Chapter Two-Hundred and Seventy-Four
Claire brushed John's hair away from the cut on his head, thanking God that it hadn't been worse than a little cut that only needed one stitch. "Feeling better?" She asked, looking into his eyes to see that they were still tinted yellow.
He shook his head, hissing as Claire rubbed some antibacterial cream into his hair. "I want a smoke." He rasped, letting her move his head so that she could see through his thick head of hair.
"You can't have one." She lifted her eyes as her mother walked into the house, able to see that she was steaming mad. "Wanna watch Gilligan's Island?"
He nodded, leaning on her as they flipped on the TV and cuddled under the blanket they'd been using for the last hour. "Where's the Flower Garden Gang?"
Clarissa stormed into Thomas's office, sitting in the chair across his desk. "We're suing." She stated, unaware that John could still hear her.
"Clarissa, John is the one this happened to, he should be the one to make the choice." Thomas set Phoebe's adoption papers aside, as he listened to Clarissa's momma bear rant.
"Tom-"
"I'm not suing." John whispered, leaning on the doorframe with fatigue as his legs shook under his weight. "I don't want their money…"
Carl placed a hand on John's back able to see that he was growing weak from lack of food and the exertion that vomiting had taken out of him. "Why don't you sit down, kiddo." He pressed a cool cloth to the cut on his head, hoping to take some of the swelling out of it.
"I don't want to sue them." John winced as Carl pushed on his head, trying to pull away before He held Carl held him in place. "He's already suspended. I don't want their money."
Clarissa grit her teeth, her anger reaching its peak boiling point. "Johnathan, you are injured. You cannot be making these decisions right now." She held up her hand as John started to speak, effectively shutting him up. "Now is not the time to show that oversized heart of yours. You need to learn to fight back-"
"I have fought!" John snapped, shaking Carl off as he stood. "I've fought my entire life! I don't want to fight anymore!" He wobbled slightly, his head spinning. "I… want to sleep…"
Thomas rushed over to the teen, catching him as his legs gave out. "Clarissa, we'll talk about this later. Carl, can you take John upstairs and put him to bed?"
Carl nodded, lifting John's limp body and carrying him up the stairs to the room that he and Claire were sharing. "Rest up, Johnny." He covered John's skinny torso up, shaking his head as he placed the cold cloth on John's head.