Emergency Medical Dad

XXX: present, peter's wedding day

JORGEN

Or what?

My ears were ringing.

Or what?

What made me say that?

Or what?

The asphalt under my feet was wet with rain.

Or what?

His eyes were dark, clouded by anger.

Or what?

Kazian had his hand on my arm, telling me it wasn't a good idea.

Or what?

Zak Hampton wiped his bloody nose on his wrist then spat the blood in his mouth onto the ground.

Or what?

I was eighteen.

Or what?

The sirens were on the east side of the city.

Or what?

His cheekbones were high, just like his brother's.

Or what?

The first shot hit the ground.

Or what? Or what? Or what? Or what? Or what?

***

I gasp, waking up, feeling my heart go arrhythmic for a few moments, blood flooding my head.

I cough as hard as I can, emptying my chest before sucking in fresh air, forcing my breathing even.

I stand up, hands shaking, and without thinking, pull myself together, leg, pants, hoodie, keys.

"Jorgen," a voice stops me as I pass a door in the upstairs hallway.

I breathe out, backing up and looking in the door, "Jess."

"Where are you going? You don't have a shift right now, right?"

I shake my head.

"Come here," she yawns, waving me over. I slip into her room, closing the door most of the way behind me, not until it latches, just until it touches the frame. "The Barn?"

I nod, absently, now realizing I sort of just want to curl up next to her and go back to sleep.

"What's happening?" She whispers, looking up at me with big honest eyes.

"It's... nothing."

"I heard you," she shakes her head. "Sounded like something."

I want to tell her, my throat is begging me to let her know but there's something there, something stopping me. "It's... being back here is bringing up memories I thought I'd lost."

She nods, "things you don't want to remember?"

I shake my head, "no. I-I'm going to stop in by the Barn, um, it'll take me no time, I'll be back for 9 when we have to drive up to Milwaukee for the wedding."

She nods, reaching out to put her hand on my elbow, squeezing my arm gently, "drive safe."

"Always," I sigh, bending over and pressing my nose into her hair. "Tell my parents where I went if I'm not back, they'll know enough."

"Okay," she mumbles, still holding my forearm.

"You gotta let go of me if I'm going to make it back in time," I whisper, half wanting her to let me go, half liking the warmth of her palm through my shirt.

"I'm worried about you," she looks up, nose brushing against mine for a moment before I pull my head back enough to look at her.

"I know, but I'm okay, alright?" I lean in and kiss her forehead as softly as I can. "I'll be back."

I'm really only going to the barn to tell them one thing. Just a little idea. It takes me about fifteen minutes to get Kaz on board but Luka is immediate.

"You have a lake house?"
"It's a family thing," I say, keeping my voice somewhat quiet as to let Duke sleep. "Not mine."

"But still, dude."

"And it was my grandparent's until, yeah, and now we're figuring out what to do with it- I'm not, my uncles are, but what I'm saying is that if you guys want, I can bring you up for a weekend around here somewhere."

"Hell yeah I'd like to spend a weekend at your Hadley family lakehouse, dumbass," Luka smacks me upside the head. "Is this a yeah Connor weekend or a nah Connor weekend?"

I shrug, "I wasn't planning on staying, I've got work-"

"No, you're coming, no Connor either, bring Jessie, we're getting hammered."

"I am not going to be getting hammered at the lake house," I grumble. "I've never even been."

"You're getting hammered at the lake house. With Jessie, and us, and you're letting that little tight updo loose," Luka tugs on a little of my hair. "Now go to that wedding and get back on time so we can plan."

I frown at him, "you're a pain in the ass."

"A pain in the ass that'll come with free weed if you play nice."

"You're not smoking at the lake house, I'm not gonna be on shift so if you do something stupid I'm letting you," I watch him cross the room, popping open the cabinets for a glass. Kaz is just watching the interaction, a smile on his lips.

He opens his mouth, "I, for one, am absolutely ready to see Jorgen drunk and high again. You got not-fun when you stopped doing dumb shit."

I frown, "I should not be doing-"

"Just drunk?" Luka makes big puppy eyes at me.

"No."

"High?"

"No."

"C'mon, dude, you know, I know, from what you said, how fucking turned on Jessie was when you smoked around her," Luka places his hands up and over my shoulders. "You know you want that."

"I... have no desire to be involved with Jessie."

"She thought it was so hot she was ready to jump you."

"And we had a kid."

"She had a kid," Kaz corrects. "Deadbeat."

"I'm working on it."

"Alright, I don't say this often, but even I found it hot when you smoked," Luka drops his hands from my shoulders, crossing his arms instead.

"Are you trying to hype me into smoking with you?" I raise an eyebrow. "It's not going to work."

"Fuck, it worked with Duke."

"I'm not Duke."

"C'mon, man, I just want you to chill, just a little, I want to see you relaxed."

I chew my lip, knowing the only way to get him to shut up is to just accept it, "we'll see." 

***

this is short and all filler/leadup/foreshadowing, i apologize 

-rabid