A/N: UC is now up to date on AO3 as well as FF, so enjoy wherever, whenever!
Face down on the treatment table, JJ focused on the sound of Nick's voice as Larry's hands worked their way over her aching, knotted muscles. On the table to her left, Alyssa Baumann was having her ankle taped by one of the team physios in amidst a general flurry of activity compared to what JJ had come to expect from the treatment room, however, even amongst it all, she felt like a prisoner beneath Larry's hands. Looped beneath the treatment table, her own hands were balled into fists as he moved up the back of her thigh, his thumbs pressing on a particularly sore spot just above her knee.
It was their last full day in the Texan heat before they headed back to their home gyms. For her first camp back after her injury, it had been relatively low key; it had been a skills only camp, meaning no full routines were being demanded. But that didn't mean they weren't being pushed to the grindstone. It had been almost two years now since London, and JJ felt like someone had turned up the heat again. Rio was now just over two years away, not a whole quad like it had been the previous year, and Martha was clearly already planning the jigsaw puzzle of putting together the team come July 2016.
The pressure JJ felt at the ranch was only compounded by the fact that the cell service seemed to have gotten worse since she had last been there. Her phone had been sitting resolutely in SOS since arriving, with no signs of picking up any signal for her to contact her family. The isolation forced them all to focus on nothing but gymnastics while they were there, which JJ understood, but also resented; a lot of the girls attending camps were under eighteen. Keeping them so isolated from being able to speak to family... it was concerning at best.
"Alright, you're all ready to hit the ice baths," Larry said chirpily, stepping back as Nick straightened up in the chair he was sitting in. "Have a fifteen minute soak, then you should be feeling much better"
"Thanks Larry," JJ said quietly, pulling herself up off the table. She had barely gotten to her feet when Simone came bounding through the doors of the treatment room, her familiar giggle seeming to immediately fill the space.
"Hey, I wondered where you went! I'll see you back in our room, ok?"
JJ grinned. "Sure thing"
Gathering her things, JJ made her way out of the room, Nick just behind her. When they had made their way away from the business of the medical clinic, Nick tapped JJ on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks in the deserted hallway.
"You seemed a little off in there. Is Larry making you uncomfortable again?"
JJ sighed, leaning back against the wall behind her and pressing the heel of her hand to her head. "I don't know, it's just... I feel like I forgot how much this place can beat you down. Like, don't get me wrong, I still love and want to do this, but this place literally just beats you into the ground until they can pick you up and shape you into a champion"
Nick grimaced, nodding in agreement. "I know, it's pretty tough. And you and I both know that you can't become a champion without seriously hard work, but I agree that it feels like Martha has upped the ante a little"
JJ let out a heavy breath. "How do I get through it? Without wanting to throw in the towel. Because I want this, I want to compete, I want to keep going... but I feel like I'm going to burn out"
"We'll take it day at a time, ok? And remember, you've just come back from an injury, so getting back into the swing of national team training is naturally going to be a little tougher. But try not to think too far ahead. Take everything one day at a time, and focus on the things you can control. The rest will fall into place along the way. And," Nick said softly, reaching out and nudging her chin up so she was looking at him. "You need to tell me if things get too tough, ok? We're a team, and I'm not going to force you to punish yourself through shit if you don't need to"
"I know. I think I'm just tired. It's hot as hell down here and it's my first camp back. How is it this hot in April?" JJ scoffed. Nick laughed, clapping her on the shoulder.
"I have no idea, but I'm guessing it's another Karolyi tactic, keeping you all compliant by keeping you prisoner in Satan's left armpit"
JJ burst out laughing, pulling away and heading into the icing room as she bid Nick goodbye at the door. In the room, she found Kyla and Mykayla Skinner already there, laughing and chatting animatedly, and somehow, she felt her spirits lift straightaway. Yeah, the heat and the general pressure sucked, but she was with her friends, and she was still one of the best. No doubt, it would get a little easier as the path wore on.
"OH MY GOD!"
JJ jolted awake, her eyes struggling in the darkness as she lurched upright in her bed. There was a flurry of commotion in the room, but she couldn't quite pinpoint who was talking, or what on earth was going on.
"It's so big!"
"Did anyone see where it went?"
"Yeah, it's over there! Keep your torch on it, make sure we don't lose it!"
"I'm gonna go get Norah, she's good at catching these things!"
JJ fumbled around under her pillow, managing to grasp her phone and pull it out. Staring blearily at the bright screen, she saw it was only half past two in the morning.
Why the hell was everyone awake?
"What's going on?" she mumbled, turning towards the edge of her bunk and looking down into the room.
"Sorry Jayje," Kyla said in a hushed voice. "Simone got up to go to the bathroom and ran into this gigantic lizard on her way back and she kinda panicked"
"I don't do bugs, or creepy crawley things! Especially not lizards that big!" Simone exclaimed from the darkened corner opposite.
"Yeah, well you also didn't have to scream that loud at this time of night, Martha's gonna be down here to tell us all off before you know it," Kyla scolded gently. As if on cue, there was a gentle knock at the door, followed by Aimee's head popping into the room.
"Girls, whatever you're doing, it needs to stop. This isn't school camp, I shouldn't be coming down here to tell you all to be quiet, ok?"
"Sorry Aimee, I nearly stepped on a huge lizard," Simone said bashfully. "It's just chilling underneath JJ's bunk"
"Sorry, apparently I've got a lizard to catch," came the voice of Norah Flatley as she squeezed past Aimee into the room, followed by Maggie, who JJ now realised had been the one to go and get her. "Shine the light on the little sucker and I'll get him"
Aimee chuckled. "Alright, keep your voices down and back to bed ASAP, ok girls?"
"Sorry Aimee. Night!" Simone called back as Aimee left them to it. Now more awake, JJ poked her head over the edge of her bunk, watching as Norah wriggled around with the top half of her body obscured beneath the bunks.
"Got him!" she said triumphantly a few moments later, scooting out with the chunky little reptile clutched in her hands. She was quick about getting him outside, crunching her way through the grass to release him well away from the dorm which he had found his way into.
JJ collapsed back onto her flimsy pillow, a shiver running down her spine as she pulled her blankets up.
"God this place gives me the creeps"
Awakening to find herself buried beneath the covers, JJ poked her head from underneath the duvet in search of what had woken her up. Her room was still pitch black, but the light was on in the bathroom.
A glance at the clock told her it was just gone two in the morning. Exhausted after arriving home from camp that afternoon, she had gone to bed at 9:30, with Will sitting beside her quietly watching a movie. But as she felt around behind her to see if Will was still in bed, she found the sheets empty and cold. Just as she wondered where Will could possibly have gone at 2am, she heard someone retching in her bathroom.
Slowly pulling herself up, she threw the covers back and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Will hadn't been feeling the best the previous day, but he'd chalked it up to being rundown. His college work was really grinding him down in the run up to finals. As she slowly approached the bathroom door, JJ wondered if it had been a stomach bug in the making.
"Hey," she said softly as she pushed the door open. She wrinkled her nose as the smell of vomit hit her square in the face. "You ok?"
Will shook his head miserably, not even lifting his head from where it was hanging over the toilet bowl. He was clutching his stomach so tightly that his knuckles were turning white, and from what JJ could see of his face, she could see he was incredibly pale.
He heaved, vomiting again into the bowl. JJ headed over to the sink, grabbing the washcloth and quickly wetting it with cold water. Wringing it out, she folded it up and brought it back to Will, pressing it against the back of his neck as she knelt down beside him.
"Did you eat something funny?" she asked gently, looking at him anxiously.
Will shook his head. "My stomach is killing me," he groaned. "It feels like it's on fire"
At that, JJ knew something was wrong. Will rarely complained about pain or illness, and when he did complain, he wasn't usually one to exaggerate.
"Can you move?" she asked softly.
"Can hardly stand," Will choked out, moments before he gagged into the toilet bowl again.
Getting to her feet, JJ hurried out of the room, pulling open her bedroom door and rushing to her parents room across the hall. She pushed the door open, the sound stirring her mother from sleep.
"JJ?" Sandy said groggily. "What's the matter? What time is it?"
"Something's wrong with Will," JJ said quickly, approaching the bed as her father groaned and rubbed his eyes. "He's throwing up, and his stomach is in so much pain he can hardly move. I think he needs to go to the ER"
Sandy was the first to move, throwing the covers back and rising up quickly. She followed JJ hastily back to her bathroom, leaving Michael to drag himself out of bed at a slower pace.
"Oh, Jesus," Sandy breathed as she came into the room. Kneeling down beside Will, she put a hand on his shoulder, completely unperturbed by the smell of vomit rising from the toilet. "Will, honey, where does it hurt?"
With a shaking hand, Will managed to point to the lower right portion of his abdomen, sending up alarm bells in Sandy's head.
"How long has it been hurting this badly?" she asked gently.
"Maybe… half an hour," Will choked out. "But it's… been aching since… yesterday"
"Can you move at all?"
Will shook his head, grimacing and forcing himself to breathe as Michael came into the room. Sandy looked up at her husband, concern written all over her face.
"He definitely needs the ER, Mike, but you're going to have to help him downstairs and into the car," she said firmly. "JJ, go put on a change of clothes, get a shirt for Will, and then I want you to get a bucket from under the laundry sink"
Once Michael was by Will's side, Sandy left the room to change out of her pyjamas. JJ was back within minutes, now dressed in leggings and her London 2012 t-shirt, Will's shirt and a bucket grasped in her hands.
"Here we go, Will, up you come," Michael said gently as he lifted Will slowly to his feet. As he took Will's weight, he helped the young man find his feet, only for him to cry out moments later.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Will exclaimed, grimacing as a whimper of pain escaped him. Michael tightened the arm around his back, supporting more of his weight as he slowly began to guide him out of the room. "I want my mom," Will groaned, his voice half strained through tears of pain as they reached the landing. JJ's heart gave a painful tug - she knew he was in agony now. As much of a softie as Will was, even this was a lot of vulnerability for him.
It seemed to take forever, but eventually, the four of them were in the car. Sandy and JJ sat either side of Will in the backseat, Michael in the front as they pulled away from the house to head for the hospital.
"Only ten minutes from here, Will, you'll be feeling better soon," Sandy said gently. "We'll call your parents once we get there and get you admitted"
Will took a deep breath, his face buried in Sandy's shoulder as he squeezed his eyes shut. Never had he felt so much pain in his life.
JJ remained his little rock on his other side, keeping the cool towel pressed against his neck, letting him squeeze her hand when the pain got too strong. She was quietly worried though - Will was a pretty strong guy, and to see him reduced to such a state meant that whatever was going on had to be serious.
The ride to the hospital was tense, Will throwing up once more before they made it. He had to be half carried across the parking lot and into the emergency department, where two nurses immediately helped him onto a gurney upon seeing the state he was in.
While Michael stepped outside to call Janine, Sandy filled the triage nurse in on the situation. JJ remained at Will's side, repeatedly brushing his face with the cool cloth.
"Ok Will, we're going to take you through now and Dr Ray will come and see you shortly," one of the nurses, whose ID read 'Anna', said warmly.
"Can they come?" Will asked weakly, gesturing towards JJ and Sandy.
"Of course"
"I'll wait out here Will, Michael's just outside calling your mom, but JJ will go with you," Sandy said gently, resting a hand on his leg. "You'll be alright"
Will nodded, taking a deep breath as they started to wheel him through the triage doors, JJ at his side.
"We're gonna post you up right here," Anna said as they rounded a corner and came to a small empty room. "And Dr Ray is coming right down the hall as we speak"
"I'm sorry," Will mumbled as Anna and the other nurse locked the wheels on his bed. "I didn't want to make a fuss… your parents could've gone back to sleep. And you… you've just come back from camp, you must be shattered"
"Will," JJ said softly, squeezing his hand and leaning against the edge of the bed. "You're sick. You're in pain. It's fine. We just want to make sure you're ok"
Will immediately lurched forward, puking into the basin the nurses had handed him upon arrival. JJ grimaced, holding it steady as the doctor walked into the room.
"William LaMontagne?" he asked.
"He just goes by Will," JJ said softly as Will collapsed back against the bed, clutching his stomach.
"Will it is. I understand you're not feeling too good. Can you tell me what your symptoms are?" Ray said as he reached the edge of Will's bed.
"My stomach hurts," Will groaned. "Keep… throwing up. I can hardly move"
"Ok. How long has this pain been going on for?"
"Started yesterday… maybe lunchtime. But it was just… a little ache. Then I woke up and it was like my whole abdomen was on fire"
"Alright," Ray said, placing the end of his stethoscope against Will's stomach. He listened intently for a few moments, before nodding once. "I can't hear any abdominal sounds, which means there's definitely some inflammation. We'll have to run a few tests, starting with bloodwork and a urine sample. I'm also going to feel your abdomen and see if I can feel any swelling or obstructions. Let me know if the pain gets any worse"
He brought his hands to the right side of Will's belly button, pressing down lightly. Even with the light touch, Will cried out, instinctively curling up away from the doctor's hands as JJ watched on anxiously.
"Ok, Will, based on those two examinations alone, I think you've got appendicitis, but based on your pain level alone, it may be ruptured. I'm going to rush a blood test, but you're probably going to be in surgery in the next hour"
"What are you doing here?"
The soft voice pulled JJ from the throes of a restless nap. She forced her tired eyes open, finding herself curled up on the small hard sofa that occupied the corner of Will's hospital room. As she lifted her head, she met Will's eyes, her lips quirking into a small smile as she pulled herself to her feet.
"Hey," she said quietly, crossing the room to be at Will's bedside. She took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, her other hand coming up to brush his unruly hair back from his face. "How are you feeling?"
"Definitely better than I did last night, but you didn't answer my question," Will said with a light chuckle. "What are you doing here? You should've gone home and gotten some sleep"
"I slept," JJ replied, carefully sliding up to sit on the edge of his mattress. "I've got today and tomorrow off from training anyway... plenty of time to catch up on sleep"
"You've gotta take care of yourself Jayje," Will said gently, lifting a hand to cup her cheek as he took in the tiredness settling in on her face. "I'm ok. I'm in good hands. My mom's here... everything's fine"
JJ let out a heavy breath. "I was really worried about you last night... I've never seen you in so much pain before"
"Yeah, it wasn't fun... but I promise I'm ok. Just a lot of rest and relaxation before I'm back on my feet properly"
A gentle silence fell over them, in which Will gently caressed her cheek with his thumb. "Go home and get some sleep, ok? I'll talk to you later. I just don't want to see such a pretty face looking this tired because of me"
JJ giggled, leaning down and kissing his cheek. "Alright. I'll call you this afternoon"