Chapter 19 – The Concussion
Jimmy detested hospitals. They were where you heard godforsaken words like "terminal" and "inoperable." His nose wrinkled at the blended smell of what he considered disinfectant and death. He was extremely antsy and, worst of all, he didn't have his snacks to help calm him. The trash in the vending machines wasn't very appealing; he'd never describe his palate as delicate, but he did have self-respect, and part of it would die if he was ever forced to ingest anything labeled Flamin' Hot. That's what happens when you don't carry your own supply, he felt.
Jerry would've been on top of this.
What followed was a rare jolt of self-awareness, how shitty people would think he was for lamenting his currently hospitalized assistant not being able to take care of his selfish needs in this moment.
Leaning against the wall outside Jerry's room, Jimmy's attention went to the elevator at the end of the hall. He had to suppress a salacious grin when Cleo stepped off the elevator and headed his way. She was still wearing the dress from the concert, and he loved the way her hips swayed in it. Judging by the snow leopard's glare, she knew exactly what he was thinking.
He noticed the empty space next to her and pointed. "Where's the tyke?"
"Tai's staying with my sister for the rest of the night. He was pretty upset." She glanced around and could tell the staff wasn't too happy with Jimmy's dark-suited security team currently occupying this floor of the hospital.
"Yeah, I imagine watching me almost get beaned traumatized the kid."
"He was upset because he didn't get to meet Roxy." The concert continued after Jerry was taken by the paramedics, but the security breach meant that any backstage events after the show were cancelled. It was the first time in a long time that Cleo was unable to keep a promise to her son.
Jimmy coughed to cover his embarrassment. "Okay, sure. Makes sense," he said, tugging at his bow tie. He had half a mind to rip it off and throw it away. He wasn't sure how Jerry convinced him to wear it. Bow ties were never his favorite, but they were practically ruined for him after everything that went down with Buster Moon.
Keeping the mind-reading going and not quite agreeing, Cleo reached up and straightened out the bow tie. "There's a bit of a silver lining here—this incident is doing wonders for your rep. There's all kinds of pictures and footage circulating of you attending to Jerry." She backed off and admired her handiwork. "Some people are even shipping you two online."
Jimmy responded with a blank stare.
"Shipping is when—"
"I know what shipping is, Cleo," he said, agitated. "Porsha does entirely too much of it."
"All I'm saying is this situation is boosting your image."
"If you say so," Jimmy growled. Now Cleo was glad she hadn't bothered to show him the fancams popping up on social media; she decided to push the other, more pressing subject at hand.
"How's Jerry doing?"
Jimmy's non-answer said more than he intended. There was a micro-flash of emotion—shame, perhaps—that he was too close to Cleo to completely hide. He'd been standing out here all this time and Jerry was none the wiser. She suppressed the urge to nag him, instead hooking her arm around his.
"Let's check on him together," she said, pulling the wolf along into Jerry's room.
Jerry sat nestled between pillows on the hospital bed, head wound wrapped in a bandage, gaze aimed into his lap. Once he realized who walked in, his eyes, bright and expressive as ever under the light fixture attached to the wall over the bed, nearly bulged at the sight. "You really came!?"
Jimmy looked offended. "Why do you sound so surprised?"
Jerry twiddled his thumbs. "Aheheh. You know, it's just that you're so busy... there's still so much to do... and you didn't have to take time out of your day to—"
"Why did you take that hit for me?"
Jerry tilted his head. "Was I supposed to just stand there and let you get hurt?"
"Some people would, y'know," Jimmy said, a somber tone in his voice.
"Most people would," Cleo said, ignoring the dirty look Jimmy threw in her direction.
"Oh," Jerry murmured. He was dejected but tried to hide it with a smile. "I'm always on your side, sir. I hope you know that." He began to fidget under Jimmy's scrutinizing gaze until a black panther entered the room and was slightly taken aback by Jerry's famous visitor.
"Wow. Jimmy Crystal himself!" he said, holding out his hand. "I'm Dr. Benson."
Jimmy shook his hand but had barely let go when Cleo brushed him aside and took the doctor's hand herself. "I'm Cleo Keller."
"Hello, Mrs. Keller." Tall, obsidian fur shiny and immaculate, great smile, strong hands, and probably a fraction of Jimmy's baggage. And most notably, no ring on his finger. Cleo was intrigued, to say the least.
"Just Miss," she corrected him, and she saw the grin in his golden eyes.
"Ahem!" Jimmy interrupted. He wasn't used to being anything but the center of attention in the room, and he wasn't about to start tolerating that today. "What's the diagnosis, doc?"
Dr. Benson turned to Jerry, and the cat gave a nod of consent. "Jerry only suffered a mild concussion. He'll need plenty of rest and should avoid physically and mentally strenuous activity. He's clear to go home tonight if he has someone to observe him over the next twenty-four hours to make sure his symptoms don't worsen."
"That's great news," Cleo said. "That moment in the theater was quite frightening. I'm glad it wasn't worse."
"Uh, yeah. Me too," Jimmy said.
"I'll give you some privacy with your guests, Jerry," Dr. Benson said. "I need to make some rounds and then I'll be back so we can talk about potentially discharging you tonight."
The panther started to leave the room and Cleo gave chase, keeping up with his stride as she began chatting him up. Somewhere down the hall she belted out an uncharacteristically girlish laugh. Jimmy would've rolled his eyes if his emotions weren't a jumbled knot. Instead, he slumped into the chair next to Jerry's bed.
Something was nagging at the back of the wolf's mind, and for once it wasn't Cleo. He knew what she was going to say even when she wouldn't say it, and it likely took an extraordinary amount of self-restraint not to chastise him for not going in the room to see Jerry sooner. But what was really bothering him wasn't his own hesitation, it was the fact that while sitting out there, no one else had gone in to see Jerry either. He had no visitors.
"Is your family coming?" Jimmy asked, surprising even himself. He'd never pried into Jerry's personal life like this before.
"Um, ah... we're not exactly on speaking terms," Jerry said.
"Even for something like this?"
Jerry shrugged and flashed what was more a set of clenched teeth than the nervous smile he intended.
"What about friends? If you go home, who's watching you for the next twenty-four hours?"
"I don't have many... or any friends, really. The job keeps me so busy that I don't have much a social life." Then he realized his folly. "B-but I love the work we do! It's fulfilling! It's just... even if I had more free time, I don't think my social life would be any different." Jerry buried his face in his palms; he sounded so pathetic. And to humiliate himself in front of Jimmy Crystal of all people...
Jimmy shifted uncomfortably. "You know... you could always... stay at my place for tonight."
Jerry audibly gasped. "You really mean it!?"
"Got a ton of rooms. It's been quiet without Porsha. Could use some company."
Jimmy yelped when Jerry launched himself from the bed and right onto his chest.
"Thank you, thank you!" Jerry cried out, clasping and hugging the wolf. A warm rumble filled Jimmy's chest, and he realized the source was Jerry's purring. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" the cat apologized. "I got carried away."
"Uh, you're fine," Jimmy said with a drunken grin, melting in the sensation. "This is fine."
Cleo came back into the room and was stunned at the sight. "What did I miss?"
Once hallowed halls of Crystal Manor were since rendered hollowed.
Jimmy's home essentially became a fancy ghost house over the past few months. With Porsha effectively moving out and Jimmy spending months in jail with his future uncertain, the choice was made to let most of the house staff go. Jimmy wasn't a tightwad in the least but keeping a full staff on his payroll to constantly maintain and serve a house no one was living in and would potentially remain empty for years made no economic sense. Now that he was back, he hardly had time to refill the positions, and with most of his old staff finding new work elsewhere, that meant hiring entirely new staff that would have to be broken in on how things worked in his home. And new staff meant more potential traitors to snoop through his personal life and sell his secrets to tabloids.
Homes were built to be lived in, and to see his so dead left Jimmy a bit disturbed. Once upon a time, he and Mercy talked about their future family, starting a dynasty of Crystals that would fill these halls. Then it was just him and Porsha. Now only he remained.
But he was at ease now, watching Jerry admire and explore every nook and cranny the cat was allowed access to. Part of his security team took Jerry home to get an overnight bag before bringing him to the manor. And now that they were on the upper floor where the bedrooms were, Jerry couldn't help but soak in the opulence built into every aspect of the manor. He'd been to his boss's residence before, rarely explicitly invited, never asked to stay.
"Pick any room you want," Jimmy said, an amused grin plastered across his face.
Jerry took a moment to study the bust of Jimmy as Julius Caesar before choosing the guest room next to it. He opened the door and was floored by the luxury. The azure and gold theme carried over here too, and the furniture was so regal it likely cost more than everything in his entire apartment. He was almost afraid to touch anything. But the most stunning thing to him was the bed. He'd never been in a bed so large, and he'd have it all to himself.
He was feeling overwhelmed with emotion again and began to sputter many thanks to his boss. Jimmy waved it off from the doorway.
"Good night," Jimmy said, perhaps out of habit, as he closed the door. He hadn't even realized he said it until Jerry responded.
"Good night, Mr. Crystal!"
Jimmy froze in the hall, then shrugged it off. Best not to get too caught up on that. He made his way back to his own bedroom, where he saw Cleo through the open doors, pacing back and forth while on her phone. She ended the call as he entered, and he could tell by the scowl on the snow leopard's face that it wasn't good news. Jerry was the one with the concussion, but Jimmy felt a headache of his own coming and didn't feel like dealing with whatever this was.
Cleo seemed to have the same idea, changing her expression. "That was a good thing you did for him," she said with a soft smile.
Jimmy didn't reply, instead slipping off his tuxedo jacket and leaving it on the bed.
"You could've just left one of your guys at Jerry's place for a day. You didn't have to invite him here."
"If you've got something to say, just say it."
Cleo's smile turned into a wry grin. "I think I just did."
"Hmph." Jimmy sat on the bed and the rubbed the spot next him, giving Cleo a suggestive, angled smile. "Feeling nostalgic?"
"That's not going to happen."
"Might as well after you struck out with the doctor."
"I didn't strike out. We exchanged numbers. May even set up a date next week."
Jimmy shrugged. "Can't blame me for trying. Been a hell of a day, makes sense to go out with a bang." He chuckled at his own joke.
Cleo rolled her eyes. Since they were already approaching the subject, Jimmy decided, as much as he didn't want to, to pursue the issue further. In fact, not getting a straight answer so far was beginning to irritate him.
"Did the cops catch the little terrorists yet?"
Cleo thumbed her phone and hesitated a moment. "They're not taking it seriously."
"What!? Why the hell not?"
"They're chalking it up as a bunch of kids pulling some pranks. That canister that hit Jerry was a paint bomb, and they apparently took some of your security down on the way out with marbles. It honestly sounds like something out of a cartoon."
"What a load of shit! I'm the only person the useless police in this city seem to be capable of arresting!" Jimmy leaned forward, something dark washing over his face. He started cracking his knuckles; Cleo realized she hated that sound. "I recognized the gorilla. Those were Moon's goons he sent after me."
Cleo hadn't gotten a good look at the intruders, but they had been described as a lynx, gorilla and tiger by theater security. She knew about Johnny from her research on Buster and remembered seeing him at the villa. There was a tiger there too, though she knew nothing of him. The most she knew about the lynx was that she was a recent addition to Moon's troupe. Cleo met Jimmy's eyes and saw, behind the surprisingly restrained anger, absolute conviction. There were no lies here.
"I don't really think he sent them," she said. "He hasn't been in town all week."
Jimmy quirked a brow. "How do you know that?"
"Paparazzi filmed him catching a bus back to his hometown."
"So the twerp's sending his people after me while he's hiding out in Cantina?"
"It's Calatonia."
"Whatever," Jimmy said. "If the cops won't do nothing about this—"
"I know what you're thinking, Jimmy. No violence."
Jimmy launched himself off the bed. "They tried to assassinate me!" he complained, pointing a thumb at himself. "Me!"
"With paint?"
"Assassinate my pride! My reputation! My magnificent fur!"
"I know how you get. No violence."
"You keep saying that, but you're one to talk. Didn't you claw some bear's face up a few years back?"
Cleo's fangs were showing. That wasn't a memory she wanted to relive. "That's different! He groped me!"
"Oh, so if Moon groped me, it'd be perfectly acceptable for me to put him through a window, huh?"
"Do you hear the deranged things that come out of your mouth sometimes? Honestly!"
Jimmy let out a derisive chuckle. "I'm the one that sounds deranged? You're the one always telling me what to do like you've got the world figured out. Well, I followed your advice. I focused on myself and didn't give Moon a second thought, and then this happened. Didn't see that one coming, did ya?"
Cleo folded her arms, shut her eyes, and after a long sigh, said, "I warned them about this."
Jimmy narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"Moon and his friends ambushed me last week. We had a little chat about you."
"What did you say about me?" Jimmy asked, his voice rapidly approaching a growl.
"Your archnemesis and his posse tracked me down and I, thankfully, left in one piece. Thanks for the concern."
"Yeah, that's great. What did you tell them about me?"
"I told them not to provoke you."
Jimmy threw his arms up. "Bang-up job, Cleo! Lotta good that did! The best fixer in Redshore right here, everybody!"
Something inside Cleo snapped so loudly she thought it was audible. The stress of dealing with Jimmy on a daily basis, having Moon's people blatantly ignore her advice in the foolhardiest way, and disappointing her son all combined into a livid monsoon, and Jimmy was unfortunately in its path.
"I have been doing a bang-up job, Jimmy!" She bellowed, jamming her finger into the wolf's chest. "I sat in that cell right by your side and put together a great plan to turn your image around and punish the guy that bested you. Listened to you piss and moan about the consequences of your own actions. Kept your secrets and insecurities to myself. Played nice with your enemies so they wouldn't retaliate, even put up with Buster Moon dancing around taking responsibility for his actions all the while his entire theater troupe practiced giving me their best evil eye, and that was right after his assistant almost choked me with a literal eye! The tea, Jimmy! Her glass eye was in the tea!" She kept jamming Jimmy in the chest, pushing him until he fell backwards onto the bed. "I have half a mind to just walk away and let you all go to war and eventually kill each other! But nooooo... I'm trying to find a rational and mature solution with some form of responsibility and accountability, so everyone can just move on with their lives. And after all that, you know what I haven't heard, not even once? 'Thanks, Cleo! Great work, Cleo! Your song saved my life, Cleo!'"
Once the cloud of anger subsided, Cleo realized her mistake. Though she had a temper on her, Jimmy's rage could be lethal. But then the wolf weakly raised his hands to stave off further scolding. Well, it had been a long day. Maybe he didn't have the energy to verbally torch her.
"Okay, okay," Jimmy conceded. "Thanks, Cleo."
Something about that made her anger spike again. She had to stop herself from hissing.
"Why did I have to lose it for you to say that?"
Jimmy shrugged. "Woman, what else do you want from me? I listened to that rant, and you know what I didn't hear? A single solution. I did what you told me to do and they still attacked me. Can you guarantee they won't do it again? They put Jerry in the hospital. That was almost me! You want me to keep rebuilding my life like they won't come for me again?" He waited for an answer Cleo didn't have. "You're the fixer! Do your job!"
"You almost killed Buster Moon in front of his friends. Did you really think they would all just let it go? I can only do so much in this situation." Cleo began to massage her forehead. "I can admit that stunt at the theater did catch me off guard. Give me until tomorrow; I need time to figure out what's next. Just... don't do anything rash before then, okay? You make stupid decisions when you're angry. Most people do, but yours tend to blow up in your face spectacularly."
Jimmy saw Cleo off, and as he watched her leave his posh home, he had one striking thought: he didn't need to wait for her to come up with a plan. Moon and his people may be amateurs from a town he couldn't remember, but they were crafty, and such craftiness was starting to elude Cleo. She had certain sentiments she latched on to, certain lengths she'd never go to, and that meant she couldn't get the job done.
Returning to the upper floor, Jimmy skipped retiring to his bedroom and went to the guest room where Jerry was staying.
"Jerry," he said, opening to the door. Tucked in the bed wearing pajamas decorated in little tuna fishbones, Jerry fumbled his phone and hid it under the covers with a nervous laugh. So much for letting his mind rest.
He watched Jimmy with an off-center stare, giving the appearance of eye contact. The guilt exuding from him was more than just disobeying the doctor's orders, and Jimmy had a feeling he knew what it was.
"You heard all that?"
"Most of it," Jerry admitted, his face twisting with guilt. "Your voice carries, sir, but it carries like thunder! Majestic and incredibly wealthy thunder!"
Jimmy sat on the side of the bed languished there for a moment. His emotions were still a chaotic knot. His neck felt tight, and realized he was still wearing the bow tie. He yanked it off and dropped it on the bed, then he looked at Jerry, something sad and pitiful in his chillingly blue eyes.
"This," Jimmy pointed a claw to Jerry's bandaged head wound, "should've never happened. I let my guard down."
"Don't blame yourself, Mr. Crystal," Jerry said.
"I let Cleo convince me to ignore Moon and his people."
"It's not really her fault either."
"You're right. You know how I feel about loyalty. You took that hit for me. I'll get you justice, Jerry, I swear." Jimmy stood up with renewed purpose. "We know exactly who's to blame." Before he left, he stopped in the doorway and gave Jerry one last look. "Tomorrow, when you're feeling better, I'm gonna need you to compile some data related to Moon."
"Certainly, sir. But... hasn't Ms. Keller already made her own dossier on Moon?"
"This ain't a Cleo job. She won't like this—not that it matters, she's not calling the shots. This data, it's sensitive and in a way, pretty close to us. I think it's time for the final phase of..." There was a glint of hesitation in Jimmy's eyes. "Operation: Moonfall."
Jerry covered his mouth to suppress an ecstatic squeal. "Yes, sir. You can count on me, Mr. Crystal."
"Moon's people started a war. I'm ending it."
A/N
Jimmy's ultimate plan is going into motion, though if you've been paying attention to the themes of this story and some of the things certain characters have said, you probably already know what it is.
(the one-shot is still coming btw)
