Mortalis || irwin

[ 20 ] 2014

[ 20 ] 2014

-

"He's helping Calum more than he's ever wanted to."

-

Ashton went to the room next door to Michael's, which was the only room in the house he hadn't checked. He pushed the door opened to see there were two beds. Sleeping in one of them was Hazel Quimby and in the other was her brother Jack. The ghost cut the distance of the room with a few strides and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder to shake him awake. It didn't take much effort, and soon his brown eyes opened up to see a ghost standing in front of him. For Jack Quimby, it was nothing out of the ordinary to see ghosts. They were as real to him as any human being, and they were quite similar in appearance, except for the fact that ghosts had a faint greenish-blue undertone to their skin, and it was hardly noticeable unless someone looked hard enough.

"Is it morning already?" Jack groaned a bit groggily, sinking his head deeper into his pillow as he let out a tired yawn. His almond brown eyes glanced to his left in search of a clock atop the bedside table that could inform him of what time it was. 

Giving a shake of his head in response, Ashton began with urgency in his voice, "I need you to come to Brisbane with me."

Jack propped himself up on his elbows in order to sit up in his bed and pushed the covers aside. Now fully awake, he looked at Ashton with confusion. "Why are we going to Brisbane?" He asked, and Ashton saw it as a good sign that he hadn't just flat out declined to go with him.

"Harley need you to help Calum." Ashton explained.

"Well," Jack sighed as a grin spread across his lips. He had never been one to shy away from danger, especially not when it meant helping a friend. In the time that he had spent in Sydney, he had grown fond of Harley, and he saw her like another younger sister. It didn't help that she and his sister Hazel happened to look a lot alike. Refusing to help Harley made him feel like he was also turning his back on his sister because of the similarities they shared physically. He climbed out of bed as he finished, "Lets get going before Michael and Haze wake up. We're supposed to be leaving for Jamaica...or Trinidad and Tobago later. They're going to be pissed as hell when they see I'm gone."

Convincing Jack turned out to be more easy than Ashton thought. He expected there to be more begging or that he might have to resort to threats. He would do anything for Harley Quinn, and if that meant keeping Calum alive, he would not doubt in doing it.

-

Harley woke up a few hours later and she crinkled up her nose in disgust as she felt the hot stickiness of her skin beneath the unending layers of sheets. Next to her was Calum, and her hands reached for his arm to check how he was doing. He was no longer cold, he was even sweating as much as she was. Harley felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips, coming to the realization that he was clearly getting better, and she pushed the heavy covers out of the way, making them fall to the floor into a heavy heap.

The IV drip had run out of tea by then, and it seemed to her that it had helped to improve his condition. She would need to make more for him, in case he were to need it again. The temperature in the room was scorching hot from the air conditioner by the door and she hurried out of bed to turn it off. It literally felt to her like she was trapped, baking in an oven. She was just as quick to return to Calum's side. She sat next to him, her fingers raking through her black dyed hair that was wet from all her sweating during the night and kept sticking to the sides of her face. She pulled it back into a ponytail and used a scrunchie to hold it in place. 

She was thinking of getting in the shower when a jolt from Calum startled her in the next moment. His dark brown eyes opened after what felt like an eternity to her without seeing them, and his mouth fell open as he sucked in a deep breath like he had been given CPR. His hands gripped the sides of the bed, holding on tight and his eyes widened in fear. Harley didn't know what to do upon seeing him that way. It was like he was a fish out of water and had lost the ability to breathe; he was having an anxiety attack. She placed her shaking hands on his shoulders quickly and leaned in to look him in the eyes, hoping that the familiarity of her face would help him. "Calum!" She called to him desperately over his loud breathing, "Calum, you're okay now."