I Will Follow You Into the Dark
Title: I'll Follow You Into the Dark
Author: NicolaMaye
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Jack/Renee
Warnings Language
Summary: Renee visits Jack in the hospital post Day 7.
Disclaimer: Don't own 24 or Death Cab for Cutie.
Visiting hours are over. Renee doesn't give a shit.
Macer doesn't even try to stop her from going in to Jack's room. When Macer called, Renee reacted with something that felt like hope, but wasn't. Her hand shakes as she places it over his, waking him gently.
"Hey," he says, his eyes barely open.
She isn't going anywhere.
"Hey," she says. "How are you feeling?"
Jack struggles for a second before answering. He feels, physically speaking, the same as he did two hours ago. Emotionally, though, the knowledge that he may live changes everything.
"Fine."
She knows better than to believe him, but he gives her a weak smile. She is so pale and exhausted and beautiful, and he loves her just for being here.
Around noon, Macer fetches Jack for his surgery. A team of nurses wheel him out of the room. As they do, Renee turns to Jack and says: "I'll see you later." She leaves before he can remind her that there's a good chance she won’t.
If she stays here, she'll explode. Half an hour into the surgery, Renee becomes sure of this, so she asks a nurse to call her when something happens, and returns to her care. She feels physically sick driving to her apartment, and has to pull over halfway there to calm herself down. She'd like to talk to someone, but who? She held a gun on her best friend two hours ago, she doubts Janis is up for a heart-to-heart. Sighing deeply, she turns the car back on and drives home.
She really should sleep. She's tired, of course, but she's also scared and angry and anxious, and right now all of those emotions are getting in the way of that. She sits on her couch, turns on the TV. There's news about Olivia Taylor on. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Renee cares deeply, but she doesn't have the patience for politics. She switches the channels until she finds some idiotic soap opera with ridiculously good-looking characters. She watches it for a while, and then turns it off with some irritation. Nothing can hold her attention-not a movie on pay-per-view, not a book she bought last week, not even the contents of her medicine cabinet. Miserably, she flops down on her bed and puts her arms over her eyes.
Jack wakes up and feels like shit. He's been in a lot of pain in his life, but this is different. He groans, sending Macer in.
"How are you feeling, Mr. Bauer?"
"Not great."
She nods. "That's to be expected."
"Can you tell me…"
"You're going to be fine, Mr. Bauer," she smiles.
"Thank you, Dr. Macer."
"You're very welcome. Your daughter is still asleep, but I'll send her in when she wakes up."
Renee walks in ten minutes later.
"Oh my god," she breathes, rushing towards him. She hugs him tightly, and he
doesn't tell her how much it hurts. He wraps his arms around her, and she buries he face in his shoulder.
Hasn't he cost her enough today? He is amazed by the fact that she cares at all
whether he lives or dies.
She pulls back. His fingers are still caught in her hair.
"You're alive," she says.
"You're stating the obvious," he answers, but the truth is that he didn't believe it until she said it.
She motions for him to scoot over, and he obeys readily. She climbs into the bed,
her knees pressing against his. He has to stop himself from saying thank you.
Part of him wants to kick her away, to remind her that they are just colleagues, that the people who get attached to him tend to end up dead.
But he is already pulling her towards him, pushing hair out of her face, trying to keep her warm as she falls asleep in his arms.
How long do they lie like that? For Jack, it could be fifteen minutes or fifteen
years. He honestly doesn't know. He does know then that she isn't going to leave, not if
Macer has to drag her out of there.
"I don't understand," he says, finally. "I don’t understand why you'd want
anything to do with me."
He feels her body move even closer to his, and he has no intention of pushing it away. She puts a cold hand over his mouth.
"Don't ruin it."
Author: NicolaMaye
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Jack/Renee
Warnings Language
Summary: Renee visits Jack in the hospital post Day 7.
Disclaimer: Don't own 24 or Death Cab for Cutie.
Visiting hours are over. Renee doesn't give a shit.
Macer doesn't even try to stop her from going in to Jack's room. When Macer called, Renee reacted with something that felt like hope, but wasn't. Her hand shakes as she places it over his, waking him gently.
"Hey," he says, his eyes barely open.
She isn't going anywhere.
"Hey," she says. "How are you feeling?"
Jack struggles for a second before answering. He feels, physically speaking, the same as he did two hours ago. Emotionally, though, the knowledge that he may live changes everything.
"Fine."
She knows better than to believe him, but he gives her a weak smile. She is so pale and exhausted and beautiful, and he loves her just for being here.
Around noon, Macer fetches Jack for his surgery. A team of nurses wheel him out of the room. As they do, Renee turns to Jack and says: "I'll see you later." She leaves before he can remind her that there's a good chance she won’t.
If she stays here, she'll explode. Half an hour into the surgery, Renee becomes sure of this, so she asks a nurse to call her when something happens, and returns to her care. She feels physically sick driving to her apartment, and has to pull over halfway there to calm herself down. She'd like to talk to someone, but who? She held a gun on her best friend two hours ago, she doubts Janis is up for a heart-to-heart. Sighing deeply, she turns the car back on and drives home.
She really should sleep. She's tired, of course, but she's also scared and angry and anxious, and right now all of those emotions are getting in the way of that. She sits on her couch, turns on the TV. There's news about Olivia Taylor on. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Renee cares deeply, but she doesn't have the patience for politics. She switches the channels until she finds some idiotic soap opera with ridiculously good-looking characters. She watches it for a while, and then turns it off with some irritation. Nothing can hold her attention-not a movie on pay-per-view, not a book she bought last week, not even the contents of her medicine cabinet. Miserably, she flops down on her bed and puts her arms over her eyes.
Jack wakes up and feels like shit. He's been in a lot of pain in his life, but this is different. He groans, sending Macer in.
"How are you feeling, Mr. Bauer?"
"Not great."
She nods. "That's to be expected."
"Can you tell me…"
"You're going to be fine, Mr. Bauer," she smiles.
"Thank you, Dr. Macer."
"You're very welcome. Your daughter is still asleep, but I'll send her in when she wakes up."
Renee walks in ten minutes later.
"Oh my god," she breathes, rushing towards him. She hugs him tightly, and he
doesn't tell her how much it hurts. He wraps his arms around her, and she buries he face in his shoulder.
Hasn't he cost her enough today? He is amazed by the fact that she cares at all
whether he lives or dies.
She pulls back. His fingers are still caught in her hair.
"You're alive," she says.
"You're stating the obvious," he answers, but the truth is that he didn't believe it until she said it.
She motions for him to scoot over, and he obeys readily. She climbs into the bed,
her knees pressing against his. He has to stop himself from saying thank you.
Part of him wants to kick her away, to remind her that they are just colleagues, that the people who get attached to him tend to end up dead.
But he is already pulling her towards him, pushing hair out of her face, trying to keep her warm as she falls asleep in his arms.
How long do they lie like that? For Jack, it could be fifteen minutes or fifteen
years. He honestly doesn't know. He does know then that she isn't going to leave, not if
Macer has to drag her out of there.
"I don't understand," he says, finally. "I don’t understand why you'd want
anything to do with me."
He feels her body move even closer to his, and he has no intention of pushing it away. She puts a cold hand over his mouth.
"Don't ruin it."