It's not easy dealing with the death of a friend, although Juliet's experienced it enough to almost be used to it. She's been stalwart about this to the point of coming off as unfeeling (Daniel, when she spoke with him, had what passes for an angry breakdown with him at her when she kept holding everything back and that memory has stayed with her since).
She knew Penny and JD were close- she loved that boy and he adored her back, and somehow that made it harder to approach him, but seeing him now on her way to the medical room... Well, she can barely stop herself from wanting to walk over and hug him, but she won't, because even with Daniel's words still ringing in her ear, she still wants to be the strong one.
"JD?" She asks. She doesn't like the blank staring. It's common with grief, but from him, it just makes her nervous.
JD blinks. It takes him a moment to process being spoken to, and then he looks up at her. And it's her. She knows Penny (no, he still can't bring himself to think in the past tense about her yet). Penny introduced them.
Something in his expression breaks.
"Hey." No, that is not a cracking voice that you hear, Juliet, really.
Juliet sits down on the couch, but she doesn't scoot too close just yet. Merely stares at him, mostly expressionless, but there's a hell of a lot of concern in her eyes, so she's showing more to him than she's been showing for awhile.
"Are you okay?" She asks, something knowingly. "Obviously, you're not, but that's the sort of thing we doctors ask all the time, isn't it?"
She manages a small smile, but it doesn't last very long.
"I'm... I don't know. I just- I miss her. I can't believe that she's gone. I mean I just saw her it seems like and now she's- And I don't even know what happened, but I'm scared and it... hurts. I've never lost anyone like this before I don't know how-"
JD shakes his head and looks over at her as her small attempt at a smile slips away, and then he just reaches over and hugs her, tightly.
Sorry, Juliet, he's touchy feel-y to the core. There was no stopping him.
The tears come to his eyes fast now that he's not alone with his grief. Now that he can't just explain it all away, because she knows.
He might, just might, look up and notice a couple of girls in the common room, visible through the doorway. One's tiny and blonde and telling some story that seems to be very entertaining, by the way the other girl's laughing.
The other girl has dark hair and a plethora of tattoos, is in a wheelchair, and has a cast on one of her legs. But she's laughing so hard she almost can't breathe, so obviously whatever happened hasn't killed her spirits.
Luke is interuppted from the reading by the laughing, actually. He recognizes it. Faintly. It has a lot more joy in it than the last time he can remember hearing that laugh.
He sort of bounces (or prances or whatever it is that kittens do, not that he's in kitten form now, but- the narration is shutting up) down the hallway to them.
((SORRY LUKE'S A WHORE. Well, I mean..he's being impossible with the never sticking in my head... thing))
Luke hugs her back and he can do a much better job of it being not in a cast or a wheelchair.
"New Zealand. Actually. It's sort of a long story, but it basically sums up to got sick with that plague, got tracked down by my Mum, dad died, she sort of forced me back for the funeral and then... well, here I am. Finally."
He waves a vague hand as if to say, What're you gonna do?
"But what happened to you? And what the bloody hell have I missed?"
Lavendar has been wandering around the basement a little helplessly. She's still waiting for Penny to turn up and hug her, or laugh and tell her it was all just something she'd dreamt up.
But when she doesn't, Lavendar feels very empty.
When she stumbles into the common room and sees JD, she isn't sure how to react at first. She doesn't know what has him sad, but moves over to sit beside him and hug him tightly. Because he looked like he needed a hug.
JD wakes up from his haze of staring into the distance rather slowly even with the sudden arms around him, but when he does wake up from it, he turns and clings just as hard to her.
He doesn't have to know why. There's this... ever present feeling of grief and loss in the air for him, increased by the echoing.emptiness that surrounds everywhere he goes in this basement. He wants out so bad, but he's afraid of out there.
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She knew Penny and JD were close- she loved that boy and he adored her back, and somehow that made it harder to approach him, but seeing him now on her way to the medical room... Well, she can barely stop herself from wanting to walk over and hug him, but she won't, because even with Daniel's words still ringing in her ear, she still wants to be the strong one.
"JD?" She asks. She doesn't like the blank staring. It's common with grief, but from him, it just makes her nervous.
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Something in his expression breaks.
"Hey." No, that is not a cracking voice that you hear, Juliet, really.
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"Are you okay?" She asks, something knowingly. "Obviously, you're not, but that's the sort of thing we doctors ask all the time, isn't it?"
She manages a small smile, but it doesn't last very long.
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JD shakes his head and looks over at her as her small attempt at a smile slips away, and then he just reaches over and hugs her, tightly.
Sorry, Juliet, he's touchy feel-y to the core. There was no stopping him.
The tears come to his eyes fast now that he's not alone with his grief. Now that he can't just explain it all away, because she knows.
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The other girl has dark hair and a plethora of tattoos, is in a wheelchair, and has a cast on one of her legs. But she's laughing so hard she almost can't breathe, so obviously whatever happened hasn't killed her spirits.
Here, Luke. Have a Becky, with bonus Annie!
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He sort of bounces (or prances or whatever it is that kittens do, not that he's in kitten form now, but- the narration is shutting up) down the hallway to them.
"Becky! Annie! Oi! What happened to your leg?"
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Becky, however, has thrown her arms around Luke as best she can with the cast and the wheelchair and everything, her face pressed into his hip.
"Oh my god, where have you BEEN? You've missed a lot!"
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Luke hugs her back and he can do a much better job of it being not in a cast or a wheelchair.
"New Zealand. Actually. It's sort of a long story, but it basically sums up to got sick with that plague, got tracked down by my Mum, dad died, she sort of forced me back for the funeral and then... well, here I am. Finally."
He waves a vague hand as if to say, What're you gonna do?
"But what happened to you? And what the bloody hell have I missed?"
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But when she doesn't, Lavendar feels very empty.
When she stumbles into the common room and sees JD, she isn't sure how to react at first. She doesn't know what has him sad, but moves over to sit beside him and hug him tightly. Because he looked like he needed a hug.
And she needed one, too.
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He doesn't have to know why. There's this... ever present feeling of grief and loss in the air for him, increased by the echoing.emptiness that surrounds everywhere he goes in this basement. He wants out so bad, but he's afraid of out there.
He hugs her tight, but doesn't cry.
"Are you okay?"
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Looking up to JD, she gives him a small, almost broken little smile. "You're sad. Why're you sad?"
It's almost childish, really, but she can't help but ask. He looks hurt and while she is just as upset, he's a friend.
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