Four Brothers
Title: Gone 8/?
Author: veiledndarkness
Pairing: Future Bobby/Jack
Rating: R for violence, swearing
Disclaimer: Characters not mine, no harm intended.
Summary: AU. Jack's been taken, a pawn of Victor Sweet's game.
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xx
Bobby flicked the end of his cigarette, his breath streaming in thin clouds above his head. He ran his tongue over the split in his lip, grimacing at the burst of pain that followed.
"Fuckin' cops," he muttered. He took another long drag from his cigarette as he watched the flow of people around him, coming and going from the hospital. Bobby closed his eyes for a long moment, his body aching from the beatings he'd endured, first Sweet, then from the cops who'd been desperate to pin the disappearance of Victor on him.
Bobby cracked one swollen eye open when he heard footsteps coming closer. Jerry leaned against the brick wall, nodding at him. "Hey," Bobby murmured, flicking the ash from his cigarette again.
"Hey, how's that face of yours holdin' up?" Jerry asked.
Bobby snorted. "I'll live," he said. He inhaled and released a cloud of smoke. "You?"
"I'm fine, s'nothin' we didn't get years ago, yeah?" Jerry said.
Bobby chuckled dryly. "Yeah," he said. "You always were a scrappy little shit. Learned from the best," he added.
"That's what I tell anyone who asks," Jerry said. Bobby closed his eyes again, his head tilted down. "You been in to see him yet?" Jerry asked.
"Haven't left," Bobby said, his hand moving smoothly to his mouth, though his fingers trembled. "I...I can't jus' leave him here, Jerry. He'll be alone and you know how much Jack hates hospitals."
"You need to sleep, man, and how longs it been since you ate somethin'?" Jerry sighed.
Bobby opened his eyes and glared at Jerry. "M'fine, don't start with that naggin' shit," he snapped. "Someone's gotta be here in case..."
"Bobby..." Jerry said. "The doctor's said..."
"I know what the doctor's said!" Bobby shot back. "He's gonna be fine."
Jerry sighed again and looked at the ground. "C'mon, take me up there with you," he said. Bobby stubbed out the remains of his cigarette, his forehead creased in frustration.
He led Jerry up to Jack's room, nodding at the nurse who sat at the nearby station. Bobby shrugged his coat off and stood next to the bed silently. Jack laid on the bed, still and unmoving, the machines hooked up to him beeping steadily. His chest rose and fell slowly, the breathing mask over his nose and mouth protectively.
"Jesus..." Jerry whispered.
Bobby ran one hand over Jack's hair, smoothing it down. "He's doing good," he whispered hoarsely.
Jerry nodded absently. There was large swath of fabric covering Jack's shoulder, taped down on his pale skin. "Have they told you anythin' else?" he asked.
Bobby swallowed over the lump in his throat. "He's got pneumonia, real bad," he said. "And...And the gunshot..." he trailed off, his fingers carding through Jack's hair gently.
He looked up at Jerry and then away, his face set as he sat in the chair next to the bed. "Are they keeping him under?" Jerry asked. He looked at the various machines, the intravenous bags that hung from a tall pole.
"Mild sedative," Bobby said. He rested his hand on Jack's, his thumb rubbing across the backs of Jack's knuckles. "He woke up screamin' when they brought him outta surgery, tried to rip the i.v out. I won’t let them tie him down, so I had t' let them sedate Jack," he said, weary exhaustion showing on his face then.
"Bobby...Bobby, you need to get some sleep, man," Jerry said.
"No, I won't leave him here," Bobby said automatically. "I can't, don't ask me that."
Jerry touched Bobby's shoulder, squeezing lightly. "Look, I know you don't wanna leave him alone, but you need to sleep an' eat," he said.
"You don't understand," Bobby said through clenched teeth. "This...all this is my fault."
"Your fault?" Jerry echoed. "How in the hell is this your fault?"
"Sweet used my gun," Bobby mumbled. "It was my gun, my bullets..." He rubbed his free hand over his face, his voice shaking when he spoke.
"Bobby, are you outta your mind?" Jerry sputtered. "This...this ain't your fault."
"Ma always told me to keep an eye out for Jack, and I was so busy blamin' you, an' fighting," Bobby said, his voice dropping, guilt heavy in his eyes. "I didn't even notice that he was gone right away."
"We all shoulda been keeping an eye out, Bobby," Jerry argued. "This...None of us knew that Victor would do this, ok?"
"I let him get hurt," Bobby said. "This shouldn't have happened, an' I let it happen."
"You can't blame yourself for this," Jerry said. "Man, I oughta slap you for even thinking it. Jack would slap you if he knew you were blamin' yourself."
Bobby stared at the tiled floor, blinking back the bitter sting of tears. They stood in silence for several drawn out minutes, the air thick with tension.
Jerry pulled his hand back from Bobby's shoulder. "I gotta run," he said slowly.
"Yeah," Bobby said softly, his eyes on Jack's face. "I'll tell him you came."
"I'll bring Angel here to see him tomorrow," Jerry offered.
Bobby nodded and offered him a thin smile. "Just don't be bringin' that noisy bitch with him," he said.
"You got it," Jerry said. He looked at Jack and then at Bobby. "We gonna bring him home, Bobby. Jack's gonna be ok."
"I wanna believe that," Bobby whispered. Jerry hugged him with one arm and left, murmuring a goodbye to Jack as he walked out of the room.
Bobby waited until Jerry left the room to let a few tears escape, his breathing coming in strangled gasps. "I'm so sorry, Jack," he pleaded, resting his head to Jack's hand.
xx
Bobby passed many long hours at Jack's side. He left only to hurriedly smoke a few cigarettes before returning to sit beside him. Jerry came again the next day, Angel at his side, a bag of food in one hand.
"Camille made this," he said, placing the bag on the bedside table.
"Not hungry," Bobby said flatly. "Tell her I said thanks though, huh?"
"Bobby, you gotta eat," Jerry said, worry clear in his eyes.
"Leave me alone," Bobby mumbled, his hands picking at the soft fabric of the hospital blanket.
Angel crossed his arms loosely, watching Jack sleep. "He come out of it yet?" he asked.
Bobby shook his head. "No..." he said, his breath catching. "The doctor's...They said it might take awhile. Jack...he was already sick when Sweet took him. His cold, it got worse and now...now its pneumonia. He's weak and the loss of blood..." Bobby trailed off, his gaze landing on Jack's cloth covered shoulder.
Angel glanced at Jerry, frowning. Jerry pushed the bag further down the table. "Eat, Bobby," he said. "You need to, an' Jack would be tellin' you to just the same."
Bobby took the bag with a murmured 'thanks'. He felt no pangs of hunger, no sense of anything other than the need to stay at Jack's side, to atone for allowing this hurt to occur.
Under Jerry's watchful eye, Bobby ate one of the sandwiches and half of an orange before giving up. "I'll eat more later on," he promised, fidgeting in his chair.
"Bobby..." Jerry said, a sigh leaving him when Bobby glared at him.
"Leave him be," Angel said slowly. He caught Jerry's eye, silent communication between them. Jerry nodded once and backed off. They sat in the small hospital room, a cloyingly thick sense of tension and pain filling the air. When Angel and Jerry had eventually left, Bobby rested his head on the edge of the bed, listening to sound of Jack's exhales.
xx
"Excuse me, Sir," a soft voice broke through Bobby's sleepy daze. He blinked, startled by the interruption. He glared at the young nurse, eyeing her. "What?" he snapped.
"I need to run a check on Jack, you need to let go of his hand for a minute," she said calmly, unfazed by Bobby's anger. Bobby opened his mouth to protest.
"Sir, I really don't want to have to alert security, so please, just move to the side for now," she said politely, a smooth strength under her words. "You can still stay here, you don't need to leave."
Bobby let go of Jack's hand slowly, much reluctance on his face. "Why won't he wake up?" he mumbled, his eyes on Jack's face.
The nurse read over the clip board at the foot of the bed for a moment. "He needs time to heal, Mr. Mercer," she said. She put the board back in place and moved closer to the bed.
Bobby watched her, keeping a close eye on how she handled Jack, ensuring that she wasn't too rough, didn't move him too quickly. She glanced at him, a small smile on her lips.
"I won't hurt him," she said. Bobby sneered at her. "Maybe you won't but someone else sure as shit might try," he said.
"Not everyone is so lucky to have a brother to protect them," she said as she adjusted Jack's blanket.
"I used to protect him," Bobby muttered, breaking the eye contact. "I didn't this time."
"You can't be there all the time," she said with a shake of her head, sending a few red curls loose from her pinned back hair.
"I should have been," Bobby insisted. "I failed him, why can't anyone see that? What the fuck good am I for, if I can't even keep my Jack safe?"
The nurse tilted her head, a hint of a knowing smile on her face. "I think it would make Jack very happy to know that you're here," she said. "I know you're carrying a lot of guilt, but sometimes, you need to leave some of the guilt behind you."
Bobby bit the inside of his cheek when he felt tears sting his eyes. "Y'know what he said to me when I finally got to him?" he whispered roughly. "He said he knew I'd come for him."
He looked up at the nurse, swallowing hard. "Like he never stopped believin' that I'd come get him. And I shoulda been there sooner! He...They hurt him, I knew they would..."
"You did save him," she said. "God knows, it could have been so much worse. But Jack's here now. You need to focus on that. He's safe now, and you're here, and that has to count for something."
Bobby bit down harder on his cheek. The nurse smoothed her curls back into place. "He'll wake up," she said. "And when he does, you'll be right here for him. Let go of the guilt, Mr. Mercer."
Bobby held Jack's hand then, his thumb smoothing over the cool skin. "I can't," he murmured. "I...You don't know the whole thing..."
"I know love when I see it," she said lightly. Bobby lifted his head quickly, a vaguely worried look in his eyes. "Calm down," she said. "Since when does a big tough guy like you care what anyone thinks?"
"I don't care!" Bobby grumbled. "I don't like havin' to explain myself is all."
"You don't need to," she said. "I'll be back to check on Jack in a few hours."
He nodded tightly and shifted closer to Jack. Once the nurse had left, Bobby let out a sad sigh. He kissed Jack's fingers gently, his throat clenching from his emotions.
"You need to wake up, Jackie," he whispered. "I know things went real shitty last time we talked, but...but you gotta give me a chance to tell you everything."
Bobby pulled back briefly and pulled the rosary around his neck off. He leaned over and undid the clasp, arranging it carefully around Jack's neck. "T-There," he said shakily. "I know it's yours, I started wearin' it when they took you. Looks good on you, sweetheart, it really does."
He adjusted the chain and slipped it under Jack's hospital gown, edging it away from the various tubes and wires. "When you wake up, it's gonna be different," Bobby whispered. "I got so much to tell you, and...And you were right, Jackie. I...I lied to you last time. Fuck, I wish I could take it back. I never wanna see that look on your face again."
Bobby's shoulders hitched, a tear escaping from one eye. It ran down his cheek and landed on Jack's fingers. "I'm sorry, Jack, for everything..."
Author: veiledndarkness
Pairing: Future Bobby/Jack
Rating: R for violence, swearing
Disclaimer: Characters not mine, no harm intended.
Summary: AU. Jack's been taken, a pawn of Victor Sweet's game.
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xx
Bobby flicked the end of his cigarette, his breath streaming in thin clouds above his head. He ran his tongue over the split in his lip, grimacing at the burst of pain that followed.
"Fuckin' cops," he muttered. He took another long drag from his cigarette as he watched the flow of people around him, coming and going from the hospital. Bobby closed his eyes for a long moment, his body aching from the beatings he'd endured, first Sweet, then from the cops who'd been desperate to pin the disappearance of Victor on him.
Bobby cracked one swollen eye open when he heard footsteps coming closer. Jerry leaned against the brick wall, nodding at him. "Hey," Bobby murmured, flicking the ash from his cigarette again.
"Hey, how's that face of yours holdin' up?" Jerry asked.
Bobby snorted. "I'll live," he said. He inhaled and released a cloud of smoke. "You?"
"I'm fine, s'nothin' we didn't get years ago, yeah?" Jerry said.
Bobby chuckled dryly. "Yeah," he said. "You always were a scrappy little shit. Learned from the best," he added.
"That's what I tell anyone who asks," Jerry said. Bobby closed his eyes again, his head tilted down. "You been in to see him yet?" Jerry asked.
"Haven't left," Bobby said, his hand moving smoothly to his mouth, though his fingers trembled. "I...I can't jus' leave him here, Jerry. He'll be alone and you know how much Jack hates hospitals."
"You need to sleep, man, and how longs it been since you ate somethin'?" Jerry sighed.
Bobby opened his eyes and glared at Jerry. "M'fine, don't start with that naggin' shit," he snapped. "Someone's gotta be here in case..."
"Bobby..." Jerry said. "The doctor's said..."
"I know what the doctor's said!" Bobby shot back. "He's gonna be fine."
Jerry sighed again and looked at the ground. "C'mon, take me up there with you," he said. Bobby stubbed out the remains of his cigarette, his forehead creased in frustration.
He led Jerry up to Jack's room, nodding at the nurse who sat at the nearby station. Bobby shrugged his coat off and stood next to the bed silently. Jack laid on the bed, still and unmoving, the machines hooked up to him beeping steadily. His chest rose and fell slowly, the breathing mask over his nose and mouth protectively.
"Jesus..." Jerry whispered.
Bobby ran one hand over Jack's hair, smoothing it down. "He's doing good," he whispered hoarsely.
Jerry nodded absently. There was large swath of fabric covering Jack's shoulder, taped down on his pale skin. "Have they told you anythin' else?" he asked.
Bobby swallowed over the lump in his throat. "He's got pneumonia, real bad," he said. "And...And the gunshot..." he trailed off, his fingers carding through Jack's hair gently.
He looked up at Jerry and then away, his face set as he sat in the chair next to the bed. "Are they keeping him under?" Jerry asked. He looked at the various machines, the intravenous bags that hung from a tall pole.
"Mild sedative," Bobby said. He rested his hand on Jack's, his thumb rubbing across the backs of Jack's knuckles. "He woke up screamin' when they brought him outta surgery, tried to rip the i.v out. I won’t let them tie him down, so I had t' let them sedate Jack," he said, weary exhaustion showing on his face then.
"Bobby...Bobby, you need to get some sleep, man," Jerry said.
"No, I won't leave him here," Bobby said automatically. "I can't, don't ask me that."
Jerry touched Bobby's shoulder, squeezing lightly. "Look, I know you don't wanna leave him alone, but you need to sleep an' eat," he said.
"You don't understand," Bobby said through clenched teeth. "This...all this is my fault."
"Your fault?" Jerry echoed. "How in the hell is this your fault?"
"Sweet used my gun," Bobby mumbled. "It was my gun, my bullets..." He rubbed his free hand over his face, his voice shaking when he spoke.
"Bobby, are you outta your mind?" Jerry sputtered. "This...this ain't your fault."
"Ma always told me to keep an eye out for Jack, and I was so busy blamin' you, an' fighting," Bobby said, his voice dropping, guilt heavy in his eyes. "I didn't even notice that he was gone right away."
"We all shoulda been keeping an eye out, Bobby," Jerry argued. "This...None of us knew that Victor would do this, ok?"
"I let him get hurt," Bobby said. "This shouldn't have happened, an' I let it happen."
"You can't blame yourself for this," Jerry said. "Man, I oughta slap you for even thinking it. Jack would slap you if he knew you were blamin' yourself."
Bobby stared at the tiled floor, blinking back the bitter sting of tears. They stood in silence for several drawn out minutes, the air thick with tension.
Jerry pulled his hand back from Bobby's shoulder. "I gotta run," he said slowly.
"Yeah," Bobby said softly, his eyes on Jack's face. "I'll tell him you came."
"I'll bring Angel here to see him tomorrow," Jerry offered.
Bobby nodded and offered him a thin smile. "Just don't be bringin' that noisy bitch with him," he said.
"You got it," Jerry said. He looked at Jack and then at Bobby. "We gonna bring him home, Bobby. Jack's gonna be ok."
"I wanna believe that," Bobby whispered. Jerry hugged him with one arm and left, murmuring a goodbye to Jack as he walked out of the room.
Bobby waited until Jerry left the room to let a few tears escape, his breathing coming in strangled gasps. "I'm so sorry, Jack," he pleaded, resting his head to Jack's hand.
xx
Bobby passed many long hours at Jack's side. He left only to hurriedly smoke a few cigarettes before returning to sit beside him. Jerry came again the next day, Angel at his side, a bag of food in one hand.
"Camille made this," he said, placing the bag on the bedside table.
"Not hungry," Bobby said flatly. "Tell her I said thanks though, huh?"
"Bobby, you gotta eat," Jerry said, worry clear in his eyes.
"Leave me alone," Bobby mumbled, his hands picking at the soft fabric of the hospital blanket.
Angel crossed his arms loosely, watching Jack sleep. "He come out of it yet?" he asked.
Bobby shook his head. "No..." he said, his breath catching. "The doctor's...They said it might take awhile. Jack...he was already sick when Sweet took him. His cold, it got worse and now...now its pneumonia. He's weak and the loss of blood..." Bobby trailed off, his gaze landing on Jack's cloth covered shoulder.
Angel glanced at Jerry, frowning. Jerry pushed the bag further down the table. "Eat, Bobby," he said. "You need to, an' Jack would be tellin' you to just the same."
Bobby took the bag with a murmured 'thanks'. He felt no pangs of hunger, no sense of anything other than the need to stay at Jack's side, to atone for allowing this hurt to occur.
Under Jerry's watchful eye, Bobby ate one of the sandwiches and half of an orange before giving up. "I'll eat more later on," he promised, fidgeting in his chair.
"Bobby..." Jerry said, a sigh leaving him when Bobby glared at him.
"Leave him be," Angel said slowly. He caught Jerry's eye, silent communication between them. Jerry nodded once and backed off. They sat in the small hospital room, a cloyingly thick sense of tension and pain filling the air. When Angel and Jerry had eventually left, Bobby rested his head on the edge of the bed, listening to sound of Jack's exhales.
xx
"Excuse me, Sir," a soft voice broke through Bobby's sleepy daze. He blinked, startled by the interruption. He glared at the young nurse, eyeing her. "What?" he snapped.
"I need to run a check on Jack, you need to let go of his hand for a minute," she said calmly, unfazed by Bobby's anger. Bobby opened his mouth to protest.
"Sir, I really don't want to have to alert security, so please, just move to the side for now," she said politely, a smooth strength under her words. "You can still stay here, you don't need to leave."
Bobby let go of Jack's hand slowly, much reluctance on his face. "Why won't he wake up?" he mumbled, his eyes on Jack's face.
The nurse read over the clip board at the foot of the bed for a moment. "He needs time to heal, Mr. Mercer," she said. She put the board back in place and moved closer to the bed.
Bobby watched her, keeping a close eye on how she handled Jack, ensuring that she wasn't too rough, didn't move him too quickly. She glanced at him, a small smile on her lips.
"I won't hurt him," she said. Bobby sneered at her. "Maybe you won't but someone else sure as shit might try," he said.
"Not everyone is so lucky to have a brother to protect them," she said as she adjusted Jack's blanket.
"I used to protect him," Bobby muttered, breaking the eye contact. "I didn't this time."
"You can't be there all the time," she said with a shake of her head, sending a few red curls loose from her pinned back hair.
"I should have been," Bobby insisted. "I failed him, why can't anyone see that? What the fuck good am I for, if I can't even keep my Jack safe?"
The nurse tilted her head, a hint of a knowing smile on her face. "I think it would make Jack very happy to know that you're here," she said. "I know you're carrying a lot of guilt, but sometimes, you need to leave some of the guilt behind you."
Bobby bit the inside of his cheek when he felt tears sting his eyes. "Y'know what he said to me when I finally got to him?" he whispered roughly. "He said he knew I'd come for him."
He looked up at the nurse, swallowing hard. "Like he never stopped believin' that I'd come get him. And I shoulda been there sooner! He...They hurt him, I knew they would..."
"You did save him," she said. "God knows, it could have been so much worse. But Jack's here now. You need to focus on that. He's safe now, and you're here, and that has to count for something."
Bobby bit down harder on his cheek. The nurse smoothed her curls back into place. "He'll wake up," she said. "And when he does, you'll be right here for him. Let go of the guilt, Mr. Mercer."
Bobby held Jack's hand then, his thumb smoothing over the cool skin. "I can't," he murmured. "I...You don't know the whole thing..."
"I know love when I see it," she said lightly. Bobby lifted his head quickly, a vaguely worried look in his eyes. "Calm down," she said. "Since when does a big tough guy like you care what anyone thinks?"
"I don't care!" Bobby grumbled. "I don't like havin' to explain myself is all."
"You don't need to," she said. "I'll be back to check on Jack in a few hours."
He nodded tightly and shifted closer to Jack. Once the nurse had left, Bobby let out a sad sigh. He kissed Jack's fingers gently, his throat clenching from his emotions.
"You need to wake up, Jackie," he whispered. "I know things went real shitty last time we talked, but...but you gotta give me a chance to tell you everything."
Bobby pulled back briefly and pulled the rosary around his neck off. He leaned over and undid the clasp, arranging it carefully around Jack's neck. "T-There," he said shakily. "I know it's yours, I started wearin' it when they took you. Looks good on you, sweetheart, it really does."
He adjusted the chain and slipped it under Jack's hospital gown, edging it away from the various tubes and wires. "When you wake up, it's gonna be different," Bobby whispered. "I got so much to tell you, and...And you were right, Jackie. I...I lied to you last time. Fuck, I wish I could take it back. I never wanna see that look on your face again."
Bobby's shoulders hitched, a tear escaping from one eye. It ran down his cheek and landed on Jack's fingers. "I'm sorry, Jack, for everything..."