Chapter Ninety-Two

John pulled his shirt over his head, letting Ryan examine him to see if he was healing correctly. He lifted his arms as Ryan touched his side, letting him run his fingers over the new incision. He let the doctor push on his ribcage, happy that his pain wasn't as bad as it had been a few days ago.

Ryan smiled, moving to touch John's throat to see if his voice was any better. "May I?"

John nodded, taking his hands and guiding them to his throat.

"Alright, hum for me."

John tried to hum, the sound barely audible as his vocal cords flexed. He closed his eyes at the pain that he felt, stopping short of a full note.

Ryan sighed, handing John a cup of tea. "We'll give it a couple days and try again."

John nodded, sipping on his tea and letting the heat numb his throat.

Clarissa watched as John snuggled up to her daughter, smiling at the look of contentment on his face. She jumped as a particularly loud crack of thunder sounded over the house, noticing that it seemed to put the Breakfast Club on edge as they all looked to John to see what he thought.

He listened to the storm outside, giving a thumbs up to show he thought it was safe.

Claire yawned, looking out at the rain hitting the windows as the moon rose higher in the night sky. "I'm about ready for bed."

John nodded, sitting up slightly so that Claire could rest on him more. He smiled as she laid her head on his lap, combing his fingers through her hair and weaving a clumsy braid into the red fire. Claire moaned in pleasure, drawing little circles on his thigh as he played with her hair. "I love this." She smiled, opening her eyes as one of the others turned on the TV and tuned it to Gilligan's Island.

Dominic smirked, watching how John fumbled with the braid. "John, like this." He took Claire's hair in his fingers, carefully showing John how to do it. "Over the middle, alternating sides."

John took her hair back, redoing the braid with careful fingers.

"Tighter." Claire sighed, feeling John pull a little more on her hair. "That's better."

Clarissa watched the pair, feeling Thomas's hand on her knee as he continued to read his newspaper.

Brian smiled as Kaylie handed him some hot chocolate, taking a sip as she settled onto the sofa beside him. He chuckled at the whip cream on her lips, jumping as she noticed him looking.

"What?" She asked, hoping that he would take the hint that she wanted him to kiss her.

"You, uh, you've got whipped cream on your lips." He stuttered, touching his own lips as she looked at him.

She rolled her eyes, leaning closer to him. "I know dummy. I thought maybe you'd like a taste."

Brian flushed bright red, cautiously leaning over to kiss her. He jumped as she nipped at his lips, realizing for the first time just how much more the burner knew than him. He let her slip her tongue into his mouth, unsure of what to do.

Kaylie pulled back, knowing that Brian was over thinking it. "Just do what feels right." She smiled, leaning back into the kiss.

Brian let her stick her tongue in his mouth again, carefully placing his hands on either side of her hips as she pressed closer to him.

Sam rested back against the pillows at Mary's feet, enjoying being close to the woman he'd chosen to be his mother.

Mary looked at the boy's long hair, noticing how he hadn't brushed it for a while. "Samson, when was the last time you brushed your hair?"

He shrugged, pulling the brown locks into a ponytail to try and hide the rat's nest. "I don't know."

Mary shook her head, looking around at all the kids in the room. "I think it's about time for haircuts."

The boys all turned to her, something like fear in their eyes. "No fucking way." Dominic stated, pulling on his own shoulder length hair. "Not happening."

Jan rolled her eyes. "Go put a dollar in the jar." She ordered, noticing that even John was starting to look a little shaggy. "And we're taking you all to the barber tomorrow."

Jim curled his lip, trying to hide it by looking down at Allison's comic she'd been working on for a while. "She needs more snakes in her hair." He pointed to the character's hair, tapping on her eyes as well. "And I think that if you gave her slit pupils she'd look more evil."

Allison nodded, making a couple corrections and showing him her work. "Like that?"

He nodded, touching the light streak in the hero's hair. "But I think that if he has dark hair it should all be that way." He looked up at John, taking in the dark grey in his hairline. "John doesn't like to remember it."

Allison colored the light streak in, noticing that she'd accidentally made John's character too thin. "I'll make him a little more filled out too."

Jim smiled, showing her the little quotes, he'd heard John and the other burner's say over the years. "Here's all the shit these losers have said over the years."

Dana cleared her throat, holding up two fingers as he turned to look at her. "That's fifty cents in the jar mister."

Jim rolled his eyes, digging in his pocket and pulling out a couple quarters. "Here." He dropped them into the jar on the coffee table.

Andy chuckled as he watched the artists, wishing that he could find his hidden talent. He let Jessop crawl up to him, happy that the younger Vernon sibling seemed to be enjoying the quiet family time. "What's up kid?"

Jessop shrugged, yawning as the grandfather clock struck ten o'clock. "I'm tired."

Andy nodded, remembering that he had tryouts tomorrow. "I better go to bed too. I've got tryouts in the morning."

Kathrine nodded, noticing that John had dosed off and his head was rested on the back of the couch. "I think we should get Johnny to bed too." She let Andy up, watching as Clarissa took John's arm and started to lead him upstairs. "See you boys in the morning." She called, smiling as Claire got up and started after John. "Those two are inseparable, aren't they?"

Thomas nodded, happy to see that John seemed to be doing better since his treatment that morning. "She grounds him."

Vernon chuckled, thinking about how agitated they'd both been when they'd first met. "And he lets her fly."