Keep Me Close

Lying on his back, Jimmy listened for the even breathing of Evelyn. To say he was worried about the younger girl was an understatement. She hadn’t spoken a word for days, and Jimmy nearly had to carry her to get her to the cafeteria to eat. Even then, she barely touched her food. Evelyn didn’t do anything; and not only was that worrisome, but it was quite frustrating. Jimmy, despite not having anything to do with her current state of mind, felt guilty. There didn’t seem to be anything he could do to help Evelyn, as much as he tried. More than once, he ended up shouting at her, allowing his impulsiveness to get to him. And of course, that resulted in the girl shrinking away from him and Jimmy feeling even worse.
He turned to face the girl on the other side of the room, pursing his lips. In the darkness of the night, he could barely see her. The only thing visible was the faint outline of her body below a blanket. Her body seemed to be hugging the wall, and never once had she moved in her sleep. Sometimes, Jimmy wondered if she even slept. Wasn’t it natural for a person to shift in their sleep? Yet, even as Jimmy stayed awake late into the night, he saw nothing.

When she’d finally given him her name, Jimmy thought she was going to be okay. He thought that maybe her brokenness was just the shock of being sent to such a horrible place, or maybe because of what Aaron might have done. It obviously wasn’t; Jimmy had been foolish to even think that. There must be something else, he decided. Whatever it was, it was probably the reason for her being in the Hospital.

As his mind continuously tried to figure Evelyn out, Jimmy’s eyes began to flutter closed. It wasn’t long before he finally lost consciousness, allowing himself to sleep. A horrid sleep filled with the nightmares he’d had for years, starting months before he’d even come to the Hospital. They were the sort that you couldn’t wake from; they were so fucking realistic Jimmy woke up in a panic, thinking they were his reality. In a way, they were. He couldn’t stop himself from waking up in a fit, breathing hard and tangling himself in his blanket.

The nightmares had admitted him into this hospital once they’d started to become real. In his dreams, there was a twisting, slowly slithering shape of darkness. It stalked him, following him into the morning. Sometimes he swore he saw it hiding in the Hospital, but never once did it leave the shadows. After all, it was a Shadow itself. It was the reason Jimmy had begun to fear the dark, and of course, had been diagnosed mentally insane.



As expected, the raven-haired man woke with a start. He let out a gasp, the sort one made when returning to life. Jimmy found himself covered in sweat and his eyes red from salty tears. He couldn’t slow or quiet his heavy breathing.

Oh God, Jimmy thought to himself as he relived his nightmare. The Shadow had touched him. Never before had he allowed it to get close enough, but somehow, a writhing opaque tendril had reached out and touched his chest, right above his heart. Jimmy could still feel it. The pain, he meant. It was almost unbearable.

Quickly, Jimmy swung his legs over the side of his bed and put his head down as he wheezed. It felt as though he had just ran a twenty-mile race, and then been stabbed in the chest. The sounds that erupted from his chest, he assumed, probably sounded like he was dying a rather painful death. It was a thought that was almost welcomed instead of the pain he was facing.

His senses were so overloaded he didn’t notice Evelyn stirring across the room. He didn’t notice as she turned and stared at him with wide, yet somehow blank, eyes. He definitely didn’t see her get up and walk over to him until she sat beside him and touched his knee. Even as she started to murmur comforting words and slowly rub his back, Jimmy found himself unable to respond. He was concentrated on breathing and nothing more.

After several minutes, Jimmy’s breathing began to return to normal and his pain waned. He didn’t dare move his head to look at Evelyn, not wanting her to see his most likely bewildered and torn expression. And he was sure if he looked her in the eyes, he’d start to cry. His eyes were already stinging and beginning to water just at the thought of letting it out.

“Are you okay now?” He heard her sweet, angelic voice murmur. Not trusting his voice, Jimmy nodded. It wasn’t particularly the truth, but after such a scene, he figured it was alright to twist the truth a bit. Plus, he would be okay later. Jimmy knew that. He just hoped it didn’t touch him again. The man never wanted to feel that horrid pain again.

“I doubt that.” Her words seemed rather bitter now; she almost seemed disappointed with him. Biting his lip, Jimmy dug his fingers into his jeans, trying to contain the tears still threatening to spill. Ugh, how he hated this. Jimmy hated feeling so fucking weak all the time, but he really couldn’t help it.

“Hey, don’t do that.” Evelyn said softly, pushing his hands away. “You’ll hurt yourself.”
When did she become so fucking caring? He didn’t like it. Mainly because it was allowing her to see how weak he was.

He could tell she was curious. About what, he wasn’t sure. Well, until a dainty hand reached towards his face and tilted his head up, making Jimmy look right at Evelyn. He hadn’t been aware she had moved so she was right in front of him. Biting harder on his lip, he tried to stop its trembling. Yet as he stared into Evelyn’s large, innocent eyes, he felt himself losing control over himself. The girl sensed this as well. Before Jimmy could do anything, she was on her knees and wrapping the larger man in a tight, heart-warming hug. Almost hesitantly, Jimmy put his arms around her. The girl was so much smaller he could almost wrap them around twice. Instead, he leaned his head forward so it was resting near her neck, and tangled his other hand in her hair. He’d missed hugs like this. Or rather, hugs in general. Any sort of affection, the sort he’d been denied here for so long.

“You can cry, Jimmy. I don’t mind.” She whispered; her voice even quieter and muffled from her head’s placement in the crook of Jimmy’s neck. Her breath tickled his neck; he almost shifted to stop the dancing sensation, but decided against it. He didn’t want the embrace to end, and he figured Evelyn needed it as much as Jimmy did.

And after another moment of hesitation, a tear rolled down his cheek. No sound came from Jimmy, but he knew he was shaking. He’d always cried this way; silently, but shaking. Sometimes it got real bad, like how he’d witnessed Evelyn’s sobbing days before. Jimmy just didn’t want anyone to know he was crying; when he was sad he wanted to be alone. Usually. Right now was an exception.

She started to comfort him again. The broken man couldn’t tell what she was saying, but it certainly eased his heart. Deep in his mind, he was disappointed with himself. Jimmy was supposed to be the one comforting and helping Evelyn, not the other way around. He couldn’t have another slip-up like today.

Even so, he felt as though his heart was slipping away. Not far, though; it fell straight to Evelyn. He just hoped she didn’t take it far.