Frozen Chains

Chapter 19

Everything was out of focus. When Jay looked up, if felt like he was looking slightly to the side. When he looked to the side, if felt like he was looking slightly down. A missing eye threw off every pattern his body knew. 

It hurt, too. Three days had passed and the ache was still there, sometimes mild and sometimes excruciating. 

Jack made an effort to talk to him when the Guardians weren't there, and Jay often felt bad when he was unable to answer, but what could he do? If he wasn't traumatized before, he certainly was now. There was no denying it. Every time the door opened he nearly had a panic attack, thinking it Pitch. No, not nearly,  there had been several occasions where Tooth to calm him down and pull him out of an anxiety attack. 

Jack was walking. Not very much, and he never left the room, but he was now allowed to walk for an hour as long as he spent the rest of the day in bed. 

The door opened. Jay cringed, looking away, feeling the rate of his heart pick up. In the back of his mind, he was aware that it was the Guardians, but there was always that lingering doubt that it could have been someone much worse.

"Hi, boys." Tooth said weakly. Her eyes were tinged pink from crying, the effects of mourning Sandy. 

Jay still felt horrible about that. Sandy had died protecting them, the Guardians were miserable from it, and it was their fault.

"H-hello... " Jack mumbled.

"I have some good news." Tooth said, filling her voice with fake cheer. "You have no more wounds that require immediate attention, so you should only have to rest in bed for a week or so more before you're allowed up."

Jack nodded. Jay looked at his brother, worried. How was he supposed to walk normally if he couldn't see out of his right eye? Would he end up walking in circles or tripping over things that were in his way that he couldn't see?

"You might have to stay in bed for a bit longer, Jay, it just depends on how you're feeling." Tooth added, "But, other than that possibility, you guys should be up and running here in a little bit."

Biting his lip, Jack mumbled, "Wh-what's gonna h-happen to us th-then?"

That was what Jay was afraid of. He knew that the Guardians would only be able to take care of them for so long; they surely wouldn't want to have to take in the two boys.

Tooth smiled gently, probably pleased that Jack had uttered a whole sentence. "Well, it depends. We've been talking about that, actually. North says he wouldn't mind if you guys lived here with him. Also, I would love it if you guys came to the Tooth Palace. Something tells me my fairies will love you."

For some reason, neither of those sounded very appealing. Maybe it was because Jay didn't want to have to live in someone else's home.

Or maybe he just had trust issues.

One of the two.

"Anyways, as long as we get you guys a home, it doesn't really matter. We just can't leave you alone out there with... We can't leave you guys alone. And we won't." She said.

Jack sighed and Jay shivered at the unsaid name. The both of the knew what Tooth was about to say, even if she stopped herself at the last moment, they weren't dumb. Jay knew when she was talking about him. 

Jay shuddered. He was afraid of him.

"Okay, lets get you guys some medicine... " Tooth said, crossing the room and opening one of the many cupboards. For a split second, her gaze locked on the corner of the room where they had found what remained of Sandy and her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back. Intense guilt washed over Jay like a wave.

He picked at the white bandage that covered the side of his face, sullenly wondering what it looked like underneath. Tooth had said they had cleaned it and stopped any chance of infection, but he was still worried about what it looked like. He would be blinded on that side of his face forever, the last thing he wanted was for there to be ugly scars, too.

"Here," said Tooth, handing Jack a paper cup full of medicine. 

Jay watched as his brother accepted it with a trembling hand and drank that nasty tasting medicine, his throat moving up and down as he swallowed. Jack made a face and handed the cup back to Tooth. She threw the cup inside a garbage bin next to the door.

"Your turn," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Jay jumped, gasping, flinching away from her touch. Broken images of blades, blood, rage, and angry fists filled his vision. Every time someone touched him, he never saw or felt that person, he could only see Pitch, Pitch hitting him, hurting him, causing him and his brother pain.

Tooth withdrew immediately. "Did I scare you? I'm sorry, Jay, I keep forgetting that you don't like to be touched... You know that I would never hurt you, right?"

Jay looked away from her and nodded.

She sighed with relief.

"Anyways, drink this. You'll only need one more dose tomorrow and then you're off the medicine for good!"

That made Jay slightly more eager to swallow the stuff, so he did, coughing slightly as the bitter liquid ran down his throat, which was raw from screaming so much. The coughs sent sharp waves up pain reverberating up his spine.

Tooth looked concerned as she took away the cup. "Are you okay?"

Jay didn't answer and waited until the coughing fit ceased. It seemed that his throat was kind of sensitive lately, though not quite so much as Jack's, which had nearly been completely crushed.

"You keep scaring me like that... " Tooth smiled grimly. "We're really worried about you guys. Luckily you two are fighters, but, you know, we've really gotten attached to you both... "

You don't get attached to things. They'll only be ripped away from you in the end, Jay thought.

Jack only gave her a blank look, probably thinking along the same lines as Jay.

"You guys are gonna make it through this." Tooth said, "That's a promise."

Promises can be broken.

***

GUYS IM SO SORRY I HAVENT BEEN POSTING BUT A LOT OF STUFF HAS BEEN GOING ON IN MY PERSONAL LIFE AND ITS A LOT TO KEEP UP WITH

I'LL BE HERE FOR THE REST OF TODAY AND TOMORROW IN WASHINGTON TIME SO IF ANY OF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT PLS MESSAGE ME

PLEASE KEEP READING AND COMMENTING!!!!