Standstill Bonds

Chapter 33 ~ A Watchful Eye

Holly's voice, barely a whisper, floated through the bedroom. "Jotaro, it's two-thirty in the morning."

Jotaro, who had been sitting beside Josephine for hours, looked up at his mother with bleary eyes. He grunted in response, acknowledging her presence, though his focus never left the unconscious girl beside him.

Holly stepped closer and gently handed him a cup of lavender tea. "You need to rest. The doctors will monitor her throughout the night."

Jotaro stared at the tea for a moment, the delicate aroma rising to meet him. His voice, low and weary, broke the silence. "I can't."

Holly sighed softly as an idea sparked in her mind. "Well, if you're not leaving her side, at least sleep properly. Leaning against the wall won't do your back any good. You're hunched enough as it is from spending hours in that chair of yours."

She briefly left the room, returning moments later with a futon, blanket, and pillow in hand. She motioned for Jotaro to stand, though he hesiated at first, he eventually complied, wathing as she laid them out beside Josephine's bed.

"You're too much, Mom," he muttered, shaking his head lightly.

Holly simply rolled her eyes "And you're too stubborn for your own good. Now drink your tea and lie down."

Jotaro took a sip, the soothing warmth settling well. He sat down on the futon, glancing again at Josephine. The steady beeps of the machines around her filled the room, a reminder of the fragile thread keeping her tethered to life, while her soul was elsewhere.

Holly, seated nearby, watched her son closely and tenderly as her voice, soft and comforting, reached out to him. "What's on your mind, sweet boy?"

Jotaro didn't meet her gaze and his tone was distant, almost hollow. "She's been through too much because of me, look at her... she's so helpless."

Holly's heart ached for him. "Jotaro, you can't control everything. But you're doing all you can for her. She's strong, like you. She'll pull through."

He said nothing, the weight of his guilt hanging in the air like a heavy fog that suffocated his very being. Holly leaned forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Get some rest," she said, "I'll be in my room if you need anything."

Before leaving, Holly knelt beside Josephine's bed and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. Jotaro watched with a faint softness in his eyes, though he remained silent as his mother left the room.

Finally lying down, Jotaro turned his head to face Josephine once more. The machines continued to beep away, constantly reminding him of her fragile state. Her breaths were shallow, each rise and fall of her chest was slow, as if each breath required an immense effort despite the medical assistance. Her face was pale, but almost ethereal in the faint light. Despite everything, there was a calmness to her; serenity in her stillness. Though it did little to soften the fact that her life was in very real danger. 

A pang of helplessness shot through him, deeper than anything he'd felt in years. She was here, but not truly present. She was locked away in a place he couldn't reach, and he hated it. The machines were the only thing keeping her body alive, much like the situation he had once faced; when his stand and memories were stolen by Pucci. He had experienced that same disconnect, the same void in his mind. It had taken everything Jolyne and her friends had to bring him back. Now Josephine was in that same limbo.

The challenge ahead was daunting, but one thing was certain; he wouldn't rest until she was brought back. He had faced these odds before, and he wasn't about to lose another battle to Pucci. Jotaro sat up slightly and reaching out, his hand hovered above her for a moment before he gently brushed a strand of her hair from her face, after a quiet moment, he also leaned down and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

"Stay strong, kid. I'm right here."

He settled back down, adjusting the pillow under his head. Though the uncertainty troubled him greatly, a strange sense of calm began to take hold. His body, pushed to its limits by worry and exhaustion, finally surrendered to sleep.

-

In the ocean of the void, where time and space seemed to blur, Josephine and Jolyne watched the scene unfold in the living world. Though Josephine could no longer cry in her spiritual form, the emotions forced an invisible pressure on her soul.

Jolyne, attempting to lighten the atmosphere, watched the scene with a smirk. "Look at that big pushover," she teased, gesturing toward the image of her father. Her tone was playful, but it carried an underlying warmth meant to offer Josephine a moment of reprieve from her distress.

Josephine managed a small, pained smile. "Yeah... He plays the tough guy, but deep down, I can feel it. I've always felt it; even when he scolded me. He cares, in his own way. I've learned so much from him... more than I ever expected. He's been more than just a mentor. In a way he's become like a... like a father figure to me. My real father, he couldn't care less about me. If he or my mother cared, they wouldn't make me deal with the shit that they do."

She hesitated, her voice trembling with uncertainty. "Jolyne... Does any of this bother you? I mean-" She faltered, struggling to find the right words. "I don't want you to feel like I'm... like I'm taking your place, or something... ah this shit is complicated..."

Jolyne, sensing the turmoil in Josephine's heart, responded gently. "You know, my old man wasn't there much when I was growing up. I resented him for it, at first. But later on, I realized he was out there keeping enemy Stand users from tearing our family apart. He was doing what he thought he had to, and he didn't want me or Mom involved. I forgave him for that."

Her voice softened, a tinge of sadness creeping in. "I just wish I had more time with him. Just as we were starting to fix things... everything went to hell."

Jolyne gave Josephine a reassuring smile, her eyes shining with understanding. "But don't feel guilty. You've given him something he hasn't had in years; hope. I can see it. You're the reason he's still fighting now. So don't second-guess your bond with him. I'm glad he has you."