Chapter 5:Tears
"Yo, Scott!"
"Lee Scott!" Jason shouted back, prompting a burst of laughter from the other delegates. It was a well-known fact that Jason took his last name very seriously, and never failed to correct anyone who didn't say it right. Eventually it had become a joke around the conference, and many people called him Scott just to hear the reprimand.
"Whatever! You got a phone call!"
His brow furrowed. No one was allowed phone calls during conference sessions; the caller was always politely informed to try back at a later time. He exchanged puzzeled glances with Zack and Trini as he headed down to answer it.
"This is Jason." he announced into the phone.
"Jase, I need you to stay calm for me, okay?"
A chill ran down his spine. "That's not the best way to start a conversation, Tommy."
"There was an attack at Nickson Express Services today. Some cogs ran inside to terrorize people."
His heart skipped a beat. "Amber?"
"She's in Angel Grove Memorial."
"I'll be there as soon as I can catch a flight."
"You're on the 6:00 to Florida tonight. Kimberly will be there to pick you up. You leave again at 8:45 the next morning for California. I'll meet you at the gate. Your tickets are all electronic, so all you have to do is tell the people at the desk."
In his fear for Amber, his manners were completely overridden, and he failed to wonder at the fact that things had already been arranged for him. "I'll be there." He hung up abruptly.
As he raced to inform the conference monitors and pack, he murmured a soft prayer to anyone who was listening for his Amby to be alright.
****
Jason was the epitome of tension when he entered the Florida airport. His nerves were shot, and his muscles had hardened in his high state of anxiety. People scurried to get out of his way. When he was relaxed, Jason was such a friendly guy everyone liked to be around him. Tense, he was incredibly imposing. He looked around swiftly.
"Jason!" a voice called. He was instantly swept up in a tight hug.
He swallowed hard, forcing the tears away from his eyes. "Hey, Kim." he managed.
She squeezed tighter. Her gaze was full of sympathy and shared pain when she pulled away. "Come on." she told him softly. "You're crashing with me tonight."
He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
The ride to her apartment was silent. Normally it would have been filled with talk over what was going on in their lives, or him teasing her about her pink Toyota. The lump in his throat refused to loosen, however, and he stared out the window in quiet contemplation. Kimberly had reached over to squeeze his hand at one point, and didn't let go again until she'd pulled into the carport.
He made it up the stairs and into the living room before he lost it completely. His head fell back against the wall as he sobbed brokenly. Kim's arms went around him, pulling him gently down onto the couch with her. She held his head to her shoulder, stroking his hair and making soothing noises. There were no assurances that everything would be fine; Jason didn't want empty promises. She simply held him in her arms, offering comfort.
When he cried himself to sleep, she adjusted her body carefully, letting Jason stay on her chest as she laid back with her arms around him. Her legs would be aching in the morning from Jason's weight, but she didn't care. Tonight one of her brothers needed her, and she was determined to be there for him.
****
Jason's eyes were still bloodshot when his final flight landed. He greeted Tommy quietly, only to be yanked into a hug with just as much force as Kimberly had given him. He returned it and struggled not to bury his face in the presented shoulder and cry. It took effort to pull away, and he swallowed back the impending tears harshly.
Tommy silently wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him to the car. It seemed to take hours to get to Angel Grove Memorial, when it was really only minutes. The following elevator ride was endless, and the nurse at the front desk didn't seem to notice them. When she looked up at last she smiled at Tommy, and asked if he'd brought a friend with him to see his sister. Tommy merely smiled back and nodded, leading Jason down the corridor at her approval.
Jason glanced at him. "Your sister?" he murmured.
Tommy shrugged, but his cheeks flushed slightly in embarassment. "It was the only way I could get in to see her. No one else has asked, so..."
A tight smile crossed his face, and he squeezed Tommy's shoulder reassuringly. "It's okay, Bro. You're family anyway."
He missed the elated expression on Tommy's face at that comment.
The door of room 357 was pushed open at last, and Tommy gestured for him to go in, hanging back to give him privacy. Jason's eyes found the unconscious figure instantly. He stumbled, falling down hard into the chair beside the bed. He knew this was going to be difficult to see, but it was even worse than he'd imagined.
Amber had always been tall in comparison to other girls, even if he had overshot her years ago. Her skin was perfect, and her makeup impecable. Her shoulder length hair was thick and shiny, falling around her shoulders in soft waves. Her dark eyes always showed what she was feeling, whether they flashed in anger or twinkled with laughter. She was always moving, laughing, talking, scolding, lecturing.
Now she lay still, her skin seeming pale against the white bedsheets. That beautiful full brown hair was plastered limply to her neck. Those dark eyes were closed, and her perfect skin was marred with bruises and bandages. She seemed so much smaller and fragile. To put it quite simply, this wasn't his Amby.
He reached out with shaky hands and carefully took hold of her fingers, lest he jostle the IV. Tears welled in his eyes, and his voice trembled as he spoke. "Hey, Amby. It's me. I came to see you. So you can open your eyes now, okay?"
The eyelids never so much as flickered, and Jason broke down, sobbing into the bed.
"Yo, Scott!"
"Lee Scott!" Jason shouted back, prompting a burst of laughter from the other delegates. It was a well-known fact that Jason took his last name very seriously, and never failed to correct anyone who didn't say it right. Eventually it had become a joke around the conference, and many people called him Scott just to hear the reprimand.
"Whatever! You got a phone call!"
His brow furrowed. No one was allowed phone calls during conference sessions; the caller was always politely informed to try back at a later time. He exchanged puzzeled glances with Zack and Trini as he headed down to answer it.
"This is Jason." he announced into the phone.
"Jase, I need you to stay calm for me, okay?"
A chill ran down his spine. "That's not the best way to start a conversation, Tommy."
"There was an attack at Nickson Express Services today. Some cogs ran inside to terrorize people."
His heart skipped a beat. "Amber?"
"She's in Angel Grove Memorial."
"I'll be there as soon as I can catch a flight."
"You're on the 6:00 to Florida tonight. Kimberly will be there to pick you up. You leave again at 8:45 the next morning for California. I'll meet you at the gate. Your tickets are all electronic, so all you have to do is tell the people at the desk."
In his fear for Amber, his manners were completely overridden, and he failed to wonder at the fact that things had already been arranged for him. "I'll be there." He hung up abruptly.
As he raced to inform the conference monitors and pack, he murmured a soft prayer to anyone who was listening for his Amby to be alright.
****
Jason was the epitome of tension when he entered the Florida airport. His nerves were shot, and his muscles had hardened in his high state of anxiety. People scurried to get out of his way. When he was relaxed, Jason was such a friendly guy everyone liked to be around him. Tense, he was incredibly imposing. He looked around swiftly.
"Jason!" a voice called. He was instantly swept up in a tight hug.
He swallowed hard, forcing the tears away from his eyes. "Hey, Kim." he managed.
She squeezed tighter. Her gaze was full of sympathy and shared pain when she pulled away. "Come on." she told him softly. "You're crashing with me tonight."
He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
The ride to her apartment was silent. Normally it would have been filled with talk over what was going on in their lives, or him teasing her about her pink Toyota. The lump in his throat refused to loosen, however, and he stared out the window in quiet contemplation. Kimberly had reached over to squeeze his hand at one point, and didn't let go again until she'd pulled into the carport.
He made it up the stairs and into the living room before he lost it completely. His head fell back against the wall as he sobbed brokenly. Kim's arms went around him, pulling him gently down onto the couch with her. She held his head to her shoulder, stroking his hair and making soothing noises. There were no assurances that everything would be fine; Jason didn't want empty promises. She simply held him in her arms, offering comfort.
When he cried himself to sleep, she adjusted her body carefully, letting Jason stay on her chest as she laid back with her arms around him. Her legs would be aching in the morning from Jason's weight, but she didn't care. Tonight one of her brothers needed her, and she was determined to be there for him.
****
Jason's eyes were still bloodshot when his final flight landed. He greeted Tommy quietly, only to be yanked into a hug with just as much force as Kimberly had given him. He returned it and struggled not to bury his face in the presented shoulder and cry. It took effort to pull away, and he swallowed back the impending tears harshly.
Tommy silently wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him to the car. It seemed to take hours to get to Angel Grove Memorial, when it was really only minutes. The following elevator ride was endless, and the nurse at the front desk didn't seem to notice them. When she looked up at last she smiled at Tommy, and asked if he'd brought a friend with him to see his sister. Tommy merely smiled back and nodded, leading Jason down the corridor at her approval.
Jason glanced at him. "Your sister?" he murmured.
Tommy shrugged, but his cheeks flushed slightly in embarassment. "It was the only way I could get in to see her. No one else has asked, so..."
A tight smile crossed his face, and he squeezed Tommy's shoulder reassuringly. "It's okay, Bro. You're family anyway."
He missed the elated expression on Tommy's face at that comment.
The door of room 357 was pushed open at last, and Tommy gestured for him to go in, hanging back to give him privacy. Jason's eyes found the unconscious figure instantly. He stumbled, falling down hard into the chair beside the bed. He knew this was going to be difficult to see, but it was even worse than he'd imagined.
Amber had always been tall in comparison to other girls, even if he had overshot her years ago. Her skin was perfect, and her makeup impecable. Her shoulder length hair was thick and shiny, falling around her shoulders in soft waves. Her dark eyes always showed what she was feeling, whether they flashed in anger or twinkled with laughter. She was always moving, laughing, talking, scolding, lecturing.
Now she lay still, her skin seeming pale against the white bedsheets. That beautiful full brown hair was plastered limply to her neck. Those dark eyes were closed, and her perfect skin was marred with bruises and bandages. She seemed so much smaller and fragile. To put it quite simply, this wasn't his Amby.
He reached out with shaky hands and carefully took hold of her fingers, lest he jostle the IV. Tears welled in his eyes, and his voice trembled as he spoke. "Hey, Amby. It's me. I came to see you. So you can open your eyes now, okay?"
The eyelids never so much as flickered, and Jason broke down, sobbing into the bed.