Sandra Kaluiokalani and Marcus White x Reader || Drabble
Plot: You walk in after Glenn and Dina use Sandra and Marcus to get back eachother in the midst of their Baby Contract dispute (At the end of 3x11) and have to pick up the pieces. I just always wanted to help Sandra and Marcus out after that ep!!
Warnings: The events of 3x11?
Tags: @flowercrowns-goodvibes and @one-edgy-bitch
🔆 🔆 🔆
“Oh- hey, Glenn, Dina. I was actually looking for you two earlier to talk about my hours next Thurs- Ohhhhkay, we’ll talk later then I guess... “ You trail off, stopping in the doorway to the breakroom to watch the two rush off together very purposefully. Blinking, and then just shrugging, you turn back around and continue in to have your break. “Far be it me to understand management. Ok-... Oh, now, what’s happening here??” As soon as you take a look into the breakroom and see the lost and bewildered looking Sandra and silent, unbuttoned Marcus inside you know you just must have missed some shit. “Sandra?” Oh boy. “Marcus? What- Mateo, what happened in here??”
“Craziness.”
“Thank you, that’s a lot of help.”
Your bespectacled associate returns to his paperwork, evidently tired by what has just happened. Or just doesn't care; Both are acute possibilities. “I aim to please... ”
You turn back to Sandra and Marcus, your eyebrows knitting together in concern. “Guys?- Oh!” When Sandra suddenly shoots forward, face splitting into a deep frown and wrapping her arms around you you immediately return the hug and pat her back. Your voice gets softer, and more alarmed when you speak next. “Sandy, sweetheart, what happened??”
She just whimpers obnoxiously into your shoulder, which is not help. So you sigh, stroke her hair, and pout. Oh sweetheart... What did those mean old managers do to you... Looking up from her head to Marcus over her shoulder, you catch his far-off gaze and arch your eyebrows, very concerned. Then you tilt your head and your expression becomes more serious; An eyebrow raised. “Did they ask you to undress, Marcus?”
“Uh, no no! I did this, uh... “ He trails off, giving the ground a few feet away the thousand yard stare... speechless. Marcus is speechless. This must be bad.
O-Kay, then. “Y’all are starting to scare me.” They really are. Okay- Gently, you detach your friend from your arms and settle her down in a chair before then collecting, guiding and depositing Marcus to the same table. You sit down in front of them. “Alright. So, how about I guess... and y’all can either nod or shake your heads according to how warm I am?”
They both nod solemnly; Marcus slowly buttoning up his coveralls and Sandra pouting deeply. You take a deep breath, thinking. Hmmm... “Okay, was Dina bullying Sandra again?”
Two head shakes. Oh, really? Uh... good? You lean sideways in your chair to see Mateo behind Sandra, hoping he’ll maybe, you know, step in and explain since he was there, and his vocal chords are currently working unlike these two. He’s scribbling down on some paper, though, and doesn't even sense your look. Bollucks.
“Were Dina and Marcus... rekindling an old flame then, maybe?”
Immediately Marcus shakes his head... then nods. Then shakes his head again, nods carefully, then shakes his head with definition one final time. You raise your eyebrows. What in the fresh hell does that mean? “Can- can we use our words?” When he doesn’t move and Sandra breathes in... but no voice comes out, you look pleadingly. “But I love your words,” Most of the time. “Please?”
Finally, after a moment, Marcus speaks up. “... Okay. So, what I think happened, was, “ He straightens up, holding his hands out in the air between you three symbolising Sandra, and him. “So on one hand, I thought I was gonna get to have sex with Dina again but she said it was all just to get at Glenn, and I got confused, but then she told me to take off my shirt so I started... but then they left... On the other hand- “ Sandra slams her fist on the table suddenly, causing you to whip your head around to look at her with very round eyes and Marcus to jump and yank his hands back to his body.
“It was bullshit, Y/N!” Then, as quickly as it had appeared, Sandra’s red anger disappeared again and she relaxed back into her seat. “I thought I was going to have a baby.” Marcus crosses his arms and slumps in his own chair.
“Yeah. Well I thought I was gonna get sex.” Sandra flashes him a ‘wtf’ look for that, but calms her gaze and looks to the table instead.
Oh... okay ...? “I’m- I’m sorry, guys... “
Then, trying to pull all your thoughts together into one legible map for you to properly understand what happened here... but getting lost because truly nothing has been properly explained... you knit your brows together and look up again. “So... wait, what??” Who was Sandra going to have a baby with?? For gods sake- You turn your body to Mateo and hit the table he’s at to get his attention. “Would you just tell me what happened here???”
“Ughhh,” He groans in response, throwing his head back. Too bad you don't care. “Fine... “ Nodding, you gesture for him to go on. “Glenn suggested that Dina sign a contract saying she wouldn't wanna, you know, steal the baby once it comes around, and she got offended so, long boring story short- she threatened to get pregnant with gross Marcus spawn instead and Glenn threatened to use Sandra as his surrogate instead in retaliation. Happy?? Now shut up, I’m busy... “
“Thank you,” You exclaim, exasperated as you turn around back to Sandra, looking even sadder and Marcus, looking utterly offended. “That wasn't so hard, now, was it? Go back to your magazines.”
“Thank you... ” He snaps back, equally annoyed. You can practically hear Mateo roll his eyes, but move on with life.
“Okay, so... I think I got it. First of all... “ Putting your hand on Sandra’s, you give her a sympathetic frown and make your voice gentle again. “I am so sorry, sweetheart... “
She sniffs. “Thanks... “
“I’m sure you’ll be a mother one day.”
“I hope.”
“And you’ll be a great one.” You insist.
She takes your hand, then, and squeezes it. “Thank you... “
Giving her one last, kind smile, you turn then to Marcus. “And you- Buddy, Dina is never gonna sleep with you again. Don't fall for it next time. There are many many women who would be happy to spend the night with a handsome brunette in coveralls, though, so just look somewhere else. Plenty of fish in the sea, okay?”
“You really think so?” He asks, huffing and crossing his arms which makes you giggle.
"is it, Scott McPhee ? Who only follows organic farms and influencer underwear ladies ?" (sandra to jonah)
HELLO ??? the thought of this guy following "influencer underwear ladies" is just so wild to me and his reaction?? the astounded face ?? and why is it doing things to me cmon
Jonah wakes up with a headache like he’s got a hangover. He groans, putting his arm over his eyes as the dim light of his bedroom tries to burn out his retinas. Even with all of his thickest curtains closed and fastened together, the sunlight is still too harsh. Must be the way it’s reflecting off the snow.
He falls out of bed more so than gets out of bed, and lays on the floor for a moment. He reaches up to his nightstand and manages to pull down his phone, which bonks him on the temple on it’s way down. That gets him to wake up, with a shout and a dash of fight-or-flight response.
He sighs, rubbing his eyes. He doesn’t even feel very rested! Granted, he did stay up most of the night listening to a new podcast he discovered... fascinating stuff, wonderful deep-dives into mythologies and legends from all over the world. Something a little lighter to relax to than his usual political commentary go-tos.
He stands up, and scrolls through his playlist until he finds a good morning podcast. He heads into the bathroom, ready to grapple with his hair to get it nice and presentable-
He looks into the mirror and freezes up. His hair is perfect. Exactly how he always strives to get it to look, and always falls just one stray strand short of. But now? Not a flyaway in sight.
“I could have sworn I took a shower,” he mumbles to himself. Maybe he just forgot to use shampoo? No, he would never. Maybe too much conditioner, then. But he’s always so careful not to overuse...
“I guess it saves time,” he says aloud. “No looking a gift horse in the mouth.” He picks up his toothbrush and gets to scrubbing, but pauses when he feels something stringy in his mouth.
He spits out the toothpaste foam, expecting a hair.
Instead, it’s a scraping of plastic from his toothbrush, and several bristles.
He stares for a moment, and then opens his mouth. Does he have something completely alarming stuck in his teeth? Did he somehow eat something metal?
... No, not as far as he can see. Nothing is out of the ordinary. Absolutely nothing. Completely fine.
On an unrelated note, the two little cuts in his lower lip that are perfectly aligned with his canines are starting to sting from the mint, so he hurries up and finishes brushing his teeth.
The sun blinds him as he drives to work, and he has to manage mostly by listening to the traffic around him (which is absurdly loud today, he can hear it with his windows rolled up).
And the sunlight is harsh on his skin, too. Does he need to invest in better sunscreen? Maybe he should revisit that article he read about SPF effectiveness and how to choose the best one...
He gets into the parking lot and parks his car. He opens the door, and promptly slams it shut again with a yelp. His hands didn’t just feel burnt, it did burn!
Definitely needs to up his SPF! And research sudden sunlight sensitivity... his hand is bright pink.
He sits in the car for a moment, trying to figure out what to do. And then there’s a knock on his window. He startles, but relaxes when he sees it’s just Glenn. He rolls his window down just a bit. “Um, hi. Good-good morning, I mean.”
“Heyyyy, Jonah,” Glenn says with a smile. “So, um, I noticed you’re stuck in your car?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah, no, I just um. Well you see I-I, um-”
“Need a hand?” Glenn’s smile is a bit strained, for some reason. “Because of the sun?”
“... Well I mean if-if you’re offering then it would be... rude to say no...”
Glenn opens up an umbrella, making Jonah shout in surprise. “Where did that-”
“Come on in under the shade!”
Jonah hesitates a moment, put off by Glenn’s... odd, energy. But he can’t stay in his car forever, so he gets out and walks in with Glenn under the safety of the umbrella.
“Thanks,” he says when they get inside. “I just um, I need to update my sunscreen, you know? And I just didn’t want to risk... my skin...”
“No, no, I completely get it,” Glenn assures. “The warm, life-giving rays of the sun can be very harsh sometimes!”
“... Y-yeah. Yeah.”
“Hey, um, Jerusha and I got you a gift, actually. She was so upset by the whole attack thing yesterday-”
“Oh, you guys didn't have to get me something-”
“Well, we wanted to, so um, here!”
Glenn hands Jonah a very, very wide-brimmed hat. There’s a little bat needle-pointed onto the sides.
“Oh! Wow! Um, it’s... so big!”
“Maybe it’ll help until you update your sunscreen?” Glenn sounds hopeful. Too hopeful for Jonah to turn down. And... it would be functional, at least...
“Yes! Yes, I think this’ll be great for that, um, thank you! Thank you both, send Jerusha my-my thanks. For this. I can um, see she put some effort into customizing it! Just-just out of curiosity... why a bat?”
“Oh, well um, because of your situation.”
“... Situation, I don’t-”
“You know. The reason you burned?”
“... I still don’t understand-”
“HEYYYY, GUYS!” Amy butts in quite enthusiastically. “How’s it going this morning?”
“Oh, good!” Glenn says with a smile and a nod. “I was just giving Jonah this hat Jerusha made for him, because of his whole condition about being a vam-”
“OH HEY, Glenn, I actually really need your help with something!”
“Really?”
“Yes! Come over here, with me, to... softlines!”
“Oh, okay. I’ll talk with you later, Jonah!”
“Okay! Buh-”
Amy drags Glenn away, leaving Jonah with his hand up in an unfinished wave.
“... Bye. I-I was saying... bye.”
Jonah looks at the hat, and heads off to the breakroom.
“Well I, I did just get new ultra-soft shoes, very comfortable but I’m not sure about the long-term arch support... but um, what do I have?”
“Um... standards, for your fashion. Sometimes you have them, sometimes you don’t... usually only when you’re chasing, after... someone to flirt with.”
“Oh. ... You-you thought I was trying to flirt with that woman, last night?”
Cheyenne shrugs. “You did literally chase her into the parking lot.”
“I-I guess I did. But I wasn’t attracted to her I mean, I wasn’t attracted to any customers yesterday, even though there were a few good looking ones, that made me laugh... but-but I’m not- I mean, I wasn’t flirting with anyone-”
Jonah babbles on for a good five minutes before Glenn finally comes in and starts the meeting.
Jonah sighs and rubs his eyes as he mops up a puddle of... it’s either slushie vomit or watered-down blood (though he’s leaning towards slushie vomit, something in him just says it definitely isn’t blood).
He leans against the mop and closes his eyes for a moment. So tired... he felt okay this morning, but as the day creeps on he feels less and less awake...
“Excuse me?”
Jonah startles, yelping and dropping the mop. The customer jumps back as the mop drops.
“I am so sorry!” Jonah exclaims. “I um, I-I think I feel asleep, um, how can I-”
Jonah pauses, at a loss for words.
The customer, a man around Jonah’s age, looks concerned. “You alright, man?”
“Huh?” Jonah’s face feels hot (the first bit of warmth he’s felt in two days). “Oh, um, I-I just, that was very unprofessional of me.”
The customer shrugs. “It’s a Cloud 9, professional isn’t really expected.”
Jonah chuckles. He clears his throat. “So, um, how can-can I help you?”
“I was looking for the recycled paper towels?”
“Oh, yeah, um... let me help you find those. They’re only half recycled, though.”
“I know. But you do what you can on a budget, right?”
“Right, yeah,” Jonah laughs. He can’t stop looking at the guy’s face... why does he feel all jittery?
“Um, here we are. The closest Cloud 9 gets to activism.” Jonah sticks his hands in his pockets and rocks on his heels. His mouth feels dry. Why is his mouth so dry? He licks his lips quickly while the customer isn’t looking.
“Better than I’ve been doing lately. Haven’t done a protest in months.”
“What kind of protests do you go to?” Why did he say that? He’s going to embarrass himself, oh no-
“Mostly wage labor ones, workers rights kind of things. Trying to get a union going at my job.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, well, I know unions don’t have a great reputation in a lot of places but-”
“No! I mean uh, I love unions! I-I’ve been wanting one here since I started working! Just uh, don’t tell my boss that, hah.”
The customer smiles at Jonah, and Jonah wonders if the floor actually fell out from under him or if that’s all in his head.
“Well, thanks for helping me find this. Maybe we can talk about helping each other’s unions efforts if I see you again.”
“Yeah!” Jonah flashes a bright smile. “Sure! Sounds-sounds great! Um was really nice to meet you!”
The customer smiles again and walks away, and Jonah needs to lean against the isle.
He lets out a heavy breath, wondering what the hell is going on and what he is feeling. He looks down the isle to see if anyone is watching him.
Mateo, Cheyenne, Marcus, and Dina are all staring.
Jonah quickly walks away, shame burning his cheeks. So they noticed something, too.
“-looked like he was about to eat him alive-”
He’s too busy being completely embarrassed by hearing them whisper that to wonder how he just heard it from three isles away.
Jonah wakes up with a start as a cart rolls right over his leg. He shouts in pain and surprise, and then sighs at himself.
He peels the glue trap off of his face with a grimace. Cleaning the rat traps is a terrible time for his sudden and new case of what seems to be narcolepsy to strike. He sits up and rolls up his pant leg, expecting something nasty to greet him based on the crack he heard.
... Nothing. He frowns, and touches his leg. It doesn’t even sting.
“How did-”
“Jonah?”
Jonah looks up at Amy’s voice. She’s standing over him with a clipboard. “Oh, um... hi.”
“Hey. ... Why are you on the floor?”
“I was uh, cleaning the rat traps. And I... maybe fell asleep.”
“In the middle of the day?”
“... Yes...”
“Okay then. ... So um, I just... wanted to check in, for a minute. How’s it been going with customers?”
“What do you mean?”
“I just mean, have there been any... notable interactions, maybe, to throw an idea out there,” Amy says in her ‘I’m-hiding-the-real-reason-for-asking-this’ voice.
Jonah’s cheeks burn, and he’s sure he’s blushing. “They told you about that?”
“I... might’ve heard some gossip.”
“It-it was nothing, Amy. Really.”
“Are you sure? They said you keep looking at his neck-”
"Well I mean, he had a nice neck I-I guess but I was more looking at his face-”
“And that you licked your lips at him?”
“That-! My mouth was dry, and-and you know I hate chapped lips!”
“... And the hovering over him?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say hovering, more like just watching and... admiring... but that-that’s normal! I’ve been doing that since high school! A good ally normalizes these things, and-and when straight men, yeah, can admire other men in a-a completely! Normal way! Then it um, it helps... break down! The stereotypes!”
Amy looks... perplexed. She shakes her head. “Wait, what are we-”
“I mean, everyone does it, too! Like-like you! I’m sure you’ve looked at-at other woman, and admired their appearance, without feeling feelings for them, right?”
“Well, I guess, but- wait, Jonah, did you-”
“I mean we all wonder in college, right? But I don’t like, I mean there’s nothing wrong with liking both I just- I don’t, I wondered but I never-”
“Okay, um, this isn’t what I came over here to talk to you about-”
“Maybe there was a moment or two where I thought it might’ve been a thing but I-I never acted and if I did like both I would have acted on that, I think-”
“Okay! Um, you’re working through something right now, that is, not what I thought you were working through, so um, I’ll just check up on you later...”
Amy backs away as Jonah keeps recounting half-baked thoughts and unfinished sentences about his time in college and his roommates one friend who maybe had the best hair Jonah’s ever seen but their friendly hair-war was not flirting he swears...
Jonah doesn’t chew the carrot, just rolls it in his teeth as he stares at the wall, lost in thought.
“... Not hungry for you lunch?” Sandra asks tentatively.
Jonah shakes his head, only half-hearing her.
“... Are you hungry for something else? Like... a customer?”
Jonah stops, and pulls the carrot out of his mouth. “You heard about that too?”
Sandra’s eyes widen, and she shakes her head.
“You did! Did- does everyone know about that?”
“Well, it-it’s been sort of, floating around-”
Jonah groans, putting his head in his hands.
“... So um... are you?”
“What? No! No, I am not hungry for him, that’s objectifying. Not that I- I mean, I’m a straight man, I can’t, objectify another man, because that implies attraction. ... Unless I’m playing into toxic masculinity stereotypes by believing that...”
“I don’t think you have to worry about falling into masculinity stereotypes,” Carol pipes up from another table.
Jonah looks at her, annoyed. Her eyes widen and she looks away.
Jonah puts his head back into his hands. “This is a nightmare...”
Jonah sighs, slumping over onto the customer service counter. Garrett just looks at him, waiting for whatever Jonah has in store.
“... It normal for straight guys to admire other straight guys appearances, right?”
Garrett blinks. “Wow, just some casual conversation, huh?”
“Just- I mean, I know people are talking about-”
“You eyeing up that dude earlier like he was a steak?”
“... Yeah. That.”
“Dude, I don’t think this is the issue you should be focused on right now.”
“I know, I know! I’m in my thirties, I should have this figured out and be focusing on more important things-”
“Not what I meant, actually, I meant the superpowers-”
“-but I don’t know, I’ve never really had anyone point it out before! And-and now I can’t stop thinking like, am I? Attracted?”
“You know there’s nothing wrong if you are, right?”
“Yes, I do, I’ve been to a bunch of rallies and stuff.”
“Did you oogle dudes at those rallies?”
“NO! ... I mean I guess I observed and-and appreciated-”
“Yeah, you might just be on the gay spectrum, dude. I don’t know what else to tell you. Except that, uh, you just accidentally slapped my shoulder and you’re as cold as a bag of ice, so maybe that should be your crisis of the day.”
Jonah is staring off into space, rubbing his arm. It doesn’t seem like he heard Garrett at all. Garrett just sighs, and rolls away.
Jonah stays there, contemplating, for quite a while.
Jonah jerks awake. Again. God, why can’t he stay awake? ... Probably because he stayed up all night.
“No, Cheyenne.”
Jonah looks around. He peeks into the next isle, and then the next.
... Where the hell are Cheyenne and Amy? He can hear them so clearly...
“He’s like, totally oblivious to it!”
“He’ll realize it eventually, okay? It’s not some truth bomb we can just drop on him.”
“My friends drop truth bombs on me all the time, and it just brings us closer. Best bitches don’t lie to their best bitches.”
“... Right. But, it’s kind of something for him to take the time to process.”
“What if he doesn’t? He’s just gonna like, wander around forever making excuses and being all nervous and confused.”
“Well... then we’ll give him a push. But for now let’s just... give him some space. Let him come to terms with it on his own.”
Jonah is startled out of his accidental eavesdropping by hearing himself sniffle. He quickly wipes his eyes, sticks his hands in his pockets, and hurries away. He still doesn’t know how he heard them, maybe some kind of really weird echo or sound tunnel. So he goes to the other side of the store entirely and finds the chattiest customer he can.
He can feel Dina and Mateo staring at him as he restocks softlines. They whisper to each other, and he sighs and hangs his head. “You know, it makes it worse when you talk behind my back.”
Mateo yelps a little. He clears his throat and quickly composes himself. “Sorry. Uh, we were just talking about-”
“Yeah, no, I know. I’m... aware, okay? And I just would like to stop hearing about it for now, please.”
Mateo looks taken aback by the tiredness in Jonah’s voice, the... weary tone. Dina, however...
“Yeah, well, not exactly something to brush under the rug.”
“Why do you even care? It’s a me problem, okay?”
“Really? You think this doesn’t impact everyone?”
“How! Would it even do that?!”
“Well, let’s see! It made Mateo afraid, it made Amy all somber and worried about you, it made Glenn cry even more than usual-”
“It did?”
“He started a trust fund for your soul.”
“... Oh.”
Dina stops, her frown slowly becoming more confused. “You... didn’t realize that would happen?”
“... I don’t know, I guess I thought... thought he’d be more open-minded.”
“Glenn?”
Jonah takes a deep breath. Ugh, why’d it make his chest hurt? Why do his lungs feel like they don’t want the air?
The next thing he knows he’s done with softlines (it felt like he got done in the blink of an eye) and walking away. He swallows down the lump in his throat, and the urge to comfort eat. God, he’s craving a snack now. Well, he has all day, but he’s been... a little distracted.
“Excuse me? Hello? Hey!”
Jonah looks up at the customer, still feeling drained and empty.
“Finally, god. How useless do they let you people be around here? I’m looking for the shock collars, my dog keeps licking me when I tell him not to.”
“... That’s a really, really shitty thing to do to your dog.” Jonah doesn’t really mean to say it, but he’s just sort of on autopilot now.
For some reason, the customer doesn’t reply. Just stiffens.
“Follow me. I’ll sort you right out.” Jonah thinks he smiles at them. But he can’t be sure, because at that moment he blacks out.
Jonah shrugs his coat on, not looking anyone else in the eye as they all file out to clock out.
He waits until the very end, and clocks out last. Maybe he can avoid them all by waiting long enough?
Ugh, he can’t. He feels restless. Looking like another sleepless night already. Two in a row, great. Maybe that’s why he had that blackout. He still isn’t sure where the customer went, nor how he ended up in the No-Go zone of the Gardening Section...
Whatever. They were a jerk, anyway. Maybe he talked some sense into them? He did that during a blackout yesterday. Maybe it’s stress, then?
He keeps his head down as he thinks about it (trying to avoid some other, more introspective thoughts) and walks out.
He lifts his head as he exits the breakroom to find everyone standing in a group, smiling softly.
“Um... what’s going on?” He claps his hands behind his back. Please don’t let this be more teas-
“We know we’ve made you uncomfortable today,” Mateo pipes up. “And after talking to Garrett about your guys’s conversation, we realized we had the totally wrong idea about everything.”
Glenn steps forward and hugs Jonah. “I accept you no matter what,” he says firmly. “I would never start a fund to save your soul for being gay, that was a complete misunderstanding! You like whoever you like, Jonah!”
“And I didn’t mean to badger you,” Dina admits with her shoulder a little sunk. “I didn’t quite understand what you were going through in your head, and I made some assumptions. Wrong ones.”
“We all care about you, Jonah,” Amy says, prying Glenn off of the poor man. “Okay? We just want you to know that. Today we were being really, really shitty. But it won’t happen again.”
For the second time today, Jonah isn’t aware he’s crying until he hears himself sniffle.
“I just- I feel really, really stupid,” he admits, wiping his eyes with his palms. He laughs, not quite bitterly, but not happy. “I mean, I’m in my thirties. I-I had... so many obvious moments where I should have realized! How... oblivious, am I?”
There’s a bit of an awkward air to the group after that comment. But Amy hugs Jonah, and he feels a little... spark, in his chest. It’s nice.
His chest has felt pretty heavy and empty all day.
“Everyone comes to terms with stuff at their own pace,” Amy says. “I lived in an unhappy marriage for years because I couldn’t accept the obvious. What matters is that you got to this point of realization, okay?”
Jonah hugs back. He thinks he feels Amy shiver, but he brushes past it. They pull apart, and Jonah sniffs and wipes his eyes again.
“And I um. I-I don’t think I’m... fully, gay,” he says slowly. He hesitates, mouth open, the words stuck. “I think... I think I’m Bi.”
There’s a moment of silence. He smiles a little, and stands a bit straighter. That feels... really right. “I think I’m Bi,” he repeats.
Sandra claps for a second, but no-one joins in. She lowers her hands slowly.
“Wow! Hah! That feels- wow! God, that feels good! Um,, what-what now, though?”
Garrett shrugs. “Flirt with some dudes? Some people in-between dudes and chicks? I don’t know, man, it’s your life.”
“Your long, long life,” Dina mutters to herself.
“Right! Oh, yeah, uh... that guy! From earlier! I-I think I want to see him again. Okay, uh, I’m going to go home, and-and maybe research some local protests he might be at-”
Everyone groans a little.
“Protester Jonah is the preachiest Jonah,” Garrett says, shaking his head.
“Can he still be preachy? Wouldn’t that hurt?” Cheyenne whispers to Glenn.
Glenn shrugs. “I’ll ask Pastor Craig,” he whispers back.
Jonah doesn’t even notice. “Okay! I’m going to head home! I kinda feel like, I don’t know, like this is a whole new chapter in my life! Um, how do we- I mean how do- do we do a group hug, or-or maybe a high-five-”
“Or we just head home.”
“Yeah, no, Garrett’s right, head home. Let’s all head home!”
They all head out to their cars. Jonah gets into his, plops down into the drivers seat, and grins.
What a freeing realization! He doesn’t know how he missed it, it was all so obvious!
Well, as far as he knows, there’s no other huge life-revelations waiting for him. He’s figured it all out, finally.
He starts driving home, humming along with the radio as the car next to him keeps pace, despite being in the faster lane. He never understands why people do that when the roads are empty. He chuckles to himself. Maybe he’ll realize that Life Mystery tomorrow.
What he doesn’t realize, neither when he gets home nor when he wakes the next morning, is that he never turned his own radio on.
𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞: Being the designated Cloud 9 Staff hospital visitor. So basically, whenever a staff member or staff member's loved one is in hospital, you're the one who has to go and take flowers from the team and see how they're going.
𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Hospitals, injury, coma’s, chopped off thumbs, cut up faces / arms, dislocated jaws. I mean probably not much description of these things but its always worth mentioning.
Marcus // Sliced off thumb:
“Hey Y/N, your time has come. Marcus sliced his finger off in the deli; Here’s the directions to the hospital.” Dina flies by, handing me a piece of lined paper that I just manage to grab and not drop before she’s gone again, around a shelf.
I’m sorry, w h a t-
~
“Okay, hospital... reveal room 216, please... “Taking a deep breath in to calm the anxiety that hospitals generate and getting a big whiff of steriliser and bad food in response, I look around for the room in question as I slowly make it down a hallway. “213, 214, 215... ah.”
The door’s wide open so before walking in, I just stick my head inside and look around. All the beds inside have their curtains drawn around them, so fuck. I don’t want to bother anyone! Slipping into the room now, I try to remember what bed number the lady at the front desk said Marcus was in, but struggle. I was so focused on remembering the room number!
Before I can fully turn around to retrace my steps and, embarrassingly enough, ask the lady again what bed number it was, a slapping noise comes from the curtains in the far corner followed by a familiar voice cursing his slippery fingers and pudding. “Oh thank god,” I whisper, rushing over there and stopping just outside the curtains. “Marcus? Its Y/N, from work? Is that you?”
“Y/N? Uhh, yeah. Come on in.”
Thank god. Your heartbeat and anxiety immediately start to calm down and go in to find Marcus struggling to reach a dropped cup of pudding that’s fallen on the ground with one hand while the other, which is wrapped up so the stitches on the apparently re-applied thumb do not get infected, sits on the food tray hanging over his lap. I wince, thinking about the thumb in question and quickly kneel down to pick up the pudding cup instead. “Hey, stop.” I pick it up myself as Marcus relaxes back properly on the bed.
He beams and offers his hand palm up. “Ah, thanks!”
I nearly go to hand it back to him, before stopping just in time. There is something about this that is... not right. “I’ll just throw it away! No worries.”
“Throw it away! ?” The ex-con’s (At least that’s what I’ve heard. I haven't really talked to Marcus- we tend to work in separate areas) face twists in horror. “But I’m not done!”
I blanche. “Marcus, it was face down on the floor!”
“Oh, pfft. Hospitals are like the cleanest places ever. They clean this floor all the time.” Is this boy trying to justify eating floor pudding, to me? I just... I just don’t really know what to say, here. What? I blink.
“... Yeah, but.. it still touched... the floor.” What information is he missing??
“Yeah, but... its clean.” He laughs, shaking his head and grinning like I’m so dumb and he’s so smart... and I just leave the little curtain room and throw the thing away. No, no, no. No. “Hey!” He calls after me far too loudly for hospital room, even if he is one of the patients, which makes me wince.
“Shh!” I press a finger in front of my lips when I get back, getting into the chair by his bed. Immediately, Marcus humbles and covers his mouth with his good hand, looking guilty. “Besides, bro, you have already lost a thumb today, do you want to get your stomach pumped also? Is your health insurance that good??”
As I roll my eyes and move on, looking around the area for something to do or talk about, Marcus sighs but admits that its not that great... but is revealed to be pouting when I look back at him again. Oh for goodness sake. This guy is from prison? This guy?? Did I get the facts right?
Sighing, I push out of the chair and drop my jacket on the back. “Do you want me to go get you a new pudding?”
“Yes please.”
Jerry (Sandra) // Coma induced by flying mailbox:
“Knock knock,” I call, holding my jacket nervously in front of my body and rapping my knuckles gently against the doorway to the hospital room. Multiple beds are inside, one of which is surrounded by a curtain so you can assume someone over there is sleeping- hence the quiet voice I’m using.
Sandra, sitting by the bed closest to the door turns around when she hears it and twists around in his her seat to look at me - not letting go of or moving Jerry’s hand, which causes her body to look very uncomfortable all twisted so I move around to the other side of the bed so she can sit like a normal person again, - , face brightening immediately. God, hospitals are so awkward. My finger tips are freezing. “Oh, hi! Thanks for coming.”
“Of course! How is everything?” Chewing the inside of my cheek, I look over Jerry’s comatose body with my eyebrows knit together in worry. Looking at him, you could absolutely be fooled that he’s just sleeping... but there’s something far too put-together about how he’s laying - flat on his back with his arms carefully laid at his sides, like a corpse, - that just isn't so casual. “Hey, Jerry.” I whisper firmly, patting his shoulder before setting down the vase of flowers carefully on the nightstand. I look back up at Sandra, tilting my head sympathetically. “Is he doing okay...?”
“Aw, the doctor says he’ll... probably,” A look of unsureness passes Sandra’s face momentarily and my worry increases, but she quickly brushes it away again and moves forward. “... be okay. Um, I read that talking to him can improve his condition and maybe wake him up! So I’ve been, uh, telling him about the store and reading to him... Sometimes he shifts!”
“Really?” Oh, that sounds so good! Remembering suddenly that the flowers aren't all that I brought, I make an ‘oh!’ sound and turn to my bag to dig out the second thing and hold it up nervously for Sandra to look at. “I read that too! So, um, I brought the first Harry Potter book? I dunno if y’all even like Harry Potter, but I thought it was a pretty safe bet, haha. Magical, you know? Entertain him a bit, as he’s just laying there- and you too! Since, you know, you’re just sitting there by him the whole time... I thought we could read it to him for a while! I mean, if you want. I can leave, instead, if you wanna be alone with him- “
Quickly her eyes blow wide open and she quickly shakes her head. “No no! Um, that sounds great.” The beautiful big smile on her face is enough for me to gain enough confidence to go and get a chair from beside an empty bed and settle down on Jerry’s other side. We’re doing this, then. Here we go. “Thank you for this, Y/N.”
“Don’t even worry about it, I’m happy to.” I grin, opening up the book as Sandra’s shoulders relax and she gets ready to listen, holding Jerry’s hand with both of hers now and looking carefully, gently at his face. So gently it makes my chest hurt just looking at it. Oh my god, she’s so in love.
You better wake up, Jerry. I think, flashing his unconscious body a serious look as I open the Philosophers Stone. “Now, Jerry, I hope you haven't read this already but... here we go. Hogwarts here we come.”
Justine // Dislocated jaw:
“Justine, honey, what happened?? And why are we at a vet?” As soon as I see the blonde, sitting there with a jaw brace and soft cotton mounds stuffed in her cheeks, sitting in the backroom of a veterinarians office, the words tumble out of me as the worry builds to a nearly unmanageable amount. Jesus Christ! “Oh- can you talk? Should we text?”
Sadly, she nods and picks up her phone so I do the same, sitting down next to her and laying my jacket down over my lap.
Justine: Things got a bit w e t for me, if you know what I mean~ (; LOL
Slowly I look up at her, and just raise an eyebrow; Unamused. This is not the time for jokes, sweetheart. Your jaw might get wired shut! She huffs, a muffled sound now due to the cotton in her mouth and returns to typing on her phone.
Justine: OK. I slipped on a spill at work.
My eyebrows knit together this time, reading that and shove my phone between my thighs before turning to her and patting her shoulder. “Oh, jeez... I’m sorry. That’s horrible. Does it still hurt?”
Justine nods, whimpering like a puppy, and my heart just about dies in my chest. Oh, that’s so awful. This is worse then visiting Jerry; At least he isn't in pain! And Sandra cheers up when I get there so that’s not too awful either... But here’s poor Justine and there’s dried blood on her lips and dried mystery liquid on the front of her shirt and I just want to hug her until she feels better... but in her condition, I doubt that would help. Still, I wrap my arm around her and take out my phone again as she bows her head. “What’s the next step? When is the, uh, doctor, going to be in for the surgery?”
Justine: A couple of minutes. She’s putting down a rabbit.
“Oh... “ I wince, reminded that this is a v e t.
Justine: Yeah...
“Well, I’ll be here waiting for you okay? I’ve got Brett covering for me for the rest of the day, and... “ I hold up my phone and wiggle it to draw attention to the screen, a twinkle of mischief in my eyes. “When you get out, some of the guys were lifting heavy stuff earlier while you were being rushed here, and I snuck some good pictures for you.” She brightens up a bit at that, making me giggle. “Annnd, I also brought this!” From under my jacket, I reveal the book she was reading that she left in her locker when she left.
That really cheers her up, as she takes it from me and hugs it to her chest, closing her eyes and sighing with relief.
Isaac // Cut up face and arms due to ninja warrior table jumping:
I sit down in the hospital room and settle in, propping a pillow properly behind my back and setting my phone on the bedside table. This is all muscle memory now, basically. Especially with Isaac. “Heyy, Isaac. So what is this- our 6th hospital visit this year? And its... April? What drug was it this time?”
“No drug.” He huffs, sitting on the bed with his legs dangling off the side, seemingly ready to escape at any given chance. “Marcus dared me to jump on a table and I fell off of it... into a vending machine... face first... ”
My jaw drops and my eyes widen, looking at him firmly. There are cuts all over Isaac’s face and forearms! Jesus... Then I notice some weird gook on some of them that are on his face, and get confused. With my eyebrows knitted together, I get up out of my seat again and peer a little closer at them. Is that... glue? “Have you had any medical attention yet?”
“No... “ He sighs. “That was the chemist. He tried to superglue my cuts closed, back at the store.” Fucking Tate. “I didn’t mind, really- cheaper then a hospital visit, right? But then he got his glove stuck on my face” -FUCKING TATE- “and Amy made him stop.”
Leaning back to access his frowny, disappointed expression, I give him a confused face. “... bummer?”
“Yeah, I know.”
Oh boy.
You // Broken leg:
"Woah- " I gasp out, when Isaac helps me up to my feet from the hospital bed- he's as strong as he looks and I still didn't expect it. Flashing him a nervous smile, because he really doesn't need to be here for me if he doesn't want to be, I pick up my crutches and fit them under my arms- being very, very careful about my leg. "Thank you!"
"Don't worry about it... " He begs, and I nod. Okay. Turning from him I look for my bag to sling it over my shoulder, as I'm leaving the hospital today - no way in hell am I staying longer, unnecessarily. This is the dearest hotel franchise in America, - , just to find Sandra with it already carefully set over her shoulder. My eyes widen and my mouth falls open slightly in an 'oh' shape.
Quickly gathering my senses - I'm still pretty hopped up on the pain med's they gave me, so I'm not totally myself, - , I shake my head and give yet another nervous smile. "Sandra that's okay, I can carry it!- "
"Nope." She shakes her head, sternly, heading past Justine to the door. "The least I can do is carry your bag to the car."
"Yeah! And I'm driving you home- So don't get any idea's, home girl." Justine perks up, smiling but giving me her own version of a stern look. My shoulders drop as I knit my brows together.
They're being way too nice! I just broke my leg- I didn't solve world hunger or anything!- "You don't need to!- "
"What other option do you have?" Isaac cuts me off this time, and I pout, looking up at him. Well...
"Yeah, are you going to order an Uber?" That was the plan... Which I don't say, of course, but am pretty sure they get the gist by my guilty expression. Sandra huffs, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "Ridiculous."
"Those things cost way too much!!" Justine exclaims, looking horrified to Isaac, who nods.
His eyes light up a bit. "I could get you pure cocaine with that money." Justine nods along, eagerly, as if she has ever tried even a lick of cocaine, and I immediately shake my head.
"Now, that's really alright. Thanks for the offer, though."
As I'm resigning myself to all this, for it really is lovely of them, Marcus suddenly rushes past Sandra and into the room, a tray in his hands. I raise my brows as he stops in front of me, breathing heavily.
Then my eyes widen at what's on the tray, as Isaac and Justine reach over to take from it but Marcus pulls it clean away from them, immediately. "Hey! Back off, these aren't for you!"
Sighing, Isaac whines. "Come on, man... "
"I need sustenance!" Justine insists, over-dramatic as always.
"Yeah, well, break your leg and maybe you'll get some." Marcus tells them, holding the tray away from them, between just him and I.
The tray is full of those little puddings - a.k.a the only good thing about being at the hospital,- they give you with your meals here. All different flavours, too! "Marcus where did you get all these... ?"
Oh wait- Don't tell me-
"Ah, just off those rolling shelf trolley's they use to move all the meals from the kitchens." He shrugs, grinning proudly - stupidly, - at me like he didn't just steal a whole hallway of sick people's puddings. Sandra actually facepalms, behind him, as I just try to come up with an appropriate verbal response to that. The man committed a crime for me!
Uh... "Thank you!... B-" Just as I'm starting on that 'But', Marcus turns away from me with a pleased smile and goes over to Sandra, unzipping my bag as she holds it and gesturing Isaac over to help him stuff all the pilfered puddings away in there so they can sneak them out.
I cant help the awkward, laughing smile that slithers across my face, looking to Jerry standing silently in the corner. Sighing, I stretch and shake my head. Whatever.
