It's 2 am when I finally finish this soap I've been watching all night, I yawn and stretch before closing my eyes and letting the sleep get the better of me. Suddenly a knock on the door wakes me up again and I look around wildly, it's still 2 am, who the hell could it be.
I usually ignore late night visits but this feels a bit too late to be a just for fun surprise visit. When I stand up a second knock sounds and I hurry up a bit, must be an emergency.
I slowly open the door but immediately throw it open when I see Jackie standing outside soaking wet, leaning against the doorframe, breathing heavily.
'Jackie? Are you okay?'
It was already clearl that he was not okay but then I see the gaping hole in his leg.
'Jackie! We have to get out of here!'
'Awh really V? I'm so tired.'
He reacted so calmly, it was almost as if he didn't have a huge gaping wound in his leg. Maybe he was high on all the adrenaline he got from being shot or he took some black lace an hour ago and it's wearing off.
'Yeah we have to go Jackster.'
'Okay then, mind if I sleep on the way?'
I couldn't ask him to stay with me, 'cause the second he said that the lights went out and he lost consience. With everything in me I drag him to my car and race to Viktor, I dial him up to make sure he's ready to operate. A groggy but awake Viktor promises me he'll be ready.
When I drive up to Viktors clinic I squeeze Jackies hand and jump out of the car, luckily Vik is waiting out front to help me with the second transportation.
He grabs Jackie by his waist and carries him onto the patients table, I kiss Jackie on his temple before Vik starts analyzing all the damage.
We chitchat a little bit to keep ourselves awake but my mind is having trouble staying focused on the conversation topics, as soon as Viktor has to start concentrating on Jackies leg I doze off completely.
I wake up with a really sore back and very confused about my surroundings, I find myself in a little bedroom that has minimal decoration and a news channel is reporting on some cyberpsycho in the next room. All of the sudden I remember how I took Jackie to Viks last night so that must be where I am right now, I hurry out of bed and walk out of the bedroom to find Viktor sitting in the tiny kitchen with the radio on. He hands me a cup of coffee and points to a chair next to him.
'G'morning V, How'd you sleep? You looked so comfortable I thought I'd let you rest a little bit.'
'Thanks, how is-'
'He's doing fine, sleeping peacefully downstairs in my office.'
'Thank you.'
I jog downstairs to find Jackie soundly sleeping on the patient table, just like Vik said. I move closer to him and notice his left leg is full chrome now.
'Damn Jackie silverleg, how did you get those gonks so mad?'
'Haha! That's a good one! Sounds like a bad porn rip off.'
I didn't realise Viktor followed me into the office so his voice startles me, but then snort when I realise what he told me.
'You're right it sounds stupid.'
'It's sweet though, he's always liked those legends of Night City. But I don't think he'd like this particular nickname.
'He would hit me in the groin then and there if I called him that on the streets.'
The grin on my face slowly fades as the silence in the room gets louder.
'He'll wake up any moment now.'
'Eh, he's catching up on 3 sleepless nights I bet, can't hold it against him. Did you find out what happened last night?
'I looked through his optics, somehow got in a fight with some gonks from 6th street, got drunk with the wrong crowd I'm guessing. He got lucky with that bullet, it went clean through a muscle and the bone, would've had a problem if the bullet chipped. Just replaced the broken and missing flesh with chrome and he's good to go. He will need to fix those tat's, couldn't save the artwork.'
'6th street are asses when it comes to property and forgetting, might have to go back to settle things. Either way I sure am glad we got you in the neighborhood. Say, how much do i owe you for fixing up the big guy?'
'You kidding V? Don't owe me nothing, I'd never ask for eddies after saving someones life.'
'Don't care what you'd do, I'm asking how much the chrome was you put in my chooms leg.
'The chrome? Cost me about 2800-'
'There you go.'
'What? No V, seriously! I don't want this!'
'No refunds Vik!'
I yell while leaving the clinic to go sit on the roof.
2 hours later the elevator pings and a groaning giant moves slowly towards me.
'Sound like an old man, Jackie. Is grandpa even allowed this much exercise?'
'Good joke V.' He says while huffing down on a chair besides me
'Vik told me: 'No excessive walking.' but he also told me I could find you here so I took that as: 'You go do whatever you feel like.'
'You are never going to change, are you?'
'Not planning on changing anytime soon, except maybe my implants, Vik called my optics 'borderline outdated' and 'warranty long expired.'. He also said I could come in any time and get a friend discount so looks like I'll be under the knife soon enough.'
'New eyes would do you good.'
'By the way, thanks for saving my life V.'
'Couldn't have just let you die then and there! What kind of choom would do that!'
'Say, 6th street got me pretty good, and I know you, are you planning on fucking them up any time soon?'
'Maaaaaybe...'
'Well if you do, don't be afraid to dial me, I wanna see the looks on their faces when I take my sweet revenge.'
'Sure sure, make sure you don't lose your other leg though.'
'I was drunk off my ass V! No miracle that i couldn't shoot straight.'
'Sober enough to get to my doorstep alive.'
'And thank Santa Muerte I did! Would've been more than dead by now if I didn't!'
A silence falls as we watch over the billboards and towers, suddenly I start laughing.'
'What?'
'Oh nothing, I just thought of the word Jackie Silverleg, sorry.'
'Are you kidding? That name sucks V! Make me sound like some stupid pendejo from a cheap porn.'
'I know! That's why I'm laughing!'
We sit on the rooftop laughing until we stop, and then we stay some more. Then the night falls and we go to my apartment to drink and celebrate the not so dead Jackie Silverleg.
