He hated hospitals. He hated the food. The nurses were pissing the
crap out of him. He hadn't had a cigarette in god knew how long, and he
still ached and stung all over. His leg was still in its cast, and the only
way he could move around was on a pair of crutches.
He was getting restless fast.
The only time he wasn't grumpy was when Rory came to visit, and since she had classes and homework, the visits were becoming further apart and shorter. He understood. Didn't mean he had to like it.
"Jess?"
He turned to look at his mother, who had come to visit. She was sitting in the chair next to his bed. Stupid bed. He hated the sheets. They sucked.
"How come you didn't stay in California?"
He blinked and looked at his cast. He knew what she really wanted to know. Why hadn't he stayed with Jimmy?
"We fought a lot," he told her truthfully. "About his leaving us. About my future. About... pasta, for god's sake, so I just... left."
Liz sighed and put a hand through her son's hair.
"I still hate him for leaving," he admitted quietly.
Liz nodded. "Me, too."
"He lives with his girlfriend, Sasha," Jess went on. "And her daughter Lily." His jaw clenched. "He treated her like..."
"His kid?" Liz asked.
He nodded. "I didn't belong there. I thought since... he's the one who came to see me first..."
Liz nodded. "Jimmy's... Jimmy."
Jess nodded back. "How could I have thought that? That's so naïve."
"Jess-"
"He doesn't want me."
"So what, Jess?"
He turned to his mother again, eyes blazing in anger, ready to spit out something spiteful, but she stopped him.
"Jess, you have me."
"Since when?"
Liz sighed, feeling guilty. "You have Luke."
"Sure."
"You have Rory."
"Barely."
"I called him."
Jess blinked. "You called who?"
She flinched. "Jimmy."
"You didn't."
"Jess-"
"You did! What is wrong with you?!"
"I thought he should know!" Liz cried, looking surprised at her son's outburst.
"Yeah? Remember when I fell off my skateboard when I was eight? You think to call him then?! Or maybe that time that I fell down the apartment stairs. You call him then?!"
"You guys have been in contact," Liz replied, trying to stay calm. "I thought-"
"You thought wrong!" Jess yelled.
"Jess, calm down."
"No!"
Liz sighed. "Jess, he's on his way."
"Well call him and tell him to turn tail and go back the other way, because he's good at that."
"Like you were any different," Liz snapped. "Leaving Rory like you did."
"Don't talk about things you know nothing about!" Jess yelled. He struggled to his feet, holding onto the wall. "What do you care anyways?!"
"Is this what you did with Jimmy, too?!" Liz raged. "Yell and say hurtful things?! Chances are you tried even less than he did!"
"Right!" Jess growled. "Because you know so god-damned much about-"
Stop.
Liz's anger melted when he squeezed his eyes shut and fell back onto the bed.
"Jess?"
He didn't reply, but she could tell he was having a hard time.
She ran out to find a doctor.
*****
Rory had never seen Jess look so grouchy. And that was saying something.
He was lying in bed, glaring off at nothing, as a couple of monitors he was hooked up to beeped nonchalantly. Hephaestus was lying on the floor next to the bed.
She opened the door gently and peeked in. "Hi. It's 2:04."
He nodded, but didn't say anything, or look at her.
She picked up the bear and sat on the side of the bed. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Hephaestus fell."
He had a smirk a little. "Isn't that always the way?"
She fiddled with the bear a little, straightening it out, and Jess watched her.
"You can have him."
She gave him a quizzical look.
"You'd take better care of him than I would." He looked away from her, at the wall across the room.
She hugged the bear a little, and moved to lie down next to him. She knew full well he was being metaphorical, but she pressed no further on that subject. "Why the machines?"
"I 'over-exerted' myself, they tell me."
"Over-exerted?" she repeats. "You got the sudden urge to learn ju- jitsu?"
"Liz," he told her.
She didn't need to ask what he meant. "What was it about?"
"Jimmy."
She frowned. "Oh."
"He's on his way."
"Wow," Rory said shortly. "She called him?"
He nodded. "Just what I always wanted. A nice, big, happy family reunion."
He was getting restless fast.
The only time he wasn't grumpy was when Rory came to visit, and since she had classes and homework, the visits were becoming further apart and shorter. He understood. Didn't mean he had to like it.
"Jess?"
He turned to look at his mother, who had come to visit. She was sitting in the chair next to his bed. Stupid bed. He hated the sheets. They sucked.
"How come you didn't stay in California?"
He blinked and looked at his cast. He knew what she really wanted to know. Why hadn't he stayed with Jimmy?
"We fought a lot," he told her truthfully. "About his leaving us. About my future. About... pasta, for god's sake, so I just... left."
Liz sighed and put a hand through her son's hair.
"I still hate him for leaving," he admitted quietly.
Liz nodded. "Me, too."
"He lives with his girlfriend, Sasha," Jess went on. "And her daughter Lily." His jaw clenched. "He treated her like..."
"His kid?" Liz asked.
He nodded. "I didn't belong there. I thought since... he's the one who came to see me first..."
Liz nodded. "Jimmy's... Jimmy."
Jess nodded back. "How could I have thought that? That's so naïve."
"Jess-"
"He doesn't want me."
"So what, Jess?"
He turned to his mother again, eyes blazing in anger, ready to spit out something spiteful, but she stopped him.
"Jess, you have me."
"Since when?"
Liz sighed, feeling guilty. "You have Luke."
"Sure."
"You have Rory."
"Barely."
"I called him."
Jess blinked. "You called who?"
She flinched. "Jimmy."
"You didn't."
"Jess-"
"You did! What is wrong with you?!"
"I thought he should know!" Liz cried, looking surprised at her son's outburst.
"Yeah? Remember when I fell off my skateboard when I was eight? You think to call him then?! Or maybe that time that I fell down the apartment stairs. You call him then?!"
"You guys have been in contact," Liz replied, trying to stay calm. "I thought-"
"You thought wrong!" Jess yelled.
"Jess, calm down."
"No!"
Liz sighed. "Jess, he's on his way."
"Well call him and tell him to turn tail and go back the other way, because he's good at that."
"Like you were any different," Liz snapped. "Leaving Rory like you did."
"Don't talk about things you know nothing about!" Jess yelled. He struggled to his feet, holding onto the wall. "What do you care anyways?!"
"Is this what you did with Jimmy, too?!" Liz raged. "Yell and say hurtful things?! Chances are you tried even less than he did!"
"Right!" Jess growled. "Because you know so god-damned much about-"
Stop.
Liz's anger melted when he squeezed his eyes shut and fell back onto the bed.
"Jess?"
He didn't reply, but she could tell he was having a hard time.
She ran out to find a doctor.
*****
Rory had never seen Jess look so grouchy. And that was saying something.
He was lying in bed, glaring off at nothing, as a couple of monitors he was hooked up to beeped nonchalantly. Hephaestus was lying on the floor next to the bed.
She opened the door gently and peeked in. "Hi. It's 2:04."
He nodded, but didn't say anything, or look at her.
She picked up the bear and sat on the side of the bed. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Hephaestus fell."
He had a smirk a little. "Isn't that always the way?"
She fiddled with the bear a little, straightening it out, and Jess watched her.
"You can have him."
She gave him a quizzical look.
"You'd take better care of him than I would." He looked away from her, at the wall across the room.
She hugged the bear a little, and moved to lie down next to him. She knew full well he was being metaphorical, but she pressed no further on that subject. "Why the machines?"
"I 'over-exerted' myself, they tell me."
"Over-exerted?" she repeats. "You got the sudden urge to learn ju- jitsu?"
"Liz," he told her.
She didn't need to ask what he meant. "What was it about?"
"Jimmy."
She frowned. "Oh."
"He's on his way."
"Wow," Rory said shortly. "She called him?"
He nodded. "Just what I always wanted. A nice, big, happy family reunion."