Chapter 28: Apprenticeship and milkshakes 2 (Jason)

(Pov Jason)

Jason winced as he lay back down after reaching for the TV remote. He had managed to stand up–not unassisted, but he had done it. His therapist and doctor were ecstatic. Supposedly, he was weeks ahead of schedule. The thought of that made a warm sensation spread through his stomach, and one not related to the dull blooming pain he got when he moved too much. Soon he might actually be able to go to the bathroom on his own! 

He was looking forward to that more than he was willing to admit. Sure, being able to go home was great. But no one really remembered how important the small dignity of being able to go to the bathroom on your own was- not having to use a catheter or call a nurse. 

Not that the nurses thought any less of him for it; that was their job. It just felt… wasteful to drag them into his room every time he had to get to the bathroom. Jasmine had helped him too; she didn't seem to mind much. He had a sneaking suspicion she might actually enjoy being able to carry him around all over the place, even if she didn't enjoy the why of it. 

Knock, knock!

Jasmine was standing in the doorway, beaming a smile that made his stomach flip. 

“Hey, I heard you managed to stand up today. That's amazing!” She said as she walked over, clearly hiding something behind her back. Sunlight lit her blond hair, giving her a weak halo as she walked through the spot where it shone through the window. 

Jason gave her a tired smile. He was proud of having been able to stand up; the achievement felt immense after a week of barely being able to sit upright or balance at the edge of his bed. Though the doctors' being as happy as they were did throw fuel on that fire. 

“Yeah, I did.”

“Well, that's great! A surprise, but a welcome one. That puts you what, a week ahead of schedule?”

“Two weeks.” He knew she knew that. Jasmine paid closer attention to his recovery than he did. Maybe closer than his doctors did. She still blamed herself for his injuries. Especially the coma.

“Well, at least we know you don't have a brain injury then.” She said, relief coloring her voice.

Dr. Cassandra had told him they were concerned his persistent coma was caused by a stroke they hadn't noticed. Caused by some scar tissue-caused clot that dislodged and then did what clots do. Luckily, his rapid recovery made them sure that hadn't happened.

“Yeah, being bedridden for the rest of my life wouldn't have been fun.”

Jasmine winced, though she suppressed it so fast Jason barely caught it. “Regardless of how injured you might have been, I would still be here for you. Even if you were just a vegetable. Well, I always did like juice boxes.” She winked at him.

A weak pink color spread across his cheeks. “Oh, so that's all I am now. A Capri Sun?” He raised an eyebrow.

Jasmine placed her free hand dramatically on her chest. “Perish the thought, darling.” A mischievous grin bloomed over her face as she leaned forward. “You would also make a perfect body pillow to help soothe my grieving heart.”

He couldn't help but laugh. Which earned him a widening grin from Jasmine, revealing her fangs. She had stopped hiding them now that noctians were a known part of the northwest. Though looking at them still sent an excited shiver down his spine. She hadn't drunk from him since he woke up, and she had said she wouldn't until he recovered. It was sweet, if slightly annoying. He did want her to; he simply hadn't been able to tell her. 

“Anyway. It will be a while before I can walk, but only a few weeks. If I keep up the progress I've made so far, maybe late next week. Not unassisted, but I should be walking at least a few steps.” 

“Well, you can always lean on me, and I will catch you if you're about to fall.” She hesitated for a moment. “I bought you something. And no, before you even try, you aren't getting out of this. Accept the gift and make this easier for both of us. Okay?”

Jason raised his hands in mock defeat. “Fine, fine, as long as it's not a car or a house. Or anything else really expensive like that, then I won't.”

“I'll take it, though I will buy you something really expensive one day, and you will just have to accept it.” She revealed a thermos flask with a straw that she had been hiding behind her back. “So the bottle is also part of it if you want, but the milkshake in it is what I wanted to give you. Since you passed the swallowing tests and you can get food and liquid that isn't going straight into your veins. Well, I figured you might want something sweet.” 

Jason accepted the flask. It was noticeably heavy. Far heavier than it would have been just a few weeks ago. “Thanks, Jasmine. I really appreciate it. What kind is it?”

“Why don't you try it and tell me?” 

Jason didn't have to be told twice. His hand shook slightly as he placed the straw in his mouth and took the first sip of the milkshake tentatively. Creamy and cool dark chocolate filled his mouth. A moan of delight escaped his throat before he could stop it.

“Glad you like it,” Jasmine said, self-satisfaction painted across her face.

“It's fantastic.” Jason took another sip, carefully tasting the milkshake. “But is that honey?”

“I can see why you would think that, but no, it's Alarune nectar. It tastes similar, but it has some medicinal properties when ingested. There's also holstaur milk, and then regular chocolate ice cream.”

He couldn't say he had ever heard of either of those. But an alarune sounded like a plant? And a holstaur might be…

“Holstaur milk? Is that some kind of cow milk? Like breed-specific or something?” 

Jasmine's lips twitched upwards at the corners. “In a manner of speaking.”

Jason lifted an eyebrow as he glanced over at Jasmine while drinking the milkshake. What else but cow could it be? What do you mean in a manner of speaking? It couldn't be too weird, right? 

Jasmine shifted slightly in her seat. “Jason, there's something I wanna ask.”

“Shoot.” 

“It's been suggested by the clan elders and the other thralls that you come live here for a while when you get out of the hospital. It would keep you close to the hospital and the doctors here, and it would give you some time to get to know the others.” She hesitated for a second. “I would also really like it if you did; then I don't have to drive to Fairvern four days a week. And I would feel safer about your well-being.”

The idea didn't sound outlandish. He had wanted to meet the other people in Jasmine's, and now his clan. His hand always shook slightly whenever he remembered getting shot. If it hadn't been for the painkillers he was on and Jasmine being in the room most nights, he was fairly certain it would have given him more than one sleepless night or nightmare. He wasn't entirely sure how he'd handle going home. He would have to confront it eventually, of course. But it wouldn't be pleasant. Or at least it wouldn't just be pleasant. He did want to see how badly the place had been damaged. He even missed his own room and the smell of his mother's cooking. The house itself would be fine; it was the area just outside the front door that worried him. Maybe he would have to move into the old lodge with Jasmine, at least for a short while. It would devastate his parents. Not that they wouldn't understand why.

“For how long?”

“Not too long. There is a good chance I'll be reassigned to a position in Montana, managing some logistical facilities near Fairvern. So maybe a month or two. I will be going close to, or even to, the front a bit, though. So I will be gone for short periods of time.” She gave him a halfhearted shrug.

He didn't like the idea of Jasmine being on the front. It made an uncomfortable knot tighten in his chest. However, she was quite literally bulletproof, at least for most bullets. And supposedly shrapnel. That did not make her immune to artillery, or knives, or tanks, or cannons. Or a myriad of other things. She was, however, in the military, sort of, and he couldn't stop her. He would just have to deal with it. All things considered, she would probably be fine. Probably.

Either way, a month around people who actually understood the relationship he was now in couldn't hurt. Supposedly, more of them did the whole polygamy thing too. He could really use the pointers on that one in particular. And it gave him an excuse to not be home, not yet, at least. It wasn't like Chloe couldn't come visit, or even stay there for a bit. At least from what Jasmine had explained about how that worked. It should be fine. If not, he would just have to call her a lot, and then spend a lot of time with her when he got back.

“Yeah, I would like to stay here with you. It sounds fun. I can meet your mom.”

“Oh, you will. She is dying to meet you. I have had to stop her from coming here to check on you.” She got up, taking the milkshake from his hands and placing it on the table.

“Hey, I was drinking that,” Jason said with mock indignation.

“Oh, were you?” Her hand moved to his chest, gently pushing him back down into the pillows. It hurt a little; unfortunately, he couldn't suppress the wince. 

Jasmine stopped her face inches from his. “What was that?” Her voice was soft, but there was no hiding the steel underneath the softness.

“Nothing.” 

Jasmine raised an eyebrow and waited. Jason wanted to squirm, but Jasmine's hand locked him in place. 

“I asked them to cut my painkillers. Not all of them, obviously. I just wanted to be less… loopy.” He admitted. 

He hadn't needed most of them just after he woke up, but by the day after, he had needed stronger ones. It had made him more than a little distant. He really hadn't liked it. He had already lost six weeks of his life; he didn't need more of it to be a foggy mess.

Jasmine closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath that she held for a moment before letting it out slowly. “Are you in pain?” She asked softly.

“Not that much, most of the time.”

“Most of the time? What do you mean? When does it hurt the most?”

Jason's face turned hot like the surface of the sun. “That's not important now, is it?”

“With a face like that, it certainly is. Did you wake up with a problem in the middle of the night and then you couldn't deal with it?” Her voice was mockingly gentle as she spoke; a predatory smile spread across her face.

“You know what, yeah, you're right. You and Chloe have both been here a lot. And I guess spending six weeks in a coma didn't exactly relieve me in any useful fashion. And then some asshole in the US military decided to shoot me less than an inch from my dick. It doesn't make things easy.” He wanted to die; the door was open, and he might have just spoken a little too loudly. 

Jasmine leaned further in. Her soft lips pressed against his. “Well, as soon as you're in better shape, why don't you let me handle that? We wouldn't want to waste you on Kleenex now, would we? Maybe I can get Chloe to join. Since we are the cause of your problems.”

Jason let out a very dignified and masculine squawk.