Jack stroked Niaf's black hair soothingly, more to calm himself down than to comfort or be affectionate toward her. God, he was so glad that she was okay. He'd thought she was going to die when she started to breathe shallowly and even more slowly. He'd done everything for her. He had fingered her, kissed her cheek, and then her lips even.
And even if that hadn't been what kept her alive, he was happier than he could ever remember. He didn't want to lose his family again, not even one member. And if she had died, then it would have been his fault. Taking a deep breath, he steadied his trembling body and buried his nose in Niaf's beautiful black hair. He inhaled her scent deeply, praying to God that if He was still listening, that there was much need of His works in this house today.
Jack felt a hand on his shoulder, and saw Fain standing before him, rubbing her hand over her neck nervously. Jack leaned up and she drove a kiss down on him. After a short few seconds, she withdrew and glanced down at Niaf.
"If you can...I would suggest trying to find residence in a hospital for a short time. Attaining blood from us is proving dangerous, and you are stable now."
"You think I can get into a hospital looking like this?" Jack questioned, nodding up to draw her eyes to his horn.
"If you are stable enough, then I would suggest retracting them back into your body and returning yourself to a more human image. Do you think that you could try to do that?"
"With the proper motivation, we could get you to fly without wings, baby," Elassa chided. It was silent for a few moments as Jack began to think. Niaf breathed quietly, still holding him closely. Jack kissed her head again and tried to think harder. How was he going to get all of this stuff to disappear with this hot girl pressed against his body.
"Oh, you do not know how, that is the problem." Fain's voice was as monotonous as ever. "Suck one wing back into your body, like you are holding your breath and trying to pull air into your lungs." Jack did as she said, and felt the root of his left wing begin to crawl back into him. It was like something slimy was grinding against his bones under his skin. He shivered in discomfort and the wing returned to its original length.
"Try again sweety. We're running out of time for the hospital option. And even though it's hard, you have to grow some balls. So do it," Elassa finished threateningly, her fangs becoming rather long at this point. Jack paled in fear and tried again.
This time, his wing began to recede back into his body, and he overcame the weird feeling with the thought of her glare. He'd survived Anathane's assaults with little more than a sore body, and he'd thought she was scary with that crazy lustful gaze of hers. But goddamnit, did Elassa know how to make his knees shake!
Jack managed to pull the thing all the way back into his body, and then the other one with a little less difficulty. He forced his fingers back to their normal bluntness and let out a short breath. He looked up at Elassa for approval, but all he found was impatience.
"What?"
"The horns." She tapped her foot on the floor a few times and Jack tried to pull them in as well. It was a slow, laborious task that took Jack a full eight minutes or so to complete. And with this, he had to use considerable effort to keep them in. Jack finally stood up and looked to Elassa for approval once more.
She didn't say anything, so he took it as a sign to get his clothes. He took one step and then felt a sharp tug on his lower back. He reached back to swat Elassa's hand away, but found a cord instead of a hand.
"What the fuck is this?" Jack stammered as he turned to see. Elassa was stepping on a white cord that was taut with tension, and coming out of his back. He paled.
"Your tail, Jack," Elassa said with a snicker. "You have to get rid of it before we can go."
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Jack didn't like this hospital at all. Goddamnit, every fucking second with this thing hooked up to his arm was unbearable. It hurt like hell. He had this bitter taste in his mouth, and his doctor was that same one from before. She was less than pleased to find out that he was in need of blood for a second time.
But, there wasn't much she could do about it. Nor was there anything Jack could do. With a sigh, Jack scratched his neck and tried not to think about the IV shoved into his left arm. He looked out the little window to his left, and saw nothing but the tan walls of the building. Why the hell did they even have a window here if all they did was show him that he was trapped? He grumbled to himself as a nurse came in with a tray of food.
Behind her was another nurse with a cart holding several little medical knickknacks he'd been accustomed to being introduced to during his last stay in this same room. The first nurse, a blond, smiled at him briefly and then checked the instruments holding the water and blood packets, and the little wires and nozzles attached to them. Jack sighed.
"Something wrong?" asked the nurse while the other one grabbed something out of the bottom of the cart. Jack watched the blonde as she checked everything and then turned to the other nurse. This nurse, a brunette with hazel eyes, dropped a big blue pill into a glass of water and held it out to Jack. The teen downed the pill and then was handed a Monster energy drink. He looked questioningly up at the first nurse.
"Alright, now there's something wrong. Why do I need an energy drink?"
"Your blood sugar is low."
"And the pill?" Jack followed up, opening the energy drink even as he spoke.
"It's a test pill we needed someone to take. Dr. Kenaw said it would be okay for you to take it. Your medical bill is quite expensive again," she replied. Jack sipped at his energy drink, thinking. He'd gotten blood, and that's all. Why would he have racked up a medical bill that large? And why the fuck was the doctor not here?!
"I'm not interrupting, am I?" asked Dr. Kenaw, opening the door. Jack set the energy drink down and folded his arms across his chest. The doctor seemed to hardly notice him, and instead talking with the blonde nurse for a few minutes about stuff that Jack couldn't hardly wrap his head around.
