𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘐𝘵 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘐𝘴 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘵

Hospital Trip

Nobody's POV: "Avery? Derek?" Locklan's voice sounds from upstairs. "Yes, baby boy?" Avery responds. "What's up little wolf?" Derek asks. "I'm ready.." Locklan replies. "To go.. see my Dad.." he adds. "Are you sure?" Avery asks. It's been two days since Will called Avery and suggested that she bring Locklan down to med to say his goodbyes as Jay wasn't making much progress and was circling the drain again. "Yeah.. I .. I'm sure.." Locklan answers. "PopPop called me and said he'll be there.. with my aunts and uncles.." Avery nods, standing up along with Derek.

Derek, Avery and Locklan arrived at med shortly after. Hank, and the rest of the unit were waiting in the waiting room of the ER. Will was also but he got called to attend to a case. Locklan, Avery and Derek walked inside, Lock had his head down and Derek had his arm around the kid. "Hey, kiddo," Hank's the first to greet. Lock lifted his head a tiny bit just enough to reveal his tear stained face before staring at the floor again. "Aw, kiddo, come here" Hank opens his arms for the boy, but instead of darting into his welcoming arms like normal, the boy just started crying again and buried his face into the closet person's chest. Derek's. "Hey guys," A familiar voice called out, trotting up to the group. Locklan looks up at the familiar face, instantly recognizing that voice. He launches himself into his only other living blood relative. "Hey buddy, how're you doing today?" He asks in a gentle tone. Fighting back his own tears as he feels his lab coat get soaked by his nephew's tears. Will holds the boy in his arms, gently rubbing circles on his back. The two stay like this for a good minute. Neither wanting to let go of each other. "Lock," Hank says. "Hmmm?" Lock removes himself from Will's chest but not his arms. He slowly turns around to face his grandfather. "I'm so sorry, we have to run. We just got an emergency case. I promise you, I'll be back as soon as I can." Hank informs him. "Will, Avery, Derek, you take care of my boy until I return!" Everyone nods their heads.

"Lock, you ready to go see your Dad?" Will asks his only nephew. Locklan nods his head, wiping his tears away. Will leads them to his brother's hospital room. "Okay Lock, are you absolutely sure you're ready to see him?" Will asks, as the 4 stand outside of Jay's closed hospital room door. "I'm sure.." Lock answers. He's been asked this question over a hundred times at least and isn't so sure why everyone keeps asking him that. It's his Dad, not that much different from when work has put him in the hospital before. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Lock asks, confused. "It's not like I haven't seen him laid up in a hospital bed before.." Will let out a small sigh, looking around at Derek and Avery. Placing a comforting hand on his nephew's shoulder, he lets out another small low sigh. "Lock, your Dad is hooked up to a machine right now to help him breath. He has tubes coming out of his sides, he won't look the same, bud. It's much different than seeing him in the hospital before. It can be scary seeing him like this." He explains. "I wanna see him. He's still my Daddy. I have to be brave for him!" Locklan says, fighting back another round of tears. "It's ok to be scared, Lock." Will tells him. "I see people come in and out of here, every single day, they come through those doors, you'd think I'd be used to it and I am. But it's different when it's your own blood and someone you know and love. So it's ok to be scared bud. I know I was the first time I saw him." His uncle explains. "I have to be brave, Daddy would want me to be brave." Locklan says quietly. "I'm a soldier's kid.. I'm brave." Will smiles hearing those words. If only he could say the same. "Ready?" He asks the 10 year old. "Ready" And with that Will opens the door and there lies Jay in the hospital bed.

The adults enter the room, Locklan kinda just stands there. Frozen. He wants to move his feet, he wants so desperately to just run in there and jump on his dad's bed, but he can't. As hard as he tries. His brain is telling him to move, but his legs are just numb. "Lock?" Another familiar voice spoke up quite as a mouse. It was Jay! His voice sounded rough, from the breathing tube that was jammed down his throat for a few days but he was breathing on his own for the most part. He had an oxygen nasal tubing hose in his nose though for a little assistance. "Locky" The voice repeated. "D-Daddy?" The boy still froze in place wanting more than anything to just leap into his dad's bed with him to hug and hold him, asks, voice cracking. "Yeah bud, it's me. Come here, I missed you." Locklan wasn't moving forward. He stood there. He kept telling his brain to just move his legs. To just put one foot in front of the other but his brain wasn't listening to him. "A-ar-are you-" Lock couldn't finish the sentence without breaking down in tears again. The 10 year old was unfortunately used to seeing his Dad laid up in some hospital bed, thanks to his job, but never like this. He was scary looking to the boy. He didn't recognize the man in front of him. Yes, that was his Dad, and he loves his Dad more than anything else in this world but that was not his dad. This man had tubes sticking out of his sides, hooked to tons of wires and a machine next to his bedside. "Go on, Locky" Will tried giving his nephew a gentle push forward but his feet were like they were glued to the floor. Avery had walked to the bed, Jay nodded for her to sit down and she sat down carefully. "C-can we go?" Lock asks, avoiding eye contact with Jay. He hated himself for asking to leave so soon but he couldn't stand seeing his dad like that anymore. It broke him.