The two of them spent the rest of their morning together, chatting and exchanging their usual jokes as the hours passed. Jack had begun telling Mark some of the other 'creative' names he'd thought up for him. Unfortunately, 'Markimoo' was nothing compared to some of the other things the Irish boy had come up with.
Their morning remained uninterrupted by any of the hospital staff, which was unusual compared to most other days. Normally there were doctors and nurses coming in and out of Jack's room every 5 minutes, but today, not a single person came through the door.
Spending time with Jack in the morning almost made Mark completely forget about the day, but the idea still lingered painfully at the back of his mind. Around midday he began to come to the realisation that this might possibly be the last time they would be together, enjoying each other's company with friendly topics and banter. Mark had grown to become quite fond of the boy. He didn't know if it was his interesting sense of humour, or perhaps the energetic-ness that he had on his good days. It was enough to brighten anyone's day, but it especially brightened Mark's. Even on Jack's worst days, Mark wanted to be with him.
It was now around 1 o'clock. The two were in the middle of a heated debate about whether pineapple belonged on pizza (Mark despised it but Jack seemed to like the idea of it, even if he couldn't recall any past memory of ever eating pineapple on pizza) when a knock came on the door. Mark turned around to find one of Jack's nurses opening the door and stepping into the room. She was normally the one to deliver Jack's daily lunch but today she wasn't carrying anything. She didn't even have her usual, friendly smile with her.
"Jack, Mark," She murmured, nodding to the two of them. Her voice sounded dull. "I'd like you both to come with me."
Mark knew exactly what she was here for. But Jack, on the other hand, just gave a snort. He clearly still didn't remember what day it was.
"Huh? What about lunch?" He joked, wrinkling his nose in playful disgust.
But the nurse's expression did not change. Normally she would have given a smile and answered Jack rhetorically. It made Mark a bit uneasy.
"We don't have all day," she answered calmly. "Let's go, follow me."
Jack opened his mouth to argue but Mark nudged him quietly and mouthed 'don't.'
In silence they both got up followed the nurse out of the room. Mark kept his gaze on the ground. Jack kept making efforts to make friendly conversation but Mark only answered in mumbles.
Eventually they arrived at a room similar to the one that Mark had been interrogated in on his first day at the hospital. The nurse allowed them inside. The walls were white and plain with the occasional abstract painting centred perfectly in the middle. There was a desk drowning in papers and a person wearing a particularly important uniform sitting behind it, adjusting the glasses on his nose. He acknowledged the two boys with a nod as they came in.
"Hello, please take a seat," The man spoke, motioning to the two chairs on the other side of the desk. Both Mark and Jack took a seat. The man held a clipboard thickly lined with sheets of paper.
Mark guessed this was the moment where Jack finally realised what was happening. He heard the boy let out a gasp of realisation and mutter a quiet "oh, fuck.." under his breath. Mark reached over to touch his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him but Jack shrugged him away, leaving Mark to feel a little hurt.
"So.. I have with me the results of the tests." The man began with a hoarse cough. For a little while he talked about the different tests they had run and that they had done their best to get the best results they could. The words went in one ear out the other. Eventually he was finished.
"I'd like to start off by saying that, whatever happens beyond this point, I wish you both the best. On behalf of the staff of the hospital, it's been a pleasure to offer you whatever service we could." He began to mention a few things about healthcare and how it was going to be tackled. Mark sighed impatiently.
YOU ARE READING
under my wing (septiplier fluff)
FanfictionIn a short amount of time Mark has been faced with more difficult decisions than he was ever prepared for. He had already chosen to help the injured boy he'd found in the alleyway and he had also chosen to stay with him while he recovered in a hospi...
