A Hospital Waiting Area, Bristol, Monday

[bitten_notshy]

Jack had been in and out of Mitchell's hospital room all morning. It hadn't been doing the slightest bit of good from what he could tell, and had the unwanted side effect of making him feel like he was intruding on something between George and Mitchell. By late morning, he wandered off to get something to eat and send a few emails begging off on his schoolwork.

He thought about calling Emma. He knew he should call Emma, that he'd be blindingly furious if she didn't tell him were the situation reversed. But some tiny part of him was sick of dashing from crisis to crisis with her. It wasn't as if she could help, anyhow, he rationalized. He didn't think Mitchell even realized she knew he was a vampire. Calling her could wait.

So he put off that call, and made another one. He dreaded ruining someone's day this way, but Kate would have even more reason to be angry if she wasn't told than Emma would.

As the phone rang, he had a sudden fear that Kate would say what he had been telling himself: That he should have, somehow, done more. That he could have stopped this all if he'd been a little less stupid.

Comments

[bitten_notshy]

"Dumb helps more, actually." And there was Jack's sense of humor. Somewhere. Somewhere very, very deep, right next to the relieved realization no one was going to yell at him for this. "It's complicated. But -- all right."

He could have at least told Mitchell not to answer the fucking door without looking.

"They're letting visitors see him." Which wasn't an invitation, since invitations weren't his to give, but it wasn't not one, either.

[vanillajello]

Kate didn't really need an invitation, either, but it was nice to get something quite wasn't one, anyway. "I'll call Portalocity," she said. "I'll probably be there sometime in the afternoon."

Classes be damned.

[bitten_notshy]

"Thank you," Jack said gratefully. "He's awake, mostly, and I'm sure he'll be pleased to see you. Besides, I could use a back-up in the normal human corner."

Which, if he thought of it, was another reason he hadn't called Emma.

"There's a whole long story about Annie, too, but that might be hers to tell."

[vanillajello]

Kate couldn't help but be a bit dubious about Mitchell wanting to see her since they hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms, but she didn't say anything about it. It didn't matter, she was going anyway.

"Yeah, the normal human tag team," she snorted quietlky instead. "Maybe Annie'll tell me."

That, at least, sounded like a potentially good thing.

[bitten_notshy]

"I hope she does. It was" -- he managed not to say terrifying -- "completely amazing," Jack answered. "She got rid of Owen."

Which was more than he'd meant to say for 'not his story,' but it seemed like some good news was needed.

"Anyhow, so I'll see you in a bit?"

[vanillajello]

"Go Annie," Kate said, and actually did sound both impressed and glad to have heard something positive. Then she nodded. "See you soon. Later."

She ended the call only to immediately make one to Portalocity. She had a portal to catch.