"JJ c'mon man get down from there." Kiara says exasperatedly. Said kid was climbing a tree, of course he was likely drunk because it was a Friday night and the Pogues were chilling by the fire-pit cooking s'mores. Why wouldn't he be drunk?
JJ laughs loudly and it echos around them, he's hidden behind the large branches and leaves. Kiara sighs before returning to her seat on a flipped wooden log. "You're gonna get hurt dude." Sarah shouts back, but not actually paying attention because this is normal JJ behavior.
"No I won't, I'm almost at the top." There's rustling from above them and a snap happens and a branch falls, barely missing Pope's head. "Shit." Is muttered from above.
"Jesus Jay, you almost hit me." Pope yells above him, while Kie takes the more reasonable approach. "You good?"
"Yeah, was a loose branch." John B huffs a laugh at JJ's soft response. Until there was another crack, even louder than before, and a heavy mass starts falling through the leaves. A sharp yell carries through the air before a thud cuts it off when their friend land on the ground heavily. His blond head bounces on the ground with a sickening crack. The group was already moving.
...
JJ had checked the thinning branches for the sturdiest one by putting his weight on them. One that looked to be good cracked and fell beneath him, he laughed to himself as he saw it barely miss Pope below him. After some discussion, JJ continues.
He puts his weight on a thicker looking branch, completely oblivious to the large crack already weakening it. It gives out under JJ's weight and they both fall.
It all happens so fast the JJ can only yet out a short yell while his arms were scrambling for a grasp on other branches he flew past. By the time the rapidly approaching ground hit, JJ felt a sharp pain and then nothing.
...
"Shit!" Sarah and Kiara both shout, running to their limp friend. Blood was already adorning his head and the dark ground beneath him.
"Pope call an ambulance!" John B shouts and Pope obeys, letting his shaking hands dial the number on his phone that he struggles to get out of his pocket. John B easily takes his own shirt off and presses it heavily to the side of JJ's head, where the blood was still running from. All they can do is wait now.
"JJ can you hear me? C'mon man please gimme something" Kiara begs, stroking his hair out of his eyes. Sarah holds back tears from behind her with her hand held to her mouth. John B feels the urge to comfort her but doesn't just yet. His priorities are with his unconscious friend who doesn't give a singles reaction to any of the begging Kiara gives.
"The EMT's should be here in like 10 which I know isn't fast enough but it's cause they're in Figure 8. They said don't move in cause they don't know the severity of his injuries." Pope runs over and explains quickly. John B nods in confirmation. Everyone falls silent, the only sounds being the birds flying overhead. It stays silent, tears strolling down all their faces, until sirens are heard in the distance.
"Oh thank god." John B and Kie breathe out simultaneously.
A group of medics run out of the red truck with a gurney on wheels trailing behind them. The two in charge are already bombarding the Pogues with questions. "How high was he when he fell? Has he given any reaction to being awake yet?"
John B takes lead and answers them with confidence, his voice only slightly trembling. "He was near the top of the tree and no nothing. We tried waking him but his eyes haven't even fluttered." The medic looks at the kids beneath them that getting lifted steadily onto the stretcher that was lowered to the ground. The black belts are holding down his legs and chest for the would be bumpy ride back to the hospital.
"What's his name?" She asks, bringing John B back to reality. "JJ Maybank." He answers with no hesitation.
She nods and writes it down on her clipboard he just notices. "I'm Liv." She responds while writing. She looks relatively young, probably just out of college, John B observes. Kiara pokes her head into their conversation. "Can you please make sure he's okay?" Tears are in her eyes and Pope notices. He takes his hand and rubs it soothingly along her back and surprisingly, she doesn't pull away.
Liv smiles once again. "Yes, don't worry. JJ will be okay." She turns to address the group, most of whom were watching JJ being wheeled to the rocky railroad with an oxygen masked being placed over his mouth and urgent orders being shouted around him by the EMTs.
"Do you guys want to tail?" She assumes they'll say yes, which is correct because they nod numbly, already making their way to the Twinkie as Liv makes her way to truck. "Okay, just follow us." And that's what happens. Liv hops into the passenger seat of the truck and as they pull away, the Twinkie follows in pursuit.
...
It had been around an hour of waiting until they heard news. A doctor approaches the group, who were sitting on the uncomfortable plastic chairs trying not to fall asleep. Pope was pacing back and forth in the room but jerked his head to the tall man with the long white coat.
"JJ Maybank?" The doctor questions, already predicting that it was the group based off of how they looked and how they were almost the only ones in the entire waiting room.
"Yeah. Is he okay doc?" John B urgently asks.
"You can call mr Doctor Hurley." He addressed the group, not with the intention of being rude at all.
"JJ came in here with a severe head injury which was stitched up easily but we're unsure about any lasting damage. Head injuries are quite serious on their own but combines with the height he fell from we don't know if he will be okay in the long run. His pupils were sluggish to react with light and JJ gave little to no reaction during the administrations in both the ambulance and here." The doctor lets it sink into the group before continuing.
"With the way JJ fell, he has minor scratches and scrapes covering his arms but those aren't a big of problem. His left wrist was broken as well but it's casted up and was a clean break, which means an easy healing process." Just about everyone exhales in fear for their friend. "Jesus." Kiara mutters. Sarah nods her head in silent agreement. "Can we see him?" She questions quietly, worry filling her heart for one of her closer friends that she's recently came to love.
The doctor nods happily and gestures for them to follow. They walk down a hallway behind them for quite a while before turning left through white doors. They enter another pristine white hallway with doors lining each side. Near the middle on the left is where JJ resides, a blue door labeled 49A is all what's left between the Pogues and their battered best friend.
Doctor Hurley goes it first and holds the door open for the group, who immediately crowd around their friend. His hair was limp across his forehead and oxygen whiskers rested under his nose. An iv was taped to the inside of his elbow, of his arm that was covered from scratched that likely from the branches he hit on his way down. The other arm was casted from below the elbow down with hard blue plaster. What stood out the most was the multiple stark black stitches that pulled JJ's skin together on his left temple. Kiara winces at the sight, knowing it would hurt to take back out.
The doctor left silently to leave them with their friend. Pope had lifted the clipboard off the foot of the bed and reread the verdict while Kiara pulled a chair to JJ's right side and took his good hand into hers. She kisses it with tears filling her eyes once again.
John B pulls a chair up to his friends left side and leans back in it, resting his legs on the bed. John B observes his friends pale skin and how his chest moves with each increase. He sighs and rubs his hand over his tired face. How the hell does JJ always end up in shit like this?
...
It takes hours for JJ to to finally wake up, but his friends waited.
He tries to roll over but it ends with a groan and a wince. "Jay?" John B questions, already on his feet. Sarah stands behind him with her hand on his shoulder. It grabs everyone else's attention.
A ridiculously dilated eye and another slightly smaller sized pupil eye open before squeezing back shut once the harsh light causes an immediate pounding headache.
"Yo Pope shut off the lights." John B says quietly, trying to hush his voice in hopes that it comforted JJ. Pope obeys and runs back quickly.
It takes about a minute, during which everyone holds their breath for, until his eyes slide open again.
"Woah..." JJ whispers, barely audible. He has to blink multiple times for his eyes to focus around him.
"Your head hurt?" Pope questions with a small laugh. JJ goes to nod but stops himself when his headache spikes. He lets out a moan of pain at it.
Sarah walks away in search of more pillows, especially after seeing how JJ struggled to try and sit himself up.
While she's gone, JJ lifts his left arm clumsily to his face in hopes of getting rid of the itch under his nose but just about ends up smacking himself in the face with a large blue limb. He gapes at it, which actually makes a comedic sight. JJ, looking like a beanie boo, gaping at his wrist, which he struggles to support in the air cause it falls back down limply onto the mattress.
"Gotta get outta here." JJ says, about to pull off his iv. Pope stops his struggling hand with his own. "Dude relax, you just woke up and you're severely concussed." JJ doesn't relax but it takes a second for him to respond.
"Can't afford this." He says softly, looking into his hands. Kiara speaks up confidently. "My parents will take care of it, I'm sure of it." Not only JJ, but everyone looks at her in awe. Her parents, who seemed like they hated everything about their daughter's friend group, would pay for JJ? Kiara nods as if hearing their silent questions. "I'll make them." She says with pride, she'd help her friend no matter what the cost. Figuratively and literally.
JJ relaxes marginally into the bed. "Thanks Kie." He smiles in response to her own. It's then that a nurse opens the door and walks in with Sarah, who was carrying pillows.
"Ahh look who's awake!" The nurse says, it seems like she understands the pounding in JJ's skull because she keeps her tone low. She fidgets with the gears on his bed and lets him sit up in a slightly reclined position, letting Sarah put another pillow behind him for comfort.
"How's the pain level? Is your head bothering you at all?" JJ's response is only a slight nod. It was a shade below unbearable but he wanted to seem strong in front of his friends. The brunette nurse raises the dosage in his iv before steeping away. "I'll leave you guys be, the call button is there if you need anyone." After receiving nods from everyone, she leaves the room.
It quiet for a moment. "Dude I can't believe you fell out of a tree." Sarah states bluntly, a laugh hidden behind her words. Those were clearly the words needed to lift the atmosphere because everyone starts laughing, including JJ.