Jaded (A Norman Reedus fanfic)

Bad News

©JRF2016

      It's been a month since that first time with Norman and Jade still can't believe how amazing it is being with him that way.  He's been great all around but now it is so much better.  She wakes up every morning in his arms and all the doubt she ever felt about herself is melting away with each new day.  Norman tells her every day how beautiful she is, how special she is, how lucky he is to have her and how much he loves her.  She's never felt loved or special until now.

      Her dreams tonight are confusing to say the least.  She keeps dreaming about her mother.  She keeps dreaming about that night her brother died, it's been a while since she has had that dream or memory rather, of JoJo. She hasn't thought about her mother in weeks, either, and tonight her dreams are filled with her.  She sits up in the bed, sweat rolling off her face and staring into the dark of the bedroom.  Her mother's voice echoing in her ears as the sleep fades.  "I hate you!"   She looks to her left as her eyes begin to adjust to the dark and sees the silhouette of a still sleeping Norman.  She lays back down on the bed staring at the ceiling as she tries desperately to find sleep again.  Eventually, she does start to feel her eyes growing heavy again.

       She's lying there with her head on his chest and blood pooling around his head.  "JoJo don't leave me.  I love you."   He doesn't speak or move.  Jade knows it is too late as she hears the sirens screaming down the road.  They're coming for him, they're going to take her big brother away.  Her father pulls her to her feet as her mother stares blankly at the scene.  She has no emotion on her face at all and Jade's eyes are filled with tears.  "You don't say a word or I'll beat you like I did your damn brother."  Father whispers in her ear as he walks over to talk to the cops.  Jade can't hear what it is that he is telling them but right now she doesn't care.  She runs over to the stretcher they've now placed her brother on and falls on top of him.  "Please JoJo, please wake up.  I love you, please don't leave me."  One of the EMTs pulls her off the body, she still sees the lady's haunting hazel eyes as she looks sympathetically at Jade, almost as if she knows what she is feeling and why.

     Jade sits back up in the bed. The sun is starting to peek through the blinds and she decides it is better if she just gets up.  She isn't going to have any peaceful sleep anyway. She walks into the kitchen and starts going through the cabinets and refrigerator.  Since she has been staying here he stays pretty well stocked up, well she keeps him stocked up. He was a total bachelor before, a few beers stocked in the fridge, some cereal, Raman noodles, that was pretty much the extent of his pantry.  Jade smiles remembering that first night she stayed here, looking for something to eat.

"I'm hungry, why don't you have any food here?" Norman puts his arms around her waist and kisses her neck.
"There's plenty of food here, look." He picks up a pack of Raman noodles and waves it at her. "That is not real food."

"Yeah it is," he argues with her with a big grin on his face.

She finally makes herself a sandwich and sits down at the table. She keeps thinking about Norman now. She has never had anyone treat her with the level of kindness he has. Now her thoughts drift to the day it will all end. He'll get tired of her and he'll leave her in a crumpled mess on the floor. She knows it will happen eventually. She doesn't get two bites out of that sandwich when she is dozing again. "Jade," she hears a distant voice, it's soothing, kind, caring but she doesn't recognize it at first. "Jade," he says again and this time she startles and looks up toward that sweet voice and into Norman's piercing blue eyes, "You fell asleep. Let's get you back to bed." She slowly nods her head and lets him lead her back to the bedroom. She is not asleep long when her phone goes off. She picks it up to see the number on the screen. It's her aunt and she quickly answers it and walks into the living room so she doesn't wake Norman. "Hey, what's going on? Why are you calling so late? Why are you calling, I haven't spoken to either of you in so long?"