The Death March - Part Twenty-Three
Title: The Death March
Part: Twenty-Three: The Breakdown
Previously: Prologue | One | Two | Three| Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen | Fifteen | Sixteen | Seventeen | Eighteen | Nineteen | Twenty | Twenty-One | Twenty-Two
Words: 1375
Featuring: doug_ramsey and tm_northstar, both used with permission, and borrowed so heavily that both Muns first read/approved their involvement. :) Thank you so much, you fabulous muns, you!
Prompts: writers_muses 40.2.C - "There can be no rainbow without a cloud and a storm." - J.H. Vincent
Getting off of Genosha seems to take a lot longer then it took to get there, but John knows it's just because he's anxious to get home. To get back to people he loves. Just... back to life. But he has to wait around for the ferry to get off the island and back to the mainland, to catch a flight.
He notices people look at him now. They actually look at him with concern. He's asked, several times over, "Are you all right, sir?" and it makes him genuinely nod and smile and say that yes. Yes, he is. In his mind, he's perfect.
His body has other plans for him, though.
By the time he gets to the airport, he's feeling absolutely drained and exhausted. His stomach is queasy, and it seems as though he still can not hold food down. Just aftershock, he thinks to himself. Still getting over it. Maybe the magic takes time to completely make me healthy, just like it took time to try to kill me. He firmly believes in this, because he just can't not believe in it now. Not when it's come to this.
It's right before he's about to board the final plane home that he texts the boys. He needs to make sure that JP stays with Doug, and doesn't try to fly half way across the world to find him. He wants to see them together.
John: ON WAY HOME. SEE U IN FEW HOURS.
Doug: OK. <3
John: LUV U.
JP: U FUCKING IDIOT.
JP: WHERE ARE U?
JP: IM F-ING COMING 2 GET U, ASSHOLE.
John: KEEP UR ASS WITH DOUG.
John: BOARDING PLANE HOME.
John: UNLESS U WANT 2 RIP DOOR OF PLANE OPEN
John: IN THE AIR
John: AND SEND US ALL TO DEATH.
John: ASSHOLE.
JP: ... FINE.
John texts them his flight number, and gets on the plane. If they try to reach him again, he's unaware, because he's in the air on his way home to them. He sleeps most of the way.
John is feeling groggy and light-headed when he gets off the plane. He doesn't feel right. It must be from all the sleep, or maybe from not enough sleep, but he doesn't feel the way he thinks he should when he's all better. But it's okay, because he is better and he's going to see his boys and life is good because there is life. He's so distracted by a run of random, fast thoughts that he nearly walks into three other passengers, and when they scowl at him, he just laughs. It's a good day to be alive and they can just get out of his way.
Doug and Jean-Paul are standing at the gate where John comes out, looking anxious and worried. John pushes his way through the crowd of people, and right into Doug's arms.
"Babe, babe, feel it. Feel it beating," John says, urgently as he presses his forehead against Doug's.
"What?" Doug asks. "J., are you okay?"
JP is right at their side, hand on John's should. "Tabernac, John, what's happened?"
"I'm alive!" he says, throat sounding raw and sickly. Is that really his voice? He unzips his hoodie, still wearing the t-shirt that was burned through by the amulet, and the skin showing through is an ugly red. Both Doug and Jean-Paul gasp, but John doesn't understand why, because they haven't felt his heart yet. That's the gasp-making part. And his heart right now is racing and jumping and making so much noise.
"Here," John says, grabbing Doug's hand, and placing it right over his heart. "You feel it? Do you feel it?" he asks, a little frantically. He wants nothing more then Doug to feel his heart beat. After all, it's all for Doug.
Tears forms at the corner of Doug's eyes, and he nods. "Yeah, J., I feel it."
JP whispers, "Mon dieu."
John laughs, a bit hysterically, and he grins wide. "I'm alive. Let's go home."
Doug and Jean-Paul glance at each other. "Are you okay?" Doug asks, his hand now going up to John's forehead. "You don't look so hot."
"I'm always hot!" John laughs again. He can't make himself stop. He lightly bats Doug's hand away, and then grabs it, tugging. He looks pointedly at Jean-Paul. "Home. Now."
"Okay, okay," Jean-Paul says, conceding, but probably only because he was so grateful to have John back. Well. John will take that!
Speaking of home... "Oh!" John says, quite unusually happy. He drops Doug's hand to reach into his pocket, to grab his key. His house key! He can't wait until the three of them can go and hang out there, maybe spend some time in the summer fixing it up… Just as he's about to curl his fingers around it, he pauses. He lets it go, and instead rubs at the bridge of his nose. "Oh," he says, less enthusiastically. Painfully, almost.
"J.?" Doug asks tentatively. "J., you okay?"
John looks at Doug, and looks at Jean-Paul, and back to Doug. Then his eyes roll up into the back of his head, and he whispers, "I'm sorry," right before everything turns black.
***
"His body is so deteriorated. We don't understand how he's lasted this long."
A somber Doug Ramsey and Jean-Paul Beaubier stand in front of the doctor, listening to his every word. There had been a bit of a disagreement, earlier, about whether JP was even allowed to be there, not being a partner or a family member of the hospital patient. But no one says no to Jean-Paul Beaubier, not when he sets his mind to something. He will not be leaving. And so he gets to hear the news.
It's nothing that surprises either of them, really.
The doctor goes on a bit more, trying to explain how little chance John Allerdyce has at pulling out of his coma, of surviving through the next few days.
"And if he does? If he survives the next few days?" Doug asks, ever hopeful.
"The chances of that are slim-"
JP interrupts, bluntly, "Would that be a good thing? For him to make it a couple days?"
The doctor purses his lips. "We would have to see, but I would not get your hopes up."
"Fuck, have you been talking to John recently?" JP mutters. The doctor doesn't understand.
After, when they're left alone, they stare through the window and see John in the hospital bed. He's hooked up to many machines and there are tubes running into his nose and his mouth and needles in his skin and all of that. Exactly what Doug didn't want for him, but it has come to this. He's in isolation, and they're not even allowed to go into the room with him. They have to watch him through a window to struggle for his life even more. It seems worse, this time.
"It must have been on a timer, the curse," Doug muses. His fingers brush over the window, lining up with John's heart, as if touching his chest from afar. "Holding it off, but now his body is so broken-"
"-He will survive this. He's already alive," JP insists. He won't think otherwise. "Look, maybe we should tell-"
"-No," Doug interrupts, shaking his head. "John wouldn't want that. Not until we know either way, for sure."
Jean-Paul sighs. "Okay."
Doug is silent for moment, and then says, "Sasha. Sasha can know."
The week before, John made him a list of people he wanted informed when things started to happen to him. It was morbid, but John wanted to be prepared. Next to JP, Sasha was at the top of the list.
Doug asks, "Can you call?"
Jean-Paul already has his cell phone out of his pocket. "Yeah. Yeah, he gave me her number too. I'll go outside and give her a call."
Doug nods. "Good." His eyes don't leave John.
Jean-Paul places a hand on Doug's shoulder. "He's going to make it."
"He has to."
"I know."
And Jean-Paul goes to make his call, and quickly returns to Doug's side. They watch John sleep. They're used to it, by now.
Part: Twenty-Three: The Breakdown
Previously: Prologue | One | Two | Three| Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen | Fifteen | Sixteen | Seventeen | Eighteen | Nineteen | Twenty | Twenty-One | Twenty-Two
Words: 1375
Featuring: doug_ramsey and tm_northstar, both used with permission, and borrowed so heavily that both Muns first read/approved their involvement. :) Thank you so much, you fabulous muns, you!
Prompts: writers_muses 40.2.C - "There can be no rainbow without a cloud and a storm." - J.H. Vincent
Getting off of Genosha seems to take a lot longer then it took to get there, but John knows it's just because he's anxious to get home. To get back to people he loves. Just... back to life. But he has to wait around for the ferry to get off the island and back to the mainland, to catch a flight.
He notices people look at him now. They actually look at him with concern. He's asked, several times over, "Are you all right, sir?" and it makes him genuinely nod and smile and say that yes. Yes, he is. In his mind, he's perfect.
His body has other plans for him, though.
By the time he gets to the airport, he's feeling absolutely drained and exhausted. His stomach is queasy, and it seems as though he still can not hold food down. Just aftershock, he thinks to himself. Still getting over it. Maybe the magic takes time to completely make me healthy, just like it took time to try to kill me. He firmly believes in this, because he just can't not believe in it now. Not when it's come to this.
It's right before he's about to board the final plane home that he texts the boys. He needs to make sure that JP stays with Doug, and doesn't try to fly half way across the world to find him. He wants to see them together.
John: ON WAY HOME. SEE U IN FEW HOURS.
Doug: OK. <3
John: LUV U.
JP: U FUCKING IDIOT.
JP: WHERE ARE U?
JP: IM F-ING COMING 2 GET U, ASSHOLE.
John: KEEP UR ASS WITH DOUG.
John: BOARDING PLANE HOME.
John: UNLESS U WANT 2 RIP DOOR OF PLANE OPEN
John: IN THE AIR
John: AND SEND US ALL TO DEATH.
John: ASSHOLE.
JP: ... FINE.
John texts them his flight number, and gets on the plane. If they try to reach him again, he's unaware, because he's in the air on his way home to them. He sleeps most of the way.
John is feeling groggy and light-headed when he gets off the plane. He doesn't feel right. It must be from all the sleep, or maybe from not enough sleep, but he doesn't feel the way he thinks he should when he's all better. But it's okay, because he is better and he's going to see his boys and life is good because there is life. He's so distracted by a run of random, fast thoughts that he nearly walks into three other passengers, and when they scowl at him, he just laughs. It's a good day to be alive and they can just get out of his way.
Doug and Jean-Paul are standing at the gate where John comes out, looking anxious and worried. John pushes his way through the crowd of people, and right into Doug's arms.
"Babe, babe, feel it. Feel it beating," John says, urgently as he presses his forehead against Doug's.
"What?" Doug asks. "J., are you okay?"
JP is right at their side, hand on John's should. "Tabernac, John, what's happened?"
"I'm alive!" he says, throat sounding raw and sickly. Is that really his voice? He unzips his hoodie, still wearing the t-shirt that was burned through by the amulet, and the skin showing through is an ugly red. Both Doug and Jean-Paul gasp, but John doesn't understand why, because they haven't felt his heart yet. That's the gasp-making part. And his heart right now is racing and jumping and making so much noise.
"Here," John says, grabbing Doug's hand, and placing it right over his heart. "You feel it? Do you feel it?" he asks, a little frantically. He wants nothing more then Doug to feel his heart beat. After all, it's all for Doug.
Tears forms at the corner of Doug's eyes, and he nods. "Yeah, J., I feel it."
JP whispers, "Mon dieu."
John laughs, a bit hysterically, and he grins wide. "I'm alive. Let's go home."
Doug and Jean-Paul glance at each other. "Are you okay?" Doug asks, his hand now going up to John's forehead. "You don't look so hot."
"I'm always hot!" John laughs again. He can't make himself stop. He lightly bats Doug's hand away, and then grabs it, tugging. He looks pointedly at Jean-Paul. "Home. Now."
"Okay, okay," Jean-Paul says, conceding, but probably only because he was so grateful to have John back. Well. John will take that!
Speaking of home... "Oh!" John says, quite unusually happy. He drops Doug's hand to reach into his pocket, to grab his key. His house key! He can't wait until the three of them can go and hang out there, maybe spend some time in the summer fixing it up… Just as he's about to curl his fingers around it, he pauses. He lets it go, and instead rubs at the bridge of his nose. "Oh," he says, less enthusiastically. Painfully, almost.
"J.?" Doug asks tentatively. "J., you okay?"
John looks at Doug, and looks at Jean-Paul, and back to Doug. Then his eyes roll up into the back of his head, and he whispers, "I'm sorry," right before everything turns black.
***
"His body is so deteriorated. We don't understand how he's lasted this long."
A somber Doug Ramsey and Jean-Paul Beaubier stand in front of the doctor, listening to his every word. There had been a bit of a disagreement, earlier, about whether JP was even allowed to be there, not being a partner or a family member of the hospital patient. But no one says no to Jean-Paul Beaubier, not when he sets his mind to something. He will not be leaving. And so he gets to hear the news.
It's nothing that surprises either of them, really.
The doctor goes on a bit more, trying to explain how little chance John Allerdyce has at pulling out of his coma, of surviving through the next few days.
"And if he does? If he survives the next few days?" Doug asks, ever hopeful.
"The chances of that are slim-"
JP interrupts, bluntly, "Would that be a good thing? For him to make it a couple days?"
The doctor purses his lips. "We would have to see, but I would not get your hopes up."
"Fuck, have you been talking to John recently?" JP mutters. The doctor doesn't understand.
After, when they're left alone, they stare through the window and see John in the hospital bed. He's hooked up to many machines and there are tubes running into his nose and his mouth and needles in his skin and all of that. Exactly what Doug didn't want for him, but it has come to this. He's in isolation, and they're not even allowed to go into the room with him. They have to watch him through a window to struggle for his life even more. It seems worse, this time.
"It must have been on a timer, the curse," Doug muses. His fingers brush over the window, lining up with John's heart, as if touching his chest from afar. "Holding it off, but now his body is so broken-"
"-He will survive this. He's already alive," JP insists. He won't think otherwise. "Look, maybe we should tell-"
"-No," Doug interrupts, shaking his head. "John wouldn't want that. Not until we know either way, for sure."
Jean-Paul sighs. "Okay."
Doug is silent for moment, and then says, "Sasha. Sasha can know."
The week before, John made him a list of people he wanted informed when things started to happen to him. It was morbid, but John wanted to be prepared. Next to JP, Sasha was at the top of the list.
Doug asks, "Can you call?"
Jean-Paul already has his cell phone out of his pocket. "Yeah. Yeah, he gave me her number too. I'll go outside and give her a call."
Doug nods. "Good." His eyes don't leave John.
Jean-Paul places a hand on Doug's shoulder. "He's going to make it."
"He has to."
"I know."
And Jean-Paul goes to make his call, and quickly returns to Doug's side. They watch John sleep. They're used to it, by now.