Are You Crazy Enough To Do It Challenge - #189 (coffee)

If You Dare Challenge - #942 (Black coffee)

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Jimmy waited for a long time to find out about Dean. He'd never felt so impatient in his entire life. Although it was getting darker and darker outside, he couldn't bear to go home. What if Dean... He didn't want to think about it. He just bought himself another cup of black coffee and waited more. When the doctor finally returned to fetch him, covered in large bloodstains, he feared the worst. "Is he…?" He couldn't bear to say it.

"No, sir," she said, pulling off her gloves, "but he's in really bad shape."

"How—How bad?"

She looked down at her clipboard and hesitated. "He… Mr. Novak, if he makes it through the night, then I think he's got a chance."

Although it wasn't a promise, it was something. "Doctor, what happened to him?"

Again, she hesitated. "I haven't ever seen someone with this bad… A child, no less…"

"Doctor?"

"He's severely malnourished," she began. "He probably hasn't eaten in a week or two. We've found evidence that the lacerations he has were caused by a car."

"He was hit by a car?" he repeated, turning the coffee cup over and over in his hands.

She nodded. "And then received no treatment for the wounds, the internal organ damage, or his severe head injury. The car crash caused a compound fracture in his right leg, a couple stable fractures in his left leg, two oblique fractures in his right arm, and multiple comminuted fractures in his right leg and ribs. He then went out in that terrible storm a few days ago, we believe, and developed hypothermia and frostbite in the process—it's all over him. He developed pneumonia as well, which also went untreated and caused acute pulmonary edema. He never received any pneumococcal vaccines, or any other vaccines for that matter. It's too dangerous to perform anything surgical on him now because he's far too weak. He can barely lift his head. Mr. Novak, this little boy…" Her voice broke. "He's been severely neglected. I can't believe someone would… And on the day after Christmas, no less…" She stopped, unable to continue, so Jimmy spoke up.

"What about the seizure? What happened with that?"

"I believe the cause was a combination of his head trauma and his current fragility."

"And the father… Is he here yet?"

The doctor shook her head. "We haven't seen him. But the younger brother should be here any minute n—"

"Dean!" A tiny blue blur shot through the doors of the waiting room like a bullet before it was stopped by a burly security guard. "No, Dean—lemme go!" It was Sammy, the little brother, and he was immediately followed by a paramedic and a short woman in a pantsuit. "Lemme go, lemme go, lemme go!"

Sammy was grimy and small; he was not quite as thin as his older brother, but the early stages of his malnourishment was still clear. There were bloodstains on his shirt and pants, which the doctors inside quickly checked, but it became obvious that the blood covering him did not belong to him. It was Dean's. The doctor tried to take his hand to lead him to an examination room, but he screamed and fought until the doctor's face was swelling with several scratches. "No—no—no! Get off me! No!"

"Hey, hey…" Jimmy rushed forward, trying to comfort the dark-haired boy. "Sammy, it's okay."

At hearing his own name, the little boy recoiled as though he'd been slapped, pausing in his incessant aggression. He looked to Jimmy, his expression morphing into shock. The doctor put him down, touching her face gingerly to judge the severity of the scratches. The nurse then took advantage of the situation, plunging a small needle into the hollow of Sam's arm. His body relaxed, and his eyes closed, the medication sedating him. They pulled him into an examination room, and the doctor soon returned to Jimmy to explain the younger brother's condition. "We're having him admitted as well," she said, pushing a stray curl behind her ear. At Jimmy's expression, she assured, "Don't worry. He's not visibly hurt, and nowhere near as bad as Dean. He's just got a little pneumonia, that's all—I'm glad we caught it early. He's a little skinnier than I'd like, so we're going to keep him here for a few days, but he's generally healthy."

Jimmy let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "He'll be okay?"

The doctor nodded. "As far as we can tell, we can release him in a day or two."

"And Dean?"

"I'm… Well, we're still investigating his condition." He sat down, rubbed his sore arm, and sighed. "Mr. Novak," said the doctor, "sir, you don't have to stay. You could go home now, get some rest, recover a little…"

Jimmy shook his head. "My brother's taking over for me at the store. I'm good. I'd rather be here."

The doctor cocked her head at him, frowning slightly. She remained silent for a few moments, torn, until saying, "These… aren't your boys. You…" She paused. "It's awfully kind of you to stay for them."

Jimmy smiled sadly and met her eyes. "Well, who else is going to?"

A/N: Thanks for reading!