The Messinger Sisters

Jack and Jay were sitting on the couch in the Messinger home while Jules went to get their siblings.

"What's this about an early Christmas gift, now?" They heard Andi demanded as the six of them walked in.

"Well, it's somethin’ we've been wantin’ to tell ya'll since the shootout but there hasn't been a chance to do it yet," Jerry and Jules walked into the living room, Jack and Jay staying out of sight.

"Just tell us already, damn it!" Bobby demanded.

"Not something we can tell you, Bobby. Come in here and see for yourselves," Jules motioned for them to move into the living room.

"Exactly what the hell is going on here?" Bobby asked in a deadly calm voice. Angel, Andi, bobby, and Bella were starring at Jay and Jack who were sitting and laying on the couch. Jay had her head resting in Jack’s lap.

"Turns out we only died for a few minutes each according to the doctor. They revived us in the ambulances," Jack explained quickly.

"Then you weren't told because of Sweet. If he'd've known we lived and were in comas, we'd've been used against you guys," Jay picked up, sitting up.

"Then, no one wanted to get your hopes up because they weren't sure if we were ever gonna wake up," Jack finished.

Bella walked over to Jayden. "I'm not dreaming, right?"

"Would you like me to prove it?" Jay asked right back. Receiving a nod, Jay punched her sister in the arm with her good arm. "You're perfectly awake, I assure you," She smirked.

"Jay," Immediately she was pulled out of her seat and wrapped in the arms of her oldest sister. Soon enough, she felt Andi come up behind her and hug her as well.

"Guys, I need to sit down. These pills really suck," Jay spoke up after a minute.

"Do you guys need anything?" Bobby asked, having just let go of his brother as well.

"To get off these damned pills and onto my herbs, not that the fuckin doctor'll let me. Other than that, I'm just hungry," Jack grinned at Jay, knowing she hated the pills but knowing she needed them at the same time.

"We'll be back in a few minutes. Come on, Angel," Andi stated and the two of them left.

"Stop looking at us like that, guys. We're not gonna disappear," Jack stated into the now 10 minutes of silence that filled the room.

"I don't particularly care how they look at us so long as they explain themselves to me. And I mean your sudden new relationship, not the shooting. I know all that already."

"No you don't, Jay-bird. We should've gotten to you sooner," Bella sighed, looking away from her sister.

"But you got to us. And, if you hadn't shot back at them, Jack and I would be dead. Actually, completely dead," Jay tried to reassure her sister. "Besides, why did you think I smiled?" Bella sharply looked up at her. "You don't know? I smiled because you came. Because if you were there, I knew I was safe."

"She's right Bobby. That's the way it's always been. Even if you're not safe to go against, you're the safest person when you're on my side," Jack told his brother.

"You're such a fairy, Jackie," Bobby smiled this time.

"New joke, Bobby. Seriously, you really need a new one," Jack said it with a smile on his face though, glad for the first time he was hearing it considering how close he came to never hearing it again.

"Wow, sappy much?" Andi and Angel walked back into the room carrying bags of fast food.

"Shut up, Andi!" Bella glared at her sister.

"Enough, I still want to know," Jay starred at Bella.

"Later, Jay. Let me figure this all out first."

"Apparently, they were both drunk and don't exactly remember much," Jules filled in.

"Fine, be that way," Jay huffed and sat back on the couch.

"How's Ma's house?" Jack asked. Both of them were sure it'd been shot to shit.

"It looked like Swiss cheese for a while there, but it's much better now. The six of us have been working on it," Angel supplied.

After a shared look with Jack, Jay asked, "Can we go there tomorrow?"

"Are you sure, Jay-bird?" Andi asked.

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have asked," Bella snorted.

"Shut up, Bellatrix! She sounds just like you," Jules stated.

"I know. I taught her well, it seems," Bella smiled at her little sister. "And yes, if you want to, we'll go tomorrow," She answered.

“This might seem slightly morbid, but I have to know. You said you both died for a few minutes, right? Why did you come back?” Andi asked.

Jack and Jay looked at each other. “We can’t answer for each other, obviously. But I can tell you why I did,” Jack offered.

“I’ll tell you right now, I wasn’t going to. That’s why I was gone longer, I’m sure. I saw Dad and wanted to stay with him,” Jayden stated frankly.

“Ma told me to, actually. Then I heard Bobby shout to me “Don’t you go anywhere near that damn light, ya fairy!” so I came back,” Jack shrugged. Bobby smiled and the others laughed.

“Dad didn’t tell me anything, actually. He just kinda smiled and then I argued for a minute with Bella. She shouted to me, “Get your ass back here now, Pixie!” and I told her I didn’t want to but then Papa stopped smiling and I felt like he wanted me to come back, so here I am.”

“Papa wanted you to come back?” Bella asked.

“Yeah. Don’t seem so shocked. You know he was happiest for us when we were all together, Bella,” Jay put her arm around her sister’s waist and pulled her onto the couch with her. “Other than the house and Bella and Bobby getting drunk together, how’s everyone else doing?” Jay asked, laying back down and resting her head in Bella’s lap this time with her legs stretch out onto Jack’s lap.

“Ricky went back to New York about a week or so ago. The two of you have to call up there and tell them you’re okay. Ricky said he was gonna break the news to them,” Andi informed them both.

“Thanks. Someone hand me the phone,” Jay held out her hand and Angel tossed her the phone. Jay dialed Ricky’s cell number and waited while it rang. “Is Ricky there?” She asked when a familiar sounding female voice answered the phone.

“He’s sleeping right now. I probably shouldn’t tell you, but his foster sister died a few weeks ago and he’s real broken up about it. He hasn’t been to work since he got back.”

“Marissa, wake his lazy ass up and put him on the phone,” Jayden demanded.

“Jay? Please tell me I’m not imagining things,” Jay could hear the disbelief in Missa’s voice.

“You’re not. Quick question though, why are you at Ricky’s?”

“I’m not. He’s sleeping at your place. Has been since he got back,” Missa explained.

“Thanks Missa. Now wake Ricky up and put him on the phone.”

“Give me a minute, sweetie,” Jay heard Missa put down the phone and wake Ricky up. “Here he is,” She handed the phone off to Ricky.

“Richard Dantes! What the fuck do you think you’re doin’ not going to work? And sleepin’ in my bed no less. You damn well better wash my sheets before I get back there!” Jay sat up. “But seriously, Ricky, why aren’t you at work?” There was no answer. “Ricky?”

“He fainted, Jay. What did you say to him?”

“I asked him why the fuck he wasn’t at work and why he was sleeping in my bed,” Jay answered Marissa.

Jack took the phone out of her hand. “She spooked him is what she did. Missa, when he wakes up, will you have him call us back?”

After a couple of minutes, Jack hung up and turned to Jay. “Well?” She asked.

“Missa went to go tell everyone else that we’re okay and they’ll call back when Ricky wakes up,” Jack answered.

“Wait a minute, who’s Missa?” Andi asked.

“Marissa. She lives next door to me,” Jay answered. “The top two floors of our loft development are all really good friends. That’s why Ricky told them when he got back to New York,” She explained.

“You guys are all close?” Bella tilted her head slightly.

“For the most part. They don’t ask us any questions and we don’t volunteer that much,” Jack answered.

“Most of what they know about us comes from my art and Jack’s music.”

“Wait, why’d you say for the most part, Jackie?” Jerry asked.

“Well, the only one we’re not close to is Saundra. Sandy is a rich girl in the wrong world, really,” Jack stated.

“Her parents own some huge corporation of some sort. Anyway, she’s always going on about how hard it was for her growing up meanwhile her parents send her $1,000 a week as her allowance,” Jay continued, rolling her eyes. “We don’t like her very much.”

“Can’t say I blame you really,” Bobby agreed.

“They’ve seen all your art and heard Jack’s music?” Angel asked.

“Yes. All of us go to each others stuff. Like any time I have any art in a gallery, they go to the opening. Every one of Jack’s shows we all do our best to make it to. Missa’s shows we go to. She’s a dancer in a number of different musicals just off Broadway. Things like that,” Jay explained.

The eight of them sat in the living room together until Marissa called back, three hours later. “Hey guys!”

“Hey Missa. Hang on, let me put you on speaker phone,” Jay put her on speaker phone and hung up the hand set.

“Don’t you two EVER do that to me again, understand?! I can’t believe you let me think you were dead! Have you completely lost it?!”

“Kaleb!”

“No! Do you have any idea what I’ve been doing lately? No you don’t!”

“Kaleb!’

“And why the FUCK did you two go and get shot for anyway?! What were you thinking? You weren’t, were you?!”

“KALEB!” Jayden and Jack both shouted.

“What?!”

“Calm down! We didn’t do it on purpose, Kal. We’ve been in comas for the past three weeks,” Jay pacified him.

“Oh. Well, in that case, I’ll calm down. Just don’t do it again!”

“We won’t,” Jack smiled over at Jay. They could practically see Kaleb pacing in front of the phone, hand bent on his hip.

“Who is that?” Bella asked.

“Oh, right. That was Kaleb, mine and Jack’s boyfriend,” Jay winked so only Jack could see her and then spoke again to their friends in New York. “Guys our siblings are all here. That was Bella. Guys say hi when I say your name. This is Andi, Jules, Jerry, Angel, and Bobby,” Each of them said hi so Jack and Jay’s friends in New York knew who was talking when. “Who’s all over?”

“Missa.”

“Luke,” He is the drummer for Jack’s band.

“Lily-Rose,” She is a singer in most of the same off Broadway productions as Missa danced in.

“Austin,” He is an artist just like Jay.

“Cami,” She’s the bassist for Jack’s band.

“And me, Kaleb.” Kal is another dancer in off Broadway productions like Missa.

“I’m here too,” Ricky spoke up.

“Guys, where are the others?” Jay asked.

“Well, that’s why it took us so long to call you back. Archie was over last night. Anyway, Scott, Lynn, Jessie, Sandy, Andy, and Kyle are all at the hospital with Cat. He put her in ICU last night, guys. She’s in an unstable coma right now,” There was silence after Missa told them what had happened to their friend.

“Why did you tell us when we first called?” Jack asked quietly after a few minutes.

“We just found out shortly after we hung up with you.”

“Which hospital and doctor?” Jay asked.

“We made sure she got Tommy,” Cami answered.

“Good. Jules, can I borrow your phone really quick? I need to call Tommy,” Jay turned to her sister.

“Sure. Here,” Jewel handed her the phone and Jay quickly dialed Tommy’s cell number.

“Does he know we’re okay?” She asked.

“Yeah, we made sure to tell him,” Luke answered.

“Hi Tommy,” Jay smiled as he picked up the phone.

“Jay? That you?”

“Yep. I need you to tell me about Cat’s injuries though.”

“Are you sure you wanna hear that, Jay? It’s not pretty,” Tommy sounded concerned.

“Just tell me, Tommy!” Jay demanded.

“Alright. She’s got three broken, four cracked, and four bruised ribs. Her left forearm is broken as is her right wrist. There appear to be at least three separate blows to her head, one of which broke her nose. From what I can tell, a ball pin hammer was used to break her right knee cap. Two of her broken ribs broke through the skin and the other scrapped her lung, but there wasn’t any critical damage to it.”

Jay was silent a moment. “Will she be alright?”

“I think so. So long as she wakes up, she’ll be okay, but I’m not sure if she will yet,” He answered.

“Alright. I need you to do something for me. When she wakes up, because I know she will, make sure she moves in with Cami, not back to her own apartment. Archie can get to her there. I’ll tell the others the same thing. She needs to be with someone all the time so that he can’t get to her again,” Jay instructed.

“Okay. I’ll do my best.”

“No, Tommy. Not your best. You have to give her doctor’s orders to do it. She’ll listen to that.”

“I will. I have to go now though. I’ve got surgery coming up soon. Hurry back, guys.”

“We will. Bye Tommy,” Jay hung up. “Cami, did you hear me?” She asked.

“I did. Don’t worry, I’ll keep her with me or one of the others until you two get back,” She assured Jay.

“Did Tommy tell you what her injuries were?” Lily-Rose asked.

“He did. Do you want me to tell you?” She asked.

“Not really. Just how serious is it?” Austin answered.

“Most of the critical damage was done to her head. From what I can remember of head wounds, she may have memory loss when she does wake up. Right now Tommy’s not sure she will though,” Jay told them.

“Guys, go to the hospital with the others. Cat’s a fighter, you know that. She’ll wake up,” Jack instructed them.

“And Ricky, I meant it when I said you damn well better change my sheets before I get back. And get your lazy ass back to work!”

“I will, Jay. When will you be back?”

“When we’re completely healed and our siblings release us,” Jack answered. “So we have no idea,” Jack smiled.

“Alright. We’ll call again later, or maybe have the others call you later,” Luke said.

“And hurry up, you two! This bed is far too big for just me!” Kaleb insisted.

“So sleep in mine. It’s smaller,” Jack reasoned.

“Okay. Love you guys!”

“Love you too, Kal,” Jack and Jay spoke together.

After they hung up, Bella turned to Jay. “First question, who is Tommy?”

“Tommy is a surgeon at Bellevue Hospital where Cat currently is,” Jay answered, knowing that wasn’t what Bella wanted to know.

Andi sighed and rolled her eyes. “How do you know him, Jayden?”

“She dated him a year or so ago,” Jack answered this time. “He’s the only doctor any of us will go to when it’s something serious,” He clarified.

“What the fuck was all that about Kaleb?” Bobby asked.

“Don’t you listen? I told you once already; he’s mine and Jack’s boyfriend,” Jay turned and curled into Jack’s side. “I hate pills. They make you tired,” Jay stated after a yawn.

“I know. Come on, bed’s upstairs,” together, the two of them heaved themselves off the couch and, grabbing a crutch each, made their way up to Jay’s bedroom. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“Oh come on! The opportunity was too perfect. Besides, I knew Kaleb would react the way he did. And you can’t say their faces weren’t worth it,” Jay stated.

“You’re not tired at all, are you?”

“Nope. I do have a sketch idea though,” With that, Jay picked up her sketch book and pencils and went to work.

Half an hour later, she closed it and fell asleep beside Jack.