of me. Then, I can't remember." He turned to the taller man, next to him. "Steve, I thought I was going to die. I saw myself, under that weight, and I thought, `This is it.' I had visions of me being the next guy in Amanda's lab."
At that moment, Jesse felt about two feet tall. He just realised that Steve had stopped him dying, because he had taken the rubble off of him. "Steve, I'm sorry," Jesse began, but Steve held his hand up.
"You have got nothing to be sorry about," Steve told him firmly. "I understand. You were scared. I was pretty scared too, you know. I lifted that rock off your face, and I froze. I couldn't believe it was you under there."
Jesse was beginning to turn pale, and he swayed slightly. "Whoa, not near the stairs," Steve said, grabbing his shoulders before he fell.
"Too much cake?" Steve asked. Jesse nodded, grinning, and his best friend led him inside.
~~ The End ~~
Almost a week later, Jesse was hobbling around the hospital on his crutches. He was beginning to get feeling back in his leg, but not quite enough to allow him to walk yet.
"Mark, when can I go home?" Jesse pleaded with him, finding him in the Doctor's Lounge.
"Jesse! What are you doing out of bed? You are a patient, remember?"
"Yeah, Mark, I remember," Jesse said. "But I am a bored patient." He sat down at the table where Mark was.
"I'll make you a deal," Mark told him. "Tomorrow is Saturday. You can leave the hospital, but only if you stay at the Beach House for a while. That way, you can relax, but still keep out of trouble."
"Mark, that is the best thing I have heard all week," Jesse replied solemnly.
So, the next day, Mark retrieved Jesse from the hospital at lunchtime, and drove him to his house.
"Thanks for this, Mark," Jesse showed his appreciation as Mark unlocked the front door. "It has been a while since I got some peace and quiet, and..."
Mark opened the door, and Jesse saw four bright faces smiling at him.
"Surprise!" They all screamed, almost knocking Jesse off his crutches.
"What?" Jesse asked in amazement. So much for peace and quiet, he thought to himself.
"This is a little welcome home party we made for you," Mark told him.
"You deserve it," Steve added.
"I don't deserve it," Jesse told them, hobbling into the living room.
"What makes you think that?" Mark asked.
"We made you a cake," CJ told Jesse.
"You did?" Jesse asked. "Well, that was really nice of you."
Jesse tried his best to enjoy the party, but his heart wasn't in it. Later, when Amanda and her boys had gone home, Jesse tottered out to the balcony whilst Mark and Steve cleaned up.
"What do you think is up with him?" Steve asked.
"I'm not sure," Mark mused. "I don't think he likes being reminded of what happened last week, but I think there's more."
"I'm going to talk to him," Steve said, dumping the plates on the counter.
"Be careful," Mark said. This time, Mark was not referring to Steve's safety, for Steve to not hurt Jesse, physically or emotionally.
"Hi," Steve said, standing next to Jesse, who was leaning on the railing of the deck for support.
"Hey," Jesse replied, not taking his eyes off of the ocean.
"Tell me something," Steve requested. "Why don't you think you deserved the party?"
"All I did was something that any other guy would do," Jesse replied blandly, still not looking at Steve.
"You reckon?" Steve asked him. "I know for a fact that a lot of people in your position put themselves first. You, on the other hand, put your life behind everyone else's, and you saved just about everyone in Bob's that day. That's special, you know. It's stuff like that that makes you a special person."
Jesse merely shrugged his shoulders.
"I think there's something else that's bugging you, isn't there," Steve considered.
"And what would you know?" Jesse snapped, turning to look at Steve for the first time. Steve was taken aback. Jesse had never snapped at him before. Then, Steve noticed that Jesse had been crying.
"Hey, buddy?" Steve tried to console his friend. "Can't you tell me what's up?"
"You wouldn't understand," Jesse growled. "NO ONE understands."
"Try me," Steve said shortly.
"I wonder, have you got any notion, and idea at all what I have been through in the last couple of weeks?" Jesse put towards Steve. "Firstly, I was doing great, then my boss and one of my closest friends shouts at me for something I can't help doing. Sure, after a couple of days of depression, he gets over it. But then, last Saturday happens."
"I know, Jess, it was hell for everyone," Steve assured him.
"Like you'd know. Where you the one that could see yourself trapped under a truck load of rubble?" Jesse stopped as he heard the words he had said.
Steve was stunned. "You had a near-death experience?"
"Nice one, Sherlock," Jesse retorted.
"What happened?" Steve asked him, putting a concerned hand on Jesse's shoulder. He shrugged the hand off.
"Well, there was me, seeing the ground, and a pile of bricks on top of me. And then it started to go all fuzzy, but then you came in, I think, and you took the rocks off of me. Then, I can't remember." He turned to the taller man, next to him. "Steve, I thought I was going to die. I saw myself, under that weight, and I thought, `This is it.' I had visions of me being the next guy in Amanda's lab."
At that moment, Jesse felt about two feet tall. He just realised that Steve had stopped him dying, because he had taken the rubble off of him. "Steve, I'm sorry," Jesse began, but Steve held his hand up.
"You have got nothing to be sorry about," Steve told him firmly. "I understand. You were scared. I was pretty scared too, you know. I lifted that rock off your face, and I froze. I couldn't believe it was you under there."
Jesse was beginning to turn pale, and he swayed slightly. "Whoa, not near the stairs," Steve said, grabbing his shoulders before he fell.
"Too much cake?" Steve asked. Jesse nodded, grinning, and his best friend led him inside.
~~ The End ~~