Don't You Go • Jalex Short Story

Heroes

ONE MONTH LATER

"So I have A Nightmare Before Christmas, The Goonies or Home Alone." I said walking into the back lounge of our tour bus.

We decided we might as well use it one last time before Jack passes.

"Home Alone, duh. Who do you think I-" Jack's sentence was cut short as his eye opened wide and his face paled.

He clamped his hand over his mouth and ran in the direction of the bathroom before violently throwing up the empty contents of his stomach. I'd left the DVDs in the back lounge and went to grab Jack some water. Rian and Zack gave me a sorry look as I walked to the front of the bus. This was to be expected of the illness. The tiredness, the sickness, the dizziness, the crippling pain ... I was surprised at how he could keep that smile on his face all day. I knew he was only doing it for us but I wouldn't have minded if he showed me just how much pain and how scared he truly was. I won't have cared if he broke down once in a while instead of telling his pillow how he felt at night by shedding his millions of pained tears. That was another thing on the list of side affects; restless. Jack couldn't sleep and neither could I, but of course my reason was slightly different. I just had too many thoughts floating through my mind about this whole ordeal. I always had to hold myself back from climbing into Jack's bunk each night and wrapping my arms around him. I knew he wanted to be left alone to cry at night, so I let him. But it always killed me a little inside knowing how he really felt about the situation.

I walked into the bathroom and crouched down beside Jack on the floor, handing him the water.

"Thanks." He croaked out, taking a sip.

"No problem buddy" I smiled, standing back up. "Are you okay now or do you think you're gonna puke again?"

Jack shook his head. "Nah, I'm good." Jack tried to get up but his body was just to weak after emptying any source of nutrients from his system.

I quietly signed before bend back down. "Come on, I'll carry you."

Jack nodded as I wound my arms around his small frame, lifting him up so I was carrying him bridal style. A few months ago when we found out Jack had cancer, he wouldn't have let us do thing like this for him. No matter how weak he was he'd constantly tell us 'I've got it' or 'I can do it'. But now ... now he realises how weak he can get and that it's okay to get a little help from your friends.

Jack rested his head on the crook of my neck as we shimmed out of the small bathroom. "My hero." Jack chuckled.

I laughed. "Anything for a beautiful damsel in distress." I joked back causing Jack to playful slap me.

"Bitch please, that's princess to you." He snickered.

I rolled my eyes at him before gently pulling him down to the couch in the back lounge. I walked over to the TV and put the movie in before sitting back beside Jack and throwing a blanket over us as he lay his head on my shoulder. About half way through the movie I stopped hearing Jack mumbling along to the movie as the room filled with his gentle snores. I looked down at him as my eyelids began to droop themselves. I carefully moved us to we were spooning on the couch.

"I love you, Jack." I whispered to him before kissing the top of his head.

The last thing I saw was the small smile that made its way to Jack's face in his sleep, before the world darkened around me as I let sleep take over.