A light flurry of snow began to fall, barely visible beyond the slightly tinted windows of the car. Kim was biting on her lip again, her eyes alternating between Jimmy and the window. He understood why. He wasn't sure how much more time had passed, but he knew that Joey wasn't back yet, and that was reason to worry.
He weakly lifted his hand to her face, and placed his fingers on her lips, gazing at her with slightly bleary eyes. "You're making yourself bleed."
She held her own fingers to her lip; they came away red. "Oh."
"He's gonna be okay," Jimmy said, trying hard to believe it. "You know he's a slow walker."
"Yeah," she said. "I'm sure that's all."
The conviction in her voice was about as low as the temperature inside the SUV.
Thinking about the cold only made him feel it more, and another shiver passed through his body.
That brought her attention away from the window.
"It's cold," he said, simply, telling her what she already knew.
"You have a blanket in here, Jimmy?" she asked, peering into the backseat.
He thought for a moment. "In the back...in the crate. I think."
She leaned as far back as she could without totally crawling into the backseat. He felt a pang of jealousy. His legs were stiff and painful, and he wanted nothing more than to move them, no matter how much it might hurt.
"Got it!" she said triumphantly, settling back into the front seat.
Jimmy shivered again, looking at the blue blanket. He had used that for a picnic once...with Brooke.
"Here," she said, laying the blanket partially over him.
He laid there, attempting to clutch the edge of the blanket with numbing fingers. He winced as Kim cuddled up to his chest, trying hard to mind the injuries, keeping most of her weight off.
"Sharing body heat," she explained.
By her tone, he could tell she was also trying to reassure herself. Maybe as long as she was touching him, he wouldn't...
He reached his arm up with some effort, draping it around her shoulder, pulling her closer despite his pain, thinking the same exact thing.
"It'll be okay, Jimmy," she said softly.
Her eyes were still on the window.
"You'll be okay," she said softly.
Jimmy wasn't entirely sure. The pain in his chest was building up, becoming greater with every breath.
Something was wrong.
What was wrong? He couldn't place it. Something...his stomach, his chest, his throat, all ached, burned.
"Kim I–" he choked out, coughing once.
She pulled away as if he were burning her skin. "What?"
"I-my-," he tried to speak, but felt only overwhelming pain and dizziness.
"Jimmy?" she asked, placing her palm on one of his cheeks. "What is it?"
"Hurts," he whimpered in a voice so small it was barely audible, and not at all like his own.
"What does?" she asked.
He couldn't bring himself to answer, so consumed in the fiery pain.
Kim stared down at him worriedly, yet unable to do anything for him.
He began to coughed again, a harsh sound, his eyes shut tightly, a hand to his chest, pressing lightly, and moaned.
"Jimmy!" she cried. "Oh God, oh, God."
Jimmy opened his mouth to say something, dragging in a deep breath. "God...Kim..my chest..."
"Hang on for a second, Jimmy," she said, and pulled the blanket away.
He said nothing, just kept his eyes shut in pain.
She gently lifted up the hem of his shirt and unbuttoned the top of his jeans, pushing them down a bit. She sucked in her breath, seeing a massive bruise on his left side, stretching, as far as she could tell, all the way to his upper chest.
"Oh, God," she whispered. "One more second, Jimmy."
She took in another breath, and probed gently at his abdomen with her other hand.
He let out a hiss in protest, and when she pressed harder, he all but screamed, his eyes tearing up involuntarily.
"Okay, okay," she said soothingly, pushing his shirt back down but leaving his jeans undone.
"What?" he said, panting raggedly. "What is it?"
"Don't worry, Jimmy," she lied. "I think you just bruised yourself very badly."
Jimmy nodded, in too much pain to tell her that this was almost, but not quite, as bad as the pain he had when he had been shot.
Kim stared out the window with intensity written in her eyes.
Please hurry, Joey, she thought. God please be okay, and just hurry.
He weakly lifted his hand to her face, and placed his fingers on her lips, gazing at her with slightly bleary eyes. "You're making yourself bleed."
She held her own fingers to her lip; they came away red. "Oh."
"He's gonna be okay," Jimmy said, trying hard to believe it. "You know he's a slow walker."
"Yeah," she said. "I'm sure that's all."
The conviction in her voice was about as low as the temperature inside the SUV.
Thinking about the cold only made him feel it more, and another shiver passed through his body.
That brought her attention away from the window.
"It's cold," he said, simply, telling her what she already knew.
"You have a blanket in here, Jimmy?" she asked, peering into the backseat.
He thought for a moment. "In the back...in the crate. I think."
She leaned as far back as she could without totally crawling into the backseat. He felt a pang of jealousy. His legs were stiff and painful, and he wanted nothing more than to move them, no matter how much it might hurt.
"Got it!" she said triumphantly, settling back into the front seat.
Jimmy shivered again, looking at the blue blanket. He had used that for a picnic once...with Brooke.
"Here," she said, laying the blanket partially over him.
He laid there, attempting to clutch the edge of the blanket with numbing fingers. He winced as Kim cuddled up to his chest, trying hard to mind the injuries, keeping most of her weight off.
"Sharing body heat," she explained.
By her tone, he could tell she was also trying to reassure herself. Maybe as long as she was touching him, he wouldn't...
He reached his arm up with some effort, draping it around her shoulder, pulling her closer despite his pain, thinking the same exact thing.
"It'll be okay, Jimmy," she said softly.
Her eyes were still on the window.
"You'll be okay," she said softly.
Jimmy wasn't entirely sure. The pain in his chest was building up, becoming greater with every breath.
Something was wrong.
What was wrong? He couldn't place it. Something...his stomach, his chest, his throat, all ached, burned.
"Kim I–" he choked out, coughing once.
She pulled away as if he were burning her skin. "What?"
"I-my-," he tried to speak, but felt only overwhelming pain and dizziness.
"Jimmy?" she asked, placing her palm on one of his cheeks. "What is it?"
"Hurts," he whimpered in a voice so small it was barely audible, and not at all like his own.
"What does?" she asked.
He couldn't bring himself to answer, so consumed in the fiery pain.
Kim stared down at him worriedly, yet unable to do anything for him.
He began to coughed again, a harsh sound, his eyes shut tightly, a hand to his chest, pressing lightly, and moaned.
"Jimmy!" she cried. "Oh God, oh, God."
Jimmy opened his mouth to say something, dragging in a deep breath. "God...Kim..my chest..."
"Hang on for a second, Jimmy," she said, and pulled the blanket away.
He said nothing, just kept his eyes shut in pain.
She gently lifted up the hem of his shirt and unbuttoned the top of his jeans, pushing them down a bit. She sucked in her breath, seeing a massive bruise on his left side, stretching, as far as she could tell, all the way to his upper chest.
"Oh, God," she whispered. "One more second, Jimmy."
She took in another breath, and probed gently at his abdomen with her other hand.
He let out a hiss in protest, and when she pressed harder, he all but screamed, his eyes tearing up involuntarily.
"Okay, okay," she said soothingly, pushing his shirt back down but leaving his jeans undone.
"What?" he said, panting raggedly. "What is it?"
"Don't worry, Jimmy," she lied. "I think you just bruised yourself very badly."
Jimmy nodded, in too much pain to tell her that this was almost, but not quite, as bad as the pain he had when he had been shot.
Kim stared out the window with intensity written in her eyes.
Please hurry, Joey, she thought. God please be okay, and just hurry.