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Title: Chapter 2 of "Ask, and Thou Shalt Receive"
Rated: This chapter is PG (for language and 'adult' situations)
Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Ennis pounded on the elevator "level 7" button. He felt like screaming as a female voice blurted "one, two..."and they moved up the levels. Level six, level seven. The doors slid open and he burst out of them, now at a full run.

He banged into the desk so hard, he was sure he bruised his palms. He would worry about that later. "Jack Twist! Where is he!"

"Mmm..." a chubby nurse in pink scrubs chewed on her lips as she scanned a clip board covered in names of different colors and fonts. "Jack Farmer?"

"NO! Jack-Twist!" He forced the words through gritted teeth.

She smiled, nodded and went back to the paper. Her clear fingernail scrolled down the list. "Yes. Jack Twist. Room 221.That way." She pointed down a hallway to his left.

"Thanks." He sprinted down the narrow hall. She seemed to have taken an excessive amount of time to tell him where Jack was. His boots clicked as they hit the blue and green tiles. The room numbers increased from 100 up as he raced down the hallway. Finally, he was standing outside a room with a small plaque next to the doorway:

JACK TWIST

221

He gasped in a breath as he clicked the door open. What he saw made his insides crumble and a chunk of his stony exterior chip away. Jack was lying in his bed, both legs wrapped in casts; a small towel around his waist, a nurse was wiping him down with a cloth.

She was talking to him in a quiet voice; still, her northern accent was obvious to Ennis. Jack just stared ahead, did nothing, said nothing. Until she leaned him forward to get his back. His face contorted in a show of pain. Ennis wanted to run over and console him.

"Sorry, Mr. Twist. I know this must hurt an awful lot, but you've got a lot of cuts that could get infected if they go untreated." She kept sweeping the cloth over his back, Ennis could see Jack was trying to keep from crying.

Suddenly, he could no longer watch. He opened the door all the way, and removed his hat.

"Ennis." Jack let the words float off his tongue. "You came." His voice was hoarse, like he hadn't talked in days. The nurse glanced up at the tall man in the door way.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"Sorry, ma'am. My name's Ennis Del Mar, I'm jus' here to see Jack."

"Well, we'll be done soon."

"No, he can stay," Jack whispered to her. "Please, let him stay."

She sighed. "Fine, very well!" She tossed the cloth in a bucket of red colored water. "I'll be back momentarily." She stalked out of the room, bucket in hand. She had leaned Jack up against the pillows before her dramatic exit.

"God Jack," Ennis whispered, feeling that being quiet was the best thing to do in a situation such as this. "I was worried I'd get here an' you'd be dead."

Jack grimaced, "I ain't dead yet, Ennis. Gonna havta work harder than that to get rid o' me."

Ennis stared at him a minute, and finally took in the man in front of him. Deep welts, that looked like belt marks covered Jack's torso. His legs were bruised in black and purple. It looked like he had a rectangular burn on his thigh.

His face was badly bashed. It was covered in stitches and bruises.

"I don' look this bad always. Normally, I'm all wrapped up. Jus' gettin' a bath today."

"How long're yeh here fer?"

"'Till they tell me I can go, I guess."

"Yeh got any idea when that'll be?"

"No."

"Oh."

Ennis leaned in to lightly kiss Jack, but the man flinched.

"Wha-?"

"I'm sorry. Go on, kiss me."

So Ennis did. It was light kiss, but just as passionate as all their others. Someone clearing their throat brought them back to reality, where they did not show each other affection in front of others. That damn nurse was back.

She wrung out the cloth, and raised it to Jack's face.

"Wait. Can-Can he do it?"

She let out a long sigh. "Is he family?"

Jack didn't say anything for a long moment, then, "Yeah. He's my half brother."

"OH LORD!" She put the cloth in Ennis' large hand. "Fine! You tell him how to do it!"

Ennis stared at Jack. He didn't know how to do this without hurting him.

"It's ok, Ennis. Jus' do it like yer washin' a baby."

Ennis rubbed the cloth down Jack's still bleeding torso, to his belly button, right above the cloth. Then he rubbed his legs and feet off.

"Can yeh turn over?"

"With help, yeah."

Ennis helped roll Jack over and wiped down his back, the back of his arms, and the backs of his knees. It was then that he noticed a splotch of blood where it ought not be.

"Jack..."

"What?"

"Why're yeh bleedin'?"

"'Cus I'm all cut up, stupid."

"No, I mean...yer...yer..."

"My what!"

"Yer...ass. It's bleedin'."

Jack started to cry quietly, hoping Ennis wouldn't notice.

"I'm sorry Jack. What happened ta yeh?"

Jack sniffled as Ennis rolled him back to where he had been when he arrived. He wiped off Jack's face, which was covered in stubble. "I'll have to shave this fer yeh."

"Why can't I do it myself?"

"Oh..." to be honest, Ennis just kept thinking Jack was helpless as a puppy, and couldn't do a thing for himself.

"I guess yeh can."

"Yeah." Jack nodded. "But my arms're too sore fer now, so yeh cain do it." He comforted Ennis.

"So what happened out there?"

Jack took a deep breath, like one you take before a plunge into icy water, and sighed. "I dunno if I wanna talk about it, right now."

"Jack..."

"Ennis, I just need some time to sort this out."

"Sort what out Jack? What did they do ta yeh? How long were they attacking yeh fer?" Ennis' quiet way decomposed, and Jack was frightened. Ennis' face was angry, just like the faces of the men who had attacked him. Why was Ennis so mad at him?