Three updates?! WHOA WHOA WHOA! haha I just can't stop writing. And I drank a lot of root beer. I like root beer. It makes me happpppyyyyyyy :) ANYWAYS...ENJOY!
"Let me go with!" Jace hollered as the paramedics lifted a limp Clary into the ambulance. She was so tiny that they didn't even struggle carrying her up the stairs and outside. They'd folded her bloodied hands across her chest but ignored the fact that several curls had fallen into her eyes. She would have hated that. "Please," he begged, forgetting about his masculinity and giving into the deep agony he felt inside. His tears fell in waves, the lost crashing into him like a tsunami.
The paramedic looked at him sadly, his dark blue uniform soaked in blood. Wasn't that color chosen to better disguise it? "I'm sorry, sir. Unless you're family—"
"Jonathon is her brother," Jocelyn interjected weakly from her own stretcher. "He's my son. I need him with us." The paramedic looked to Jace for confirmation, oblivious to the shock evident in his features. He hauled himself into the back of the emergency vehicle and seated himself on a bench next to Clary's stretcher. Instinctively, he reached out to brush away her curls and rub circles on her thumb as the emergency responders hooked both women up to monitors. It was obvious that Jocelyn was in better shape than Clary, as she fussed about the needles being shoved into her veins. Jace watched as a female EMT tried to sympathize with her, making sure to be as gentle as possible, though still causing Jocelyn to flinch. He watched the line on her heart monitor appear, the steady beep-beep resounding in the small, metal space.
A male paramedic began cutting away the shirt Jace had tied around Clary's torso, along with the shirt Clary was wearing. It took all his willpower to not punch the man in the face. Why couldn't the lady have taken Clary's shirt off and addressed the wounds. It had to be done, he reminded himself sternly as he watched Clary's heart monitor, waiting for the line to appear. Paramedics rushed around Clary, trying to bring her back to life. For the longest time, there was nothing on the monitor. The line was flat, the beep continuous and startling. Jace gritted his teeth. She had to pull through. She just had to. He watched in horror as the paramedics readied the defibrillators, watching Clary's limp body convulse as they pressed it to her gauze covered chest. "Clear!" they said again when it didn't work. Tears stung Jace's eyes as he watched Clary's unmoving body leap off the bed from the electricity. He dropped his face into his hands as they tried one more time to revive his Testarossa. Jocelyn's moans harmonized with the monotonous beep, the morbid orchestra that only mounded atop Jace's pain.
He saw empathy in the eyes of all the ambulance workers as they realized the futile attempt was hopeless, as they recognized that the spirited redhead was lost. Jace felt a hand on his shoulder, and he didn't even bother shrugging it off. Beeeeeeeeep…That sound would be forever embedded in his ears, the sight of Clary branded behind his lids, following him everywhere like a shadow of what should have been, of what he should have protected.
Their quick and frenzied relationship played through his mind like an old movie. That first kiss, shrouded by the haze of alcohol and lust. The breathtaking sight of her stretching in the gymnasium. That day in the music room, as Clary sang her insecurities and he bore his entire being in front of her, showing her the embarrassment of her past. Peanut butter and jelly in the hospital. Unplanned car rides to wherever they desired. Her first time. His promises. "I won't let him touch a hair on your head." His hands clenched into fists, his fingernails digging into the cut from the glass earlier. He'd promised to keep her safe, to protect her, to always be there for her. "My tears can't bring you back." If only she'd have listened, let him go instead of her. He'd have happily taken her place, wanting nothing more than for her to be well again. "I'm not asking you to die for me, Jace." He wished she would have been. He bit his lips and watched his tears run along the grooves in the floor, wishing a paramedic would unhook the heart monitor and relieve him of that terrifying sound.
Without even trying, he conjured up the night in the first hotel with Clary dozing off, snuggled up against his side, warm…alive. He thrust a hand into his hair, pulling at the golden strands. He remembered the feeling of her skin beneath his lips as he kissed her forehead, her eyelids fluttering as she fought the effects of tiredness. He remembered admitting those three little words he'd sworn off forever, having made a silent pact with himself to never give someone that piece of him, to never put himself out like that because he knew it only ended in pain. He looked at Clary's pale feet at the foot of the bed. He knew all too well that love only ended in anguish.
He allowed his eyes to trail up her body, not really wanting to remember her this way. She was always so vibrant, so full of life. He wondered what it would be like to never hear her voice again, to never see her blush or kiss her lips. His eyes focused on a glinting piece of gold hanging around her neck. Two interlocking hearts, somehow completely spotless, not a speck of blood dried on the metal. "You have a piece of my heart, Clary. Nothing can ever change that." And nothing would ever change that, he decided, taking Clary's hand in his own once again. It was so odd that hers didn't automatically weave through his fingers, that the skin was so cold. He pressed a kiss to the back of her pale palm, watching stray tears drop onto her skin. "I love you, Clarissa Fairchild. I love you more than anyone and always will." He rested his forehead against the edge of her stretcher, only just noticing that the ungodly beeping had subsided. Maybe one of the paramedics had unplugged it while he was lost in the past.
He used his free hands to wipe his face before his ears honed in on one sound. Beep-beep….beep-beep…..beep-beep. The shaky resolve that had just washed over him cracked again with relief as the paramedics once again rushed around Clary, this time helping her stay alive.
X.O.X.O.X
Clary's eyes fluttered open, darkness covering the foreign room. She immediately panicked. Was she in the basement? Where was her mother? She thrashed around until hearing a gentle shushing coming from beside her. Was that…was that Jace? She thrashed even more. "No…No! Jace! You can't be here! He'll kill you, Jace!" She felt warm fingertips wrap around her wrist as a kiss was placed on her lips.
"Shhhh, Testarossa, you'll wake the night nurse." Clary stopped panicking long enough to hear the beeping noise of her heart monitor, to feel the IV in her wrist, to feel the bed beneath her.
"Jace…are we in a hospital?" A low chuckle rolled out of his chest, and Clary looked over to see him in a dark hoodie, sitting in one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs with his cell phone in his hand.
"Déjà vu, huh?" Clary nodded silently, assessing herself. Her stomach had a dull ache to it, and her side felt tight. The question about what happened stopped at the edge of her lips. Valentine. Her memory crashed against her full force as she succumbed to the darkness of her mind. She gasped as she remembered the sting of the blade in her flesh. Her lip quivered as tears rolled steadily down her face.
"Where's my mom?" was the first question she allowed to escape her mouth. Jace pointed out the door.
"She's down that hallway. She's completely alright. They just had to keep her because they had to make sure the baby was okay."
"Baby?" Clary stammered, and Jace nodded. "I'm going to be a big sister." Another nod. Clary grinned. She'd always wanted to be a big sister. Her amusement faded as another thought crossed her mind. "Jace…I died, didn't I?" She didn't need a verbal answer. The anguish in his golden eyes was enough. She released a shaky breath, holding onto her thin composure. It hurt her stomach to cry, but she just wanted to sob. She wanted to scream and moan and bawl until her insides were raw. She felt a warmth around her hand, and Jace's presence immediately soothed her. His fingers played absently with the red curls, and Clary could just imagine what she looked like.
She probed her mind, clinging to the one voice that had managed to reach her in the darkness. We were supposed to get married, have kids, grow old together. A smile played at the edge of her lips, and somehow in the darkness, Jace saw her shift in mood. "What are you thinking about, Red Fury." She frowned.
"Ugh, Jace, moment ruined. I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me that." Jace chuckled.
"Ahhhh, no. You agreed that with yourself, but I am completely unbound by agreement and may call you whatever I wish, Testarossa."
"Whatever, Sunshine," she retorted, wishing that she could cross her arms, but any motion threw her into a fit of agony. Jace frowned playfully.
"That name is not okay. That is too feminine. It's not fair."
"All is fair in love and war, Goldilocks." Jace groaned again, but repeated his first question, causing Clary to blush. For some reason, Jace grinned and kissed all over her reddened cheeks before planting a quick peck on her mouth. "I was just, ya know, thinking." He motioned his hands, silently asking for her to elaborate. "Well, I don't remember much after the…the…you know," she settled on, motioning to her bandaged stomach. "But I remember your voice, talking to me the whole time, and I remember one thing in particular."
"What's that?" he asked calmly, his hand switching from stroking her curls to massaging her scalp. She let her head loll into his hand, relishing in the feeling. She stayed quiet for awhile longer before continuing.
"You said…you said that we were supposed to…get married…have kids…grow old together," she stammered out, biting her lip and dropping her gaze to the bed.
Jace grinned. "Yeah. I did."
Clary's smile was hidden behind a veil of red hair. "Do you…do you really want that, Jace?" She peeked up at him through her eyelashes, as he stood up and lay in the little room left on her bed, carefully taking her into his arms as to not jostle her and cause her pain. She felt safe, secure in his warm embrace as he placed a kiss on the crown of her head.
"Yeah, I really do, Clary, but those things take two people. So it depends. Is that what you want?" She burrowed into his chest, ignoring the protesting of her wounds.
"I want that, Jace." She giggled and grinned against the soft fabric of her sweatshirt. "And I want that with you." Jace kissed at her neck and nuzzled her shoulder.
"I sure hope so. I might have to kill any other man that touched you."
"I might have to kill any other woman that touched you," she agreed, playing with this calloused fingertips, noting the gashes in his palms.
"I could only ever love one other girl as much as I love you. And she will call you 'Mommy,'" he whispered into her ear, making her tingle all over. Her body was warmed by his love, and she sought his lips in the darkness, happy when he met her halfway. She shivered involuntarily and winced in pain, causing Jace to carefully untangle himself from her arms. Before she had a chance to be hurt, Jace stripped the sweatshirt off his body, revealing his tight black t-shirt underneath. "Before I forget, Testarossa," he said, handing her the garment. She gratefully slipped it over her head, careful of all the wires she was connected to. "I remembered that your butt hangs out of the gown, and although that is extremely convenient for me, I remembered your displeasure." Clary giggled, knowing that Jace was completely kidding about the convenience of her hospital gown.
"Last time you brought me peanut butter and jelly," she accused, pointing a finger at him as she slumped in his chair.
"I know, Testarossa," he frowned before bending over and snatching a bag from beneath the chair. "But this time I brought you Chinese!" Clary smiled, clapping her hands like a five-year-old and reaching for the takeout box.
"Lo' Mein," she moaned as she opened it. "My favorite." Jace watched with silent laughter as Clary bypassed the novelty chopsticks and shoveled fork load after fork load into her mouth. "Ghooo," she complimented the foot around a mouthful. Jace's laugh finally broke free and filled the space between them, the sound warming Clary's toes.
"I wasn't kidding about the night nurse, Testarossa. She'd have threatened to kick me out hours ago if I hadn't charmed her with my stunningly good looks." Clary rolled her eyes and continued to fill her mouth with food.
"I'm sure that's what happened, Jace." She grinned knowingly, like she could see that my wallet was missing a fifty. "We can pretend." She contentedly put the empty box on the table next to her bed and sighed.
"You know, Jace Herondale. You also stripped for me last time. You know, put on a little show in your leather, assless chaps." Jace smiled wickedly.
"I was going to try out the American flag thong this time, but shoot, you ruined the surprise."
"Damn," Clary muttered, snapping her fingers. She lay her head back on the pillow and smiled up at Jace. "I feel like we're always in the hospital, with me in the bed and you bribing the nurses to allow you to spend the night."
Jace smiled sadly, brushing a curl away from her face, "Let's promise that this will be the last time." He stuck out his pinky, and Clary gladly wound her own through his.
"Agreed," she said with a yawn, her eyelids fighting to stay open.
"Sleep, my love," Jace cooed, tucking her hair behind her ear, and kissing her temple. Clary scooted over so Jace could join her, and he willingly took her into his arms, never wanting miss a chance to hold her. She snuggled as close as possible, her breath warm and comforting on Jace's neck.
"Will you still be here when I wake up?" she asked, her eyes wide and afraid, as if he could deny her of anything she ever wanted. He'd search the entire world to find her a purple unicorn with butterfly wings if she said she wanted it.
"I couldn't think of anywhere else I'd rather be."
Looks like there's probably only one chapter left...and then if you're really good readers/reviewers...a BONUS SCENE! Whoop Whoop! I think this is it for the night, cuz I need to go to bed, with it being monday tomorrow and all. Stupid, stupid mondays. Anyways...Review :)
~BallinBlonde21