The Case of Sean McLoughlin (A Dark JSE Ego Fic)

2/21/19 - 5:24:52 PM

Signe rolled the tennis ball toward him, watching as he picked it up and bounced it for a moment. He seemed genuinely entertained by the small action, and as he glanced up with her in amusement she almost felt relaxed. It was a comfort to have such a normal conversation with him, considering the past few weeks.

"So how long have you and Jack know each other?" she ventured, adjusting her position on the concrete floor. It was a jarring question to ask, but the doctor said that it was the best idea to keep him stable.

Seán laughed as he threw the ball back. "Oh god, I have no idea. We've been friends since we were kids. He's a great guy, he was there for me when... when all that shit with Stacy happened."

"Hmh." Signe tried to maintain her relaxed smile. She noted his skin was looking better today. Maybe he had finally agreed to eat something. Chase was one of the more compliant ones. "Seán is nice like that."

"Tell me about it. What a legend." Seán shook his head, chuckling a little as he leaned back against the wall. "How long have you known him?"

There it was. That feeling, like a punch in the gut. The reality of the metal walls and the moniters and the doctors threatened to crash down on her again, but she pushed it all aside.

"A while," she said finally. Her voice was quiet. "A while."

"Hmh." He gestured around the room vaguely. "I don't supposed you could ask them to let me out of here."

She shook her head. "Sorry, not yet. They'd like to talk to Seán first."

For a moment a flicker of frustration crossed his face, and Signe worried that she had said something wrong. Her muscles tensed as she watched his eyes follow the ball that she rolled toward him.

"I keep telling you guys," he finally said, "Jack's in, in a coma. He has been for a while. Ever since he..." His voice trailed off, breaking slightly as his eyes turned distant. Real anguish and misery.

There were a million things Signe thought to say. She glanced up at the camera in the corner of the room, trying to decide what they would want her to say. They always had an answer for everything.

Finally, she just said, "You must be pretty alone, huh."

She didn't intend to sound so sad. It was hard to pretend like she wasn't.

He didn't reply for a few moments, his eyes still distant as he started at the wall. The ball turned mindlessly in his hands. "I don't get a lot of people visiting me anymore," he finally noted. "When I'm not with the kids I usually just watch tv or something like that."

"What's your favorite show?" Signe asked. She should at least try to cheer him up.

"This is going to sound lame, but I'm really into Steven Universe right now," Seán told her, his mouth twitching. She allowed herself to laugh in response. It seemed to help him.

"What about you? Are you a tv person?" Seán asked.

Signe shrugged, clearing her throat a little. Seán threw the ball to her and she caught it. "Yeah. I'm not really watching anything at the moment, though. Maybe I'll give Steven Universe a try."

"Aha." He laughed again, more easily, and he leaned forward a little. "If I didn't know any better, Signe Hansen, I'd say you were coming onto me."

The pain was even worse that time. Like someone was stabbing her in the gut, relentlessly. A constant reminder that Seán looked at her and didn't see her.

"Sorry," she finally said. "I'm taken."

"Lucky guy."