We're Trouble Bound

July Part 2

“Well, Jaime,” the resident doctor said. It was sometime in the middle of the night. Jaime’s phone had died and there were no clocks for her to learn the time. “As much as I’d like to keep you here until I can talk to your physician back home, I understand your situation and I’m gonna let you go tonight rather than in the morning.”

Jaime, who was sitting cross legged on the bed with Oliver seated inches away at the end of it, sighed in relief. “Okay, cool.” She was glad she was going to make their bus call.

“But I’d like to talk to you about a few things before releasing you…”

“Alright.”

“I’m gonna write you a prescription for the Klonopin because I think you need to be taking it.”

“Yeah, it was the first time I hadn’t taken it in a long time. Do you think that’s why I had the seizure?” Jaime’s expression was fixed, serious.

“That’s a definite possibility.” He nodded tentatively. “But there are some other factors to consider…”

“Other factors?”

“The intake nurse expressed some concern that you may be using drugs.”

Jaime rolled her eyes. “I told her that I hadn’t done anything today. I honestly just had a few beers.”

“Do you drink frequently?”

“Um, yes?”

“In excess?”

“What’s excessive?” Jaime asked.

“More than a few at a time.”

“Well, yeah.”

“Are you aware that with the Klonopin, you shouldn’t be drinking at all? And that alcohol and drug use can bring a seizure on?” His tone was grave. He was serious. Oliver turned to look at Jaime for her response.

Jaime was quiet and looked at the floor. Oli watched her nod slowly. “I know,” she said softly.

The doctor looked slightly concerned with her nonchalance but said “Well, it’s something to consider. Cutting the high risk behaviors out will reduce the chance of another seizure.”

“Um, alright.” She chewed her lip. It was still numb on one side from the lidocaine they’d used when stitching her cheek.

“Obviously, I can’t make you do anything,” the doctor said. “But I’m sure you don’t want to end up in this situation again.”

“Right.”

The doctor then reluctantly continued “Okay, well, what I’m going to suggest is a follow up appointment with your doctor in Pennsylvania. You two can discuss your medications in more detail.”

“Okay.”

“And as for the sutures, they should be removed in seven to ten days. You said you’ll still be on the road then?”

“Uh huh.”

“Do you think you could make an appointment somewhere you stop? We really don’t want them in any longer than they have to be in. And absolutely under no circumstances should you take them out yourself…”

“I think I can manage.”

“Alright, good. Well, I’m gonna have your nurse come get this IV out and give you some aftercare instructions,” he said while standing. “Good luck with the rest of the tour.”

“Thanks…”

The doctor gave her a forced smile and exited the room. Oliver watched him go into the hallway and start chatting up one of the nurses. This was sort of smarmy but Oliver was more concerned with Jaime, who was taking deep breaths and shaking her head. The wound on her cheek was now closed up with thirteen stitches and covered in a gauze bandage. But looking at her, it wasn’t the first thing he noticed. It was how distant she looked. She was thinking very seriously about something.

“O’reight there, love?” He asked, putting his hand on her knee.

“Tired… I’m ready to go to bed.”

“Aye. Could definitely go for a nap.”

“Oliver?”

“What?”

She looked as though she were about to say something very intense. But then Jaime seemed to snap back, finished thinking, not following through with what she had intended to say. She chose to say something else. “Is Nadine still out there?”

“She were curled up in the waiting room sleeping… The other lass too.”

“Will you go tell them I’m almost done?”

“Ef yeh want… I can stay here until yer done.”

“I’ll be fine.”

He was about to ask her if she was certain but he didn’t want to irritate her. “O’reight.” He stood. “I’ll be out there waitin’.”

--

Oliver and Jaime got out of the girl’s SUV at half four, just thirty minutes before their bus call. Jaime took a hold of Oliver’s arm as they walked, much like she had always done. Nadine was tiredly trailing behind them, still feeling a little guilty for being unable to go into the hospital room with Jaime. But Jaime wasn’t upset with her; it wasn’t possible at that point. Jaime just wanted the day to be over.

“Oliver?” Jaime hummed without looking up at him.

“Hmm?”

“Will you ride with us? I,uh…” Jaime rarely had trouble forming sentences. “I like having you around again,” she said quickly before adding “even if it’s temporary.”

As if he could say no to her. “Sure.” He was uncertain what she meant by temporary. It wasn’t like he could just go back to his anger now. There was no turning back.

“Cool…” She muttered as they kept walking. There were very few people still in the lot and many of the buses and vans were long gone. But outside of their bus, Troy had his phone pressed to his ear. When he saw Jaime coming towards him, he hung up the phone.

“What the fuck Jaime!” He yelled. “Where have you—shit, what happened to your face? Is that where the blood in the bathroom came from? Where’d you go? What—“

“Relax Troy,” Nadine said. “I’ll clean up the blood later.”

“Fuck the blood, what happened?” Troy demanded.

“I cut my face open…” Jaime sighed, editing the story slightly. “They took me to the hospital.”

“Damn… Are you okay?” He asked.

“Uh huh, just some stitches.”

“Damn,” he repeated.

“Are we leaving soon?” She asked, yawning.

“We were just waiting for you…”

“Well we’re here now.”

“Alright…” Troy nodded.

The four of them climbed onto the bus one after another. The front portion was littered with beer cans and empty red plastic party cups, remnants of the night’s party. This twisted Jaime’s stomach in the strangest of ways. She sat down near the front of the bus, letting Troy and Nadine walk past them. Oliver stared at her as she slid her shoes off and then raised her hand to touch the bandage on her cheek. “Hmm,” she said wincing with pain slightly. “You should tell whoever that you aren’t going to be on your bus tonight…”

He nodded silently and slipped his mobile from his pocket, beginning a text.

She didn’t know where he would prefer to sleep, but she knew her preference and had no present problems saying it. “You can share my bunk if you want… I can’t promise that I won’t make a pass at you. Small spaces get tempting.” Over her tired expression, she grinned.

“I guess I’ll jus’ have ta deal wiff it.”

“I guess so.” She stood again, this time pulling her bloody t-shirt over her head, not caring if Oliver saw her. He’d seen her in less. She opened a closet door and pulled out the first shirt she found, a black Slayer t-shirt that Oli was certain didn’t belong to her. She sniffed it and then tugged it on, careful to keep it from brushing her cheek. It was dark and very quiet on the bus; everyone had presumably passed out recently, at least that’s what all the empty beer cans implied. Sean’s chainsaw snoring and the faint sound of someone’s iPod playing could be heard as they walked to her bed. “Let me get in first,” Jaime said, slipping out of her shorts and putting them at the foot of her bunk. “I like being by the wall.”

He climbed in after her; he had no objections, to sleeping on the edge or to the lacy knickers she was wearing. He was secretly a little angry at the bus’s darkness; light would help him make out her curves better. It felt like lifetimes before that he had run his hands along her bare skin, in attempts to memorize each turn of her. Although she’d joked about making a pass at him, he was pretty sure touching was a little out of the question; it wouldn’t be appropriate. Too soon, maybe? But then, he wasn’t sure. This was Jaime they were talking about. He was never sure if appropriate even mattered to her. It didn’t usually matter to him, Jaime being the only person he treaded lightly around, just in case.

It was especially dark when he pulled the curtain closed behind them. She stretched her legs out and groaned a bit. It was exceptionally adorable. He desperately wanted to grab a hold of her waist and press kisses along her neck, like he knew she liked. It was strange having to exercise self restraint around her once more. It was like back when they were just freakishly close friends. He was having vivid fantasies about her and he was uncertain of whether she was having them about him. It was sort of irritating to think that he may have lost all those months of couple-like closeness. But he would endure it with the great patience he had seemed to acquire in his time knowing Jaime.

“Oliver? Jaime whispered after several minutes, after she was sure Nadine was sleeping above.

“Yeah?” He couldn’t make out her face in the dark. But he imagined that she had that sleepy serene look on her face that he loved.

“Thanks.”

“Eh?”

“For tonight. For coming in with me.”

“Oh, uh, ‘s no problem really.”

“It was really nice.”

“Well, yeh know me, proper nice guy, I am.” He joked lightly.

Jaime remained very cool. “No, really, Oliver. I didn’t deserve--I don’t deserve you being that nice to me.”

His smile faded. “No, yeh don’t.” He was only being honest.

She took a deep breath, hesitant. “I know that I don’t deserve it but can we be friends again? Like no awkward or angry encounters… None of the shit we’ve been doing. It’s fucking unbearable.” Though her voice was not as tense as it had been earlier in the night, she sounded very serious about what she was saying. “You know that I’m sorry, don’t you?”

“I have some idea.”

In the dark, she reached for his hand, taking it and squeezing. “Some idea isn’t enough. Oliver, what happened… it’s the worst thing I’ve ever done. And you know me, I’m kind of the master of fucked up stuff.” She laughed uncomfortably. “I’m so fucking sorry for saying what I did. I know it t-t-took a lot for you to do what you did, admit how you… felt. And I fucked shit up.” She sounded sincerely upset. It was painful to hear.

“Yeh did fuck it up a bit, love,” he tried to remain collected and casual even though his throat was closing. There were so many things in his head.

“I don’t want it to be all weird between us… You’re my partner in crime, Sykes. Tour isn’t the same without you.” She pressed her fingers into his palm once more.

“Aye?”

“Aye,” she mimicked his word. “Knowing my best friend is so close but that I can’t talk to him. Knowing I made it that way. It feels all wrong. If that makes sense?”

It made perfect sense. “A bit.”

She took another steadying breath. “It’s really fucking selfish of me to say this and you may or may not believe it because generally I lie but… I don’t think I can live without you in my life.”

He’d never heard her get so honest about her feelings. Maybe she was finally coming to terms with what he’d already figured out. But he wasn’t going to request clarifications on the subject. Mostly because it almost didn’t matter whether she wanted him in her life for romantic reasons or strictly platonic; all that he could think was that at least she wanted him around. “Well it’s a good fing tha’ yeh don’ have to.”

He didn’t need any light to tell that she was smiling because she immediately moved closer to him, resting her good cheek against his chest.

--

“Tha’s a seriously gnarly cut yeh got there, lass,” Lee said, putting his arm around Jaime’s shoulders.

“You’re telling me,” she laughed. She had taken the bandage off her cheek first thing in the morning, exposing the black stitches lacing her skin.

“Yeh do tha when yeh was pissed?”

“Surprisingly not… I’m just a klutz,” she stated. She was lying. She had more grace than most. She also made no eye contact with Oliver who was standing next to her. His mouth twitched. It wasn’t that he was opposed to lying; he never had a problem doing it if it served his purpose. But being on the inside of Jaime’s greatest lie was peculiar. It felt oddly intimate.

“Gotta be more careful, love,” Lee responded and she smiled at him; her bright eyes and flawless grin easily overshadowing the ugly cut. Oliver noted then how goddamn enchanting she could be sometimes. Although she had spent the last month being tremendously anti-social, ingesting prescriptions like they were sweets, somehow within hours she had become everyone’s favorite person again. All it took was a brief moment of her bubbling laughter and no one asked anymore questions. Oliver’s friends didn’t even stop to ponder Jaime’s sudden reappearance at his side. Maybe they’d expected it to happen. Maybe they’d guessed he couldn’t stay away from her forever.

For the most part, he wasn’t listening to Jaime and Lee. The only part he heard was Jaime asking Lee “How about getting me a beer then, bro?”

“I suppose so,” he feigned reluctance but went anyway.

Oliver froze. “A beer?”

“Uh huh,” Jaime didn’t look at him, instead she waved at Nicholls. “Hey!”

“Oy girl!” Matt responded. “Wha’d I tell yeh ‘bout stayin’ outta fights wiff scissors? ’S not healthy.” He wrapped her into a quick hug. He was also easily reeled into her web it seemed.

“What can I say? I thought I’d win.”

“Yeh thought wrong, I guess.”

“Yep.”

“I heard this git took yeh to the ER,” he thumbed towards Oli.

“Yeah.” Jaime nodded. “He sat there the whole time, even when they were lacing up my face.” She finally looked at Oliver, grinning fondly at him. Her mouth fell slightly when she saw that he was frowning. She bit her lip and turned back to Matt. “We totally almost missed bus call this morning.”

“Aye,” Oliver agreed absently. He spaced out of the conversation between Jaime and Nicholls. The night before was still too close for him to talk about in any degree. The reality of Jaime’s problems, the ones that were created by some bastard when she was still practically a child, was just now becoming clear to him. So much about her was dependent upon the seven inch scar that ran along the crown of her head. If it hadn’t happen, if she’d never met whatshisname, she wouldn’t be who she was. And most notably to Oliver, she wouldn’t be in his life.

A thought occurred to him. Would he give her a normal life even if it meant he wouldn’t know her? If it were possible, would he reverse all the bad things that had happened to her?

It took less than second to know his answer. No, he would not. He was too selfish.

And besides, he liked how she was; he thought she was perfect: loud mouth, neurosis, epilepsy and all. Every part of her was perfect, he thought. Each piece made her remarkable. He could handle them. The flaws were workable. There were things that needed adjusted. Things that could hurt her. In that moment, he resolved not to let anymore bad things happen to her. This would redeem him for not wanting to give her an easier past.

When Lee returned with Jaime’s beer, Oliver’s mind switched gears and he grabbed it from Lee’s hand before Jaime could.

“Hey!” She looked at Oliver in slight annoyance. “You can get your own drink. What do you need mine for?”

“Can I talk to yeh fer a minute?” He asked, ignoring his friends.

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re talking to me right now.”

“Not ‘ere.”

“Okay… where?” She flicked her eyes to Lee and Matt, shrugging.

“Dunno, come on…” He started walking in the opposite direction of everyone.

She followed slowly, carefully. She was uncertain how to approach conversation. He had been acting rather strangely for the last few hours. It was only after they had walked for several moments that she said “Can I have my beer?” He said nothing. “Are you okay?” She asked.

“I’m fine… Are you?” He stopped walking. He hated being so serious. But for once, there was something he wanted to be serious about, something that was important.

“Uh… yeah.” She stared blankly.

“Wha’ about wha tha’ doctor said.”

“You’re going to have to be more specific than that. He said a bunch of stuff.”

“About yeh drinkin’.”

“Umm…”

“He said yeh shouldn’ be doin’ it.”

“I’ve never had a problem before.”

“So yer tryin’ ta push yer luck now?”

She sucked her teeth, clicking her tongue. “It is not even a big deal.”

“Doctor seemed to fink it was.”

She stared at him, slightly dumbfounded. Was he really this concerned for her? Their eyes were locked, unblinking. They were both quite stubborn. Where Oliver was determined to make a point, Jaime was determined to get her drink back. Jaime, set on winning this one, knew exactly what would work. It was fighting dirty but she could live with that.

“Oh come on, Oliver…” She stepped forward and hooked her fingers around his belt, pulling his hips into hers. “Just give me my beer,” she uttered coolly.

He knew what she was doing instantly. “Oh no, yeh ain’t pullin’ this wiff me,” he said, voice remaining firm but breaking eye contact.

“I’m not pulling anything.” She took one of her hands and toyed with the hem of his shirt momentarily before sliding her fingers up his torso to his neck. She traced the tattoos there and leaned up to place a few stray kisses at his jaw line. “Really hun, I’m fine.”

It was nearly impossible to resist her. It had been quite awhile since she pulled the temptress card with him; he’d almost forgotten how good she was at it. It was taking everything in him to ignore the hand at his waistband and the lips at his neck. As much as he wanted to give in just then and let her win, there was something more important at the moment. He could always come back to this later.

This time he pulled away all together. “Yeh fink yer real fuckin’ good…” He said this with a half smile playing on his lips.

She seemed to know her seduction angle hadn’t worked but she smirked regardless. “I know I’m good.”

He shook his head. “I’m tryin’ to be serious about this.”

She ran her tongue across her bottom lip, an act of nervousness not temptation. “I know you are.”

“Ef a doctor tells yeh tha’ yeh shouldn’ be drinkin’, yeh would fink yeh’d listen.”

“I’ve been ignoring doctors for years, why should I stop now?” She was trying to be playful but he wasn’t having it.

“Because yeh could hurt yerself!” He spit abruptly.

Her lips pursed in a thin line. “I won’t.”

“I can’t let yeh risk it, even a bit. I can’t see yeh hurt again. ‘Cause sittin’ there in tha’ hospital and not being able ta help yeh… I can’t do that again.”

This straightened Jaime up. His concern was enough to stun her. Her voice softened briefly. “Oliver…”

“Jaime, I can’t do it,” he repeated.

“So you want me to quit drinking?”

“Aye.”

“You say that like it’s so easy.” She rolled her eyes. It would have been sinfully cute if he wasn’t so frustrated.

“’S simple…” He held up the bottle in his hand, her drink, and he chucked it several meters away, watching the glass shatter and the beer spray across the pavement.

“Uh huh… Just stop all together? And what will I do with my time? Take up knitting?”

“Yeh could.”

“Alright, while the rest of you have a good time, I’ll make some scarves.” She pouted her lips indignantly.

“See, tha’s the spirit!”

“Oliver! This is my life. Parties are a part of my life. I know that sounds stupid but it’s true… Just like they’re a part of yours…” With one of her hands on her hip, she said very deliberately “Like you could just quit drinking.”

“I could.”

“Mmhmm, I’m sure.”

“It’d be easy.” He didn’t exactly believe that but he would have said anything at that point.

“How much you wanna bet?” She was mostly kidding. Not expecting a real response from this.

His bottom lip stuck out and his eyes squinted slightly. “Are yeh challengin’ me?” This angle, he thought, might work.

“You wouldn’t last a week.”

“Ef it meant getting’ yeh to quit drinkin’ too, I could do it for a year.”

Her mouth fell open. He seemed one hundred percent serious. “You would do that?”

“I’d do anyfin to keep yeh from gettin’ hurt.”