Walk On The Wild Side ♡ JEGGY ✓

♡ 10: First Blood

A/N: Kind of a filler? Almost 4000 words of John being pissed off.

trigger warning: Swearing, Henry Laurens' A+ parenting

John ♡

❝Now, who is the Mars person I've been hearing about? Why is he in a private room? John's not special.❞

The sound of my father's voice wakes me from my drug-induced sleep.

God, I'd rather die than deal with him right now.

I squint at the light, lifting my head to look around. I was moved to a private room early this morning. Mars' father made the switch. I think he covered the bill, too. I hope Mars didn't ask him to do that, but I have a feeling she did.

Speaking of, I don't think she's left my side since last night. She's currently curled up in the nice leather chair next to my bed. I'm glad she's finally asleep. She mostly just stared at me all night when she thought I was sleeping. I think she was making sure I didn't die in my sleep.

"Jack? Are you awake?" My father enters the room, looking mildly irritated.

"Is he awake? Jack!" James pushes past our father and climbs up into my hospital bed before I can even think to tell him not to. I shift away at the last minute, narrowly avoiding a knee to my stitches.

James wraps his arms around my neck, pressing his face into my hair. "James, be careful!" Martha scolds.

"It's okay, it's okay," I tell her, wrapping my arm around him. "Hey, bud."

Martha is holding little Mary, and Henry is standing right beside her. Both Henry and Martha have been crying. "I'm okay, come here." I manage to hug them both without upsetting my stitches too much.

The last time they were in a hospital, our mom died, so I know they're a little freaked out.

"Why did I have to drive up here, John? You look fine to me."

"I was stabbed, Pop." I'm lying in a fucking hospital bed. I'm sure I don't look fine. "I almost..." I almost died, but I don't say that in front of my babies. They're already scared. "You didn't have to come if you didn't want to."

He scoffs, placing his hands on his hips. "George wouldn't stop calling me, so I didn't have much of a choice." He looks over at Mars in the chair, still sleeping. "Who is this?"

"John's girlfriend," Martha murmurs, pulling away to let Mary press sticky kisses to my face.

"Girlfriend?" My father echoes, furrowing his eyebrows. "Wake her up. I drove all this way. I don't want any outsiders in this room."

I groan, "Dad." Does he have to make my life miserable every second of every day? Can't I have a break?

"I will take your siblings and leave right now, John. Do what I said."

I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him.

I press my lips together so I don't provoke him, exhaling heavily through my nose.

"Can you reach her?" Henry asks. I shake my head. "I'll tap her for you."

He gently shakes her shoulder. "Mars," I call.

"Hm?"

"My family's here," I murmur. I felt like shit for waking her. She had a concussion. She needed rest.

She groans, "Okay, hi," and then she goes back to sleep.

I snort in amusement. I'm going to marry this girl one day.