Across the Tracks Ch. 11

(Hers chapter 11. Short Sweet, to the point. There is only one chapter left in the Across the Tracks series, and our next story will be picking up the relationship between Deacon and Nikki, and when that arc is done, we will be starting J.B.'s love story, with a character you haven't met yet. Enjoy, and as always, reviews and comments are welcome, and stroke me ego.)

Otis slowly came to, the first noise he heard being the steady blip-blip of a heart monitor. Sighing, he tried to move his arms and legs, discovering his hunch that they were strapped down was correct. He tried to lift his head, but realized he didn't have the strength to do it when his head fell back onto the pillow and he passed out. Strange dreams he never remembered filtered from his subconscious. His nurses checked on him every hour, but it wasn't for another thirteen that he finally clawed his way back to being awake again. His nurse realized he was awake when she walked into his room and the first thing she saw was Otis staring at her balefully, yanking at the straps holding his arms down.

Instead of releasing him, she ran. After dragging Doctor Crozius from his post, he went to check on his patient, who had been flirting with the afterlife ever since the operation the good Doctor had performed. After removing the breathing apparatus from the airway, he quickly undid the straps holding Otis down, only to have to push back against the man's chest to get him to stay on the bed, instead of trying to get up. Otis continued to glare at the Doctor, and resolutely tried to rise again, in the midst of numerous protests from nurses and the Doctor.

"Mr. Andrei, if you don't calm down, I'm going to call Security, and we will sedate you until you are more civil."

Otis grinned, and the only word that could be used to describe it was feral. It wasn't the usual grin a man would make, but a wolf smile, a hunter smile. It was the kind of smile that would have made most men shiver. Doctor Armand Crozius was not that kind of man. He grabbed Otis by the arm and forcefully pushed him down once again. In his weakened state, there wasn't much Otis could do. The two attempts to rise already had him panting and sweating from exertion and pain. Armand began to explain what all had happened, when Otis waved him off with his hand.

"Who in my group is here? I know someone stayed behind." Otis's deep voice had a rasp to it, from not talking and the tube that had been down his throat. Armand gently explained.

"I think the one they call J.B. is switching the watch with Deke right now. Ariel may be here as well, I'm not sure. Your grandfather left earlier."

"Well? Are you going to get them or do I need to try and get up again?"

Armand motioned a nurse over and dispatched her to the waiting room to inform those the staff had taken to calling the Watchers that their vigil was over, the sleeping giant had awoken. Armand read a lot of fantasy novels, and the metaphors he used in work were a carryover from that. He had referred to Otis as the sleeping giant ever since the man had been brought in. As Otis laid back, a satisfied smile on his face, the Doctor became professional once more, and began to fully explain the amount of damage his body had taken.

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Ariel rose to her feet, she had decided to leave. It had been four days. Otis had come out of surgery late Sunday night, and still hadn't come out of his coma. His grandfather was wilting, like a flower in too much heat with no water in sight. J.B. was starting to crack, she could feel it. If something didn't give soon, she just knew in her heart he was going to do something he would regret. Deacon.... She couldn't figure him out still. He was a hole. He never had any emotion on his face, or in his eyes, nothing in his posture gave him away. It was like he was an emotionless hole, doing nothing but gathering dust in the corner of the room. The only time he spoke was when spoken to, and the only time he smiled was when the redheaded girl that everyone but her seemed to know came to talk to him before she left with a woman in a wheelchair. She couldn't take this anymore. She was breaking, and would do anything to just hear his voice.

J.B. looked at her as she walked to tell him bye, and he knew that he looked terrible, but so did everyone else who waited on Otis. Ariel looked as if she hadn't put any care in to her appearance, no makeup, a ponytail and some sweats. He knew his eyes were staring from a hollowed out face, with dark circles under his eyes were he wasn't sleeping. He'd been going to work, and he knew that even if he refused to admit it, his sponsor was getting pissed with his repeated phone calls. He just wanted to know something. Anything. If he was going to live, would he be a vegetable, anything about his friend. He stood as Ariel got closer, and asked her.

"You leaving?"

All she did was nod at him, and he nodded back. She knew he would call if anything changed. After giving him a brief hug and waving to Deke, she started to walk away. As she entered the elevator, she saw a nurse running to J.B. and Deke jumping up. She went to hit the door open button, but it was too late, she was already headed down to the 1st floor, she'd have to come back up. She wanted to scream as the door opened, but thankfully no one got in as she frantically pushed the button to take her back up.

As the nurse told them about Otis waking up, JB knew what he had to do. Deacon didn't have a vehicle other than his bike, and J.B. was driving the truck, so it would have to be him that went to get Otis's grandfather. Running for the elevator, he made it to the open door just as Ariel was running out. Pointing back towards the waiting room, he didn't even stop to talk to her, but jumped into the elevator and jammed the parking garage floor button. As soon as he got into the truck, he slammed it into reverse and jammed the gas, peeling rubber as he slammed it into drive and tore off towards the road that would take him to Pappaw's house.

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Ariel ran into the waiting room, scared to death. J.B. hadn't told her anything, just pointed. That could be either really good or really bad news. Deacon had grabbed her by the arm and was jerking her towards the room Otis was in, his limp more pronounced with him trying to run than ever. Nurses, Doctors and patients looked at the three people running down the hallway, the nurse who had originally shared the news trying to keep up with the two. As they got to the door, Doctor Crozius stepped out and looked at them in surprise.

"Ah. Deacon and Ariel. A little decorum in the hospital if you please? This isn't a track meet."

He smiled at the slight blush on Ariel's face and the look of irritation in Deacon's eyes.

"Now, he's awake and has been told of the extent of his injuries. By his absence, I'll take it that J.B. went to get the elder Mr. Andrei. As soon as they arrive, I'll make sure they get back here."

Deke and Ariel thanked the Doctor before he moved, opening the door and stepping away. Deacon and Ariel looked at each other, and Deacon extended his arm, mouthing 'Ladies first'. Ariel nodded and slowly walked into the dark room that Otis was in. Peeking around the corner of the door, all she could see was the glint of the dim lights, shining off of his teeth and eyes.

"I was hoping you would be here."

Ariel stopped. His voice sounded terrible! Like he had ate sandpaper or glass or something. But it was still his voice and Ariel started crying. He went to get up as soon as she started, and she almost leaped across the room to push him back down.

"You can't get up!" Otis looked at her.

"FINE." He started to grumble about he wasn't hurting, he could get up just fine, and started to rise again.

"Otis, I swear to God that I will sit on you if you try to get up!"

"That gives me a perfect reason to try to get up then, doesn't it?" He said as he grinned at her, and winked. He started laughing as she blushed, only to groan in pain and grab at his chest. She looked panicked before he waved trying to calm her down.

"I'm okay I promise." He grinned weakly and looked at the giant hoodie she was wearing. "You know, I don't think someone as tiny as you was in mind when my hoodie was made."

He smiled again as she blushed. She had been wearing his hoodie almost constantly since everything had happened. She decided to change the subject.

"I'm pretty sure J.B. went to get your Pappaw, and Deke is outside the door. I think they're only letting one person in at a time, so I might want to switch out with someone."

"Or, you can grab a chair and sit next to me, and they can fuck off if they have an issue with the people I have in my room."

Ariel smiled, that sounded like Otis. She nodded briefly and pulled a chair close to the side of his bed and sat down. She had her hands in her lap, fiddling with the sleeves of the hoodie until he sighed and reached over and grabbed one of her hands and held it. She looked at him for a moment and cocked an eyebrow questioningly. Her inner girl was freaking the fuck out though, and she knew she was smiling on the inside. He started talking, but she was so busy feeding her inner gloating that she almost missed it.

"So, I think after they let me leave, we should go out. Like on a date or something."

Ariel nodded with her mouth open in shock. Until she realized that he wasn't look at her, he was looking at their hands. So, she spoke up and told him yes, and he smiled at her and she melted inside. She couldn't keep her smile contained this time, and he squeezed her hand gently in his much larger hand.

"Well... time to get on with it I guess." He raised his voice. "I'm not coming to get you brownie, get your ass in here."

Deacon walked in smiling.

"You know I hate that fucking name cracker."

Deacon looked at the two holding hands, and smiled. They would make a good couple.

"So, according to the Doc, you two and J.B. have been doing surveillance on me to see when I would wake up."

"Hell yea we did you dumbass. You're grandpa has been out of his goddamn mind worrying about you, so yes, we watched your ass. If you ever do something like this again, I'm going to bring you back from wherever the hell you went and beat the ever living shit out of you."

Otis smiled at his friend's genuine concern and his outburst. Deke calmed down and stared at him for a minute then started grumbling and turned for the door.

"I'm going to go wait for J.B. to get back, then I'm going home." As he walked out the door, he stopped and turned. "Good to have you back brother."

"Good to be back, Coffee."

"Oh fuck you Honky." Deacon smiled as he turned back around to walk to the waiting room, checking his watch. It was the usual time that Charlie walked through before taking her mother home....

Otis looked at Ariel.

"I think I'm going to sleep a little before Pappaw and J.B. get here. Stay with me?"

Ariel nodded. "Of Course."

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"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST DUDE SLOW THE FUCK DOWN BEFORE YOU GET US KILLED!"

Pappaw yanked hard on the wheel, throwing the old trucks ass end wide as he squealed around a curve, ignoring the blaring horns and shouted words. He looked over at J.B., who was grabbing the trucks shit handle and frantically trying to keep from getting slung around the cab.

"One more outburst like that sonny and your ass can walk. And no, I will not be stopping for you to get out."

J.B. just nodded and tried to calm down. He had pulled up, ran inside and told the old man the news, and then had to run to keep up with him, and narrowly missed being left behind as the old man took off, pedal to the metal. Now, they were speeding and driving like a maniac, a blue Chevy missile, through the streets to the hospital. J.B. just hoped when they got pulled over, the cop understood why the old man didn't stop and the chase that would result. As they blasted through another intersection, J.B. groaned.

"I'm so going to jail."

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Ariel watched Otis as he slept. He looked so peaceful, which was weird. Every time she had seen him, he had had a look on his face that fully consumed him. When he was working on her car, it was a look of concentration. When he had came over and watched the movie with her, he had been angry with Danny, then he had been irritated with her, and those emotions showed on his face. When he saved her, anger and rage. He had scared her almost as much as her situation. His eyes were cold, and she could practically feel the murderous intent rolling off him like heat from a flame. When they had got back to his place, he had so much sorrow in his face that it almost broke her heart. When he got hurt, all she could see was his pain. Now, he looked peaceful, and so much younger. Like so much of the bad shit that had happened in his life hadn't happened. This is what he would look like if his father had never died Ariel mused.

Her phone began to vibrate, and she knew it was her dad. Answering, she told him what was going on. After promising to bring her mom and come visit, he told her he loved her. Ariel smiled, her Dad told her he loved her a lot, and she really did appreciate it. After losing her birth parents, she didn't know what she would do if she lost her adopted parents. She brought her legs up and curled up in the chair, keeping her hand in his, and she quickly slipped into her own nap, the stress of the past few days melting off of her.

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Nikki opened her phone to see a text from Deke. Smiling she opened it up to look at it.

'Firebird-

Sleepyhead is up and moving, I figured you'd want to know.'

Nikki smiled and took off running for the wing she knew Otis was in. As she skidded through the door, her slip on shoes betrayed her, and she almost fell. A pair of strong arms caught her with a slight grunt, and she managed to not bust her ass all over the ground. She knew it was Deke who had grabbed her; he had a certain smell that was distinctly him. Kind of like spice and spring. The first time she had come back after Otis had been admitted, and she found out about Deacon's leg, she had given him a goodbye hug and noticed it. It was intoxicating, and she was still pulled by it. It was maddening how much she loved that smell already.

"You alright Firebird?"

"Yeah I'm fine."

They actually stood like that for a moment, Deacon's arms wrapped around her and her leaning into his chest. Finally, she reluctantly straightened her legs, and he even more reluctantly let go. Smiling, she looked towards the room Otis was in, and Deacon nodded. She grabbed his hand and pretty much drug her with him. She didn't want the girl who was obviously falling in love with Otis to think she was her to steal her man. Besides, she was finding herself interested in one very special man. Her mother even approved of her intrest in Deacon, and had flat out told her if she didn't get him, her mother was going to go after him herself. As she walked into the room, she noticed the girl, Ariel she thought her name was, was asleep and Otis was watching her out of the corner of his eyes. Nikki motioned Deacon to be quiet. She looked over Otis with a critical eye. She signed to him. Not many people knew that Nikki knew sign language, and even fewer realized Otis knew it.

'You look like shit.'

He grunted, then signed back.

'Thanks a lot Captain Obvious. Anything else you want to tell me? Like that I may be tall?'

Nikki flipped him off and stuck her tongue out at him. She and Deacon hadn't noticed, but her hand had went from his wrist to their fingers entertwined. Otis smiled and waved at the two as they walked back out of his room. Leaving him in comparitive silence.

He knew it was Thursday, and Doctor Armand had agreed to let him go home today is someone was going to take care of him until he was fully healed. He was pretty sure he could find someone, he was more worried about being able to keep his place. Mrs. Worthington was a lovely landlady, but he didn't know how she was dealing with him being shot in her apartment. He would just have to wait and see.

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J.B. almost kissed the ground when the truck screeched to a halt outside of the hospital. He didn't have time for that though, he had to follow behind the old man, making sure he didn't run over pregnant women or kick a baby in his haste. He had no idea the old man could move so fast, but he could by God. They ran past the startled nurses, who didn't try to stop them thanks to the warning from Doctor Armand and them recognizing the two men. When they finally spilled out of the elevator, they were stopped by Deke and Nikki.

"Slow down guys. Otis is in there, he is awake, but Ariel is next to him and she's asleep. Calm down and go in a little quieter ok?'

Pappaw nodded, and so did J.B. They slowly entered the room, interrupting Otis in what looked like deep thought. The two didn't fail to notice him holding her hand still, and the content smile on her face as she slept. Pappaw walked up to his grandsons hospital bed and leaned in to hug him. Otis was his life. All he had left now. As he started to cry, he didn't feel shame for his tears. He knew that without him, without his grandson, he wouldn't live longer than a few months. A man could survive along time, but not when his reason for living was gone. No words were needed between the two. Otis hugged his grandfather fiercely. They loved each other, as only family, good family and strong blood ties, could love.

His grandfather stood up, he would finally be able to sleep tonight. Otis signed to his grandfather, explaining about getting to go home that night if he wanted. His grandfather signed back, telling him that it was perfectly fine with him if he wanted to go home, and thay he would go speak to Doctor Crozius about it now.

As Pappaw left, J.B. stepped forward and whispered to Otis.

"We going to get revenge?"

Otis looked at his best friend. The change from peaceful to cold blooded anger was instant. He merely nodded his head, looking like anymore effort from him would result in violence. J.B. nodded back. He had never doubted his friend would survive. There were a few constants in this world. Death, Taxes, and Otis Andrei. As J.B. left, he gave one more look to his best friend, his blood brother.

"Good to have you back man."

Otis nodded as his friend walked out the door. He laid back, hitting the button to lean him back in a more comfortable position on his bed. He would be going for revenge. Something inside of him demanded it. Some nagging thought in the back of his mind, as cold as a hammer head and bright as lightning, loud as thunder. Otis closed his eyes, turning out the light and waited in the dark for Ariel to wake up. He wanted to talk to her, he had missed her, even in his coma.

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Deacon and Nikki sat outside in silence, but not a bad silence. It was more of a companionable silence, like two people that had known each other so long that they didn't have to speak to have a good time. They hadn't really talked about anything, and as Deke took another drag on his cigarette, he broke that silence.

"So... How's your momma?"

Nikki looked up, and it took her a moment to focus from her reverie.

"She's doing better. Still not at full strength. They are saying good things about her beating the cancer, so that's good for us."