mercy | jared padalecki

[ 50 ] bringing sexy back

   Laurel wasn't surprised when all three guys ended up in the kitchen when they went on lunch break early - Jensen had kept messing up because he was worried about his pregnant wife, which everyone understood. Jared had greeted her with a kiss before going in search of the office Toaster, so he could give her a treat. Jensen hopped up on the counter, already on the phone with Daneel. And Misha - being the odd man that he is - laid down in the corner of the room and fell asleep.

    "What's up?" she asked Jared when he rejoined them in the kitchen area, staring down at his phone in amusement.

    "A fan just sent me a video on instagram private messages. It's her mom doing this dumb dance in some weird outfit. Wanna see?"

    "Sure," she shrugged, not knowing what song would come out of the phone.

    The second the video started playing, Laurel felt as if the whole world had stopped. She hadn't heard that song - Bringing Sexy Back - since Kendall had died. They had used to listen to it all the time when she was alive; it was their favorite song. They'd dance to it in the kitchen or listen to it while studying together or even sing along in the car. It had been the last song they had listened to before Kendall had declared she was tired and turned the music off. And now, without even knowing it, Jared was triggering her into a panic attack.

   The walls around her seemed to be closing in and her heart was racing much faster than it should have been. Her hand let go out the spoon and she lifted her extremely shaky hand to her chest, trying to calm herself down. Almost immediately, Jensen realized that she was shaking uncontrollably and just could not breathe, so he dropped his phone - without even ending the call - and rushed towards her. With one arm, he wrapped her up into a hug and with the other hand, he grabbed Jared's phone and paused the video, then slid it into his pocket.

    She knew that they were talking and that they were asking her questions, but she couldn't seem to hear anything but that song playing in her head, over and over. Scenes of her with Kendall played over and over, even their last time ever listening to the song. She didn't notice when she was transferred to Jared's arms and he led her outside. The chilly fresh air was refreshing to her, but it didn't fix anything. She was still zoned out as he sat her down on the ground, wrapping his arms around her to comfort her.

    Within seconds of them sitting on the ground, the trailer door opened and Jensen came out, Toaster dragging him by her leash. She went straight to Laurel, licking her face and completely invading Laurel's personal space. In response, she knotted her fingers in her dog's fur and shoved her face into Toaster's shoulder, taking deep breaths. The shaking seemed to slow down and then cease completely, at which point she pulled her face out of her dog"s fur and looked up at her best friend.

    "Holy shit," she whispered, just then realizing she had been crying.

    "Are you okay?" Jensen asked, squatting down and kissing the top of her head.

    "Kinda," she replied. "I mean, not really, but I will be."

    "I'm so sorry," Jared said. "I had no idea that that song would trigger you."

    "That, surprises, the smell of sweet pea perfume or lotion, and apple pie. That's about all that triggers me anymore. I didn't tell you and I'm sorry about that."

   "Hey," he cooed, stroking her hair and pressing a kiss to her head. "It's okay. It's not your fault, okay? I love you."

    "I love you, too," she answered, resting her head on his shoulder. "I need water or something."

    The door to the trailer opened and a sleepy Misha stepped out, looking down at them in confusion.

    "What'd I miss?" he asked sleepily, which made Laurel laugh.

•••

i just wanted her to have another panic attack and talk about the triggers.

ten chapters left.

[ 12.20.16 ]