White Gold *Completed*

In The Aftermath

When I came around, my body was shivering uncontrollably and my head was pounding. It took me surprisingly no time in remembering where I was and what had happened, so I carefully sat upright, feeling for any broken bones. My ribs ached with every breath and my wrist was numb, but so far so good. I hunted around in my pocket for my phone and found it, swearing at the sight of the badly cracked screen.

It was a strange thing that came over me as I brought up Jasper’s number; I felt like a little kid in the aftermath of being bullied on the playground. A wheezy sob cracked from my sore throat as I shifted to my knees.

“Hello?” Jasper sounded tired.

“Jas,” I sniffed, trying with immense difficulty to stay calm. “Um, I’m sorry to c-call so late, but I think I need to go to the hospital...can you maybe borrow your friend’s car and drive me?”

She instantly sounded more awake. “What’s wrong? Where are you?”

“I’ll explain later.” I told her my location, hung up, and dragged my bruised body to the sidewalk, sliding to the ground on the stoop of a closed up bookstore. I let my eyes drift shut and attempted to ease the body-wide pain by breathing through my nose and thinking about something else until a horn honked.

Jasper was parked in a small, white four-door, the windshield wipers working like crazy in the forceful rain.

I tried to stand, but in the time I’d been sedentary my joints had frozen. I crumpled back to the cold cement, and Jasper jumped out of the driver’s side and rushed up to me.

“Adam? What the fuck happened to you?” She gasped, gently looping her arm around my waist and helping me to my feet. “Are you drunk?”

“No. I wish.” I said through gritted teeth. We hobbled to the car and I managed to slide into the passenger seat while Jasper raced around to get in.

“Explain while I drive.” She commanded, cranking up the heat.

I shakily told her all that had transpired and my story left her pale, gripping the wheel tightly.

“Those paskiaiset!” She hissed in anger. I winced at the word in Finnish. Why the hell couldn’t I seem to stop having Finnish friends?

I rested my head against the window, nausea sweeping over me as the lights passed by. My head swam again and I groaned.

“Adam? Hey, stay with me. And don’t fuckin’ hurl in here; it’s not my car.” She gave a half-hearted laugh. “We’re almost at the hospital so just hold on.”

But I couldn’t. The next thing I remembered was Jasper somehow dragging me into a building, her tiny frame nearly being crushed by my own, and then two medics catching me as my knees buckled and Jasper screeched. It was almost as if this beating had only been the valve to release all the stress and pressure I’d been bottling up for so long, and now my mind couldn’t take it any longer.

Warmth. Silence, but not too quiet. The sounds of someone breathing, moving their feet, tapping on...something. A phone screen?

I opened my eyes to find myself under a stack of warm blankets, a feeling of a vaguely lightheaded, dizzying sort of fatigue about me. My brain was sluggish and trying to think quickly led to near physical sickness. Jesus...what was I on?

In my left arm an IV needle was taped down to my skin and I watched in morbid fascination when I saw the needle rubbing inside my blue vein, unable to feel it. It was then that my mind alerted me to the bandage wrapped around my entire upper torso. I pulled back the top half and grimaced at the sight; ugly black and purple bruises laced my ribs from my armpit to nearly my hip.

I touched my jaw, remembering that it had been hit pretty hard, and felt a large bump, indicating that it was swollen.

 The weak sunlight streaming beyond the cheery, cream-colored curtains told me it was early morning. I licked my lips and winced at the frayed skin.

Over in the corner, Jasper had her bent to her phone, one leg crossed, eyes glazed over. I felt extremely awkward and exposed laying here with no shirt on, so I looked around the room for my clothes but didn’t spot them. Making as little noise or motion as possible, I slowly tugged the scratchy blanket up my chest, but it made me whimper in distant, dulled, pain. Jasper looked up, eyebrows raised in exhaustion.

“Adam! Thank God you’re awake.” She said, seemingly oblivious to my plight. “How are you feeling?”

I gave up my mission with the blanket halfway up my chest and instead took to awkwardly crossing my right arm over my body. Jasper rolled her eyes.

“Please. I caught the show while you were unconscious.”

“That makes me feel better. I muttered under my breath, “How long has it been?”

“Just a few hours. You just stayed under while they patched you up and gave you some painkillers. You broke a rib and they knocked a tooth loose, so they basically super glued that back in place. Your jaw was mildly dislocated as well, bit it pinched a nerve so you didn’t feel it quite as intensely, especially once shock set in. You’ll feel it when the pain meds wear off, though. Don’t open your mouth too wide.”

“Can’t say as though I’ve ever been told that one before.” I joked, coughing when a painful laugh broke through.

Jasper blushed. “Well, doctor’s orders. They’ll let you out this afternoon, but they said you may want to consider a home nurse or whatever those are to help you out...you’re not going to be able to shower ‘cuz of your rib and all that No chewing, either, so soft foods only.”

“Ha. I’m 35 fucking years old. Even if my spine was crushed in two I wouldn’t get someone to help me fucking bathe myself.”

Jasper fought back a grin and shrugged. “Whatever. Don’t come crying to me when it’s been three days and your precious pompadour doesn’t hold an inch of height and you’ve run out of dry shampoo.”

“Don’t worry, Jas, I won’t.” I snickered. “You should get some sleep, Jasper. At home, maybe.” I hinted.

Jasper sighs and stands up running a hand through her dark hair. “Yeah. Will you be okay?”

I nod. “Yep. I owe you big time, kid. Thanks.”

Something flickered on her face at my nickname but my emotions were too numbed to put too much thought into it.

“How will you get home?” She asked, gathering her bag and coat.

“Uber?”

“Yeah, Adam. Trust a total stranger to get you home when you’re high on painkillers and unable to defend yourself at all.”

“Jesus, what are the Ubers around here like?”

“Irish.” She winked.

“I’m too out of it to decide if that’s offensive or not.” I let my head rest back on the pillows.

“Don’t overdo it, Ad.” Jasper sighed.

“No promises.”

She left and I was in silence. Alone and in pain, just like I have been for so long.

That afternoon, I was released and the hospital was kind enough to have a courtesy shuttle bring me home. The few steps leading into my house were killer, and by the time I was inside sweat had collected on my forehead and I was pale.

The furthest I got was to the small couch in the living room, which couldn’t accommodate my full frame, but was better than hauling my sore ass up the stairs.

I chose to sleep for a few hours, set my alarm to wake up at a decent hour back in the U.S so I could call my mom, and fell asleep instantly.

(I apologise if I got some facts or words wrong or if I've already titled a chapter with this before- I'm running on nothing but coffee and stale imagination.
<3
~CG)
P.S TMW when you repeatedly reference Adam's songs on accident...I'm in this fandom so deep it's ridiculous.