Jon was the closest thing Ollie had to a brother. Despite the years that separated them, Ollie felt closer to Jon than he did to anyone else, even Lola. But sitting at Jon's bedside, listening to the slow and steady beeping of the monitors, watching the drip-drip-drip of the IV, Ollie realised that there was so much about Jon that he didn't know. There were so many things they had never shared, either because Jon had been away, off chasing his dreams, or because Ollie had been too caught up in his own personal tragedies to see what was going on with his best friend.
Ollie gripped Jon's hand tighter, fighting back the tears that threatened. "Come back to us, Jon," he whispered, unknowingly echoing the Old Man's earlier words. "You can't leave. Not now. What about Correy and Lena" What about Kaylee" What about me?" His cousin was so still in the hospital bed. He lost his battle with the tears and a sob shook his shoulders, bowed his head. His tongue thick with tears, he said, "We can't lose you, Jon."
The doctors had no idea what Jon's prognosis was. They wouldn't know anything until he woke up. The wound in his shoulder was insignificant when compared to the point-blank shot to his forehead. Ollie had been told that it was a small caliber bullet and he had nearly fainted when he heard what that might mean for Jon's recovery. The doctors said that if the bullet had been larger, it might have been a clear through-and-through shot, but the smaller size made it probable that the bullet had bounced around inside Jon's skull, destroying his memories, his ability to speak, his motor functions...everything that made Jon the man he was.
Ollie wiped his face with the back of his hand, sniffled away the tears and pulled himself together. Jon would wake up soon and he would need a wall of strength around him. The first thing that he needed to see when he came back were the steady, strong, happy faces of those who loved him. There would be no room for weakness, no room to fall apart where Jon might see it. They could fall apart at home, gnash their teeth, shake their fists at the sky, and swear retribution in the privacy of their own homes.
"Hello' Can I come in?" Ollie turned, startled by the sudden voice from behind him. He saw a beautiful girl standing in the doorway to Jon's room, clutching a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a shiny gold statue in the other. She gave Ollie a sheepish smile. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I just....I just heard and I wanted to..." Her dark eyes darted to Jon's prone form and the hand clutching the flowers flew to her mouth. "Oh, Jesus, Jonny," she whispered.
Ollie stood up, reluctantly letting go of Jon's hand, and went to hover next to the girl. "It's okay," he said. "You weren't interrupting. I'm Oliver Granger, Jon's cousin," he explained, reaching to take the flowers from the girl.
She nodded at Ollie's words, letting him take the bouquet while her eyes and attention stayed fixed on Jon. "I'm Lelah," she said and moved forward to round Jon's bed and settle on the opposite side from where Ollie had been sitting. "I'm an old friend of Jon's," she further explained and then set the statue on the table that sat next to Jon. Ollie's brows rose in surprise: the statue was a globe surrounded by a piece of celluloid film. It looked like an Golden Globe from Earth. Pieces clicked in Ollie's brain and he suddenly realised who was sitting with him.
"You're the director, right?" he asked. "The one who won that award for the film that Jon was in."
She nodded, flashed Ollie a weak smile. "He always told me I stole it from him. I thought..." She trailed off, shrugged and then pressed the tips of her fingers to her mouth, seemingly trying to hold back tears. He watched as she physically pulled herself back together before speaking. "I thought if I brought it here, it would help. Somehow." Lelah turned lost eyes on Ollie and he went to take his seat across from her, still holding the flowers. "How is he?" she asked, desperation clouding her voice. "What happened" All I heard was that he'd been shot."
Ollie nodded, his eyes moving back to Jon's face. "The doctors won't know anything until he wakes up," he said. "I don't know exactly what happened, either." He fell silent, feeling frustrated by his inability to do anything of use.
Lelah reached out and took Jon's hand carefully, raised it to her lips and kissed the back of it, just below the IV. Then she lowered it to the bed once more, still holding it. "He'll be fine," she said, her voice wavering a bit but still confident. "He's got a starring role in my new studio's first film, after all. He can't pass that up.?
Ollie and Lelah passed the next few hours holding tightly to Jon's hands, each wrapped up in their own thoughts and prayers, with the soft beeping of the machines keeping Jon alive the only intrusions into the still of the night.
Ollie gripped Jon's hand tighter, fighting back the tears that threatened. "Come back to us, Jon," he whispered, unknowingly echoing the Old Man's earlier words. "You can't leave. Not now. What about Correy and Lena" What about Kaylee" What about me?" His cousin was so still in the hospital bed. He lost his battle with the tears and a sob shook his shoulders, bowed his head. His tongue thick with tears, he said, "We can't lose you, Jon."
The doctors had no idea what Jon's prognosis was. They wouldn't know anything until he woke up. The wound in his shoulder was insignificant when compared to the point-blank shot to his forehead. Ollie had been told that it was a small caliber bullet and he had nearly fainted when he heard what that might mean for Jon's recovery. The doctors said that if the bullet had been larger, it might have been a clear through-and-through shot, but the smaller size made it probable that the bullet had bounced around inside Jon's skull, destroying his memories, his ability to speak, his motor functions...everything that made Jon the man he was.
Ollie wiped his face with the back of his hand, sniffled away the tears and pulled himself together. Jon would wake up soon and he would need a wall of strength around him. The first thing that he needed to see when he came back were the steady, strong, happy faces of those who loved him. There would be no room for weakness, no room to fall apart where Jon might see it. They could fall apart at home, gnash their teeth, shake their fists at the sky, and swear retribution in the privacy of their own homes.
"Hello' Can I come in?" Ollie turned, startled by the sudden voice from behind him. He saw a beautiful girl standing in the doorway to Jon's room, clutching a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a shiny gold statue in the other. She gave Ollie a sheepish smile. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I just....I just heard and I wanted to..." Her dark eyes darted to Jon's prone form and the hand clutching the flowers flew to her mouth. "Oh, Jesus, Jonny," she whispered.
Ollie stood up, reluctantly letting go of Jon's hand, and went to hover next to the girl. "It's okay," he said. "You weren't interrupting. I'm Oliver Granger, Jon's cousin," he explained, reaching to take the flowers from the girl.
She nodded at Ollie's words, letting him take the bouquet while her eyes and attention stayed fixed on Jon. "I'm Lelah," she said and moved forward to round Jon's bed and settle on the opposite side from where Ollie had been sitting. "I'm an old friend of Jon's," she further explained and then set the statue on the table that sat next to Jon. Ollie's brows rose in surprise: the statue was a globe surrounded by a piece of celluloid film. It looked like an Golden Globe from Earth. Pieces clicked in Ollie's brain and he suddenly realised who was sitting with him.
"You're the director, right?" he asked. "The one who won that award for the film that Jon was in."
She nodded, flashed Ollie a weak smile. "He always told me I stole it from him. I thought..." She trailed off, shrugged and then pressed the tips of her fingers to her mouth, seemingly trying to hold back tears. He watched as she physically pulled herself back together before speaking. "I thought if I brought it here, it would help. Somehow." Lelah turned lost eyes on Ollie and he went to take his seat across from her, still holding the flowers. "How is he?" she asked, desperation clouding her voice. "What happened" All I heard was that he'd been shot."
Ollie nodded, his eyes moving back to Jon's face. "The doctors won't know anything until he wakes up," he said. "I don't know exactly what happened, either." He fell silent, feeling frustrated by his inability to do anything of use.
Lelah reached out and took Jon's hand carefully, raised it to her lips and kissed the back of it, just below the IV. Then she lowered it to the bed once more, still holding it. "He'll be fine," she said, her voice wavering a bit but still confident. "He's got a starring role in my new studio's first film, after all. He can't pass that up.?
Ollie and Lelah passed the next few hours holding tightly to Jon's hands, each wrapped up in their own thoughts and prayers, with the soft beeping of the machines keeping Jon alive the only intrusions into the still of the night.