Cold and alone ✔️

I'm free!? - 11

   Ever since their fight with Pitch, Jack was the Guardian's main focus. Tooth left all the teeth collecting up to her fairies and left her most truth worthy in charge. Bunny brought many eggs with him and painted them while staying with Jack so the boy wouldn't be alone when he woke up. North continued to work extremely hard on Jack's new room and a few toys made especially for him. Sandy was the most effected and struggled to leave Jack at all to give children their dreams.

   Seeing the state Pitch had left Jack in, broke Sandy's heart. Jack was now a shadow of the boy he used to be. The Jack he knew was full of never ending joy and non stop energy. The boy on the bed looked just like him except he was covered in scars, somehow even more pale than before, and eye bags that stubbornly remained as dark as Pitch's sand no matter how much sleep Sandy had given him.

Sandy had been keeping a close eye on Jack since his rescue, even more than Bunny, and he had slept for the past three days. He would sit and hold Jack's hand as his eyes stared at his injuries in distain and wish for them to go away. Still having to do his job, Sandy went from place to place and simply gave the dreams versus detailing each for every child as he was too worried. What used to take up most of his time was reduced to a few hours as he would go between giving dreams and watching over Jack.

   As Sandy once again returned, and silently patted into the room, Jack began to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes but quickly shut them again due to most likely not being used to much light. Sandy used his sand to switch off the lights and squeezed Jack's hand in comfort. As Jack cracked his ice blue eyes open again, he squeezed Sandy's hand back in reassurance that he really wasn't with Pitch anymore. Bunny stood back and observed quietly with a smile on his face as he watched the two interact.

Bunny could see they cared for each other and wanted Jack to feel that way with them too. Jack still hadn't said a word but they could see tears beginning to slip down his face with a ghost of a smile on his lips. In a smaller voice then expected, Jack's voice cracks from disuse and whispers "Am I finally free? Is he gone Sandy? I don't want him to hurt me anymore! I don't want anymore punishments!" His tears increased as his breath sped up in fear showing to the group just how terrified he was of Pitch.

    Sandy reassured Jack by hugging him and Jack's breathing evened out soon enough as he drifted back off to sleep. Sandy gave him some dream sand to help keep him asleep once more and began to slip off his sweatshirt to check his injuries. They had only checked his arms and legs before as anyone waking up to strangers undressing them would cause panic. One look was all it took to know Jack was stuck with Pitch for more than a few months.

   In the end, almost all of Jack's chest was wrapped up in bandages along with many down his arms and legs as well that Tooth had previously bandaged. Sandy changed those as he added the ones to Jack's chest and cried silently. Many of his injuries were too old to heal and all they could do was try to help erase the scar tissue. Jack even had a few lighter scars on his face that Sandy constantly tried in vain to ignore. The mood in the room was somber but all they could do was wait for Jack to wake up again. Unfortunately, Sandy went into an overprotective brother bear mode so that wouldn't be happening any time soon.

   Once Jack did wake up again he quickly became aware of his surroundings. The Guardians had been told by Sandy the sand should ware off in the next hour or so and had been waiting in the room with Jack. They realized he was up when they saw his hands clench the bedsheets and looked to see his eyes darting around. As Jack saw he wasn't alone, he flinched violently and tried to move away but whimpered as the movement hurt his many bandaged injuries.

   Having been threatened by Sandy to not scare him, North and Bunny raised their hands in surrender to show Jack they meant no harm.  Tooth on the other hand let her mothering instincts take over and glided to Jack shushing him and gently ran her fingers through his fluffy white hair. "Your okay Jack, your safe now. The big bad man can't hurt you anymore! We won't let him!" Sandy floated beside Tooth and squeezed Jack's hand as she said this with a bright smile on his face. Jack whispered "I'm free?!" as his eyes dropped still heavy from his sleep. "Yes sweet tooth, you're free and we promise to protect you from now on!"

Edited October 13, 2022