Jensen/Jared - The Past Never Stays There - chapter 11/14
Title : The Past Never Stays There - Chapter 11/14
Author : angels3 aka Angela
Beta : munimula - who is the best beta ever and any mistakes left are so mine.
Word Count : 9121
Pairing : Jensen/Jared
Supporting Characters : Eric, Kim, Sera, Mike, Tom, Chris, Steve, Chad, Kylan (who is a figmant of my imagination
Disclaimers : They don't belong to me because if they did.............................
Chapters - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12a 12b 13a 13b 14
Kylan
PDF for The Past Never Stays There
"He's alive?"
"Yes, he's alive, but I'm not going to lie to you, he's not in good shape. I haven't seen him, I was on my way here, but I've called Devon, he's going to meet the ambulance at the hospital. You need to be there, but you need to be calm when you get there. Do you understand?"
Jared shook his head, the adrenaline leaving his body and causing his whole frame to shake. His hands throbbed and his throat ached but all he could think about was getting to Jensen.
"Get them to look at his hands," Garrett said to Chad as he handed him the keys.
"How are you going to get back?" Mike asked.
"We've got a crew on the way up here to take care of this place and that ambulance to transport this piece of shit back to the city." Garrett punctuated his words by slamming his hand on the trunk.
"Tom, can you stay and tell me what happened? I'll get the ambulance to take you in with them, since they're going to the same hospital. You can ride up front so you don't get the urge to shoot his veins full of air."
"Sure, let me just get Jared on his way, and then I'll walk you through it. Here's the key for the trunk," Tom said, throwing him the set.
Tom shut the door behind Jared, waiting for Chad to start the truck before he motioned for Mike to roll his window down.
"Yeah?"
"Once you get a clear signal, see if you can get hold of Chris. Let him know they're coming in with Jensen. Maybe he can be down there when they bring him in. That way, he can see a familiar face. Then call his parents and tell them he's on the way to the hospital, let them know what happened."
"No problem." Mike leaned forward, dropping his voice. "Get the detective in there. Let him look everything over. He may want to call his brother, have him check Jensen for certain injuries," he said quietly.
Tom glanced back towards the front seat, but Chad was talking to Jared quietly as he quickly wrapped some bandages around his hands to slow the bleeding from the numerous cuts he was sporting.
"Yeah, let me go take care of that now. Give me a call when you know something. I'll be there as soon as we finish here."
Tom watched, turning and heading back only when the truck disappeared around the corner. Garrett had just slammed the trunk closed again, shaking his head and pocketing the keys.
"So, how about walk me through what happened from beginning to end," the detective requested when he saw Tom headed his way.
"Sure, but I need you to see some things first," Tom answered as he walked past Garrett and headed inside the shack.
"You know, you really shouldn't be in here...." Garrett trailed off as he got his first look inside. "Son of a bitch," he growled.
Tom watched as he made his way around the room, careful of where he stepped, making sure to disturb as little as possible. When the detective moved to the bed and followed the wires around to the other side Tom could see the flinch from where he was standing. Garrett moved back around the bed, stopping at the blanket and dried vomit. He used the toe of his boot to straighten the blanket out some. Tom knew the minute the detective saw the semen staining the fabric by the way his jaw clenched as he reached for the phone in his pocket and brushed past to get somewhere with a better signal.
Garrett was hanging up when Tom found him a few minutes later. He stood waiting for the detective to make his way back over to the vehicle where he was leaning.
"Who'd you call?" He asked when Garrett was a few feet away.
Garrett looked down at the trunk and angled his head to the side. Tom looked down, understanding why the man didn't want to talk where he was at. He pushed off, making sure he put some power behind it so the whole vehicle rocked back and forth, a grim smile crossed his face at the small groan he heard from within.
"I called Devon. The ambulance is ten minutes out. The last report in was that Jensen was in and out of consciousness, so I told Devon if he was coherent enough, to ask him otherwise to check him out," Garrett answered without going into detail, knowing that Tom would understand.
"So what do you want to know?" Tom asked, slumping down on a large rock that was sitting by a stand of trees.
"Walk me through what happened when you got here. Oh, and how did you know to come here anyway?"
"Didn't know, to be honest with you, yesterday while we were waiting for word on Steve, I took in a bunch of maps, and we narrowed down a search grid of spots that would be good places to hide out. I figured you guys would have checked the obvious places like motels, bed and breakfasts and things, and would eventually get around to this, but we sort of know the area since we come here and camp."
"You've been here before?"
"Well, no, not here specifically, but at another lake that has cabins. Of course, we use tents, and we stay in the woods when we come, but it's the same general thing, you know. Anyway, we called around and found out which ones were rented out and if any were to single guys....."
"How the hell did you manage to get somebody to tell you shit like that?" Garrett asked, shit, he was a detective, and he couldn't get past I need to ask you some questions before the door was slamming in his face.
"Oh, well, that was Mike. He started off with he was looking for new sites to film a movie but he was trying to keep it all hush, hush, and he needed to know if there were going to be a lot of people in the area, blah blah, blah. It worked so we all went with it. Hell, we're all actors. It's not that hard to wing it. One of the calls, the lady told us about the fishing shacks. She said they didn't rent them out, but they were used sporadically, just not usually this time of year. I figured, if it was me, this is where I'd go. It's further back, nobody would have a record of me being here, and there shouldn't be any company coming this time of year."
"This the first place you check out?" Garrett asked, making notes as they talked.
"No, second actually. The other place is about fifteen miles or so back towards town." Tom sighed, scrubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.
"I know it's difficult to talk about, but the sooner we get done, the faster I can get you out of here."
"It's not that. It's just… we should have gotten here sooner."
"Tom, what you guys did is just....... Well, I don't even have words for it really, but beating yourself up for what you can't control isn't going to help Jensen, or Jared for that matter."
"Yeah, well anyway," Tom said, lowering his head, refusing to look at the detective. "Me and Chad dropped Jared and Mike off at the office to rent snowmobiles so they could get to meet us once they finished. We parked back a ways and walked in that way if someone was here they wouldn't hear us coming."
Tom stopped when Garrett's phone started to ring and waited for him to finish his conversation.
"The crime scene techs and another detective should be here in about fifteen minutes. They said the ambulance is about five minutes behind them. It's started snowing again so it's slowed them down some," Garrett explained, pocketing his phone. "Gives us enough time to finish up here so we'll be ready to go when the ambulance is."
"Good, Mike can't be trusted to stay out of trouble for too long," Tom said, smiling. "We knew before we rounded the curve someone was here. We could see and smell the smoke. The closer we got, we could make out footprints, and then we saw the damn truck pulled up by the side there." He motioned to Kylan's rental.
"So how did he end up looking like he went ten rounds with Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini?"
Tom couldn't help the snort that escaped before he composed himself.
"He must have heard me as soon as I hit the step because the door was pulled open and he was saying something about knowing I'd come back. He must have thought I was Jensen. I didn't even think about it, just swung first. When he didn't go down and was coming around with his own punch, I hit him again. I think I hit him one more time after that. I'm not sure, I was just trying to get him to go down."
"That's fine Tom. I just need to know what happened. Where was Chad when all this happened?"
"He'd gone around the other way. We weren't sure if there was another door. None of the other shacks had one, but we didn't want to leave it to chance. By the time I had Kylan on the ground, he'd made it back around."
"What happened after that?"
"Chad watched him while I went to find something to tie him up with. We didn't want to use anything in here, and I didn't really want to use anything he had out here, but we had to use something so....."
"You did good. Did you touch anything when you came in the room?"
Tom sat and thought about it for a minute. "No, I think the only things we touched were door knobs, maybe the door frames but none of *that*," Tom nodded his head toward the shack.
"Okay, so what did you do once you got back inside?"
"Tied him up and took him outside dumped him in the trunk and covered him up. I called you and then I called Jared and Mike."
"So how intense did the conversation with Kylan and Chad get?"
Tom wasn't really surprised the detective knew there was more to Kylan's physical condition than his fists and a drop in the trunk.
"When I got back inside, Chad said Kylan had come too, and he'd asked him where Jensen was. He said the bastard wouldn't tell him, but by then he'd decided Kylan didn't really know and he was just trying to wind us up. I'm pretty sure he got in a few good kicks, I didn't see where, but I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to guess."
Garrett winced and nodded in agreement, "Is there anything else you noticed while you were in there?"
"No, I think that's everything, other than we don't think he got to use most of the stuff that was in there."
"Why do you say that?"
"Jensen would have fought. There's no sign of it. We didn't see any blood or sign of him struggling."
Garrett looked back at the shack, hoping Tom was right. The sight that had met him when he walked in was something out of a nightmare, and if he lived to be a hundred, he hoped he never saw something like that again. He could hear the sirens in the distance and knew that they would be able to leave soon. He really wanted to get to the hospital and get a statement from Jensen. He just hoped the man was in a condition to give him one.
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Chris had been prepared for a fight when he rounded the corner to the ambulance bay, but Dr. Patterson just gave him a calm look and went back to explaining what he wanted to happen as soon as the ambulance pulled in with Jensen. Chris was almost disappointed. He'd gotten the call from Mike telling them that Kylan was in custody and that Jensen had gotten away on his own. He'd been elated until Mike told him their friend had been outside in the elements all night with minimal gear and wasn't in good shape from what he'd been told.
Steve had asked him why the fuck he was still standing there, and told him to take his ass down to the emergency room, which was exactly where he was not waiting for Jensen to be brought in. He heard Dr. Patterson's instructions on hypothermia and prior pneumonia, embracing the fact that his friend was still alive, if not in the best health. Dr. Patterson excused himself from the group and headed in his direction.
"You can relax. I'm not going to ask you to leave as long as stay out of the way and let me take care of Jensen," he said.
"I don't plan on getting in the way of anybody. I just need to see that he's okay," Chris answered, some of the tension leaving his frame. He couldn't help the desire to tell the doctor that he would take care of his friend but he knew he wasn't the equipped to do so.
"I wish I could tell you that was the case, but Garrett called, and I think you need to be prepared..." he trailed off.
"Prepared for what?" Chris asked, a chill running down his spine. He wasn't stupid, he knew Kylan had been with Jensen for hours, but he couldn't bring himself to think about what his friend may have suffered.
"That things may not be okay?"
"What do you mean by that exactly?" Chris growled.
"Jensen was outside overnight in freezing temperatures. As far as we know, with very little clothing to keep him warm, no food, maybe no water, and he'd already been sick. His immune system was already compromised from before. We have no idea what this person gave him or how much and....." Dr. Patterson paused to study Chris for a minute.
"And?"
"And Garrett said the place he was kept was something he hoped he never saw again as long as he lived. I've never heard my brother sound like that, so I don't know what to expect and Garrett never got the opportunity to see Jensen, so he couldn't tell me either. I just want you to be ready because he's going to need you to be strong. I'm letting you stay because I think right now he's going to need a familiar face if he's conscious. I take it Jared won't be here until after we take Jensen to the back so you'll be the first person he sees."
"I'll be fine. You just take care of Jensen," Chris promised, listening carefully. He was positive he'd heard the faint sounds of a siren.
"That should be them. It's going to be another minute or two so let me tell you this, I'm going to have to ask him some questions that are going to be uncomfortable and he may not want to answer them but I have to know in order to treat him properly."
"What kinds of questions?" Chris asked perplexed, only half his attention on the conversation, the other half on the ambulance he could just barely make out coming down the road, siren wailing. When the doctor didn't answer him right away, he pulled his attention back and tried to focus on what he was being told.
"I'm going to have to find out what Kylan did to him, physically. I have to know because if he's hurt, it can't be left untreated."
It took a few seconds for the doctor's meaning to sink in, but when it did, Chris knew all the color had just drained from his face. He reached out a hand to brace it on the wall beside him for support. It had been there the whole time, in the back of his head, the thought that they'd be too late. He'd done a damn good job of keeping it there too, but he couldn't afford to hide from the possibility and risk Jensen trying to protect him instead of him protecting Jensen.
"I'll do what needs doing, just make sure you do the same," he said, stepping back so the medical personal could get the doors opened to the ambulance as it screeched to a halt.
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"Did you get up with him?" Chad asked Mike, glancing over at Jared's silent form.
"Yeah, and I got up with Mr. Ackles too they should beat us there the way the snow's coming down," Mike answered.
"Jared, when we get to the hospital I'm going to let you and Mike off at the door, so I can go park this thing." Chad glanced over at Jared again when there was still no sound coming from his friend.
Jared wasn't meant to be still, nor silent for that matter. Chad caught Mike's worried gaze in the mirror, shaking his head at the mess that one man had been able to make.
Mike scooted up in his seat and leaned between the console as much as possible. It wasn't a particularly wise move with the weather the way it was, but they needed Jared to focus on what was going to happen once they got to the hospital.
"Jared," Mike said, nudging him, waiting for a reaction that still didn't come.
"Jared!" Mike raised his voice and pinched Jared's arm.
Jared jerked his arm away and finally turned his head, focusing glassy eyes on Mike.
"Are you back with us now?" Mike asked.
Jared glanced around at the passing scenery, or what you could see past the thick white flakes sticking to the windows. He looked over at Chad who darted a look back before focusing back on the road and then swung his gaze back to Mike.
Mike was pleased to see some of the glassy sheen of shock wearing off and reality, no matter how painful, starting to seep back in.
"Where are we?"
"About twenty minutes from the hospital if it doesn't get any worse," Chad answered, jaw clenching as the truck's back tires skid a little on the slick surface.
"Okay. Has Jensen gotten to the hospital yet?"
"I called Chris. He's supposed to meet them when they get there. I haven't heard back from him yet," Mike reassured.
Jared hissed through clenched teeth as he tried to get his cell phone out of his coat pocket.
Mike reached out and grabbed his arm. "What are you trying to do?"
"I need to call his parents and let them know."
"I've already done it. Chad is going to drop us off at the door when we get to the hospital. We're going to walk in there, nice and calm, and see if we can get some information and get someone to look at your hands."
"Shouldn't Chris know something when we get there, and I don't need my hands looked at, I need Jensen to be all right," Jared stated stubbornly.
"Chris may know what's going on by the time we get there, but I have a feeling we're going to have to wait so you're going to have those hands looked at while we're doing it," Mike answered, refusing to back down. "Do you think Jensen's going to be happy when he sees the state your hands are in?"
Mike's phone rang, cutting Jared off before he could argue some more. By the time he'd hung up, Jared had resumed his silence, lost in his worry over Jensen, the throbbing of his hands, and the need to rip Kylan apart still thrumming through his body.
"Tom says they should be pulling out in about fifteen minutes. I told him we hadn't heard from Chris yet, and he said Garrett called his brother and made sure that Chris would be able to see Jensen as soon as he got there," Mike informed the two men in the front.
"Great, lets hope, they don't get stuck coming in. The snow’s coming down even harder and the road's shit to drive on even with this thing rigged out for it," Chad complained, thumping the wheel of the truck.
"Well, please don't wreck it. I don't think Garrett would be too happy with us," Mike intoned, as he patted Jared on the back. He didn't try to get Jared to talk this time. There was only so much interaction he expected with so much unknown about Jensen's condition. He settled back into the seat, listening to Chad curse the weather and watch the windshield wipers try to keep up with the thick white blanket that was descending rapidly from the heavens.
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Jensen wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't anymore. He was positive he heard voices talking to him, but they were so far away and he was so tired. It was like he was drifting, everything feeling icy cold and numb at the same time. For some reason that didn't seem like a good thing, but he couldn't hold on to the thought long enough to figure out why.
He really wished Jared were here. He was always warm, and he'd make that damn alarm clock shut the fuck up too. Jensen frowned as the alarm kept getting louder. Maybe he was out with the dogs. He was just about to roll over when the shrill sound mercifully stopped and a door slammed. Jared must not have liked the alarm either.
"Jay?"
"Hey, it's gonna be all right man. The ambulance is here and they're going to take you to the hospital."
Jensen was so confused. Nothing was making any sense. The voice didn't belong to Jared, too young to begin with and scared too. Jensen felt like he should do something to fix that but his body didn't seem to want to follow his commands when he tried to reach out and show that it was okay. He'd been trying forever to open his eyes, but it felt like they were weighted down with cement blocks.
Why was he so tired? Where was Jared and why was there an ambulance?
Someone was talking to him, but he couldn't focus on what they were saying, all he could hear was the jack rabbit of his heart. The realization that he had no idea what was going on or where Jared was, sending adrenaline through his system, but with his body refusing to cooperate, it had nowhere to go but spike his internal systems higher.
He felt hands shifting his body to the side and something hard under him as he was rolled back over and then the whole world moved up, and he thought he was going to be sick. A small moan escaped even though he was trying to be quiet, that way maybe he could find out where Jared was. He hadn’t heard Jared’s voice or heard anyone speak his name, and that scared him even more. His body jolted as he was moved into what he guessed was the ambulance since he still hadn't managed to open his eyes.
The sudden warmth was almost too much, his chilled skin feeling like it was on fire where the ambulance was so warm inside. He felt several blankets being wrapped around him and both of his arms tucked underneath. Jensen heard the person that had been talking to him in a low voice the whole time tell someone he wasn't going to be able to find a vein until he could get a body part warm enough that they weren't restricted anymore.
He must have floated away for a little while but a pinch on his hand roused him and this time he was able to open his eyes just a little, everything blurry and bright, a guy was leaning over him and his heart sped up until he remembered where he was. The attendant started explaining what was happening as soon as he realized that his patient was awake, which Jensen was grateful for. The pinch had been the IV they'd been trying to get into him, since they'd picked him up and Jensen could feel it slowly spreading through his veins, the solution was warmed to help elevate his body temperature from the inside at an even pace.
The attendant kept talking quietly but Jensen kept losing whatever he was saying in the shrill blast of the siren and the constant tangle of his own sluggish thoughts, not that he got to far with them as he kept dropping off and startling back awake. He'd tried to ask several times where Jared was but either the attendant didn't know, or he wasn't making himself clear. He had a feeling it was the later since his lips and tongue still felt like he'd had a trip to the dentist. The next time he came to, the siren was quiet but there were more voices and the cold air rushed back in when someone opened the doors.
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Chris thought he had prepared himself to see Jensen. He honestly hadn't thought anything could be worse than seeing Steve lying on the floor not breathing. However, when the ambulance door swung open and the stretcher cleared the doorway, the sight of his friend was pushing a close tie in worst things ever witnessed.
"Jesus Christ," he breathed, stepping back to avoid the flurry of activity around his friend.
What little he could see of Jensen's skin was a cross between a pale gray and a startling shade of blue. There were lines hanging everywhere and it seemed attached to every available square inch of body Jensen had to offer around the mounds of blankets they had wrapped around him. Chris tried to pay attention to what the medical personal were saying, but all he could focus on was the labored rise and fall of Jensen's chest and the fluttering of his eyelashes.
Chris could see assorted cuts and scrapes along the bits of arms that peeked out, but he couldn't tell just how badly his friend was injured under all the layers. The livid bruises around Jensen's neck and jaw, though, were very evident and Chris could make out each distinct finger shape in the bruise. He was still trying to battle down the desperate need to hurl chairs and break bones when Jensen's eyes blinked open, looking panicked and lost.
He pushed his way between two nurses, ignoring their attempts at keeping him back.
"Jensen. Hey, it's me. You're at the hospital," Chris said softly, reaching out and gently guiding Jensen's face around until he focused his attention on him.
Chris felt some of the tension in Jensen's body ease as recognition took its place.
"Steve?" Jensen croaked past cracked and bleeding lips.
"Steve's fine."
"Kylan said....." Jensen rasped before a deep racking cough shook the whole stretcher as he fought to breathe.
"Jensen! Steve's fine. He's waiting inside," Chris stated firmly, grimacing at the wet sounds coming from each breath his friend struggled to take.
"Chris, we need to move him to an examination room. You can come in for a few minutes, but once we start the exam, you're going to have to go to the waiting room," Dr. Patterson said as the medical team started pushing the stretcher toward the doors.
"Wait," Jensen groaned as he reached out to grasp Chris' arm. "Where's Jared?"
Chris reached down, pulling Jensen's hand free and wrapping his fingers around his friend’s dirt encrusted ones.
"He's fine. He's on his way here. The guys were up at the lakes looking for you."
He felt the stiffening in Jensen's whole body even before the hand that he was holding squeezed his in a death grip.
"Kylan's there Chris. He can't go there." Jensen struggled to sit up against the hands pressing him back down.
"Jensen!" Chris nearly shouted, trying to regain the attention of his friend who, even in his weakened condition, was making it difficult to restrain.
"He'll kill him Chris. You can't let him go there," Jensen begged as he fell back on the stretcher, another round of coughing silencing his pleas and leaving him breathless.
"Kylan can't hurt anyone. The police have him, and Jared will be here just as soon as they can get here," Chris said, taking the opportunity to make Jensen listen. He pushed the wet, matted hair off skin that was still too cold, watching as understanding slowly weaved its way through his friend’s fevered brain.
The medical staff had started moving the stretcher again and when Chris looked up, they had made it to one of the examination rooms and Dr. Patterson was barking orders at every available person and some that were just in the general vicinity. He stepped back to get out of the way, but he stayed just to the side so that Jensen could still see him and he could still hear what the doctor was saying as well as what his friend’s answers were.
Dr. Patterson had his patient moved from the stretcher to the bed before he even started asking questions, not wanting to have to interrupt what might be a difficult conversation to do so later.
"Jensen, I'm going to take a look at you in a few minutes, but I need you to answer some questions for me as best as you can. If you don't remember something, tell me. If there's a reason you can't remember, let me know that as well. Some of the questions I'm going to ask you are personal and may be embarrassing, but it's important I know the answers so I can treat you. Is it all right if Chris stays during this part?"
Jensen nodded his head and glanced over to where his friend was standing.
"I promise not to get arrested," Chris swore, knowing that Jensen was only worried about him hearing the answers because he was afraid of how angry it would make him.
"Were you hit on the head or drugged when you were taken from your house?"
"Rag over my face, kinda sweet smelling," Jensen rasped, tracking Chris' movements as he grabbed a cup of ice chips a nurse had set off to the side.
Chris plucked one out and pushed it between his lips, the cool wetness seeping inside, chasing away some of the dry bitterness that clung to his tongue.
"I forget that every time don't I?" Dr. Patterson asked, watching Chris feed the ice chip to his patient. "I swear, it's a sign you need to stop coming to see me."
"Don't much like the trip myself," Jensen confessed before he started coughing again.
"Did you lose consciousness at any other time during your ordeal?"
"There at the end when I was too tired to walk any further," Jensen answered, trying to take shallow breaths.
"All right, I'm only going to ask you a couple of more questions depending on your answers, and then we'll get started."
Jensen didn't know what it was the doctor wanted to ask him, but he had a feeling he wasn't going to like it if the look on the man's face and the glances at Chris were any indication.
"These are the difficult questions Jensen, and I need you to be honest with me no matter what," Dr. Patterson instructed, waiting for his patient to nod.
"Did Kylan force you to do anything or did he do anything to you that we would need to treat specifically?"
Jensen knew he looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights. He also knew the longer he took to answer, the more assumption the doctor and, worse yet, Chris would be making. He could literally feel his friend vibrating from his spot a few feet away. Problem was, he wasn't really sure how to answer the question.
"Um......"
"Jensen, whatever happened, it wasn't your fault, but I need to know if you were hurt so that we can take care of you."
Jensen looked over at Chris and took a deep breath, never taking his eyes off the other man. The doctor wasn't going to be the problem. Getting Chris to listen was going to be the issue.
"He didn't get the chance to do much of anything. He was only there for a little while, and I got away while he went out for the rest of his toys."
"Exactly what does *much of anything* mean Jensen?" Chris asked, pushing the words out like they hurt him.
Jensen figured unclenching his jaw probably hurt worse since it was more than likely locked that way permanently. Thankfully, the doctor let things go the way they were figuring he'd get his answers without having to get between two bullheaded southern boys.
"It means he got himself off without my help, but...." Jensen swung his eyes back to the doctor.
"What do you mean but?" Chris growled.
"If you'd let me finish, I'd tell you," Jensen sighed wearily.
"When he gave me my pill, he had his fingers half way down my throat and when I got loose, I forgot all about the mess he left behind on the blankets, and as you can see, I have plenty of open wounds. I have no idea where he's been or what he's been doing so whatever tests you can think of to run, you run 'em," he finished finally, running out of steam.
Dr. Patterson set down his clipboard and started pulling on his gloves, which was Chris signal to clear out, but before he left, he had to make sure Jensen realized he wasn't to blame for anything and no one was angry with him. There was absolutely no reason to think anyone should be, but Chris knew Jensen only too well, and he knew his friend would be blaming himself for everything that had happened.
He moved over to the bed and leaned down until his forehead was resting on Jensen's. "You done good son. You done good."
Jensen couldn't get anything past the lump in his throat, so he just grabbed hold of Chris' shirt with his free hand and held on until he thought he could let go without Chris seeing how badly he didn't want to.
"Chris, why don't you go talk to Jensen's parents while I take a look at what damage he's managed this time, and I'll be out to talk to everyone in a little while." Dr. Patterson suggested when Chris finally straightened back up and took a steadying breath.
Chris nodded and quietly left the room to go in search of Jensen's parents and then to let Steve and the guys know what was going on.
Dr. Patterson watched his patient’s whole body collapse in on itself as soon as the door clicked shut.
"Was it worth it?" he asked, pulling items out he'd need.
"Hell yes," Jensen affirmed, barely above a whisper.
"You know they don't expect you to be strong all the time you know," the doctor stated as he started peeling away the blankets and a nurse materialized at his side.
"You been talking to your brother?" Jensen asked, trying for levity.
"Nah, I remember you from the last visit, but Garrett's been telling tales too."
"Figured this way Chris could keep Jared from tearing up the ER when he got here," Jensen gasped out through a choking cough. "Maybe," he finished, falling back onto the bed.
" Hmmm..... maybe," the doctor agreed.
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Chris pulled his phone out as soon as the door closed behind him. He was supposed to call when the ambulance showed up, but he'd been talking to Devon and then he'd seen Jensen, and nothing else had mattered after that.
"Bout fucking time!"
"Hello to you too, precious," Chris greeted Mike.
"Do you have a clue what it's like being in a vehicle with a eerily quiet Jared?" Mike hissed.
"No, but I'm assuming it's not a good thing."
"No shit Sherlock, it's creepy as fuck! Now tell me what's going on."
"Where are ya'll at?"
"About five to ten minutes out. Did the ambulance just get there?" Mike asked, sounding confused.
"No, I was talking to the doctor, and then I was with Jensen and I figured Jared would want me there rather than on the phone."
"I'm sure, so how is he?"
Chris heard Jared ask something and then the phone was being shuffled around from the sounds of it.
"Chris?"
"Yeah, Jay, it's me."
"Is he okay? God just tell me he's okay!"
"He was conscious when they brought him in, talking and coherent, which are all good signs. He doesn't look the best in the world, and he sounds like shit, but he's strong man." Chris swallowed at the chocked off sound coming from the line.
"Did he say if...."
"He didn't. Jensen didn't wait around to give him the chance," Chris cut him off, knowing exactly what Jared was worried about.
"Oh, thank God." Jared's voice came through the line in a heavy sigh. "You know I wouldn't have cared right? It wouldn't have changed how I feel about him. I just didn't want him to have to go through that."
"I know Jared. Mike said it was bad." Chris assured.
"It was worse than bad, I think I may have nightmares for the rest of my life bad."
"Get him to tell you. He's not going to want to, but he needs to or it's going to eat at him."
"Yeah, I know. Have you seen his parents?"
"Nope, headed there right now. I'll see you when you get here okay man?"
"Yeah," Jared agreed. "Chris?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
Chris was listening to dead air before he could tell Jared there wasn't a reason to thank him, so he closed his phone, rounding the corner to the private waiting room he'd been told Jensen's parents were in. He came to an abrupt halt when he saw Steve sitting with the Ackles, his eyes flicked to the wheelchair sitting in the corner but other than that, there was no indication that his boyfriend was here as a patient.
"Exactly what are you doing out of your room and your bed for that matter?" he asked as he pushed the door open, zeroing in on Steve.
"You were right," Donna said to Steve, grinning.
"I always am when it comes to Chris," Steve answered but never took his eyes off Chris.
"Yes, and he tries to avoid answering the question as well." Chris said still waiting for an answer.
"I'm sitting here waiting for you to tell me how Jensen is, just like everyone else. I told them they could either get me down here and let me wait with everyone else and monitor me, or I would sign myself out. They didn't like the sign myself out part so the nice nurse pushed me down here and promised to come back to poke and prod."
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Jared's feet hit the pavement before the truck had even stopped rolling, a feat Mike was still cursing him for as he tried to unravel himself from his seat belt and exit the truck at the same time. He'd known he wouldn't be able to pull the handle of the truck using his wrapped up hands, so he'd wound his scarf around the catch so all he had to do was yank when the time was right. Chad had tried to grab him but all he'd gotten was his fingertips around the edge of his coat, not enough to slow him down much less stop him. The policeman at the front door waiting with the nurse, however, did.
"Mr. Padalecki?" the policeman inquired.
"Yes," Jared answered, heart in his throat.
"Detective Patterson asked me to meet you. I'm to escort you to an examination room and have your hands looked at."
"My hands are fine. I need to find out about my boyfriend," Jared said as he went to push past the officer.
"Sir, I was told you would say that. Mr. Ackles is being taken care of right now, and once this nice nurse here gets you in a room, I'll go and get Mr. Kane," the officer read consulting his notes. "I'm supposed to make sure he sees you right away," the officer finished.
Mike had managed to make it to the door to hear the last part and breathed a sigh of relief. He'd had no idea how he was going to reign in six foot four of rampaging Padalecki.
"That sounds like a great plan. Lead the way Miss Simmons," Mike said cheerfully as he squinted to read the nurses name tag, ignoring Jared's scowl.
The officer shot Mike an appreciative look and waited for them to follow the nurse as he brought up the rear.
Nurse Simmons showed them into an examination room and started taking Jared's history, since it was obvious he wouldn't be writing it out himself, while Mike made himself useful by playing with all the loose objects around the room. The officer that had met them at the door waited a minute to make sure Jared wasn't going to bolt for the exit as soon as he turned his back, and then disappeared down the twisting hallways to find the man he hoped was getting baby sitting duty.
Ten minutes and forty-two seconds later, Chris pushed open the doors to Jared's room and stalled in the doorway. " What the fuck?"
The doctor that was cleaning the split skin and inspecting the swollen joints and tissues, barely glanced up while Jared just clenched his jaw and got that stubborn look Chris knew meant bad news.
"Did someone forget to tell me something?"
"No." Mike and Jared said at the same time, neither one really wanting to be on the receiving end of a Kane ass chewing. They'd seen enough of them aimed at Steve and Jensen not to want their share.
"Well then obviously I'm hallucinating the damage to Jared's hands then.
"They're not that bad," Jared mumbled, refusing to look at Chris.
"We're ready to take you to X-ray, Mr. Padalecki," Nurse Simmons said as she tried to get around Chris who was still blocking the doorway.
Jared and Mike both groaned at the nurses timing, but Jared could have sworn the doctor stifled a snicker before he patted his knee and stood up.
"Oh, it's not as bad as it looks, huh," Chris mimicked.
"I'm going to go find Chad and see if I can get some coffee," Mike edged toward the door.
"I'll talk to you later," Chris glared at Mike. "You on the other hand," he pinned Jared with an icy blue gaze, "I'll be waiting right here when you come back."
"Wonderful," Jared muttered as he shot Mike a pleading look.
"Sorry, dude, I need my ass intact for filming." Mike escaped through the door, but not before he heard Jared calling him a coward on his way out.
Jared had hoped the thirty minute wait for his X-ray's to be done would put a damper on Chris' ire, but as soon as he walked into the room and was met with the same icy stare, he knew he'd been deluding himself.
"So, how about you tell me what happened while we wait for the doctor to come back," Chris suggested after Jared scooted back onto the exam table.
"Nothing to tell," Jared grunted as he slung his arm across his eyes to block the overhead light.
The click sounded loud in the room but the blessed dimming of the lights boring into Jared's head was a relief. "How about we try again, and you tell me the truth this time." Chris' voice was deceptively calm and a lot closer.
Jared peeked out from under his arm to see Chris standing beside the bed, arms crossed and looking like the Rock of Gibraltar. " How the hell does Steve put up with you man?" He asked tiredly.
"I don't know what you mean. I'm a fucking joy to be around. Now spill."
"Chris you don't have a clue," Jared stopped and swallowed past the bile that tried to force its way up just remembering what the room had looked like.
"Then tell me. When I said you needed to get Jensen to talk, that didn't mean for you to bottle it up in his place."
"I lost it. I took one look at that room and what was in it, and I lost it."
"So you did that on Kylan's face?" Chris nodded at his hands.
"No," Jared chocked on a cross between a laugh and a sob. "I did this on his rental car."
Chris pulled his chair up to the bed and sat down. "Why would you take it out on the car?"
"Because Tom had locked him in the trunk, and I was trying to get to him." Jared grimaced at the look Chris gave him.
"I know you think you're a tank, and quite honestly you're the size of one, but there are limits man," Chris said, reaching up and patting his arm.
"I didn't think about it. I just saw red, literally saw red. People talk about it and I've always thought it was a load of shit, but it was like something else just took over. Chris that room, there was shackles and chains......" Jared trailed off, closing his eyes trying to will back the tears that were threatening.
"I'm not going to even pretend to know what seeing that was like, and by the time I hear it from the rest of the guys, I'm going to have to see the evidence pictures if I can get Garrett to show them to me, but Jensen got away. He's strong, Jared, and he got away, and he's here now, so we have to make sure we're strong for him now because he's not in good shape."
Jared looked at him sharply. "I thought you said he was okay."
"I said he was conscious and talking, but you know him, as well as I do."
"He was faking it?" Jared asked, sitting up.
"He was keeping up the act, so we wouldn't worry so much. He forgets sometimes I'm an actor too. Just because I spend a lot of my time recording doesn't mean I can't spot it, even when he's as great as he is."
"Shit! Why's he got to be so fucking stubborn?"
"Huh, wonder why? It's not like we're not surrounded by that," Chris snarked.
"No, I mean. Why does he hate for people to worry about him? It's like, he can worry about everybody else, but we shouldn't do the same for him," Jared growled, frustrated.
"Maybe he's just like the rest of us, Jared, and doesn't want the people he loves hurting. Would you really want him to be any other way?"
"No," Jared acknowledged grudgingly. "Doesn't mean I want him to be hurting either."
"I know," Chris sighed wearily, leaning back in the chair. "Neither do I."
Chris sat with Jared until the doctor came back, which felt like an eternity, but was only about twenty minutes. The doctor informed them that there were two small hairline fractures to Jared's left hand that would be treated by putting him in a soft cast. His right had no breaks only the few cuts, split knuckles, and the swelling that would go down with time and the anti-inflamitory's that they would be prescribing.
The nurse was just finishing up fitting Jared's hand into the soft cast when Dr. Patterson pushed open the door and motioned Jared to stay sitting. He pulled up the chair Chris had vacated in search of coffee and information if Steve's escape from his room and it would cause him any physical damage.
"How is he?" Jared asked anxiously, ignoring the nurse as she finished setting the straps in place.
"I'm not going to lie to you. He's in pretty bad shape, but if I've learned nothing else since meeting Jensen, he's a fighter." Devon stated.
"How bad is bad?"
"He's in the middle of a relapse, and I'm afraid if we can't get it under control quickly, it's going to reach critical proportions. He's running a fever, not as high as the one he presented with when you brought him in the first time, but high enough with him still having been on the antibiotics, it's very concerning. Garrett's filled me in on what the room looked like, and from what I can tell, the only damage done to him physically while he was with Kylan looks to have happened from the restraints that were used." Devon paused, knowing Jared would need reassurance.
"He was conscious when he came in right? You talked to him?"
"Yes, he was conscious and coherent. I asked him Jared, he said he got loose while his kidnapper was gone, and that he never chance to hurt him that way. Jensen does have abrasions from the restraints and it looks like he took a few tumbles trying to work his way out of the woods. There's also some bruising around his face and neck that I felt like you needed to know about before you see him."
"When can I see him?" Jared asked quickly.
"The nurses are moving him up to ICU." Devon held up his hand. " Right now, that's where I want him. The condition he's in, it could deteriorate quickly and I want him monitored at all times."
"I'm not leaving him," Jared stated through clenched teeth.
"I had no doubt. I'm going to show you up there in a few minutes and let them know that you have clearance to stay as long as you cooperate and stay out of the way. I'll go down and let everyone else know what I've told you after I've gotten you settled in with him. That way, you can have a few minutes on your own together. There's only so much I can tell you until we see how he responds to the new medicine. He's probably not going to be awake very much. Between the stress of his abduction and escape, his health and the treatment, I wouldn't expect him to wake up anytime soon," Devon warned.
"I understand. Can we go now?" Jared asked impaitently.
Devon led Jared down back hallways, and took a staff elevator before they stopped in front of the ICU doors.
"Are you ready?" Devon asked.
"I just need to see Jensen." Jared answered, knowing that even if it didn't make sense, the doctor would understand what he meant.
Devon nodded, pushing open the doors and walking past several glass enclosed rooms until he came to the one in the corner. The curtains were pulled around the bed so Jensen was still hidden from view but Jared could feel his presence in the room. It was a link that neither questioned, just accepted, like they did with everything else that made them JensenandJared.
"Remember, he's attached to a lot of machines, even more than last time," Devon said, quietly trying to prepare Jared for the shock awaiting him.
Jared nodded, taking a deep breath, not trusting himself to speak. He followed Devon in and the door closed behind them with a muted swish. The room was unnaturally quiet except for the steady hum of the machines and the echoing thrum of Jensen's heart beat, the only sign so far that he was even in the room. Devon pulled back a portion of the curtain and waited for Jared to move past him, waiting patiently as he gets his first glimpse of Jensen in more than 48 hours.
Jared had fixed the picture of walking into the room after Jensen had collapsed in his mind, hoping it would ready him for what he would see. He'd been sadly mistaken.
There were so many lines attached to Jensen, they had clipped several back to keep them from getting tangled. Both hands had IV's running to them and there was an oxygen mask still covering his nose and mouth. He was so pale, Jared thought the starched white sheets of the hospital bed actually had more color. He realized he was wrong when he made his way closer to the bed and he could see the dark bruising around Jensen's neck and jaw, the red scrapes and cuts along his arms and face. Jensen's wrists were wrapped in white gauze but Jared could imagine the raw inflamed skin it was hiding.
A nurse made her way out of the bathroom and to the other side of the bed, setting down a basin and dipping a cloth into it. Jared only then realizing that there was still dirt and dried blood dotted over Jensen's pale skin.
Jared reached out to towards the nurse as if to take the cloth from her hand.
"Can I.... Please?" His voice cracked around the request.
Devon nodded at the nurse, and she handed the cloth over and left quietly.
"Just be careful of the lines," he instructed before he left to inform the rest of Jensen's friends and family of his condition.
Jared nodded, never taking his eyes off Jensen. He moved to the bed and pulled the tray with the water closer, dipping the cloth in and ringing the excess water out. Jared started at Jensen's forehead and very carefully wiped away the dirt that was still smudged along the side of his face. He had no idea how long he worked to clean up every little speck of dirt and spot of shed blood but when he finished, he'd emptied the basin twice and worked all the way down to the tips of Jensen's fingers and back again.
He combed his fingers through the short spikes of hair, loosening the small knots of tangles that were twisted together with debris from the woods. Jensen would hate the gritty feel of all the dirt in his hair and Jared wished he could wash it somehow but there was no way to do it, so he continued to work his way through each section, leaning down every few minutes to place a kiss somewhere on Jensen's face. He couldn't seem to stop touching, the need to feel Jensen under his hands and lips to know he was alive and here a deep abiding ache that only the five senses would soothe.