Appointment

One-Sided Appointments

The nurse looked up when she heard someone coming in. Silently, she scribbled something down on the sign-in sheet as a figure walked by. She knew his name well. Occasionally, they had a shallow conversation, making small talk whenever he got bored. This was practically a habit now, a drill. She didn't even need to look up. She knew who it was by the footsteps. Footsteps she's heard every week for seven months now, at 3 pm on the dot. He always left at exactly 4.
Because that was the time when he had his sessions with Jack. Back when he was alive, and well, and not floating off in a void between life and death. 3-4, every week, for one hour.
Mark clenched his fists, silently opening the door to Jack's hospital room.
"Hey buddy." He said quietly, sitting down in the chair nearby, shutting the door behind him. Jack didn't respond. Of course. He was in a coma. He has been for seven months. It was driving Mark insane.
"It's time to start." He pressed a button on his watch, beginning an hour-long timer. Silence filled the room, and Mark smiled sadly.
"How're you feeling today? I'm fine, thanks. I've been super busy. Lost my job. In between careers right now, considering taking up a job at the movie theatre or something. Ridiculous, eh?"
"I got a dog. Her name's Chica. When you wake up, you should meet her. I'm sure she'd really like you."
"Your house hasn't been touched. I'm not quite sure what you think about this news, but I can assure you you were never robbed." Mark rambled on like that for a while, before he stopped.
"If you don't wake up... Is it my fault?" He whispered quietly.
"If you die...is it my fault?" He shouldn't have rejected Jack so harshly. But maybe that wasn't even close to the main problem, maybe there was something bubbling under the surface. Well, of course there was, but...something worse? What made Jack relapse? Did he really do this...because of Mark? The timing was too right, it only made sense...
"Congratulations, Mark. You've killed one man and driven yourself mad. Talking to a corpse. They tell me he's alive, but all he's doing is breathing. You can't...call something living if it doesn't have the will to live in the first place." Mark muttered.
"This is... So stupid. I...I could've... I wasted all of my time. Your time. I've been so arrogant...believing I could save you...when I can't even save myself."
He rolled up his sleeves, revealing scattered slashes on his arms.
"Looks like we both need help, buddy." Mark laughed bitterly.
There was no response. There was never a response.
Mark felt a surge of anger jolt through him.
"Why did you have to do this? What makes you think it's okay to just leave people like that? What makes you think that you have the right to go KILL YOURSELF and make EVERYBODY WHO CARED ABOUT YOU MISERABLE!" He shouted, slamming his hand against the wall. The rush of anger deserted him, and he looked tired. Tired, and sad, and helpless.
"It's too late. It's too late to save you, isn't it? Because...people like you...don't want to be saved." Mark muttered.
"But... Before I go... I wanted to tell you something." He started.
"Jack, I love you. I love you, okay? I'm sorry I was too scared to tell you that earlier. Maybe if I had, you wouldn't have done this again. But I...I didn't, and you did. Please wake up. Please. I'm begging you. I need you here. I need to tell you. I need to see you again. You're so close to me and yet if you don't wake up I'll never see you again. Please, Jack." He pleaded, tears streaming down his face.
"Please. I'm trying to hang on, I'm trying so hard, but either you're gonna come to me or I'm coming to you." Mark whispered, pointing at the cuts on his arms.
"It won't be long now, until the world misses both of us. Please wake up. Even if there's nothing left for you here...Let me be selfish and tell you to come back for me. Just come back. I want to be okay again. Please come back." He whimpered, rubbing his eyes.
"Please."
------------------------------------------------------
Sean was happy. He was glad he was alive.
"Good morning, Milo!" He waved at one of his good friends. Milo waved back. Gavin was next to him. They started over to Sean.
"Hey, Sean, you coming over later? Alex is gonna be there, too. We're gonna play some video games." Gavin offered. Sean grinned.
"Yeah, my schedule's open." He laughed.
"Awesome. Okay, so, I'll see you around seven-ish?"
"Sounds good!" Sean waved again, getting the mail and going back inside.
"Got anything for me?" His girlfriend Signe asked cheerfully.
"Um, a letter from your family." Sean gave it to her, and she beamed.
"Thanks!" She gave him a kiss on the cheek, darting away.
This was such a good life. Calm, normal, happy.
Then it flickered. The entire world flickered and vanished, and for a brief moment, he saw a crying man in a hospital room. Who was that? Was that...like...God? Why would God be in the hospital? That's stupid.
But something about that man tugged at his mind.
Then the world reappeared, and Signe was leaning over him worriedly.
"Sean? Sean! Are you all right? You started hallucinating!" She hugged him.
"I'm fine, I just..." Sean faded off. Since when did his friends call him Sean? He didn't like it when people called him that. That's right, he made people call him...Jack.
Jack! That's right! That was his name!
All of a sudden, everything got slightly darker, and Signe's face turned a bit angry-looking.
"Sean? Are you okay? Talk to me, Sean. Do you remember who you are?"
"I'm...Jack." He shook his head, feeling ill.
"Oh, Sean, you're so silly. Stay here, I'll get something to help you." Signe laughed, but it sounded more menacing than light. As soon as she left, Jack bolted. He ran towards Milo, who was still out in his yard.
"Milo, I think something's wrong with Signe..." He faded off as his friend turned to him. There was blood running down from a bullet lodged in his forehead. There were two dots with blood streaming down them on his neck
"What's up, Sean? Something wrong?" Jack hurriedly shook his head, biting back a scream of fear. He ran away, as they sky started to literally crumble. He collapsed as the memories hit him.
A laughing man. A pile of corpses. Jack, drinking Milo's blood. Jack being raped.
"Hey, Seeaaaaaaaan...don't just leeeeeaaaave usssssssss..." He felt something leech onto his body. Signe's voice, horribly distorted, was right next to his ear.
"Seeeaaaaan, it's better for youuuuu in heeeeeeeeeeeere." Milo chimed in, his body morphed into a black, gelatinous mass.
"You don't have to leeeeeeeeeaaaave." Jack stifled a scream as the man appeared in front of him. But then the world vanished again, and what he saw filled him with determination.
"Either you're gonna come to me or I'm coming to you." He saw Mark declare, and he knew at that moment that he could never let this man die on his account. Because Jack loved him. Even if it wasn't mutual, he'd just have to fucking deal, because he was NOT going to let Mark kill himself.
Then the world reappeared, and everything was back to normal. The man was gone. Everyone was crying, though.
"Please...you're safe here..."
"Don't go...it's scary out there..."
"We just want to protect you..."
"We love you..."
"We're sorry..."
Jack smiled sadly.
"I loved you guys so much. That's why I have to go back. To where you really are." He explained. And he knew just how to do it.
All of a sudden, his friends were gone, and the world became barren and empty. Except for one huge building. The one he'd jumped off of the first time.
Slowly, he climbed the stairs. Every step felt like he was lifting a thousand pounds. But he never gave up, and eventually, he reached the top.
"It's time to go." He said quietly. But the funny thing was? He wasn't jumping to die. He was jumping to live. To go back. What a hilarious turn of events.
Jack laughed lightly the whole way down.