Chapter Two-Hundred and Ninety-Seven
Claire snuggled into John's chest as they rested on the sofa. The sedatives were still wearing out of his system, but he was starting to wake up more and more with every passing hour. She chuckled as he stared blankly at the wall, his head bobbing from time to time and blinking at odd intervals. "You alright there, Baby Bird?"
He nodded —or at least she thought it was a nod— and hummed his reply.
She laughed, kissing the hollow behind his ear. "Is that a yes?" She giggled, covering him up with a thin blanket to help him stay warm while he finished waking up.
"I wanna fly like Batman…" He mumbled, making Thomas roar with laughter. "What?" He asked, slurring his words as he spoke.
"Batman doesn't fly, Bobble-head." He shook his head, pulling him to his feet and guiding him up to his room to sleep the rest of the drugs off. "Superman flies. Not Batman."
"Why… why is there… a Batman… and, and a Spiderman, but n-not an Antman? Or a Bumbled Bee man?" John fumbled with the words in his mouth, mispronouncing more than half of the words while Thomas tucked him into his bed. "Or a Butterfly Girl…"
"Go to sleep Johnathan." Thomas smiled, brushing the teen's ratted hair back from his face and allowing him some comfort that always seemed to let him sleep better. "You're loopier than a fruit loop in a nut house."
John giggled, the laugh that always seemed to come when he was doped up. It wasn't his real laugh, —the one that was so rare— but it was close. The only difference was the way they bounced in the kid's chest, one was smoother, and the other was like a basketball on the court of a game.
Thomas shook his head, moving to the side when Chance leapt onto John's bed and laid her head on his chest. "Look, your fur-child wants love."
John turned to his dog, his usually skilled and agile hands clumsy as he scratched her ears. "Puppy…" He grinned, acting like a two-year-old who'd had too much candy.
"Good night Johnny." Thomas chuckled, turning John's light out and closing the door.
Amelia splashed in the water of their pool, squealing in delight when Cody picked her up on h
is shoulders and held her ankles while wading over to Phoebe and Tyler. "Chicken fight!" He shouted, laughing with delight when Allison and Brian cannonballed into the water.
Claire laid beside John on the bed, tracing her fingers over the ridges of his ear as he slept. She could hear the chaos happening outside, rolling her eyes as she hummed a quiet tune under her breath. "I love you…" She breathed, kissing John's brow and tracing her finger over the scar in the fine hair of his eyebrow. She stood to go help with dinner, stopping in her tracks when John's fingers closed around her wrist.
"Stay…" He rasped, pulling her back to him. "I don't wanna be alone yet."