Chapter 33: Caring
"She has bindings?! The hell?! Remove them! No wonder why she couldn't get enough air nor ink flow..." A doctor yelled.
"Bindings!? What are those? Are they bad!?" Jack panicked but was pulled off the door by two nurses and Chives.
"Um… Binds are used to… um, flatten one's chest." Chives gently carried Jack.
"Wh-what?" Jack looked up at the elder.
"My lady sometimes hand sews things and well… those got in the way…"
"...I don't care if she has a big chest or a flat chest! If that blocked her breathing then she needs to keep it off!" Jack yelled before looking down. "I just want her to be okay…"
The doctor and nurse revived Cici and monitored her for a few hours. They quietly left the room once she was stable enough.
"She woke up a few minutes ago and is resting. She is stable again for now. Please call us if she gets in a bad place again." The doctor patted Jack's shoulder.
"Thank you...Thank you…" Jack said to the doctor as Chives put him down and he walked back into her room.
"Thank you doctor. I will watch her" Chives bowed.
Cici was resting on the bed. She wasn't brightly glowing anymore.
Jack took a seat in a chair and chuckled a bit. "All this happening minutes after I wake up from a long nap. Heh. What a rush of emotions."
"...Then don't take anymore naps…" Cici muttered in her sleep.
"Oh my gosh…" He smiled and a few tears fell from his face. "I'm so happy to hear you speak in your sleep right now."
"...How are… you? I'm sorry, I ruined... your life."
"I feel fine. It's you I'm worried about. And you didn't ruin my life….you improved it."
"That doesn't… sound right… I did try to kill you… though I don't really remember what happened..."
"That wasn't your fault. Trust me. I may have been sleeping for...how much time has passed?" He looked up at Chives.
"Um a week or two." Chives replied examining her cut binds.
"Oh...heh. Was I trying to beat Cici in a sleep challenge or something? I would have never won. How stupid am I?" He laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
"I won't ever wake up if I had the choice."
"If you were to never wake up from sleeping, then I would have nothing to live for. I wouldn't know what to do."
"You have a whole world to see and live for. Don't you have a job, agent?"
"What's the point of seeing it if you aren't there? And my job? I don't know if Cuttlefish needs me anymore..."
"Well… I shouldn't mean anything to you…"
"Well, you mean more to me than you realize, Cici. You've changed my life for the better. Even with...the grove incident."
"What is wrong with you? You shouldn't like someone like me..."
"Well, before I had three weak hearts. Now I only have two. And it feels like this new one is more than enough." He jumped up and danced a bit before sitting back down. "I was living my life in constant stress. I never showed it, but I was constantly on edge. I'm surprised my hearts didn't fail on me earlier in life. But you...heh, you helped ease some of that stress. Being with you taught me how to relax more. You literally sleep through life."
"I was the reason they popped… I used sleep to run away from reality. To cope with living, but now even my dreams are against me. I have nowhere to run."
"Then stop running, I guess. At some point you have to deal with what's bothering you. That week I was in that coma...I was left with my thoughts...and had time to get over things that bothered me and work out other things in my head."
"I don't want you to like me. You can do so much better… like, anyone is better" She opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Well, too bad, Cecilia. I love you. And that is not going to change. And I don't want to do better. There is no better than you." He looked back at her with a smile.
"Why? I will just get you killed somehow."
"No you won't. I won't let you."
"You nearly died this time."
"And you know what kept me from going into the light?" He looked at her with a serious face.
"Stop this Jack..."
"You. The thought of leaving you is what kept me from going away. I didn't want to be without you."
Her tears ran down her face, "Why are you so stupid? I am a horrible person. Why are you so hard to not love?"
"You are not a horrible person. You are sweet, cute, and damn it, you deserve to be loved." He stood up and walked over to her. "You have been a great friend to Callie and Marie, who care for you. As do Adstrum, Arisara, your parents, Chives...Heck, a lot of people care for you. You deserve a lot of love and care. You are the greatest squid I have ever met, Cecilia." His eyes widened. "And did you just say you love me?"
She hugged him and cried into his gown, "Stop being so stupid…"
"Well, maybe I can't help it." He hugged her back, a few tears running down his face.
"You should get it fixed…"
"That sounds like too much work." He chuckled. "I'd rather not." He looked up at Chives. "Hey, do you think tomorrow you could bring the box that is under my bed here, please?"
"But of course. I'll fetch it tonight" Chives smiled
"Thank you, Chives." Jack smiled at him before smiling down at Cici.
She stopped bawling and fell asleep for real this time, still holding onto his gown.
"Sleep well, Cici. I'll see you tomorrow." He kissed her cheek and tucked her back into bed. "Oh, a bind kept those covered?" He shook his head. "No wonder she had trouble breathing." He walked over and sat back down in the chair, resting his head against the arm rest.
Chives gently put him into another bed he requested for himself earlier. He put a blanket over him and turned off the lights.
Author's Note: I told you I'd update early. Here's the ending of that cliffhanger. Sorry. Apikachua dared me to do it.
Thank you The Bowser Monster for reviewing my fic. Thank you, buddy.
Alright, see you all in a week and a half. Gotta handle school first, then more chapters. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!
