Brother || Teen Wolf

Chapter 50 - Think or Do

And then the adrenaline kicked in. He would not let them die, not like this. Yes, his hands were trembling and yes, he was terrified, but that wouldn't prevent him from doing everything he could to save his classmates. He had no knowledge in the field of medicine, only what he had seen in movies and there was no telling how accurate that was, but he knew he had to stop the blood from leaving Lydia and Jamie's veins.

The only problem was that they were both covered in cuts and Jackson only had his own two hands to press on their wounds. Could he save them both? The moment that question popped up in Jackson's head, he already knew the answer. He didn't have to think for a second to know which one of them he would save.

Immediately, Jackson's eyes found Lydia and for the second time that night, he became aware of the abyss that separated thinking about doing something, and actually doing it. He could barely handle the sight of her, motionless, and the very idea of the gashing wound on her throat and the blood oozing from it made his insides churn. To bring his hands against the wound was the hardest thing Jackson ever did. Now he simply had to keep his hands there and wait. 

Wait for the help he never called. 

Panic rose to unprecedented levels in Jackson's chest as he momentarily forgot how to breathe. His eyes grew wide and he finally grasped the severity of the situation, and how he had somehow managed to make it even worse. Jackson wasn't ready for any of this; he was just a teenager at a party that had gone horribly wrong. He felt small, and completely alone. What was he even doing? His hands were pressing against Lydia's throat in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but was he pressing hard enough? Or was he pressing too hard, and preventing her from breathing? And what was he thinking, leaving Jamie to die like this?

"Help!"

The cry that left Jackson's throat was weak, so weak that anyone human hearing it would have been nothing short of a miracle, and Jackson had stopped believing in those a very long time ago. And so he tried again and when it didn't work, he raised his voice and shouted even louder, until his lungs were hurting and his throat was parched. 

And finally, help arrived. A man and a woman were running towards the field, but neither of them was going at full speed. There were weapons in their hands and the way they held themselves revealed how they thought the wailing sounds they heard could very well be a trap, something to lure them straight into danger. However, the man suddenly dashed forward, until he was only a few feet away from Jackson.

The man recognized him from a Lacrosse game, but whatever bad first impression the teen had made on him no longer mattered. When he gently put his hands on Jackson's shoulder, careful not to scare him, the teen whipped around and came face-to-face with Chris Argent. Never would he have thought he would one day be relieved when greeted with the sight of Allison's father. Behind him stood Kate, who was gazing down at the teens with an undecipherable expression, her arms crossed over her chest. Why she wasn't rushing to help was beyond Jackson.

Instead, the woman grabbed Jackson by the shoulders and led him away from the scene in a manner that was more forceful than it was gentle, and proceeded to thoroughly ask him at least a dozen questions. It was no use, as Jackson showed absolutely no interest in saying anything. His head kept turning to the side, where Chris was on the phone and tending to his classmates' wounds better than he ever could. He didn't seem to hear a single word that left Kate's mouth, nor did he seem to notice how much she despised being ignored.

The only thought that occupied his mind was that he was a useless failure and utterly incapable of saving anyone, himself included. That thought didn't leave his head even once the ambulance arrived, and it stayed with him the entire ride. He had lost all track of time, making it impossible for him to tell how long ago someone had ushered him inside the small waiting room he was still in. At some point, Jamie's father found him and while he half expected a punch to the face, Jackson had found himself in the man's arms. Henry had spoken to him, telling him not to blame himself, that he was just a child, and that none of it was his fault. Jackson could only nod in response, and even that had felt like a lie.

Lydia's parents were there, sitting next to Jamie's father in worried silence. Stiles had joined the picture as well, although Jackson couldn't tell how or when. He had immediately started pacing around the small waiting room and when the sight of him made Jackson dizzy, the Lacrosse captain simply closed his eyes shut. Stiles was also mumbling incoherent sentences that had a ring of hope to them, until he suddenly stopped talking and pacing altogether.

The atmosphere became so thick with anticipation that Jackson could almost taste it, making him snap out of his daze and bringing him to open his eyes again. As Jackson blinked, the soft noise of the waiting room door closing could be heard, followed by light footsteps. Everyone in the room only had eyes for the nurse who had joined them, and Jackson couldn't help but carefully peer at her in the hope of finding the trace of good news on her features. He felt his lungs constrict in his chest when he noticed that she was slightly frowning, and that the smile she wore was strained. As she glanced down at her clipboard one last time, she cleared her throat.

"I have some news for you."