AN: A couple of missing scenes from "Midnight" that I wrote awhile ago. I'm sorry if there are any continuity errors. I didn't have a tape so I wrote it from memory. This is my first Jinter fic, though hopefully not the last. Gotta keep the Jinter love alive! )
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even my ten year old car. You could sue me if you wanted to, but what would be the point?
A Friend In Need
Carter didn't bother watching his father disappear down the corridor to the vending machines. The elder Carter had been doing a surprisingly decent job of comforting the son he'd always neglected, but his presence was still a little troubling. It reminded Carter of too many things he'd missed out on in the past, and all the things he would now miss out on in the future with his own son.
The one that was now dead.
John had been craving solitude for an hour, but now that he had it, he found the silence smothering. In the silence, he could hear himself think. The monsters clawing out of the dark recesses of his mind and soul had free reign. Suddenly, he was desperate for company. And there was only one person he could think to call.
The ringing of the phone seemed to echo endlessly, though it probably only lasted a few seconds. The tension building within him came dangerously close to breaking point when he finally heard the click on the other side of the line indicating that someone had answered.
"Hey, stranger. What's going on?" The greeting from the familiar voice was so filled with warmth and humor that John found tears filling his eyes again.
"Deb," he managed to choke out.
He felt the immediate shift in mood at the other end of the line.
"John, what's wrong?" Warmth and humor were replaced by concern and fear.
"The baby," he whispered. "He's gone." His voice broke and the tears began to fall.
"What?" Confusion. And then, "Oh, God, John…" And he could actually hear the tears in her voice, which only made him cry harder.
"John, where are you?" she demanded a moment later.
"County."
"I'm on my way," she promised. "Just hang in there, okay?"
He nodded and it wasn't until several minutes after she'd hung up that he realized she couldn't see the response.
Carter was sitting in the lounge with his head in his hands, staring blankly ahead as he tried to convince himself to go back in and sit with Kem. And the baby. Both equally silent and unmoving.
Suddenly, his view was eclipsed by a cream colored blur and it took him several seconds to process that he was staring at a coffee cup. Not one of the ugly brown ones that carried the sludge the hospital vending machines passed off as coffee, but a large cream cup bearing the logo of his favorite coffee shop down the street. He slowly traced the hand holding the cup back up to the sad almond eyes of his best friend.
"I figured you'd had enough hospital coffee to put you in the ER," she explained.
He took the cup and automatically popped off the top to smell the brew inside. His favorite. Replacing the cap absently, he tilted his head to study the woman now sitting beside him. She stared back calmly. After a moment, she reached out to smooth back his hair and he abandoned the coffee on a side table to pull her into a hug, ignoring the chair arm awkwardly pressing into both of their sides. She hugged him back just as fiercely.
"It's going to be alright, John," Deb murmured next to his ear. "You're going to get through this. I'll help you."
When the raw need had eased inside of him, he loosened his grip and slowly released her. She smiled at him as she pulled away.
"Drink some of that coffee," she ordered gently.
He obediently picked up the cup and took a sip. Swallowed. Cleared his throat so he could speak. "I thought you had a shift?"
"I did," she confirmed. "Just got off. It was a half shift."
He suddenly realized he'd lost all track of time and glanced around for a clock. "What time is it?"
"Three," she told him, frowning a little in concern. "Have you eaten anything?"
He shook his head. "I can't eat."
"I know," she said sympathetically. "But you need to. It won't do you or Kem any good if you make yourself sick."
He nodded. "I will. Right now I have to go talk to Kem. They're going to move us downstairs soon and she needs to say goodbye to the baby."
"She still hasn't…?"
John shook his head again. "She won't even look at him, Deb. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say to her. I want to help her get through this, but I don't know how. How do you get over losing your son?" he wondered in despair.
"You don't," she said quietly. "But you tell her what you just told me. You're going through this together."
He glanced up and saw the understanding shining in her eyes. He felt a twinge of guilt as he remembered, but she shook her head and chased it away.
"Go," she urged him. "Go say goodbye to your son."
John swallowed hard and nodded. "Okay. Will you…?"
She smiled. "I'll be right here."
He nodded again, hoping his eyes reflected his gratitude because he didn't have the words.
She squeezed his hand quickly as he climbed to his feet and started off toward the room.