Write Your Own Song

Chapter 34

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Jack was ready to launch himself at the wall and tear down the clock and smash it into a thousand tiny, non-ticking pieces.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Listening as each second was counted off one by one was going to drive him insane.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Jack had his leg propped up on a chair, a bag of ice slowly melting on top of his knee. The ER doctor gave him his third set of crutches and told him to see his regular doctor as soon as possible. The stitches in his side had also torn a bit, but doctor said they were okay and put a new bandage on them. He'd also managed to add a new injury to his roster, a bad burn on his arm that was wrapped tightly.

Jerry wandered into the waiting room and Jack almost slumped to the floor in relief.

His brother looked like crap, but other than the sling on his arm and the bandage wrapped around his bicep, he was in one piece. He raised his arm and winced. "Took the bullet out, couple of stitches. No big deal." He looked pale and shaken and Jack didn't believe him for a second that he thought getting shot, however minor, was "no big deal".

"Camille?" Jack asked, his voice raspy from smoke.

"Might need to come back for more stitches after she gets a hold of me." Jerry practically collapsed onto the chair next to Jack. "I called her."

"And …"

"And I'm surprised all of Michigan didn't hear her screaming at me, telling me how she knew I was gonna get hurt, and how the whole thing was Bobby's fault." Jerry's gave a small laugh, shaking his head. "It's like the woman has it pre-recorded and presses play whenever she's pissed now."

Jack grinned and fidgeted with the bandage wrapped around the burn on his wrist. "Angel?" he asked quietly, hoping there was a good reason only one brother had come up from the Emergency Room.

"He took in a lot of smoke." Jack knew that; Angel couldn't catch his breath when he'd escaped from the club, coughing and hacking up a storm. "They have him on oxygen and are waiting to see if they're going to admit him. Sofi's with him, making up for not talking for the last few days."

"Can't shut her up?" Jack asked with a grin.

"Nope. And Angel is stuck." Jerry leaned his head back and gave a tired laugh. "The look he gave me when I said I was going to come check on you …"

"Trapped?"

"With no way out."

"Their marriage should be fun," Jack said dryly.

"Nah," Jerry said with a shrug, "they're gonna last, mark my word." He stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankles. He looked like he was ready to pass out and Jack wished he could shut his brain off long enough to do the same.

The room grew silent again and the clock was still ticking and Jack slumped back in his chair, wishing he could fast forward through the next few hours of his life.

Jack sucked at waiting. Everyone figured he was good at it because he was so quiet, but his mind was in overdrive, playing out every possible outcome he could come up with. His breathing was ragged from his nerves and he wanted a cigarette more than anything, but given the fact he'd inhaled a few thousand cigarettes worth of smoke that night, he figured he should steer clear of them for at least a few hours.

His damn knee made pacing a pain in the ass, so all he could do was sit and stare at the wall and listen to the clock and remember everything as he tried so hard to forget it.