Fic: Becoming Our Own, Part 12 - in TBoPE 'verse
Title: Becoming Our Own, Part 12
Author: Caera1996
Rating for this Part: PG-13
W/C: 5,257
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Timeline Notes: A third anchor story (novel-length) in TBoPE/LAWG ‘verse. Set five years after the end of Learning As We Go, about four months before “No Good Deed”.
This Part: Developments in Janie’s family lead to embarrassing conversations for Joanna, and Leonard gets sick, forcing a visit to the E.R.
Joanna was sitting on the floor in the family room, going through their substantial collection of movies, when the phone rang.
“Jo can you get that?” her father yelled from somewhere else in the apartment. This Saturday they were all going through their things, deciding what to pack and what to either give or throw away. She stood and grabbed the phone by the couch, recognizing the Kirk’s number right away.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” Janie said. “Can I come over?”
“Well, it’ll be boring. We’re cleaning and packing today.”
“Cool, I’ll help. Just get me out of here.”
“Everything okay?” Jo asked, her brow furrowing in concern. She sat on the edge of the couch and surveyed the rest of what she was asked to do today…all of the movies, all of her books and stuff in her closet, and clothes that no longer fit her. It would definitely go faster with someone to help pack the boxes of things that were going to be either kept or given away.
Janie sighed dramatically on the other end of the line. ”Kim and the parents are fighting. Can Uncle Jim or Uncle Len come get me?”
“Your mom or dad can’t bring you?” She knew her dad hated to be interrupted when he was in the middle of something and Oide wasn’t even home from whatever errand he’d left to do.
”No…fighting with Kim, remember?”
“Hold on a sec, let me go ask my dad.” She put the phone down and headed toward the bedrooms. She found her father in his room, with what looked like the entire contents of his closet all over the place. “Dad….Woah,” she said from the doorway as Leonard poked his head out from the walk-in closet. “So much for a little at a time.”
Leonard shrugged. “I was on a roll. What’s up Baby? Who was on the phone?”
“Janie. She wants to come over to help me sort and pack. Can we go get her?”
“Oh, Jo…I’m in the middle of…”
“I know…but her parents are busy with Kim and she’s desperate to get out of the house. Please?”
Leonard cast his gaze around the room and then looked back at Jo who was waiting for his decision with a hopefully expectant look on her face that he was sure she learned directly from Jim.
“Oh, alright. Give me five minutes.”
“Thanks Dad! Love you!”
“Love you, too,” he called as she ran down the hall to tell Janie they’d be there in a few minutes.
Jo hung up with Janie and went to pull on her sneakers, leaving the stacks of movies on the floor. “Don’t go knocking things over,” she warned Jack, who’d been lazing about on the couch. He eyed her with the kitty equivalent of disdain and flicked his tail, which Jo was pretty sure meant, No matter what you say, human, I will do what I want.
“Ready, Jo?” her dad asked, coming into the room with his keys in hands. His eyes took in the state of the family room. “Are those all ours?”
“Yup,” Jo answered. “Most of them were in the tv thing, some were in a box in my closet, and some were on the bookshelves in the other room.”
“Wow…well, it’s good we’re going through everything. Let’s get going. I want to get back and finish up so Jim and I can actually sleep in that room tonight.”
Leonard winced as he settled in the car, a twinge of sharp pain in his abdomen surprising him. The pain faded quickly, and when Joanna tuned to a station playing a song he knew, he started singing along, glancing out of the corner of his eye at his daughter. She rolled her eyes and suppressed a smile, so Leonard sang louder.
“But I keep cruisin’, can’t stop, won’t stop moving. It’s like I got this music in my mind, saying it’s gonna be alright….Cause the players gonna play, play, play. And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate. Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake! Shake it off, shake it off!”
Finally Joanna laughed. “Dad, you know every single word! Do you have her cd or something?”
Leonard snorted. “Don’t need it. That song is on the radio a minimum of 20 times a day.”
A few minutes later they pulled up to the Kirk household to find Janie sitting on the front steps, a backpack at her feet. Seeing them, she jumped up and opened the front door, noting that the yelling had at least stopped, though she could hear her mother in the kitchen blowing her nose and her dad still talking. “Guys Uncle Len is here! Bye!”
Just as she was about to close the door, her mom called her. Rolling her eyes, she turned and gave Jo a “one second” sign. Aurelan came up behind her. “Yeah, Mom?”
“Where are you going?” she asked. She peered over her daughter, saw Leonard’s car in the driveway and waved.
Janie sighed hugely. “I said I was going to Jo’s. Maybe you didn’t hear me over all yelling.”
Aurelan waved to them, then turned back to her daughter. “I’m sorry, sweetie.” She hugged her younger daughter awkwardly, her hugely pregnant belly in the way. “Go ahead. Have fun and tell everyone I said hi. We’ll talk later. Are you sleeping over?”
“Maybe. I’m bringing my stuff, just in case.” She pulled away from her mother, then hesitated. Crouching down a little, she put her hands on both sides of her mother’s belly and spoke near it. “I know it’s still a little early, but no coming when I’m not here. You listen to your big sister and stay in there till I get home.”
Straightening, she gave her mother another hug. “Love you, bye!”
In the car, Leonard watched the Janie and her mom interact, smiling a little when she bent to talk to her little brother. “Everything okay here?” he asked Jo, sensing that something was up.
“Janie said Kim and their parents were fighting. She didn’t say why.”
Janie pulled open the back door, tossed her backpack in and slid into the seat. “Hey Jo. Hey Uncle Len. Thanks for coming to get me. I had to get out of there.”
“We’ll see if you still feel that way after you’ve helped me go through all my stuff and pack,” Jo said.
Leonard glanced at the blond in the rearview mirror as he backed out of the driveway and negotiated the streets of the neighborhood.
“Everything okay at home?” he asked.
“Yeah, I guess. Dad found birth control pills in Kim’s drawer and freaked out. Kim freaked out because Dad was in her drawers, but he was just putting away clothes. Mom freaked out because Kim didn’t tell her she was having sex and of course she started crying, because everything makes her cry right now…and I just had to get out of there.”
Well that’s disturbing, Leonard thought. He glanced at his daughter who was red-faced and didn’t seem to know what to say. She was staring straight out of the windshield, and wouldn’t even glance at her father.
“Personally, I don’t see what the big deal is,” Janie continued. “I mean, she is almost seventeen. You’re a doctor, Uncle Len. Better safe than sorry, right?”
Completely thrown by the casual way Janie was talking about this - such a stark contrast to Jo, who seemed tongue-tied, sitting in embarrassed silence - Leonard carefully weighed his words. He knew that Aurelan and Sam were pretty progressive when it came to raising their girls, and he couldn’t believe that they hadn’t addressed this very thing - or held particularly conservative views when it came to sex. However, he also knew that a lot of what you may believe for yourself went right out the window when faced with what you want for your children’s lives.
“Yes,” he answered. “Always better safe than sorry. But I think unless a person is prepared to deal with the consequences of doing something, they shouldn’t do it. That’s the only 100% guaranteed way to make sure you don’t end up with something you don’t want.”
“Like a baby,” Janie said.
Leonard glanced at Jo again, who still looked red in the face. He wished she felt more comfortable talking about this with him. Obviously Janie had no such hang-ups, though she was never really embarrassed by anything and didn’t have much of a filter. A Kirk trademark, apparently.
In for a penny… Leonard thought. “Right…but there’s no birth control pill that can protect you against catching a disease. A condom is the only thing that can do that, and that’s not 100% effective all the time. Nothing is.”
“That’s what mom was the most upset about, I think. ‘Safe doesn’t just mean “not pregnant” Kim,’” she said, doing a fair impression of her mother.
Leonard was sure she was concerned about Kim’s safety, but he was also sure that she was just as upset that her daughter hadn’t come to her and instead gone behind their back, as he was sure Kim did. He certainly would be. But he didn’t say anything. Not his place.
“Is Jo sleeping?” Janie asked after a few minutes.
“No, I’m awake,” she said, turning to look at her through the seats.
“Geez, you were so quiet, I couldn’t tell,” Janie gently teased.
Jo smiled, and just shrugged, turning back around in her seat. At the girls’ request, they stopped at a fast food place to grab some lunch, and by the time they got home, Jim’s car was there.
“Dad, we’re going to eat by the pool,” Jo said. “And we’ll get started when we’re done.”
“Okay, Jo. Make sure you guys clean up after yourselves. Janie, I’ll bring in your backpack.”
“We will, Dad.”
“Thanks, Uncle Len.”
Leonard brought his own lunch and what he’d gotten for Jim into the house and the girls headed to the pool area.
“So…I feel like I should apologize,” Janie said as they settled at a picnic table.
“What? Why?” Jo asked, looking up in surprise.
“Well…when I was talking about Kim in the car you got so quiet. Should I have not talked about it in front of your dad?”
Joanna hesitated for a second, laying her food out on a napkin. The question surprised her. She loved Janie, but she didn’t often think about the effect her words had. She’d hurt Jo’s feelings more than once with an incautiously phrased or flippant remark. She’d never really meant anything by it…and Jo was aware she was maybe a little too sensitive about some things…but she also didn’t often apologize.
“It’s just…you seemed really embarrassed. Does…did your dad or Jim not talk to you about sex stuff?” Janie asked as Jo let the silence continue. “Have you got your period yet?”
Joanna blushed, keeping her eyes on her food. “Yeah, I have. And…we’ve talked about things,” Jo said. “Dad had some books and stuff, and I looked some things up on my own.”
Janie munched on her fries as she eyed the girl she’d come to think of as her cousin. She knew Jo was incredibly smart - much smarter than she was for sure. But there were some things that she just seemed so young about. They were in middle school, for Pete’s sake, and she knew Jo was in class with older kids. Janie was willing to bet most of the girls Jo went to school with already had boyfriends.
“You didn’t say anything wrong in the car, Janie. I just…don’t talk to my dad about stuff like that.”
“What about Uncle Jim?” Janie asked. She’d always found him really easy to talk to. “Can you ask him questions?”
“No!” Joanna exclaimed. For some reason that seemed worse. “No…I don’t really ask questions.”
Janie couldn’t imagine not having her sister and mom to talk to about stuff. It didn’t seem fair, and she felt bad for Jo, and she said so.
“Well, that sucks. What if you need to know something? I know you can Google it or whatever, but it’s not fair that you don’t have someone to talk to. You can always talk to me, and I’m volunteering Kimmie, too. You can talk to her. She can be a pain, but she always answers my questions.”
Joanna rolled her eyes and smiled. She appreciated that, but she didn’t think she’d ever take her up on it. They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Jo looked up at Janie.
“Did Kim really have…um…”
“Have sex?” Janie filled in for her. “You can say it, you know.” Janie shrugged. “Who knows. She didn’t deny it, but she didn’t admit to it either. It’s not that big a deal. Most people do it…including my parents, obviously, and your dad and Uncle Jim. What do you think they’re doing in their room at night? Just sleeping?”
Joanna was happy to drop the subject at that. Actually she didn’t really know what her dad and Uncle Jim did in there, and she was perfectly fine with that.
Back in the apartment, Leonard and Jim were sitting at the kitchen table. Jim was enthusiastically attacking his chicken sandwich as Leonard recapped the conversation in they’d had in the car.
“Sam must’ve hit the roof,” Jim said drily.
“Yeah, I gathered they weren’t particularly thrilled.”
Jim chuckled, picturing the scene in the car. “Poor Jo,” he said. “I’m glad she and Janie are still such good friends, but they really could not be more different. She must’ve wanted to sink into her seat.”
Leonard sighed, pushing his uneaten food away. “Yeah, she was pretty embarrassed. Are we screwing up, Jim? I feel like both Aurelan and Sam are so open with their kids about...well…everything. And I know Jo is surrounded by older kids all the time, and kids are exposed to so much and just seem to grow up so fast now. I can just imagine what she’s hearing them talk about.”
Surprised at his doubt, Jim was quick to reassure. “No, Bones…not at all. It’s normal for her to be uncomfortable talking to us about this. And it’s very different at Sam’s house,” Jim said. He paused, not wanting to make Bones feel inadequate, but the simple fact was, a woman made a big difference. Aurelan was pregnant, Janie had an older sister…their approach to parenting came from two different perspectives, and that mattered.
Jim didn’t have to continue - Leonard was acutely aware of how their families differed.
“Look,” Jim said, reading the discontent in his expression. “No family is perfect. Sam and Aurelan aren’t perfect. They do things we don’t agree with, and we do things they don’t agree with. Neither of us are necessarily right or wrong. At the end of the day, the only things a parent can do for their kid is do their best to instill their values, teach them to be good people, and love them. We’re doing all of that, and it’s working. Jo is an awesome kid.”
Leonard smiled. She really was. “I just worry about her.”
Jim reached across the table to push Bones’ bangs off his forehead with a gentle touch. “I know. Goes with the territory. C’mon…eat. We need to clean up the mess that local tornado caused in our room.”
“I’m not hungry,” Leonard said, wrapping his sandwich back up.
“You haven’t eaten anything today, and barely had any dinner last night. How are you not hungry? Are you sick?”
He shrugged. “My stomach’s been bothering me a little. I’m fine.”
Jim let it go, but made a note to make sure he ate some dinner. Leonard left to go back to working on the mess he’d created in their bedroom, with Jim’s promise that he’d be right there. The girls came back into the house just as he was cleaning up the remains of their meal.
“Hi girls.”
“Hi Oide.”
“Hi, Uncle Jim,” Janie said. She gave her uncle a hug. “Uncle Len rescued me from the drama. Did he tell you?”
Jim glanced at Jo as she threw their trash away then hurried out of the kitchen. Apparently she’d had enough embarrassment for today.
“Yeah, he did,” Jim said. “What do you think of everything?”
Janie shrugged. “Whatever. I think everyone is overreacting.”
Jim smiled. That was very typical of her. “How’s your mom?”
“Crying all the time - over everything. But things’ll go back to normal soon enough.”
Not having the heart to tell her how unlikely that really was, Jim just nodded.
“Okay - I’m gonna go help Jo. Think I can sleep over tonight?”
“I don’t see why not. “
The rest of the afternoon was spent sorting, packing, taping, and stacking. Quickly enough, with everyone’s help they’d managed to sort through quite a lot of stuff, and they now had a whole lot of things set aside to give away, and the packing of the bedrooms and family room was started.
They weren’t under a tight timeline - they had the better part of the month in the apartment before they had to be out - but they were all eager to move into their first home.
A quick call to the Kirks assured Jim and Leonard that it would be okay for Janie to stay over, and Jim stayed on the phone with his brother for a while, just letting him talk. Mostly he was frustrated and concerned that Kim went behind their backs. We’ve always told her - since she started dating - that if she felt like she wanted to go on birth control or anything like that we’d support her. I just don’t get the lying. Jim understood, but at the end of the day, Kim had taken steps to protect herself because of what she’d learned from them, and he said as much to his brother. He wasn’t sure if it helped, but a different perspective sometimes did.
When he hung up, he headed into the kitchen to see if he could help with dinner to find Leonard sitting at the kitchen table, hunched over a little.
“Bones!” he exclaimed. He put a hand on Bones’ shoulder and crouched down next to him. “What’s the matter? Your stomach?”
“Yeah…I think I may be coming down with something,” he said.
Jim pressed his lips together in concern. Bones was pale, lines of discomfort around his eyes.
“Do you feel like you’re gonna throw up?”
“No…but I feel like I’d feel better if I did,” he replied.
“Okay…you need to go to bed.” He stood. “C’mon…do you want some ginger ale?” Jim asked as he urged him to stand with a hand on his elbow.
“I’m fine, Jim…I just need to rest a second.” And he noticed the resting seemed to be working. The sharp pain he’d felt in his gut was fading.
Jim frowned, clearly unhappy with Leonard’s insistence that he was “fine”. “You don’t look fine to me,” he said. Jim tenderly carded his hands through Leonard’s hair, resting his hand on his forehead. “You feel a little warm,” he murmured.
Leonard smiled, resting his head against Jim’s chest as he held him in a gentle hug. “Wasn’t aware you finished your m.d.,” he teased.
Jim chuckled. “I think raising a child makes me qualified to diagnose a fever by touch. How about some Tylenol and Pepto Bismol? And let’s just order in. Do you feel like eating anything in particular?” Jim went to the cabinet to pull the medicines down, and got Bones a glass of water.
“Not really,” he said, accepting the tablets and glass. “You guys get what you want.”
“What are you going to have?” Jim asked. He pulled open the drawer with the take-out menus. “Girls, come decide what you want for dinner!” he called.
“Be right there!” Jo yelled back.
“I don’t really want anything. I feel worse after I eat.”
“You should have something. You haven’t eaten since yesterday. How about some soup?” Jim offered. “We still have that chicken soup in the freezer. I could reheat it and maybe add some egg noodles.”
Not really wanting it, but knowing how much Jim wanted to do something to help him, Leonard agreed.
The girls decided on Chinese, and when the food arrived everyone settled in the family room to watch a few recorded episodes of a singing show the girls liked and have dinner. Jim watched as Leonard moved carefully, as if he was trying not to aggravate pain, and his concern for him grew. If he wasn’t better by tomorrow, Jim was going to insist he go to the doctor. He didn’t have to have an m.d. to know that hurting too much to eat for more than two days was indication that something was wrong.
Jim handed him his bowl of soup, then took a seat next to him with a plate of food. Leonard stirred the soup and, aware that Jim was watching him, ate a few spoonfulls. It was good…the addition of the egg noodles was a good idea…but he just didn’t feel like eating.
He managed to finish about half the bowl before giving up. “Do you want anything else?” Jim asked. “Some tea, maybe?”
Leonard shook his head. “No thanks.”
Jo paused the show, and Jim and the girls spent a few minutes cleaning up and putting away the leftovers, and Leonard decided to go to bed.
“You okay, Dad?” Jo asked, giving him a hug.
“Yeah, I think I might be comin’ down with something, but I’m fine. Good job on everything you two managed to finish today. Don’t stay up too late, okay?”
“We won’t. I hope you feel better, Daddy,” Jo said, concern in her voice.
“I will, Baby. It’s no big deal.”
Leonard and Jim left the girls to finish their movie and headed to the bedroom. The pain in Leonard’s gut was a constant ache now, and even the act of pulling his shirt over his head and bending to remove his pants made it worse. Feeling chilled, he lay down on his side, knees tucked up a little, and sighed as Jim covered him.
Jim had watched Leonard undress, and his concern was mounting. “Bones…what if it’s appendicitis? Should we go to the hospital?”
Leonard shook his head. “Wrong side of the body,” he said.
He sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked Leonard’s hair, the touch soothing. “So you hurt more on the left? Is that unusual?”
Knowing that Jim would always project his own fear of medical issues and treatments onto him, Leonard reached for his hand and did his best to sound as sincere as he could.
“I really don’t think it’s anything serious, but I promise you, if I don’t feel any better by tomorrow - or if I feel worse - I won’t even wait for Monday. We’ll just go to my hospital tomorrow and I’ll have someone there check me out. Okay?”
Jim pressed his lips together and gave him a tight smile. “I’m overreacting, aren’t I?” he asked.
“Maybe a little,” Leonard replied.
“Okay…” He leaned down to give him a kiss, then stood, pulling the blanket up around Leonard a little more snugly. “If you’re sure you’re okay, I’ll go back out there to check on the girls and maybe get a little more packing done in the kitchen.”
“Darlin’, I’m sure I’m okay. Go on.”
With that assurance, Jim turned off the lights in the room, left the door open slightly, and headed back into the main part of the apartment. Jo and Janie were sprawled out on the couch, and Jim was happy to see that their dishes were already washed and put away.
“Is Dad okay?” Jo asked.
Jim sighed as he stretched. “Yeah…he’s just not feeling well. He’ll be fine,” he replied - saying so for himself as much as for Jo.
“I don’t like it when you guys are sick,” she said.
Jim sat next to her and gave her a hug. “Me either, kiddo.”
Later that night, after Jo and Janie had retired to Jo’s room - he could still hear them talking and giggling - Jim did the final check of the apartment, turning on the alarm, turning off the lights, making sure the windows were locked - everything Leonard usually did before going to bed.
On the way to his room he stopped and opened the door to Jo’s room after a perfunctory knock - and Janie quickly closed a laptop. Jim’s expression morphed into suspicion.
“What’re you doing?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Janie replied. “We were just going to play a game.”
Jim eyed Joanna, who was blushing and hadn’t really looked at him.
“Uh huh,” he said, making it plain he wasn’t falling for it. Stepping more fully into the room, he surveyed the boxes that were labeled and stacked all over the place. “You guys did all of this today?” he asked.
“Yes…Janie was a huge help. I sorted and she packed,” Jo said, the flush fading. She made herself meet Jim’s eyes. “Those boxes over there are all of things to give away. Some books and toys and clothes.”
“That’s great, Jo.” He leaned down to hug her, and dropped a kiss on her head. “Thanks for being such a big help, Janie.” He gave her a hug, too.
“No problem. I’m always happy to help,” she said with a smile.
“Okay, I’m going to turn in. Everything’s locked up. You guys don’t stay up too late, and keep it down. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight Oide.”
“’Night Uncle Jim.”
Jim pulled the door closed and padded to his room. The room lit only by a light left on low in the bathroom, he crossed to the bed. Bones was sleeping, but it wasn’t a restful sleep. He constantly shifted, his brow furrowed, obviously in pain. Jim’s heart broke…he hated to see Bones feeling so bad. Jim reached out to touch him, and he was surprised at how warm he was. Just as he was debating if he should wake him to take some more Tylenol or Pepto, he woke on his own.
Pressing his face to the pillow, Leonard groaned.
“Bones…I hate to see you like this. It’s obviously worse…tell me what I can do,” Jim said, moving onto the bed with him. Bones shifted to rest his head in Jim’s lap, wrapping an arm around his waist. Jim moved his fingers through Bones’ hair, and massaged his head, neck and shoulders.
Leonard tried to focus. The pain was worse, and though he’d tried to throw up a couple of times, all he’d managed to do was gag. There was nothing to throw up. He was starting to suspect something in particular, and if he was right, it had the potential to get bad quickly. It was time do something - and not freak Jim out in the process.
“I think I need to go to the hospital,” he said.
Jim’s eyes widened. “Really? I - I mean, yes…if you’re hurting and you think so, you definitely should. Do you want…should I call an ambulance?” he asked, standing and reaching for the phone, his heart already knocking against his chest.
“No…Jim.” He sat up painfully, and waited for the pain to abate a little before letting out a careful breath and looking up at him. “Listen…I don’t need an ambulance - unless you don’t feel like you can take me.”
Jim licked his lips. It was a fair question, he supposed. It wasn’t just taking Bones…it was also staying calm, and being the one to comfort instead of the one comforted. That might seem like a small thing, but Bones was right to check with him. For Jim, it was a little more complicated.
“I can take you,” he said. “Let me call Sam and go talk to the girls. Here’s your clothes.”
“Thanks,” Leonard said. “Send Jo in here, would you? I don’t want her to be scared. And can you make sure we take my wallet and hospital ID card.”
“Yes,” Jim said, plucking those items off the bureau. “I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes later, Jim helped Leonard into the car. Moving was painful, and he broke out in a cold sweat, shivering in cool, damp night.
“Jo, go get me the throw blanket off the couch,” Jim said over his shoulder.
“Okay.” She ran back into the apartment and grabbed it, then hurried to hand it to Jim.
“Thanks, Jo,” Jim said. He tucked the blanket around Leonard, his hands shaking. Leonard saw that, and reached for him, grasping one of his hands tightly, and Jim got it. Calm down. Jim straightened and let out a deep breath. He turned to Janie and Jo, who both looked so worried. Especially Jo.
“Okay, guys. Sam’ll be here in a few minutes. Are you ready to go, Jo?”
She nodded as her eyes teared up. “No, no…it’s okay,” Jim said, drawing her into his arms. “You dad is going to be fine. You know how cautious he is, and he didn’t even think an ambulance was necessary. He’ll be fine. Okay?”
“Okay,” Jo said. She pulled away and wiped her eyes. Moving around Jim, she leaned into the car to give her dad a kiss. “Call me, Daddy.”
“I will Baby. And we’re just going as a precaution. I’ll be fine,” he said sincerely. “I just want to make sure that whatever’s making me feel sick is caught early. We have a lot to do this month. Make sure you lock up and set the alarm when you leave with Sam, okay?”
“I will, Daddy. Feel better.” She gave him another hug, then headed back into the apartment with Janie to wait for Sam to get there. Bones didn’t want to leave Jo and Janie alone, and Sam hadn’t wanted to be away from Aurelan, so bringing the girls back to their home was the only other option.
On their way to the hospital, Jim kept glancing over at Bones. He had his eyes closed, head back against the headrest, and though he looked like he was resting, Jim could see that he was gritting his teeth.
“Jim,” he said suddenly. “I have to tell you something.”
“What is it?” Jim asked. He was trying to tamp down his nerves and ignore his own rolling stomach - just stress reactions from being in this situation, he knew, but completely unpleasant nonetheless.
“They’re probably going to want to do a digital rectal exam on me, just as part of the exam, when we get there. I…I haven’t let anyone but you touch me there since I was attacked.”
Jim glanced over at him, and reached to take his hand, holding him firmly. “What do you want me to do?” he asked. “Want me to tell them to skip that part?”
Leonard seriously considered it for a second. And he knew he could count on Jim going to bat for him if he needed him to. But, he thought he had an idea of what was wrong, and he was in enough pain that he wanted to make sure the diagnosis was made quickly so he could get some relief.
“No…I just…wanted you to know.”
“Okay, Bones. Will they let me stay with you?”
“They will if I tell them to,” he said. He groaned as they hit a bump. “Fuck. This sucks.”
“We’re almost there. Where do you want me to go?”
“Emergency Entrance.”
“Okay,” Jim said quietly, swallowing down his own feelings of trepidation. He had to be the strong one this time. “Nearly there.”
.
Author: Caera1996
Rating for this Part: PG-13
W/C: 5,257
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Timeline Notes: A third anchor story (novel-length) in TBoPE/LAWG ‘verse. Set five years after the end of Learning As We Go, about four months before “No Good Deed”.
This Part: Developments in Janie’s family lead to embarrassing conversations for Joanna, and Leonard gets sick, forcing a visit to the E.R.
Joanna was sitting on the floor in the family room, going through their substantial collection of movies, when the phone rang.
“Jo can you get that?” her father yelled from somewhere else in the apartment. This Saturday they were all going through their things, deciding what to pack and what to either give or throw away. She stood and grabbed the phone by the couch, recognizing the Kirk’s number right away.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” Janie said. “Can I come over?”
“Well, it’ll be boring. We’re cleaning and packing today.”
“Cool, I’ll help. Just get me out of here.”
“Everything okay?” Jo asked, her brow furrowing in concern. She sat on the edge of the couch and surveyed the rest of what she was asked to do today…all of the movies, all of her books and stuff in her closet, and clothes that no longer fit her. It would definitely go faster with someone to help pack the boxes of things that were going to be either kept or given away.
Janie sighed dramatically on the other end of the line. ”Kim and the parents are fighting. Can Uncle Jim or Uncle Len come get me?”
“Your mom or dad can’t bring you?” She knew her dad hated to be interrupted when he was in the middle of something and Oide wasn’t even home from whatever errand he’d left to do.
”No…fighting with Kim, remember?”
“Hold on a sec, let me go ask my dad.” She put the phone down and headed toward the bedrooms. She found her father in his room, with what looked like the entire contents of his closet all over the place. “Dad….Woah,” she said from the doorway as Leonard poked his head out from the walk-in closet. “So much for a little at a time.”
Leonard shrugged. “I was on a roll. What’s up Baby? Who was on the phone?”
“Janie. She wants to come over to help me sort and pack. Can we go get her?”
“Oh, Jo…I’m in the middle of…”
“I know…but her parents are busy with Kim and she’s desperate to get out of the house. Please?”
Leonard cast his gaze around the room and then looked back at Jo who was waiting for his decision with a hopefully expectant look on her face that he was sure she learned directly from Jim.
“Oh, alright. Give me five minutes.”
“Thanks Dad! Love you!”
“Love you, too,” he called as she ran down the hall to tell Janie they’d be there in a few minutes.
Jo hung up with Janie and went to pull on her sneakers, leaving the stacks of movies on the floor. “Don’t go knocking things over,” she warned Jack, who’d been lazing about on the couch. He eyed her with the kitty equivalent of disdain and flicked his tail, which Jo was pretty sure meant, No matter what you say, human, I will do what I want.
“Ready, Jo?” her dad asked, coming into the room with his keys in hands. His eyes took in the state of the family room. “Are those all ours?”
“Yup,” Jo answered. “Most of them were in the tv thing, some were in a box in my closet, and some were on the bookshelves in the other room.”
“Wow…well, it’s good we’re going through everything. Let’s get going. I want to get back and finish up so Jim and I can actually sleep in that room tonight.”
Leonard winced as he settled in the car, a twinge of sharp pain in his abdomen surprising him. The pain faded quickly, and when Joanna tuned to a station playing a song he knew, he started singing along, glancing out of the corner of his eye at his daughter. She rolled her eyes and suppressed a smile, so Leonard sang louder.
“But I keep cruisin’, can’t stop, won’t stop moving. It’s like I got this music in my mind, saying it’s gonna be alright….Cause the players gonna play, play, play. And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate. Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake! Shake it off, shake it off!”
Finally Joanna laughed. “Dad, you know every single word! Do you have her cd or something?”
Leonard snorted. “Don’t need it. That song is on the radio a minimum of 20 times a day.”
A few minutes later they pulled up to the Kirk household to find Janie sitting on the front steps, a backpack at her feet. Seeing them, she jumped up and opened the front door, noting that the yelling had at least stopped, though she could hear her mother in the kitchen blowing her nose and her dad still talking. “Guys Uncle Len is here! Bye!”
Just as she was about to close the door, her mom called her. Rolling her eyes, she turned and gave Jo a “one second” sign. Aurelan came up behind her. “Yeah, Mom?”
“Where are you going?” she asked. She peered over her daughter, saw Leonard’s car in the driveway and waved.
Janie sighed hugely. “I said I was going to Jo’s. Maybe you didn’t hear me over all yelling.”
Aurelan waved to them, then turned back to her daughter. “I’m sorry, sweetie.” She hugged her younger daughter awkwardly, her hugely pregnant belly in the way. “Go ahead. Have fun and tell everyone I said hi. We’ll talk later. Are you sleeping over?”
“Maybe. I’m bringing my stuff, just in case.” She pulled away from her mother, then hesitated. Crouching down a little, she put her hands on both sides of her mother’s belly and spoke near it. “I know it’s still a little early, but no coming when I’m not here. You listen to your big sister and stay in there till I get home.”
Straightening, she gave her mother another hug. “Love you, bye!”
In the car, Leonard watched the Janie and her mom interact, smiling a little when she bent to talk to her little brother. “Everything okay here?” he asked Jo, sensing that something was up.
“Janie said Kim and their parents were fighting. She didn’t say why.”
Janie pulled open the back door, tossed her backpack in and slid into the seat. “Hey Jo. Hey Uncle Len. Thanks for coming to get me. I had to get out of there.”
“We’ll see if you still feel that way after you’ve helped me go through all my stuff and pack,” Jo said.
Leonard glanced at the blond in the rearview mirror as he backed out of the driveway and negotiated the streets of the neighborhood.
“Everything okay at home?” he asked.
“Yeah, I guess. Dad found birth control pills in Kim’s drawer and freaked out. Kim freaked out because Dad was in her drawers, but he was just putting away clothes. Mom freaked out because Kim didn’t tell her she was having sex and of course she started crying, because everything makes her cry right now…and I just had to get out of there.”
Well that’s disturbing, Leonard thought. He glanced at his daughter who was red-faced and didn’t seem to know what to say. She was staring straight out of the windshield, and wouldn’t even glance at her father.
“Personally, I don’t see what the big deal is,” Janie continued. “I mean, she is almost seventeen. You’re a doctor, Uncle Len. Better safe than sorry, right?”
Completely thrown by the casual way Janie was talking about this - such a stark contrast to Jo, who seemed tongue-tied, sitting in embarrassed silence - Leonard carefully weighed his words. He knew that Aurelan and Sam were pretty progressive when it came to raising their girls, and he couldn’t believe that they hadn’t addressed this very thing - or held particularly conservative views when it came to sex. However, he also knew that a lot of what you may believe for yourself went right out the window when faced with what you want for your children’s lives.
“Yes,” he answered. “Always better safe than sorry. But I think unless a person is prepared to deal with the consequences of doing something, they shouldn’t do it. That’s the only 100% guaranteed way to make sure you don’t end up with something you don’t want.”
“Like a baby,” Janie said.
Leonard glanced at Jo again, who still looked red in the face. He wished she felt more comfortable talking about this with him. Obviously Janie had no such hang-ups, though she was never really embarrassed by anything and didn’t have much of a filter. A Kirk trademark, apparently.
In for a penny… Leonard thought. “Right…but there’s no birth control pill that can protect you against catching a disease. A condom is the only thing that can do that, and that’s not 100% effective all the time. Nothing is.”
“That’s what mom was the most upset about, I think. ‘Safe doesn’t just mean “not pregnant” Kim,’” she said, doing a fair impression of her mother.
Leonard was sure she was concerned about Kim’s safety, but he was also sure that she was just as upset that her daughter hadn’t come to her and instead gone behind their back, as he was sure Kim did. He certainly would be. But he didn’t say anything. Not his place.
“Is Jo sleeping?” Janie asked after a few minutes.
“No, I’m awake,” she said, turning to look at her through the seats.
“Geez, you were so quiet, I couldn’t tell,” Janie gently teased.
Jo smiled, and just shrugged, turning back around in her seat. At the girls’ request, they stopped at a fast food place to grab some lunch, and by the time they got home, Jim’s car was there.
“Dad, we’re going to eat by the pool,” Jo said. “And we’ll get started when we’re done.”
“Okay, Jo. Make sure you guys clean up after yourselves. Janie, I’ll bring in your backpack.”
“We will, Dad.”
“Thanks, Uncle Len.”
Leonard brought his own lunch and what he’d gotten for Jim into the house and the girls headed to the pool area.
“So…I feel like I should apologize,” Janie said as they settled at a picnic table.
“What? Why?” Jo asked, looking up in surprise.
“Well…when I was talking about Kim in the car you got so quiet. Should I have not talked about it in front of your dad?”
Joanna hesitated for a second, laying her food out on a napkin. The question surprised her. She loved Janie, but she didn’t often think about the effect her words had. She’d hurt Jo’s feelings more than once with an incautiously phrased or flippant remark. She’d never really meant anything by it…and Jo was aware she was maybe a little too sensitive about some things…but she also didn’t often apologize.
“It’s just…you seemed really embarrassed. Does…did your dad or Jim not talk to you about sex stuff?” Janie asked as Jo let the silence continue. “Have you got your period yet?”
Joanna blushed, keeping her eyes on her food. “Yeah, I have. And…we’ve talked about things,” Jo said. “Dad had some books and stuff, and I looked some things up on my own.”
Janie munched on her fries as she eyed the girl she’d come to think of as her cousin. She knew Jo was incredibly smart - much smarter than she was for sure. But there were some things that she just seemed so young about. They were in middle school, for Pete’s sake, and she knew Jo was in class with older kids. Janie was willing to bet most of the girls Jo went to school with already had boyfriends.
“You didn’t say anything wrong in the car, Janie. I just…don’t talk to my dad about stuff like that.”
“What about Uncle Jim?” Janie asked. She’d always found him really easy to talk to. “Can you ask him questions?”
“No!” Joanna exclaimed. For some reason that seemed worse. “No…I don’t really ask questions.”
Janie couldn’t imagine not having her sister and mom to talk to about stuff. It didn’t seem fair, and she felt bad for Jo, and she said so.
“Well, that sucks. What if you need to know something? I know you can Google it or whatever, but it’s not fair that you don’t have someone to talk to. You can always talk to me, and I’m volunteering Kimmie, too. You can talk to her. She can be a pain, but she always answers my questions.”
Joanna rolled her eyes and smiled. She appreciated that, but she didn’t think she’d ever take her up on it. They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Jo looked up at Janie.
“Did Kim really have…um…”
“Have sex?” Janie filled in for her. “You can say it, you know.” Janie shrugged. “Who knows. She didn’t deny it, but she didn’t admit to it either. It’s not that big a deal. Most people do it…including my parents, obviously, and your dad and Uncle Jim. What do you think they’re doing in their room at night? Just sleeping?”
Joanna was happy to drop the subject at that. Actually she didn’t really know what her dad and Uncle Jim did in there, and she was perfectly fine with that.
Back in the apartment, Leonard and Jim were sitting at the kitchen table. Jim was enthusiastically attacking his chicken sandwich as Leonard recapped the conversation in they’d had in the car.
“Sam must’ve hit the roof,” Jim said drily.
“Yeah, I gathered they weren’t particularly thrilled.”
Jim chuckled, picturing the scene in the car. “Poor Jo,” he said. “I’m glad she and Janie are still such good friends, but they really could not be more different. She must’ve wanted to sink into her seat.”
Leonard sighed, pushing his uneaten food away. “Yeah, she was pretty embarrassed. Are we screwing up, Jim? I feel like both Aurelan and Sam are so open with their kids about...well…everything. And I know Jo is surrounded by older kids all the time, and kids are exposed to so much and just seem to grow up so fast now. I can just imagine what she’s hearing them talk about.”
Surprised at his doubt, Jim was quick to reassure. “No, Bones…not at all. It’s normal for her to be uncomfortable talking to us about this. And it’s very different at Sam’s house,” Jim said. He paused, not wanting to make Bones feel inadequate, but the simple fact was, a woman made a big difference. Aurelan was pregnant, Janie had an older sister…their approach to parenting came from two different perspectives, and that mattered.
Jim didn’t have to continue - Leonard was acutely aware of how their families differed.
“Look,” Jim said, reading the discontent in his expression. “No family is perfect. Sam and Aurelan aren’t perfect. They do things we don’t agree with, and we do things they don’t agree with. Neither of us are necessarily right or wrong. At the end of the day, the only things a parent can do for their kid is do their best to instill their values, teach them to be good people, and love them. We’re doing all of that, and it’s working. Jo is an awesome kid.”
Leonard smiled. She really was. “I just worry about her.”
Jim reached across the table to push Bones’ bangs off his forehead with a gentle touch. “I know. Goes with the territory. C’mon…eat. We need to clean up the mess that local tornado caused in our room.”
“I’m not hungry,” Leonard said, wrapping his sandwich back up.
“You haven’t eaten anything today, and barely had any dinner last night. How are you not hungry? Are you sick?”
He shrugged. “My stomach’s been bothering me a little. I’m fine.”
Jim let it go, but made a note to make sure he ate some dinner. Leonard left to go back to working on the mess he’d created in their bedroom, with Jim’s promise that he’d be right there. The girls came back into the house just as he was cleaning up the remains of their meal.
“Hi girls.”
“Hi Oide.”
“Hi, Uncle Jim,” Janie said. She gave her uncle a hug. “Uncle Len rescued me from the drama. Did he tell you?”
Jim glanced at Jo as she threw their trash away then hurried out of the kitchen. Apparently she’d had enough embarrassment for today.
“Yeah, he did,” Jim said. “What do you think of everything?”
Janie shrugged. “Whatever. I think everyone is overreacting.”
Jim smiled. That was very typical of her. “How’s your mom?”
“Crying all the time - over everything. But things’ll go back to normal soon enough.”
Not having the heart to tell her how unlikely that really was, Jim just nodded.
“Okay - I’m gonna go help Jo. Think I can sleep over tonight?”
“I don’t see why not. “
The rest of the afternoon was spent sorting, packing, taping, and stacking. Quickly enough, with everyone’s help they’d managed to sort through quite a lot of stuff, and they now had a whole lot of things set aside to give away, and the packing of the bedrooms and family room was started.
They weren’t under a tight timeline - they had the better part of the month in the apartment before they had to be out - but they were all eager to move into their first home.
A quick call to the Kirks assured Jim and Leonard that it would be okay for Janie to stay over, and Jim stayed on the phone with his brother for a while, just letting him talk. Mostly he was frustrated and concerned that Kim went behind their backs. We’ve always told her - since she started dating - that if she felt like she wanted to go on birth control or anything like that we’d support her. I just don’t get the lying. Jim understood, but at the end of the day, Kim had taken steps to protect herself because of what she’d learned from them, and he said as much to his brother. He wasn’t sure if it helped, but a different perspective sometimes did.
When he hung up, he headed into the kitchen to see if he could help with dinner to find Leonard sitting at the kitchen table, hunched over a little.
“Bones!” he exclaimed. He put a hand on Bones’ shoulder and crouched down next to him. “What’s the matter? Your stomach?”
“Yeah…I think I may be coming down with something,” he said.
Jim pressed his lips together in concern. Bones was pale, lines of discomfort around his eyes.
“Do you feel like you’re gonna throw up?”
“No…but I feel like I’d feel better if I did,” he replied.
“Okay…you need to go to bed.” He stood. “C’mon…do you want some ginger ale?” Jim asked as he urged him to stand with a hand on his elbow.
“I’m fine, Jim…I just need to rest a second.” And he noticed the resting seemed to be working. The sharp pain he’d felt in his gut was fading.
Jim frowned, clearly unhappy with Leonard’s insistence that he was “fine”. “You don’t look fine to me,” he said. Jim tenderly carded his hands through Leonard’s hair, resting his hand on his forehead. “You feel a little warm,” he murmured.
Leonard smiled, resting his head against Jim’s chest as he held him in a gentle hug. “Wasn’t aware you finished your m.d.,” he teased.
Jim chuckled. “I think raising a child makes me qualified to diagnose a fever by touch. How about some Tylenol and Pepto Bismol? And let’s just order in. Do you feel like eating anything in particular?” Jim went to the cabinet to pull the medicines down, and got Bones a glass of water.
“Not really,” he said, accepting the tablets and glass. “You guys get what you want.”
“What are you going to have?” Jim asked. He pulled open the drawer with the take-out menus. “Girls, come decide what you want for dinner!” he called.
“Be right there!” Jo yelled back.
“I don’t really want anything. I feel worse after I eat.”
“You should have something. You haven’t eaten since yesterday. How about some soup?” Jim offered. “We still have that chicken soup in the freezer. I could reheat it and maybe add some egg noodles.”
Not really wanting it, but knowing how much Jim wanted to do something to help him, Leonard agreed.
The girls decided on Chinese, and when the food arrived everyone settled in the family room to watch a few recorded episodes of a singing show the girls liked and have dinner. Jim watched as Leonard moved carefully, as if he was trying not to aggravate pain, and his concern for him grew. If he wasn’t better by tomorrow, Jim was going to insist he go to the doctor. He didn’t have to have an m.d. to know that hurting too much to eat for more than two days was indication that something was wrong.
Jim handed him his bowl of soup, then took a seat next to him with a plate of food. Leonard stirred the soup and, aware that Jim was watching him, ate a few spoonfulls. It was good…the addition of the egg noodles was a good idea…but he just didn’t feel like eating.
He managed to finish about half the bowl before giving up. “Do you want anything else?” Jim asked. “Some tea, maybe?”
Leonard shook his head. “No thanks.”
Jo paused the show, and Jim and the girls spent a few minutes cleaning up and putting away the leftovers, and Leonard decided to go to bed.
“You okay, Dad?” Jo asked, giving him a hug.
“Yeah, I think I might be comin’ down with something, but I’m fine. Good job on everything you two managed to finish today. Don’t stay up too late, okay?”
“We won’t. I hope you feel better, Daddy,” Jo said, concern in her voice.
“I will, Baby. It’s no big deal.”
Leonard and Jim left the girls to finish their movie and headed to the bedroom. The pain in Leonard’s gut was a constant ache now, and even the act of pulling his shirt over his head and bending to remove his pants made it worse. Feeling chilled, he lay down on his side, knees tucked up a little, and sighed as Jim covered him.
Jim had watched Leonard undress, and his concern was mounting. “Bones…what if it’s appendicitis? Should we go to the hospital?”
Leonard shook his head. “Wrong side of the body,” he said.
He sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked Leonard’s hair, the touch soothing. “So you hurt more on the left? Is that unusual?”
Knowing that Jim would always project his own fear of medical issues and treatments onto him, Leonard reached for his hand and did his best to sound as sincere as he could.
“I really don’t think it’s anything serious, but I promise you, if I don’t feel any better by tomorrow - or if I feel worse - I won’t even wait for Monday. We’ll just go to my hospital tomorrow and I’ll have someone there check me out. Okay?”
Jim pressed his lips together and gave him a tight smile. “I’m overreacting, aren’t I?” he asked.
“Maybe a little,” Leonard replied.
“Okay…” He leaned down to give him a kiss, then stood, pulling the blanket up around Leonard a little more snugly. “If you’re sure you’re okay, I’ll go back out there to check on the girls and maybe get a little more packing done in the kitchen.”
“Darlin’, I’m sure I’m okay. Go on.”
With that assurance, Jim turned off the lights in the room, left the door open slightly, and headed back into the main part of the apartment. Jo and Janie were sprawled out on the couch, and Jim was happy to see that their dishes were already washed and put away.
“Is Dad okay?” Jo asked.
Jim sighed as he stretched. “Yeah…he’s just not feeling well. He’ll be fine,” he replied - saying so for himself as much as for Jo.
“I don’t like it when you guys are sick,” she said.
Jim sat next to her and gave her a hug. “Me either, kiddo.”
Later that night, after Jo and Janie had retired to Jo’s room - he could still hear them talking and giggling - Jim did the final check of the apartment, turning on the alarm, turning off the lights, making sure the windows were locked - everything Leonard usually did before going to bed.
On the way to his room he stopped and opened the door to Jo’s room after a perfunctory knock - and Janie quickly closed a laptop. Jim’s expression morphed into suspicion.
“What’re you doing?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Janie replied. “We were just going to play a game.”
Jim eyed Joanna, who was blushing and hadn’t really looked at him.
“Uh huh,” he said, making it plain he wasn’t falling for it. Stepping more fully into the room, he surveyed the boxes that were labeled and stacked all over the place. “You guys did all of this today?” he asked.
“Yes…Janie was a huge help. I sorted and she packed,” Jo said, the flush fading. She made herself meet Jim’s eyes. “Those boxes over there are all of things to give away. Some books and toys and clothes.”
“That’s great, Jo.” He leaned down to hug her, and dropped a kiss on her head. “Thanks for being such a big help, Janie.” He gave her a hug, too.
“No problem. I’m always happy to help,” she said with a smile.
“Okay, I’m going to turn in. Everything’s locked up. You guys don’t stay up too late, and keep it down. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight Oide.”
“’Night Uncle Jim.”
Jim pulled the door closed and padded to his room. The room lit only by a light left on low in the bathroom, he crossed to the bed. Bones was sleeping, but it wasn’t a restful sleep. He constantly shifted, his brow furrowed, obviously in pain. Jim’s heart broke…he hated to see Bones feeling so bad. Jim reached out to touch him, and he was surprised at how warm he was. Just as he was debating if he should wake him to take some more Tylenol or Pepto, he woke on his own.
Pressing his face to the pillow, Leonard groaned.
“Bones…I hate to see you like this. It’s obviously worse…tell me what I can do,” Jim said, moving onto the bed with him. Bones shifted to rest his head in Jim’s lap, wrapping an arm around his waist. Jim moved his fingers through Bones’ hair, and massaged his head, neck and shoulders.
Leonard tried to focus. The pain was worse, and though he’d tried to throw up a couple of times, all he’d managed to do was gag. There was nothing to throw up. He was starting to suspect something in particular, and if he was right, it had the potential to get bad quickly. It was time do something - and not freak Jim out in the process.
“I think I need to go to the hospital,” he said.
Jim’s eyes widened. “Really? I - I mean, yes…if you’re hurting and you think so, you definitely should. Do you want…should I call an ambulance?” he asked, standing and reaching for the phone, his heart already knocking against his chest.
“No…Jim.” He sat up painfully, and waited for the pain to abate a little before letting out a careful breath and looking up at him. “Listen…I don’t need an ambulance - unless you don’t feel like you can take me.”
Jim licked his lips. It was a fair question, he supposed. It wasn’t just taking Bones…it was also staying calm, and being the one to comfort instead of the one comforted. That might seem like a small thing, but Bones was right to check with him. For Jim, it was a little more complicated.
“I can take you,” he said. “Let me call Sam and go talk to the girls. Here’s your clothes.”
“Thanks,” Leonard said. “Send Jo in here, would you? I don’t want her to be scared. And can you make sure we take my wallet and hospital ID card.”
“Yes,” Jim said, plucking those items off the bureau. “I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes later, Jim helped Leonard into the car. Moving was painful, and he broke out in a cold sweat, shivering in cool, damp night.
“Jo, go get me the throw blanket off the couch,” Jim said over his shoulder.
“Okay.” She ran back into the apartment and grabbed it, then hurried to hand it to Jim.
“Thanks, Jo,” Jim said. He tucked the blanket around Leonard, his hands shaking. Leonard saw that, and reached for him, grasping one of his hands tightly, and Jim got it. Calm down. Jim straightened and let out a deep breath. He turned to Janie and Jo, who both looked so worried. Especially Jo.
“Okay, guys. Sam’ll be here in a few minutes. Are you ready to go, Jo?”
She nodded as her eyes teared up. “No, no…it’s okay,” Jim said, drawing her into his arms. “You dad is going to be fine. You know how cautious he is, and he didn’t even think an ambulance was necessary. He’ll be fine. Okay?”
“Okay,” Jo said. She pulled away and wiped her eyes. Moving around Jim, she leaned into the car to give her dad a kiss. “Call me, Daddy.”
“I will Baby. And we’re just going as a precaution. I’ll be fine,” he said sincerely. “I just want to make sure that whatever’s making me feel sick is caught early. We have a lot to do this month. Make sure you lock up and set the alarm when you leave with Sam, okay?”
“I will, Daddy. Feel better.” She gave him another hug, then headed back into the apartment with Janie to wait for Sam to get there. Bones didn’t want to leave Jo and Janie alone, and Sam hadn’t wanted to be away from Aurelan, so bringing the girls back to their home was the only other option.
On their way to the hospital, Jim kept glancing over at Bones. He had his eyes closed, head back against the headrest, and though he looked like he was resting, Jim could see that he was gritting his teeth.
“Jim,” he said suddenly. “I have to tell you something.”
“What is it?” Jim asked. He was trying to tamp down his nerves and ignore his own rolling stomach - just stress reactions from being in this situation, he knew, but completely unpleasant nonetheless.
“They’re probably going to want to do a digital rectal exam on me, just as part of the exam, when we get there. I…I haven’t let anyone but you touch me there since I was attacked.”
Jim glanced over at him, and reached to take his hand, holding him firmly. “What do you want me to do?” he asked. “Want me to tell them to skip that part?”
Leonard seriously considered it for a second. And he knew he could count on Jim going to bat for him if he needed him to. But, he thought he had an idea of what was wrong, and he was in enough pain that he wanted to make sure the diagnosis was made quickly so he could get some relief.
“No…I just…wanted you to know.”
“Okay, Bones. Will they let me stay with you?”
“They will if I tell them to,” he said. He groaned as they hit a bump. “Fuck. This sucks.”
“We’re almost there. Where do you want me to go?”
“Emergency Entrance.”
“Okay,” Jim said quietly, swallowing down his own feelings of trepidation. He had to be the strong one this time. “Nearly there.”
.