Tell Me 'Bout That Day In Dallas

Chapter Forty:

Jack felt the warm stickiness of blood as it instantly began to trickle down the side of his face and neck, but it wasn't his blood. He heard shouts and screams as the room up-roared into chaos, but before he could look around or even to the man next to him, he was roughly pulled to the floor by one of his agents.

Rapidly blinking his eyes, daze-like, from under the table, he watched as his agent got back up, gun drawn and shouted to another agent. His attention then drew towards the sound of an agonizing groan. 

 Looking to his left, he saw, further under the table, Lyndon Johnson with what seemed to be his left jaw and cheek bone reduced to nothing but thick blood and mangled flesh, the bones shattered beyond recognition.

"Lyndon, my God!" Jack exclaimed, crawling the few feet over to his Vice President. The strong smell of blood filled his nostrils as he looked down on his wounded accomplice, but that didn't bother him much; if anything it just brought back memories of the night his PT boat was struck by a Japanese Destroyer and the blood he later saw on both him and his comrades, most from burns. He was almost thankful the smell of burning flesh wasn't also with him under the table.

"Lyndon, you've been shot," Jack continued, as he removed his jacket and rolled it up so he could apply pressure to Lyndon's jaw, or whatever was left of it anyway.

He groaned in response and began to speak, his words slurred due to being unable to properly move his shattered mandible, "J...ac...k,..I...go...tta...te...ll...'ya...som...th...in'..."

"You're badly wounded you don't need to say anything," Jack told him quickly.

"Y...ou...do...n't...un...der...stand!" Lyndon forced out, blood filling his mouth. He was unable to spit it out and groaned in frustration as it oozed down his chin. Jack quickly swiped it out of his mouth with the jacket sleeve. 

Lyndon looked at him thankfully before continuing, "I...th...is...is...my...fau...lt. Th...ey...wan...ted...to...ki...ll...you...be...cau...se...of...me. I...was...the...one...who...set...up...the...a...ssass...ination...for...Dallas...but...I...did...n't...go...thr...ough...with...it... And...to...day...I...fin...ally...real...ized...I...don't...want...to...at...all...but...the...peo...ple...I...got...in...volved...with...are...n't...hap...py...with...my...dec...ision. I'm...sor...ry..., Jack. My...amb...ition...and...jeal...ousy...got...the...best...of...me...please...for...give...me..."

Jack was in shock and had a hard time understanding his jumbled words. "You wanted to kill me?" Jack questioned, just to be sure he heard him correctly.

Lyndon coughed violently and nodded.

Jack took in a deep breath and continued to apply pressure to his wound. He was filled with both hate and pity for the man below him now.