Life Support

*Joseph*


I cried like a baby feeling her warmth and breathing in my arms. The anger I felt subsided for a moment, and I just wanted to feel her close to me. “What did he do to you?” I asked in her ear, my voice rough from the tears. “I’m okay boss.” She said being stronger than she had to be as usual. I sat up and looked directly in her eyes, “don’t lie to me darlin.” I looked at her for a few moments and she spilled what happened. The monster stuck his hand down her pants, he was going to force her. He was going to rape my queen. He is going to suffer. I stand from the bed and storm away from the room. Grabbing a comm, with the electric back on, I tell the guys to keep him alive. No one responds. It’s eerily quiet in the house. “Where is everyone?” I walk back to the room and reach Sandra a comm as well. She tells me she needs a shower, and I nod, waiting for the response. Jay finally responds, “It’s Jackson, Smoke. We don’t think he is going to make it.” My stomach flopped and I instantly started to vomit. When I stood from the small can in the room, Jay was standing behind me. “Are you sure?” Jay looked down at the floor telling me all I needed to know. “Jay, brother, do not blame yourself.” I grabbed his shoulder and gave him the best empathetic look I could muster. He nodded at me slowly, but I knew he was going to hold this one deep in his chest.

I look back at Sandra and see the tears starting to flow down her cheek. I know this will be hard for her. Since we started this ride together, since I kidnapped her from the movies, we have battled so much. This will be the first time we have really lost a brother in battle; lost a member she has known. I reached for her hand, “let’s go say out goodbyes.” She started to softly cry, but grabbed my hand and followed me out the door. When we got to the room, I felt a shift in the atmosphere. This is the shift that happens, in a room, when someone is going to die. I walked straight to the medic and the doc who had shown up as soon as Tommasso was under control again. “Is there anything we can do?” I ask, hoping there is a treatment they think will help him. “He has shattered his shoulder, collarbone, and part of his chest bone. He is bleeding into his chest, and with the drain tube, continues to drown in his own blood. I could take him in, and put him through surgery, but he wouldn’t make it off the table. He has lost too much blood and the damage from such a close-range gun is devastating.” I put my hand up to stop the doctor because I understood there was nothing we could do. Sandra looked at me and released my hand, she headed straight for the bed.

In the time it took for us to find and take down Tommasso they had already strapped Jackson to all kinds of tubes and wires. He had a machine breathing for him, and his shoulder was soaked in blood. His eyes were open, and he lifted his hand up as if to tell Sandra to stop. When he saw me walk in, he instantly squinted his eyes. “What’s up Jack?” Henry said noticing the look. Jackson looked at Sandra and shook his head to say no, as much as he could in his position. I figured out that he didn’t want Sandra to see him like this. He didn’t want her to watch him die. “He’s completely awake?” Sandra said in what sounded like a question. It is hard to imagine he could be so lucid and not be able to survive this, but I have seen it before. Once that machine comes off, he will not be able to breathe on his own. I already knew what the doc would explain, but I let him tell her. She looked up at him while he spoke, and I could see the pain in her eyes. “I’m so sorry Jackson.” She whispered, throwing herself on his chest. He winched but didn’t make a sound. I knew he didn’t want her to feel bad for causing him pain. “He is drugged right now to help his pain. He may not be awake for long.” The doc warned. “Jackson, hey, when you get to where you are going, no matter what, remember you are free.” Her words felt true to him, and I saw emotion flash across his face. She looked back at me, and I knew what she wanted to ask me. I shook my head yes, discreetly, and she stood up walking towards the head of the bed. She leaned down and kissed his lips, softly, before laying down beside him.

After an hour or more of everyone, coming in and out, telling Jackson goodbye, his eyes started to close for long periods of time. Hector and Sofia came, Hector wept for a few minutes while he told his friend goodbye. “Goodbye, soldier and friend.” His last words before hugging some of the guys and leaving the room. Sofia kissed his cheek and followed behind her husband. The doctor came to me to ask me what I wanted him to do. “It isn’t up to me; it is up to Jackson. If he wants to fight, we will cover his care for as long as he needs.” Doc nodded his head before turning and walking to the bedside of our brother. “Jackson, I can sustain your life for some time with this treatment. I don’t think I could ever remove the bullet, but I can keep you alive. You would need to be in a coma for quite some time to heal and see where we go from there. You may lose use of your arm, and I am not sure the ventilation will ever be removed. I don’t know if you would make it off the table. The choice is yours.” Jackson closed his eyes, when he opened them there was a look of peace that I didn’t understand. He knew he would be in bed for a long time, possibly for his entire life. He knew he may never get that tube removed from his throat. Jackson was a fighter, he was a strong man, he wasn’t going to live in a hospital bed. He shook his head and Doc knew exactly what he wanted.

The doctor walked to the machines, shutting them off one by one. I was still amazed they got this stuff in here so quickly. It showed me what we paid Doc so much more, yet again. When he came to the one that was breathing for him, he looked up. “When I unplug this, Jackson won’t be able to breathe. I gave him another high dose of pain medicine. He will be asleep, but it could get hard to watch. “Okay Doc.” I said while the emotion clearly heightened in the room. We heard the air escape as they removed the portable ventilator from his throat. His face turned a pale blue color quickly. I heard Sandra whisper something sweetly to him before we all realized he had gone on. Tears shed slightly but mostly there as anger in the room. Tommasso had to go tonight. He couldn’t be allowed to breathe another day. I motioned for Jay to come to me, “Hey brother, are you ready to avenge our brother?” I asked him loudly so the others would hear. Jay nodded, looking at Jackson and bowing to him as a special goodbye, and left the room. I was surprised he walked out so quickly but assumed he went to the weapon room. I stood back as the men said goodbye to their brother. Some of them knew him better than others did. Zeus was upset so I told him to be sure he talked to Jay if he wanted to help with Tommasso. He nodded and walked out to find Jay.

I kept my eye on Sandra as well, who was taking his death hard. “What happens now?” She asked me, after finally removing herself from his bedside. “We will have a funeral for him in the city. Many brothers will attend. Then we will cremate him.” She flinched. “Where do his ashes go?” She said her eyes were puffy and red. She was looking up at me like I had all the answers to help, to fix it. I didn’t this time, unlike with Ryan, Jackson died to protect her. I didn’t know if she realized that, but I am sure she did. She hadn’t mentioned it, so I wasn’t going to. “Where do we have the funeral?” she asked, looking down now, towards the floor. It had been a long while since I have planned a large brotherhood VIP funeral, not since Mason. I hadn’t thought about Mason in some time. Been so focused on the battles, on the new way I see the world since Sandra. He would be amazed to see how she has changed me. He would be pissed to see she has softened me some as well. I smiled for a moment before looking back at Jackson. To be honest, I didn’t like him all that much. I knew he was a warrior, but I also knew how he looked at my Sandra. He sacrificed for her. He died to keep her safe, to keep Tommasso busy and occupied. He is a hero. I grabbed Sandra’s hand and told her we would send Jackson to the city. He would be held in the garden around all the beautiful flowers there and we would then have his ashes spread with the other warriors there. I told the Doc to call and make arrangements.. Now it is time to handle Tommasso, finally.