ғᴏᴏᴛsᴛᴇᴘs | ᴋᴍ ✔︎

Jeri x Pam

"Sometimes the only way out of the fire, is through it."
-The Act.

The room was tense - if tense was a polite way of saying mind numbingly uncomfortable, and a huge understatement for incredibly awkward.

Jack, ever the over-protective best friend, had very little face time with the sperm donor, and while she loved her best friend and was thankful for her mere existence, she despised the man standing between her and the door.

Kristie edged closer to Cody, taking the younger girl's hand in her own in an attempt to comfort the goofy, drugged up rookie and maybe even herself.

The Doctor who allowed the man into the already full room had quickly made his escape. Perhaps he knew of the predicament the family were in, it was no secret afterall, or maybe he was just accustomed to leaving families behind, eager to get on with his other duties.

Alex had adopted the physical resemblance of a statue. Her shoulders tense and unmoving as she stared down the man that had so effortlessly, and ironically, called himself Cody's father. Nobody in the room was sure she was even breathing, that's how still she was.

All except Cody. Who was, to put it simply, completely out of her mind.

"Oh my Goooood. My hand, it's so heavy, it's gonna fall off! Doctor!" Cody yelled, distracting everyone in the room except Alex, who refused to take her eyes off of the man at the door. "I can't feel my hand!" The younger Morgan continues to yell as she tries and fails to move her hand from the bed.

"Cody, that's my hand." Kristie mumbles, her thumb subconsciously rubbing small circles against Cody's knuckles in an effort to calm her.

"Oh. I knew that."

"Girls," Alex finally speaks, drawing the attention from her drugged up daughter. "Give us a minute."

Jack and Kristie say their goodbye's to Cody, both leaving kisses on her forehead, which Alex missed due to her staring contest with the so-call father in the room. Both girls left silently, meeting Rachel in the hallway and heading for a coffee in the cafeteria downstairs near the entrance to the hospital.

"What do you want?" Alex spat through gritted teeth. She was essentially mama bear protecting her wounded cub, and the man knew it.

"Alex--" He begins, a somewhat somber expression upon his face. He hadn't shaved, his hair was messy but that's how he always looked. The only giveaway to his exhaustion was the dark circles under his eyes, but Alex would be lying if she said she cared. "I just want to make sure she's okay."

"She's fine." Alex responds immediately, watching as the man glances behind himself.

Cody remains oblivious to the quiet back and forth of her parents as she stares at the ceiling, trying to touch her nose with her tongue.

"What are you looking for?" Alex asks, catching the attention of her daughter who apparently forgot that she wasn't alone.

"GHOSTS?!" Cody yells, and both parents turn to find her wide-eyed but grinning. Alex's face graces a smile as Cody begins humming and singing a familiar theme song. "Who ya gonna call? BUSTGHOSTERS!"

Meanwhile in the cafe, Jack and Rachel sit at a small table by the window, watching nurses and staff get fresh air, the odd patient outside for a small taste of freedom, but mostly the faces of visitors. Loved ones who have traveled who knows how far to see those that they care about. Some happy and relieved, some devastated.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asks, taking Jack's hand in her own and watching her girlfriend's face intently. "And don't say nothing. I know that look."

"I hate that you know," Jack grumbles. Her shoulders slouch as she glances to find Kristie still waiting to buy the three coffee. "I'm worried."

Rachel had to bite back the sarcastic remark -- she knew her girlfriend was worried but she didn't want to assume why.

"I don't like seeing Cody on painkillers. I don't want her to remember why she liked them, I don't want her to fall back down that hole again."

Before Rachel could reassure her girlfriend, the third blonde of the trio arrived with beverages, and the three sat in silence. Rachel watched Kristie and Jack carefully, she knew Cody meant a lot to both of them, each in their own way, and the last thing she wanted was Cody to relapse by her own hand.

Sure, the painkillers were a necessary evil for this moment, she wouldn't cope without them, but Rachel just hoped that Cody could move on from them this time, and she could clearly see that both her girlfriend and her best friend felt the same.

The Houston Three began idly chatting, mostly about nothing important, not as it relates to Cody laying in a hospital bed, her playing career possibly over - if you believe the doctors. Rachel did well in keeping the chatter light-hearted, so as to not upset the other two. It's not that she didn't like Cody, she just didn't know her.

A loud thud on the window startled the three, Kristie almost spilling her coffee, but judging by the giant grin on Jack's face, Rachel knew not to be on alert. The unknown woman left the window and entered the hospital, before entering the small cafeteria and sitting down next to Kristie.

"Hey Jeri!"

"Hi girls." The aunt spoke, a small but tired smile on her face. Her hair thrown up in a careless bun as she grabbed Jack's cup and took a sip of her coffee before handing it back. "I needed that. How is she?"

"Um..."

Jack not knowing how to answer looked to Kristie for help, knowing that they had at least met, even if it was awkward.

"She's resting...Alex is with her." Kristie spoke, and decided to ignore the raised brow from Jeri. It was no secret, even to Rachel, that the two had history.

"What's with the pause?" Jeri asked, and aimed her question specifically at Jack. Jack, lucky as ever, was saved when another woman entered, she wasn't familiar to Jack or Rachel but Kristie seemed like she knew her. "Finally, what took so long?"

"Don't be rude." The new woman smacked Jeri upside the head. "Hi, we haven't met, I'm Pamela."

She shook hands with Rachel and Jack, both introducing themselves. Pamela nodded to Kristie before turning back to Jack. "My daughter and granddaughter both speak very highly of you, Jack."

"She's in the room with Cody, mom." Jeri stands and leads Pamela away before abruptly stopped and turning around to the seated three. "Where the heck are we going?"