The Boat That Rocked (Rocketshipping Fanfic)
Part Three
The distant ticking of a clock insistently tapped inside her head, reminding her that time was passing so slowly and painfully.
Jessie opened her eyes, letting a breath escape through her lips. Her room was dark, the shine under the door and the green and red of the machine next to her bed the only light.
She never noticed the doctor leave, she had barely felt the nurse push her down back into bed. She never heard their words or the click of the door as they left her.
She had stared at the ceiling, the shadows lengthening until exhaustion swallowed her.
Now she sat up, her hand gripping the hospital grown as pain flashed through her. What was this? She groaned, letting the pain fade.
Jessie lifted her head, glancing around the room. It was bare. The bed, the machine and a table, a water jug and glass placed upon it. A chair was pushed into the corner, unwanted, no visitors to need it.
Jessie was alone.
"Meowth?" she murmured, looking for the cat Pokémon. He was safe, right? But no ears pricked up at her voice, no figure came out from the shadows, no glinting eyes peered out from under a blanket.
Jessie was truly alone.
James.
"Damn it." She cursed, biting her lip. Hard. Jessie cringed at the taste of blood in her mouth. The shine under the door suddenly went out, the darkness deepening, and the sound of footsteps passing by, hushed voices discussing their nightly plans.
When she heard a door swing shut and the silence grew, Jessie threw off the bed covers, carefully swinging her legs out of the bed. Her toes touched the cold floor, and she stood up. She grit her teeth against the pain as she walked – or rather stumbled – across the room to the door, twisting the handle and looked out.
The corridor was dark, empty, lined with doors to other rooms. At one end was a small glow, a shadow of someone sat at a desk visible on the wall.
Jessie crept out of her room, walking down the corridor, her feet padding quietly as she moved door to door, reading each name plaque.
Finally she found it.
Jessie opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it behind her, not turning around.
A muted beeping echoed in the room. The nurse hadn't silenced it here. She listened closer until she could hear steady breathing. She turned.
"James…"
James looked like a ghost, his head low on the pillow, his skin pale and his face sunken. She moved over to his side and noticed something on his bed.
She leaned forwards and saw Meowth curled up into his side, his paw outstretched to rest on James' shoulder, his back snuggled under the man's arm. Jessie smiled. So this was where he was.
Jessie found a chair in the same place as in her room and set it beside him. Her breathing was laboured now, but she ignored it. Seriously, what was wrong with her?! She hated being weak, hated it with a passion.
She looked at James' sleeping face, his eyelids still, his lips slightly parted. She took his hand, intertwining her fingers with his.
"Please wake up." She quietly begged but the man didn't react.
She leant back in the chair, her head dipping, her hold on his hand relaxing. A lone tear fell down her cheek, a gentle touch on her skin as she closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry, James."
Breathing, breathing, breathing.
The trio were drowning, lost in a world of night, their dreams empty, and their minds restless.
"I'm sorry…"
-#-
The shadows were wisps, dancing around him, the tendrils gently touching his body, caressing his face.
He saw a distant light, the shadows retreating to curl around his limbs, restricting him. He felt a soft grip on his hand and he glanced down. A glow enveloped his hand, twisting around his fingers.
Please wake up.
The light flickered, the voice echoing. He struggled against the shadows but they held him back.
I'm sorry, James.
The light was fading away, the grip now feeling faint.
No, no, don't leave me here.
But then the light was gone, the shadows growing, feeling heavier.
Don't leave me alone.
His mind was drifting away, his body feeling distant.
Don't…
I'm sorry…