Operation: Take A Bow - Sparky

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Jubilee stops by the hospital to see Mark.


Day, or what he supposed was fay, wasn't much different from night. A few degrees warmer, maybe, but no less empty. Mark huddled by a small expanse of brush, the only features he'd seen. He tried to get a fire going but his freezing fingers could barely hold the sticks, much less ignite a fire with them. Definitely no way he could light his lighter, either.

He was sure he'd go crazy is he didn't die first. Who knows how long he was in this world, and the only signs of life were the dead Warwolves and these bushes. He huddled his legs to his chest to try to conserve heat. His hip protested loudly, and a pained grunt escaped his quivering lips. Something sharp poked him there, and no amount of shifting helped.

When the otherwise silent night suddenly broke out to "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin, his heart leaped into his throat.

Mark pulled out the small single-track player he and Doug had invented from his pocket and couldn't help but cry out in relief. He greedily grabbed the music's power, shaping it into plasma to warm himself. The player wouldn't last long, he knew, so he awkwardly pulled himself to his feet and took a deep stabilizing breath.

He seemed to freeze almost the moment he turned off the song. It wasn't a minute too soon, though. The music was quickly replaced by a cacophony of otherworldly howls that stopped Mark dead in his tracks.

The Warwolves weren't all gone, after all.

~

Conscious and semi-coherent now for almost a week, all Mark wanted to do was get up and use the bathroom himself. The bed pan thing was disgusting. Never mind the fact that he could barely move, much less stand on his own two feet. At least he could move his fingers and actually feel his hands. That was quite an improvement. The new iPhone that Amanda had brought him sat on the nightstand next to his bed, and just seeing the box brought a goofy smile to his face. It was like being a kid again, getting new toys from family when you're sick.

Jubilee had managed to talk her way through the various stages of hospital administration and now stood outside Mark's door, large stuffed penguin held firmly under one arm. It was with a brief straightening of her shoulders, that she reached up and knocked on his door, then opened it, breezing in.

"Hey," she said, a smile firmly in place.

Mark started, surprised by the sudden knock, and instantly regretted the sudden movement. "Hey," he replied, gritting his teeth to bear with the pain. "I'd get up and all, but you know."

"Yeah, don't do that." Jubilee replied, moving further into the room and taking a look around. "Nice digs by the way, looks like Emma really doesn't spare any expensive on the medical plan."

"She's gotta take care of me. I'm the only one who can get her lattes just the way she likes 'em." Mark raised an eyebrow when he noticed the gigantic plushie Jubilee held. "Dare I ask what that is?"

"Company." Jubilee said with a grin, bringing the penguin over and placing it firmly against his side as she snagged the visitors chair for herself. "I figured you could use someone a little more stimulating than the nurses to talk to. Well, unless there's any cute male nurses you might want to point out to me anyhow. He also works as a sort of soft speaker. You insert your iPod into the little belly pocket and then you can use him as a pillow while you listen to tunes."

"That is all kinds of awesome. Thank you." He inched aside so Jubilee could put the penguin next to him, and he sighed like a happy child as he rested his head on it. "I should die more often if this is the kinda treatment I get."

"Try not to do that again," Jubilee informed him, resisting the urge to sling her legs up onto his bed and slouch into the chair. "People were nuts while you were gone, seriously. Besides, they made me do reception to pick up the slack, that's a day in my life that I'm never gettin' back."

"You're probably gonna lose a couple more days. I don't think I'm gettin' out of here any time soon." But the moment he could move on his own, he'd be gone. He idly wondered if he could DJ Silver remotely.

"S'cool, I don't really mind. I did have some fun with this creepy Russian guy who called yesterday, I think he had the wrong number, or had totally the wrong idea about Snow Valley." Jubilee said, finally giving in and slinging her legs up on a spare spot on his bed. "You were missed, you know. Not just us either, there was a bunch of people wonderin' where you'd gotten to at Silver."

"I swear, some day they're gonna fire me, given how much I've missed since coming to SV." Well, they might consider it until Mark would point out that without him, they don't have very much. "I'll have to plan some grand return party."

"You should. I suggest balloons, lots and lots of helium filled balloons." she said, giving him a closer, and somewhat more serious look. "So, just how long have they got you in here? You looked pretty crappy when you first got back. You haven't got like, permanent damage, right?"

He shifted uncomfortably. The thought that something would be unfixable had crossed his mind many times, and despite the doctors' assurances to the contrary, he wasn't so sure. "A week or two, I guess. Long enough to warm up and make sure no parts died, and to make sure I didn't get any nasty infections in Hell."

"It's not the nicest of places, you've joined a really not so fun club there, although I suppose technically, I've only been to Limbo. It was when 'Yana first got snatched. I guess I should probably let you sleep, hey? Just wanted to give you the penguin, an let you know people were askin' after you." Jubilee said, having taken note of the uncomfortable movement, and figured it was her cue to get the hell out.

Which was much appreciated. "Thanks. I think I'll name the penguin 'Sparky.'" His slightly-forced smile was broken by a yawn. He pulled up the blanket, snuggled against the pillows, and was asleep before Jubilee shut the door.