Lost to Lovely

Chapter 11

"Enjoy the little things in life, because one day you will look back, and realize they were the big things."

-The Vow

Jacques woke up in the late hours of the morning. Theo was still asleep, and had turned to face him in the night. His face was nestled in the crook of Jacques' neck. Theo's warm breath ghosting on his neck sent shivers down his spine. He gently slid his arm out from under the sleeping boy, getting the pin pricking sensation rocketing up and down the appendage. 

Theo stirred slightly, grunting and flicking his ears. Jacques smoothed back Theo's hair, kissing his forehead in an affectionate gesture. He silently got out of the hospital bed, stretching. Grabbing a pen and paper, he quickly scribbled out a note.

'Theo,

Going to get our breakfast. Hopefully I'll be back before you wake up.

-Jacques:)' 

 He strategically stuck the note to Theo's forehead, scuttling from the room. He strolled down the hospital halls, which smelled strongly of old, sick people. It was almost sickening, but you got used to it. He passed Linda, who was talking to another nurse.

"Linda, have you seen Marcie?" Jacques stopped and asked, beginning to worry how the other blonde was handling. 

"She's down in the caf, she came back late last night and stayed in the chapel on the first floor. Is the other young'un awake, yet?" Linda smiled at him. "Seemed like you two were sleeping soundly when I checked in." She winked.

"Y-yea. Still asleep." Jacques blushed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He hurried away, leaving Linda and the other nurse giggling. He and Theo were nothing more than friends, or that's what he kept telling himself. He didn't like to dwell on topics like relationships. He didn't even know if Theo was gay. 

He entered the elevator, jamming impatiently at the second floor button. The door closed slowly, stopping halfway, then nearly slamming shut. Obnoxious elevator music started to flood out of the speaker attached just above his head. The annoying tune made Jacques want to jam scissors in his ears. He leaned against the cold, metallic wall of the elevator, closing his eyes and trying to drown out the music with his thoughts. 

The elevator came to a stuttering stop, the door sliding open with a blood curdling creak. Looks like he'd be taking the stair back up. 

He continued down the hospital corridor, nodding at nurses as they smiled at him. He pushed open a set of double doors, coming into the caf. There were a few people here and there, eating breakfast and chatting. He could smell lunch cooking, making his mouth water. 

He went over to the buffet set up in the middle of the room. He grabbed two packages of donuts, a juice box and small carton of milk. He was about to head back up when he spotted a familiar blonde head sitting at one of the tables. "Marcie!" he called, shuffling over to the table. 

She looked up from her plate, smiling. "Hi, Jacques!" She greeted happily as he sat down. "How's Theo? I heard he's awake." She asked curiously. 

"Yea, he's awake." Jacques nodded, looking her over. Her hair had been curled again, and was pulled back into a ponytail. when she picked up her drink, he saw that she'd gotten her nails done. She had on a gray eyeshadow that complimented her eyes, mascara, blush, and a lip gloss that turned her lips a glossy pink color. "Where have you been?" He quirked an eyebrow in question. 

Marcie stuck a piece of bacon in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "Went to the salon down the street. Invested in some makeup and a few pairs of clothes, don't worry, I got you and Theo some clothes, too. I got some money out of my bank account. As little pay as your dad gave me, it sure did accumulate over the years," she explained, digging around in her front pocket. She pulled out a wad of bills, pushing it across the table to him. "Here, Oh Great Keeper of Cash." She chuckled. 

He took the money, sticking out his tongue. "I hope you don't mind Good Will clothes." She thrummed her fingers against the table. She pointed one manicured nail at the food Jacques was toting. "You might wanna get that up to Sleeping Beauty before he wakes up hungry and grouchy." She advised. 

"I dunno, Marcie. It'd take more than a kiss to wake him up," Jacques joked. "He's more of Maleficent when he wakes up." He chortled, and Marcie giggled, getting out of her chair. They walked together up the stairs, Marcie's ponytail bobbing up and down with every step. They padded down to the room, conversing idly about the past day. 

"I did some investigating." Marcie pursed her lips, looking around guiltily. 

"How so?"

"I hitched a ride to the other town, after my makeover, and snooped around where Theo got pummeled. I asked around, but it was late before I could kick any faces in." She smiled devilishly. Jacques smiled, usually Marcie was so polite. But, now that they were out from under his father's firm hand, Marcie's rebellious side was showing. 

"What'd you find?" he asked before he could break out into laughter. 

"There were three of them, that's for certain. Once of my sources says they saw a burly bald guy go down that way after Theo." She supplied. Jacques nodded fervently, glad that they had some information. 

When they came into the room, Theo had just woken up. He was holding the note out in front of his face, squinting. He blinked the sleep from his eyes, trying to read Jacques' handwriting. After mulling it over for a few seconds, he sat it aside. He looked up, mouth quirking into an 'o' "Ah, there you are," he purred from the bed. 

"Brought you breakfast." He sat down the pack of donuts and carton of milk in his lap, then resuming his seat at Theo's beside. Marcie sat cross legged at the end of Theo's bed, after asking for permission first, of course. He ate gratefully at the donuts, chugging down the milk. By the time he was done, he had a cliched milk moustache. He curled his tail in satisfaction, wiping the milk stain from his upper lip with the blanket on the bed.

"I have good news for you, Theo." Marcie grinned. 

"What is it?" Theo asked. 

"Linda said that you're free to walk around the hospital, inside and out. She should be up soon to remove the IVs. She told me when I woke up," she informed. Theo let out an excited squeal, ecstatic that he could actually move around. He felt like he didn't know how to use his legs anymore. 

After a few minutes, Linda did come up. She had a bag in tow, and a sweet look on her face. "It's your lucky day, young'un," she said, giving the bag to Marcie. She went over to Theo, starting to unhook the IVs. She stopped the drip, and unhooked the heart monitor. Now Theo could move around without the risk of tugging something loose. "You can be discharged tomorrow," she called over her shoulder as she sauntered back out. 

Theo moved his legs off the bed experimentally. He got up, balancing himself, then walked around. It felt good to be up off his butt. Speaking of butts, Theo felt a breeze. He yelped, backing against a wall. "Clothes, please," Theo pleaded. 

Marcie had to hold back a flood of laughter, digging around in her bag, and tossing Theo a set of clothes. He scurried into the bathroom to changed. Jacques was sipping his juice, an amused look on his face, and a light blush dusting his cheeks.

Theo emerged from the bathroom, dressed in his new clothes. He was wearing a white shirt with black lettering that read: 'Sh!t Just Got Real', ripped skinny jeans, and black Converse. He exhaled in relief, glad to be out of that hospital gown. 

"And now, where would you like to go with your newly aqquired freedom?" Jacques asked, sounding like a game show host. 

"Outside. Does this place have a garden?" he asked eagerly. 

"Yea, why?" 

"Can we watch the sunset later?" Theo bit his lip, a pleading look in his eyes.

"Sure can." 

~*Later*~

Jacques, Theo, and Marcie were sitting on the ground in the garden. They all sat shoulder to shoulder, leaning on each other. Theo was in the middle, smiling like a little kid in a candy store. The sun was slowly sinking behind the city skyline. The sky was gold, making everything seem like heaven. It reminded him of his short time with his mother, when they used to watch the sunset. Theo took both Marcie and Jacques' hand, sighing happily as the sun finally disappeared.