These Days
A/N: OK, so, this has been a little slow coming here, I've actually had it written for a LONG time but I don't know why I never updated it. I think I finally figured out the new system of rating, I can't say it makes total sense to me, but I think I know what I'm rating things. HA! What an achievement.
Thanks to MadScientistGirl and Sam, who have helped keep our Jack/Doug C2 community (reasonably) updated, I'm sorry I haven't been around for a while. Well, this is the next instalment and I hope you enjoy
" Control well it's slipping right through my hands / these days turned out nothing like I had planned"
"You have to understand the position we'd be put in, Sheriff," Thom Hocking said levelly, and rubbed his forehead.
"And you have to understand the position we're in," Doug said more forcefully. He sighed and sat back in the old tatty vinyl chair, glancing at Joey looking pensively at the ground. She looked up, met his gaze and turned to the principle.
"If you fire him, it's discrimination, you know that, right?" She asked, her brown eyes flashing.
"I'm aware of that Mrs. Witter," Thom answered. "But we're trying to do what's best for the children of Capeside High….think about their safety."
"Safety?" Pacey growled, "What do you think Jack's gonna do? Fuck them?"
"Pacey," Doug snapped, turning to face his angered brother who was leaning against the far wall. Getting testy, probably never thought he'd be back in here again.
"He's a risk, what if he cuts himself?" Principle Hocking asked.
"Then you give him a band-aid!" Pacey said incredulous. "Jesus, every teacher you employ is a liability. They could be get pissed off and bring a gun to the corridors, they could inflict low self esteem and have a student suicide," he felt all eyes in the room stare at him, unblinking. "My point is; this is the same situation. The only difference is that we know that it could happen. And call me crazy, but see it as a positive, that we can work to make sure that nothing happens to inflict the disease upon anyone else."
His pleading eyes focussed on the middle aged man and watched his mind tick over. "I must do what the parents want; otherwise we loose support and students. It's responding to the masses," he looked imploringly at Doug, resigned to staring at his fingernails. "If anyone can understand that concept Sheriff, it's you."
Doug stood. "Responding to the needs of the masses I can understand, but taking away the life of one of the most popular faculty members, I don't."
"I'm not taking anyone's life away Sheriff, he did that all by himself."
Doug, who had before been calm launched at Thom Hosking from around the desk, yet Pacey grabbed him and hauled him off the principal.
"No, Doug," he breathed, "It'll make things worse."
Doug straightened up and pushed past Pacey and Joey out of the room. Pacey followed him, but Joey lingered behind. She walked to Thom.
"You may sit behind this desk now and feel like a big man, but our lawyer is going to sue the school for all it's got if anything happens to Jack's job."
She smiled sweetly and pulling her coat over her shoulders, left the room, slamming the door behind her.
Andie was in Jack's room, sitting on the chair, which had become a permanent fixture of the room's décor along with many others scattered around the room.
Her blond hair sat just under her shoulders and her eyes were red, staring off at some distant thing within Jack's closed ones, which she hoped would give her something to cling to. She reached out and fumbled her hand into his, squeezing tightly, not wanting to wake him, yet wanting to wake him at the some time. 'Surprise' she would whisper in his ear and hope that her presence would keep him strong.
But it's not like that anymore. He'd want to be strong for his own family, for Doug, for Amy, for Jen. Andie sighed and looked behind her as she heard the door creak open.
"Still asleep?" Joseph asked quietly, carrying in his hands two polystyrene cups of coffee and handed one to his daughter. She accepted and sipped slowly, cautiously.
"Yep…" she whispered.
Joseph pulled a chair up beside her's. "Doug called me, they'll be here in about 3 minutes," he said with a chuckle, "That guy is pretty precise."
Andie smiled warmly. "Seems funny, doesn't it dad? That Doug could have been my brother-in-law if I had married Pacey, yet he is still my brother-in-law because Jack practically married him."
Joseph smiled grimly, "But anything could come of this Andie. Jack might not make it through."
"He'll make it," Joey said, entering through the open door, flanked by the Witter brothers. "He's a fighter."
"Joey! Pacey! Doug!" Andie said and got up, hugging them all. She lingered at Doug and he smiled weakly, unsure of what to say.
They turned back to Jack, asleep, and decided silently that they would talk elsewhere.
They found Grams sitting in the waiting room, reading Amy a story. Amy looked up and wriggled off Gram's lap and flung herself into Doug's arms. He picked her up and ran his fingers through her blond hair.
"Grams was reading me the next chapter of the Faraway Tree, she said that you might be too busy to," Amy whispered and Doug smiled warmly.
"Thanks Evelyn," he said and placed Amy back on the ground.
"Anytime Douglas."
Joseph stepped forward, "Doug, we'd like to talk about this in private, not in front of Amy."
"I don't have anywhere to leave her," Doug said helplessly, rubbing his eyes, his heart aching and his mind racing from the earlier confrontation with the principal.
"I'll take her Doug," Joey offered, and turned to Amy, "Lets go get some lunch at McDonalds," she suggested and Amy's eyes lit up.
"Sound's good to me," she said and picked up her backpack with a colouring book and pencils inside.
Doug nodded and mouthed, 'thanks' before turning back to the family. "Where are we going to do this?"
Dr. Price had led them to an empty examination room and left them to sort it all out. Doug was leaning against the bench and his eyes were fluttering open and closed. Joseph and Andie were standing side by side near the closed door, Grams took a seat on one of the hospital chairs and Pacey was lying down on the examination bed.
There was a moment of awkward silence, broken by Andie who moved towards Doug and took his hand. "I guess I had better start the ball rolling," she said.
"No need Andie, I think I will," he said viciously, interrupting her. "What the bloody hell happened? Why does my son have AIDS?" he continued gruffly.
Doug's mouth opened and shut twice before he could speak, feeling hot under the collar, feeling everyone's eyes on him. "He doesn't have AIDS," he managed to say meekly.
"AIDS/HIV…it's the same thing. Why does he have it? Why don't you have it?"
Sensing Doug's discomfort at such a question, Pacey sat up and addressed Jack's father. "It's obvious isn't it? HIV is an STD, how else would he have picked it up if he hadn't had sex with another man?"
Joseph looked affronted, "And where would…there's no other…gays…in Capeside!"
"There is in New York," Grams added, smoothing the creases in her skirt.
"When was he in New York?"
"About two and a half weeks ago," Doug mumbled.
"I thought it took longer for the body to detect the virus and make people sick," Andie voiced.
"That's why I didn't even suspect," Doug whispered, "And why should I have thought that anyway? I didn't know he was going to be unfaithful, I was always under the impression that he was happy with me, was happy with Amy…with his life," he trailed off, and the room became quiet. "And now we have the threat of losing everything: his job, respectability…more than anything else…him."
"What about the medication?" Joseph asked, "Wont that…stop him from…"
"It wont stop him from dying, no," Grams said levelly, "It does, however, slow the dying process, it prolongs his life."
"By how much?"
"It depends, there is no set life expectancy when it comes to HIV," Grams explained. "And I've spoken to Dr. Price, and since Jack's still young, he has fight left in him yet."
Doug pushed off from the bench and walked out of the room. There was a moment held, before Grams went after him.
"Lunch anyone?" Pacey asked.
"Douglas, please wait," Grams called out after the retreating figure she caught sight of, skulking down the sterile corridor.
He turned back to look at her and stopped, waiting for her to catch up. She smiled at him appreciatively and they began walking again, down into the garden, where Jen had recorded her tape for Amy, and Doug recognised the place instantly, and tried his best to ignore it. The whole area stirred enough emotions without the need of Jen's death to re-emerge.
"Are you alright?" Grams asked as they sat down in a bench, Doug resting his elbows on his knees, staring at his feet.
He turned to look at her and answered savagely, "Oh yeah, I'm doing great."
She raised her eyebrows at him.
"I'm sorry Evelyn," he apologised, sitting back and running his hands through his hair. "Truth be told I'm so totally, unbelievably, remarkably pissed off…but I can't tell anyone. I have to be understanding and be there for him because he needs me more than ever now, but I don't know if I can do it some days."
She rubbed his arm fondly, "I know this is hard. In fact, it's probably the most difficult thing you'll ever have to face, but it will make you stronger, eventually."
Doug cradled his face in his hands, "I didn't deserve this. I did nothing to deserve this, I was good to him, and I loved him more than I have ever loved anyone in my life. So what does he do in return? Throws it all away. Why? Was he not happy? I didn't know if he was. Did he feel unloved…I hope he didn't. I…I just don't know why, and that will haunt me until I get an answer."
"And what if there is no answer? What would happen if Jack becomes fully conscience again and he can't give you an answer?"
Doug shook his head. "I don't know…but I can't imagine Jack doing something like this without a reason."
There was a pause. "Are you going to stay with him and Amy?" she asked.
He looked surprised, "Of course. I still love him, and she's become my daughter, I wouldn't abandon them, not now, not ever."
please review and tell me what you think
Phoenix
