Aftermath, Zacky

[Jenna Moore]

Dr. Jennings sighed. They had told him an old patient of his was in the hospital, so he had checked his ward, expecting them to be there, but no new head-case had appeared. Apparently, his old patient had been injured physically, and they wanted him to come in in case she woke up. It was Jenna. He remembered her, even though it had been a few years. He didn't have many patients that weren't permanent residents of the mental ward. Jenna had been a fighter, a strong one. And while she had been under his care, he had often comforted her. She didn't have the greatest home life in the world, and had a considerably nasty past. He had even come to think of her as a surrogate daughter.

He had told her to come back often, for checkups and medicine, to keep her from falling back into that pit she had fought so hard to climb out of. What had happened to the sweet girl? She looked like a disaster, like a victim of someone who should have been in the dangerous part of his ward, locked up in a straight jacket in a cell with bars. He ran a hand through his gray hair, the wrinkles on his face becoming more apparent as he frowned. He had been told a young man brought her here, looking terrified. He had passed the boy, and he looked like a miscreant. Wearing nothing but black pajama pants, with a lip ring? Not someone he expected the sweet, innocent Jenna to hang around.

The worst part of it was that when she recovered, he would have to take her back to his ward, to keep an eye on her. He felt pretty guilty about that, but she obviously wasn't able to function in the world yet.

Jenna's eyes fluttered open, and she groaned in pain. She tried to move, but found herself barely able to. Oh, how it hurt. She whimpered and stopped moving. Suddenly she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. "Doctor Jennings...?" She asked weakly. He gave her a guilty look and left. Great, that was the look he had given her the first time they had locked her up. She sighed miserably, and observed herself. "Holy crap..." she whispered. He had really done her damage, hadn't he? She didn't even want to know what she looked like under all the bandages. She glared at the IV in her arm, as if it was all the needle's fault she was in this shape. "I hate him..." she said to no one, still glaring at the needle in her arm.

[Zacky Rasputin]

Zacky regarded the doctor leaving Jenna's doorway with a look of mixed defiance and innocence as he headed back to her room, keeping his eyes locked with the physician's instead of on the wrapper he was undoing. He'd been on his umpteenth trip to the vending machine, thankful for the pockets that guys pajamas have and the random change he'd gotten in the habit of keeping there. This trip's prize was a packet of cheese crackers with a layer of peanut butter in the middle. He still had half a bottle of Coke sitting on the floor by the chair he'd claimed.

He entered the room to find that Jenna had finally woken and was glaring at the IV needle in her arm. He hesitated a moment in the doorway, in unfamiliar territory, before entering and landing unceremoniously in 'his' chair. "Good morning, sunshine!" he greeted her, trying to lighten the mood a bit, and also testing out her mood.

[Jenna Moore]

"Good morning, sunshine!"

Jenna jumped slightly, surprised. She lifted her eyes to see, of all people, Zacky. She blinked a few times in confusion. Why was he here? Then again, how did she even get here? She was quite surprised that she wasn't dead, after that attack she had done on Zetos. I hate him, I hate him so much it hurts. Unconsciously, her eyes narrowed. "Hi." She replied rather gruffly, her eyes still narrowed. Suddenly she realized that she was directing her hostility at a friend.

"Sorry, it's just..." She trailed off and sighed. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, I've just...." she searched for a way to tell what had happened to her without dragging him into her mess, "...Had a rough time." The question of how she got here and how Zacky even knew she was here once again flittered around in her mind, so she confronted it. "Zacky, did you... Did you save me?" She asked timidly, staring down at her severely bandaged arm, the one she had laying on her lap, the one without the needle.

[Zacky Rasputin]

It hadn't occurred to Zacky that Jenna would not know he was there. He'd forgotten that she'd been unconscious the whole time. What surprised him more than her startled reaction, though, was her cold greeting. "Hi." she said sullenly. Then something seemed to click and her demeanor switched from hostile to much meeker. "Sorry, it's just..." she sighed "I'm sorry I snapped at you, I've just...." she trailed off again. The poor thing was having a lot of trouble. He was about to stop her from continuing when she finished, "...Had a rough time." He almost couldn't stop himself from laughing, just barely catching himself. THAT was the understatement of the year. He hoped his amusement was not showing on his face, but the stress had obviously gotten to him a bit and things were funnier than they should have been.

"Zacky, did you... Did you save me?" she asked, voice timid. Had the situation been different, he would have played up the heroics drastically, showing off and making himself the noble, conquering hero; the knight in shining armor on the white horse. This case was different though, he knew, and so he went with more modesty. "Nah, I didn't do anything, really. I just found you out there and brought you back here. I didn't save you from anything." He had not connected the retreating fox form and her injuries and didn't know if she had been in some sort of accident or what.

[Jenna Moore]

"Nah, I didn't do anything, really. I just found you out there and brought you back here. I didn't save you from anything."

Jenna grinned. And people said she was naive. "No, Zacky. If you did that, you saved me." Her face and tone became serious. "I would have died if you hadn't brought me here. See, what had happened was..." She broke off, sighing, trying to figure out how to say it without getting him mixed into her personal disaster.

"I... got in a fight with this guy... He almost killed me. I think he left me there to die. And I would have, if it hadn't been for you. So... thanks." She blushed, embarrassed. With a bit of a high-pitched, slightly hysterical laugh, she continued her tale. "Did you even see all of what he did to me? How could you not notice what he did while you were carrying me?" Her voice grew in pitch, as she got a little more hysterical.

"It was so horrible, Zacky, it hurt so fucking much!" She tried not to cry, she really did, but those tears forced themselves out anyway. She felt stupid and weak for crying. "He used a damned serrated sword! He wanted me to hurt, and I'm pretty sure he had fun hurting me! You don't even know the extent of what he did to me! I can't even tell you..." She stopped, and let the tears fall, her body wracking painfully with sobs.

[Zacky Rasputin]

She grinned at him at first "No, Zacky. If you did that, you saved me." Her face and tone became serious. "I would have died if you hadn't brought me here. See, what had happened was..." she broke off with a sigh, but Zacky waited quietly, unsure where she was going. This had become different from simple gratitude, which he had honestly expected, to an extent.

"I... got in a fight with this guy... He almost killed me. I think he left me there to die. And I would have, if it hadn't been for you. So... thanks." She blushed, and then gave a slightly hysterical laugh. "Did you even see all of what he did to me? How could you not notice what he did while you were carrying me?" Her voice was raising in pitch to a point where Zacky's sensitive ears began to hurt. Of course he'd seen, how could he miss the blood soaking her clothing, at least what hadn't been shredded? But he'd done nothing to stop the attack, he'd simply found her and brought her back afterwards. In any case, he simply nodded to placate her, and she was still going, anyway, with no need for a response from him.

"It was so horrible, Zacky, it hurt so fucking much!" She was beginning to cry now, tears were falling from her eyes. "He used a damned serrated sword! He wanted me to hurt, and I'm pretty sure he had fun hurting me! You don't even know the extent of what he did to me! I can't even tell you..." she trailed off, really crying now, and he doubted she'd be able to talk much more anyway.

Now quite uncomfortable and at a total loss for what to do, Zacky just stood there awkwardly for a moment, blinking a few times. He set the crackers down next to the Coke bottle, approaching with a considerably degree of discomfort. He wasn't sure how to comfort her, or even if he should touch her now - he didn't have a shirt on. Deciding to just go for it, he put an arm gently around her shoulders and tried to comfort her, "Shh, shh, it's all over now. You'll be fine. I promise."

[Jenna Moore]

As she cried, Zacky leaned over and hugged her. She flung her arms around his bare torso and held on for dear life. She needed a hug really bad, and it felt so good to hold someone, to be comforted. Like her mother used to comfort her...

"Shh, shh, it's all over now. You'll be fine. I promise."

She took his word for it, immediately snatching at the hope that was offered her. If she never ran into Zetos again, it would be all too soon. She wanted to tell him what it had been like, what had happened to her, what had been going on in her mind, but she would never tell anyone that. She would only tell her mother, who wasn't even here anymore. Maybe she could talk to her grave again, she always felt at peace when she did, like her mother was still here.

After she had calmed down, she pulled away from Zacky. That was when she noticed the fact that he didn't have a shirt on. She couldn't blush, though, she had gotten his torso all wet with her tears. Laughing slightly, she apologized. "Look at you..." With her characteristic tenderness, she reached out with the sleeve of the hideous hospital gown and dried him off. Jenna looked around the room, searching for her clothes. She'd rather wear them, even in their wreckage, than this stupid gown. Taking that irritating needle out of her arm, she inquired for assistance. "Hey, can you help me get to the bathroom, and hand me my clothes?"

[Zacky Rasputin]

It was a much calmer Jenna who released Zacky. She laughed, "Look at you..." she wiped her own tears off his chest. He could feel where they were, but it took some awkward craning of his neck to see the spot. He gave up on that quickly. He liked the attention, though.

She glanced around the room and then removed the needle from her arm. Zacky flinched as she did so, not afraid of needles, but not a fan of them, either. "Hey, can you help me get to the bathroom, and hand me my clothes?"

This caught him off guard for a moment. What was she doing? "Umm... are you sure? They're all shredded and stuff... I know the gown-thingy's bad, but is it really that bad?"

[Jenna Moore]

"Umm... are you sure? They're all shredded and stuff... I know the gown-thingy's bad, but is it really that bad?"

"I'll explain in a few minutes, just help me already." She demanded, eager to get out of there before they moved her back to the mental ward. Smiling cheerfully at him when he helped her, she locked herself in the bathroom and, with much difficulty, changed. Good, her clothes weren't in shreds. Just bloody, with a few tears here and there.

Struggling back out, she grabbed onto him for support, limping her way back to the bed. She refused to lay down, but she did at least sit. "Okay, so this is why I wanted to change," She began her explanation. He was probably going to think she was nuts, which she wasn't, but she needed him to get the hell out of there. "I have got to get out of here. And... I need you to help me."

She didn't wait for a reply, just charged right into it. "Okay, here's the plan. I shift, you stick me in your pocket and walk out of here casually. We get far away, and I can shift back and tell you where I live, then I'll shift again and you can take me home, and stay for a little while. Alright?"

[Zacky Rasputin]

"Okay, so this is why I wanted to change," she began, now that she was again seated on the hospital bed. "I have got to get out of here. And... I need you to help me."

His surprised outburst was cut off before he could even start it by her continuation, "Okay, here's the plan. I shift, you stick me in your pocket and walk out of here casually. We get far away, and I can shift back and tell you where I live, then I'll shift again and you can take me home, and stay for a little while. Alright?"

That stopped him for a moment. He liked the idea of going back to her place for a while... But no, she could barely walk, he couldn't let her leave. He was discovering a new, noble side of his personality that had never existed before. "Jenna, look at you! You can hardly walk. You can't leave. Not right now." He sighed, seeing her disappointment. "I'll take you home as soon as you're better, okay?" he asked, hoping she'd agree, because that was something he very much wanted to do.

[Jenna Moore]

"Jenna, look at you! You can hardly walk. You can't leave. Not right now."

"But.."

"I'll take you home as soon as you're better, okay?" Oh God, not that long! He wouldn't be able to, she'd be locked up again, in the crazy house! She wasn't stupid, she knew that as soon as she got better, maybe even before she got better, they'd drag her back to the asylum. She couldn't let that happen!

"No! Zacky, please! You don't understand, I have got to get out of here, and I have to get out of here now." How could she make him understand? As much as she didn't want to, she knew what she had to do. She had to tell him. Mentally groaning, she silently begged him to please, please help her. She hardly knew the guy, yet he was about to find out one of her deep, dark secrets.

"Zacky, there's something you need to know about me. I... I used to...." She cut herself off, sighing. How could she say this? It was hard, she didn't want him to know, but she wanted to get out more. "A few years ago, I was locked up in the mental ward of this hospital, and they wouldn't let me go for so long. I don't even know how long, I lost track of time. But it wasn't a pleasant experience. I was supposed to keep coming back, so they could check up on me, but I never came back. You know that doctor you passed earlier? He was my head doctor, for lack of a better term. I saw that look he gave me; they're going to drag my butt back there when I get better, probably before I get better, so I have less chance to escape."

She was on the verge of tears now. She did not want to go back there. "Please, Zacky, you've got to help me..." She begged him quietly.

[Zacky Rasputin]

"No! Zacky, please! You don't understand, I have got to get out of here, and I have to get out of here now." She sounded panicky, frightened, and he didn't understand. "Zacky, there's something you need to know about me. I... I used to...."she sighed, "A few years ago, I was locked up in the mental ward of this hospital, and they wouldn't let me go for so long. I don't even know how long, I lost track of time. But it wasn't a pleasant experience. I was supposed to keep coming back, so they could check up on me, but I never came back. You know that doctor you passed earlier? He was my head doctor, for lack of a better term. I saw that look he gave me; they're going to drag my butt back there when I get better, probably before I get better, so I have less chance to escape."

Woah. Was she really crazy? She didn't seem crazy...

There were tears in her eyes now, and her voice had the unstable quavering quality of one about to cry, "Please, Zacky, you've got to help me..." The thought flickered across his mind that this begging thing would have been kinda hot if it weren't for the circumstances.

He certainly didn't want her to get locked up, but he couldn't take her out of here like this. With a sigh, he compromised, "Look, you're in no shape to leave today, but I promise I'll get you out of here before they lock you up, okay? Give it a few days, alright?" he was guessing at the time it would take for her to be mobile, but he was saying it more to buy himself some time to figure out how long it would take, exactly.

[Jenna Moore]

"Look, you're in no shape to leave today, but I promise I'll get you out of here before they lock you up, okay? Give it a few days, alright?"

No, no, no! Why wouldn't he help her? The tears fell freely from her eyes now. She'd have to escape on her own... He was dumb enough to fall for her lies, so she lied right through her teeth, wiping away tears, trying desperately to keep them in. "O-okay..." She pretended to reluctantly agree, and offered a little smile to help the effect. All of it was fake, but he wouldn't notice. He wasn't that observant.

When he left, she quickly stumbled her way over to the window, forcefully biting back screams of pain with each movement her body made. She quietly opened the window and looked out. Good, not a soul. She climbed onto the ledge and gritted her teeth, preparing herself. Taking a deep breath, she jumped out of the two-story window, landing with a certain high degree of pain into some bushes. She grit her teeth hard, silent tears of sheer agony leaking out of her eyes. She shifted to her rabbit form, hiding when the doors of the hospital opened. Out walked Zacky. She wanted to throw something at him, but she resisted.

After he was long gone, she struggled home, dragging her tiny rabbit self all the way. About halfway there, she sporadically changed her mind and dragged herself towards the ocean. She needed to get as far away as possible, and get a very distracting adventure while she was at it. The only way she could think of doing this was to sneak onto a pirate ship. It wouldn't be so hard, as long as she made sure she was nowhere near bleeding before she got in the water. Didn't want to be shark food, did she? Anyway, she already felt a little better, excited even. She couldn't wait!