When I say I love you, its not because I want you or because I can't have you. It has nothing to do with me. I'm in love with what you are, what you do and how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of y...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Nothing resides in his mind but pain. Reality hits Jughead harder than the rain drenched pavement he face planted on. He slipped off of his bike, he's in the hospital. At least he hopes he is. He hopes this is the extent of wild hallucinations. He makes a move to sit up but his body protests down to his bones and all of a sudden his throat and lungs are burning.
Fuck, not again.
He coughs up blood and feels a sudden movement next to him when a bunch of monitors began blaring in his ears. The sharp sounds pierce his skull and it takes him a minute to for his vision and hearing to clear and he can hear Toni yelling for a doctor while Fangs and Sweet Pea urge him to lie back down.
"He has to lay on his side or he'll choke on his blood you idiots." Toni bites at the two with more heat than Jughead has ever witnessed her direct at the other Serpents.
He wants to tell her to relax, but he can't speak through the pain. Doctors and nurses come rushing in messing with wires in his arms and giving him useless advice like calm down. Like he doesn't already know to calm the fuck down, but he doesn't instead he feels panic and rage because he has no idea what's going on and he's confused.
He sees Toni reach for his hand slipping her arm between a doctor and a nurse who are messing with Jughead's IV and his mind flashes to a vision of Betty holding his hand in the same room. Thoughts of Betty bring on another type of pain as his mind flashes to Betty being kissed by his red haired best friend at pops and it throws him off. Toni's hand in his grounds him to this reality as he feels her squeeze tight. He manages to squeeze back as weak as it may be and sees an upward twitch of her lips behind blue scrubs.
There's a funny smell in the air and a burn runs through Jughead's as the pain fades away.
"Where's Veronica?" Jughead manages to ask through the pain before the black swallows him whole again.
The next time Jughead wakes up. There is a lot less pain and a lot less people. He wakes up to his father watching him with a look so full of hurt it hurts Jughead too. His father is so deep in thought he hasn't noticed Jughead is up yet, let alone watching him. Jughead sees a primal look of fury and protectiveness on his fathers face that makes him feel like a kid again. Like a kid who believed his parents had all the answers. He knows that was never the truth. His father can barely keep himself sober let alone employed, he is not in a position to protect anyone anymore.
Jughead's heart throbs realizing his father might not have what it takes to be the Serpent King much longer. FP did not have it take to stop Hiram Lodge. FP's eyes are decorated with lines and dark circles. Jughead wishes he could wipe them away and take the burden off of his father's back. He tries to call out to him, but a sharp pain in his jaw paralyses him along with a burn in his throat.
He realizes he cannot speak or move at all. His body protests in pain as he struggles with all of his being to move anything. Panic strikes as he feels tears forming in the corner of his eyes. Then the beeps go off and the alarms around his bed slam at his skull. In all of the mayhem he manages to form a growl from the back of his throat.
