Heated Lies (Jiara)

Damage Done

She wakes up in someone's arms, but her eyes are still closed. They smell nice, whoever she's with. A combination of weed and salt water. The more she gains consciousness, the more familiar it becomes.

"JJ?"

She sprang up. The night before was fuzzy in her mind. But she can clearly see a boy before her, with dark eyes and brown hair. She then notices her best friend rubbing his eyes.

"Kie?" John B's hair is a mess, but there's concern in his tone. "You good, dude?"

"A-Am I good?" she asks. The hospital is so white and bright, but the rest of her friends are coming into view.

She then looks down, finding the source of the smell. JJ's clothes in a plastic bag. She looks up at a short girl with glasses. She's asking questions with her eyes.

"We got them halfway through the surgery. I think they have him in a hospital gown. You kinda like.... hugged them all night."

Kiara doesn't waste a thought on anything else.
"Is he awake?" She splutters, eyes wide.

"Easy." Pope says, coming into view with a plastic cup of water. "Drink it. Seriously."

The Carrera looks at him like he's just asked her an incredibly stupid question. Still, she takes the cup, chugging it, and looking to him as if to say "next?"

Sarah is what's next. She looks tired, but she offers her friend a smile. "He's stable. We wanted you to be the first to see him."

There's hope blooming in her chest for a second, and it almost overwhelmed her. John B tells her to take deep breaths. Nora asks her if she's hungry. Kiara just smiles, walking past them and back to the same nurse she's seen a few hours before.

"Hi..." She cleared her throat. "I'm looking for JJ Maybank. What room is he in?"

It's like she's gotten off a plane and her ears haven't popped. Her brain is still processing her surroundings. Seconds later, she registers a room number coming from the soft spoken woman.

Kiara then takes a few trembling steps toward her destination. And there he is.

"Damn, bae, you look like shit." She's chuckling at her own words even though his eyes are closed.

Her hand instantly takes his, suddenly finding it just a little easier to breathe. Everything else starts to simmer out around her. She notices the IV next, then the tight bandages around his torso. Something about him, despite his obvious injuries, looks so peaceful.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately?"

Kiara actually laughs when she hears his voice. "JJ, you scared the shit out of me!" She sniveled a bit, looking way up at the ceiling, and then back at him.

By the time the Pogues fill the room, the air is a lot lighter. "So what's the damage, Doc?"

Kiara listens closely. The standard reply follows, bruises, cuts, a few loose teeth, slight concussion, few broken ribs, the list went on. She finished by saying he was healing well, but that they would need "patience during this time."

She then handed JJ a prescription for painkillers, and left. JJ let most of her words go in one ear and out the other. He did, however, analyze the prescription with his only working brain cells.

Someone pulled Kiara aside to ask about payment methods. Sarah stayed behind, asking if he remembered anything from the night before.

"Yeah..." JJ rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately. Where's John B?"

The boy perked up after hearing his name. "What's up, dude?"

"Is there anything I don't know?" The blonde boy sounds serious.