Part 22

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~It's hard to ever really know who to trust, how to think, what to believe~

JC spent most of the rest of the day in transit. He drove back and forth from his parent's hotel to his house to the hospital to his house and back to the hospital again. This did absolutely nothing to help his exhaustion. As it turned out, it was decided that Lance would not be transferred to a private room until the next day. That meant that he and JC would have to spend another semi-sleepless night alone, but JC was a bit relieved that Lance would still be so closely monitored. He had been worried that it was maybe Lance's celebrity status, rather than his condition that had prompted the early transfer, but now his fears were assuaged.

It was almost 9 o'clock when weary JC finally returned home for the night. Checking his answering machine, he saw that there were about a dozen messages. He decided that he was too tired to deal with them now.

He noticed that the light was on in the kitchen, so he went in. Ford and Stacey were sitting at the table. "Hey," he said, in greeting.

"JC, we need to talk," Stacey said.

JC groaned. Not this again. "What?" he said, shortly.

"We're leaving tomorrow," Stacey said.

"What?" JC was stunned. "Why?"

"You're telling me you're siding with her now? What about Lance?"

"He's my brother and I love him, but I have to talk to my mother."

"You can't talk to her on the phone?" JC said, in disbelief.

"No, what I have to say to her, I have to say in person."

"I can't believe this," JC said, shaking his head. "You're kidding, right?"

"I talked to her today, and she was furious at me, for staying here after what you said to her."

"So what?" JC practically screamed. "Who cares what she thinks?"

Stacey sighed. "Josh, I'm sorry..."

"Sorry? You're sorry? You're leaving without even saying goodbye to you're brother..."

"I'm going to say goodbye to him. Our flight isn't until 2 o'clock."

"Fine, that's fine. You're leaving your sick brother to go back and talk to that woman."

"That woman?" Stacey sounded angry. "My mother, JC."

"Yeah, I know she's your mother. And someday, maybe, she'll be the grandmother of your children. But what if, one day, one of your children realizes that they're gay?"

"JC," Ford said, finally entering the conversation, "that's enough."

"No, it's not. What do you think she's going to do then? Is she going to be a loving grandmother to that child? No. That woman is going to reject them, just like she rejected Lance. Do you really want to put one of your children through that?"

Stacey did not answer him. She stared at him silently for a moment, before standing. "I'm going to bed," she said, walking out.

JC and Ford looked at each other.

"You really should give her the benefit of the doubt, JC," Ford finally said.

"Really?" JC muttered. "Why should I?"

"Because she's a good person. I think you know that." He stood, and followed the path his wife had just taken. "I'll see you in the morning."

Ford and Stacey were gone when JC got up the next morning. When he checked their room he saw that their bags were gone as well. However, sitting on the bed was Stacey's Teddy Ruxpin, with a note pinned to it. Curious, JC unpinned it and read.

Please give this to Lance for me. And tell him that, no matter what he might think now, I love him. I'll be in touch soon.

JC frowned when he finished the note. "What the hell is she doing?"

Lance was curled up on his side when JC entered the ICU. The IV had been removed, JC noticed. Lance's eyes were open and he was staring at nothing.

"Lance?" JC said softly, as he approached the bed.

Lance blinked and looked up at him. "Hey," he murmured.

JC frowned in concern. "Are you ok, Lance?"

"Yeah, I just..." He closed his eyes. "Stacey was here."

"Yeah, I figured," JC said, sitting next to him and taking his hand.

"I know," JC sighed. "She told me last night."

Lance did not speak for several minutes. He opened his eyes, finally. "I can't believe she would do this to me," he said, his voice broken.

"She loves you, Lance."

"If that's true then..."

"No, Lance, it is true. She loves you. She has her reasons."

JC shook his head. "I don't know."

"Mr. Bass?" They both looked up and saw a nurse standing there. "It's time to move to your own room."

Lance smiled a bit. "At least I get some good news today."

While the nurses settled Lance in his new room, JC set up his various get well card around the room, and put his things away.

"Look how popular you are," JC said, when they were alone.

Lance surveyed the room. "I'll read them later," he said, softly.

He looked so sad. JC remembered something and smiled. He picked up the bag and placed it on the bed, next to Lance. "Here's something else for you."

Lance smiled a little. "A present?" he said, hopefully.

"No." Lance opened his mouth to speak again. "Just open it," JC smiled.

Lance reached into the bag, his brow furrowing when his hand touched the plush fur. Pulling it out of the bag, his eyes widened in surprise. "Teddy Ruxpin," he whispered. His eyes filled with tears. "This is Stacey's."

"Yeah," JC agreed. "She told me that it was really special to you."

"It was," Lance said, wiping a tear away. "It, uh, it made me feel better when I was sick." He looked at the bear, then at JC. "She told you to give this to me?"

"Yeah. And she told me to tell you that she loves you. 'No matter what you might think now'."

Lance bit his lip, and tried to stop the flow of tears to from his eyes. "I wish she hadn't left."

"I'm sure she wants to be here, too," JC said, taking Lance into his arms.

"I'm so glad you're here," Lance whispered, against JC's chest.

JC smiled. "I'm not leaving. In fact, I get to stay with you tonight."

Lance pulled away to look at him. "You do?"

"Yeah, I get my own cot and everything," JC said, smiling broadly.

Lance's smile matched his. He pulled JC to him and hugged him. He stiffened as he caught sight of something over JC's shoulder.

JC felt it. "What's wrong?"

Lance shuddered. "Who the hell gave me a card with a clown on it?"


	Inner Reflection \| home back to But Faith Part 22 ~It's hard to ever really know who to trust, how to think, what to believe~ JC spent most of the rest of the day in transit. He drove back and forth from his parent's hotel to his house to the hospital to his house and back to the hospital again. This did absolutely nothing to help his exhaustion. As it turned out, it was decided that Lance would not be transferred to a private room until the next day. That meant that he and JC would have to spend another semi-sleepless night alone, but JC was a bit relieved that Lance would still be so closely monitored. He had been worried that it was maybe Lance's celebrity status, rather than his condition that had prompted the early transfer, but now his fears were assuaged. It was almost 9 o'clock when weary JC finally returned home for the night. Checking his answering machine, he saw that there were about a dozen messages. He decided that he was too tired to deal with them now. He noticed that the light was on in the kitchen, so he went in. Ford and Stacey were sitting at the table. "Hey," he said, in greeting. "JC, we need to talk," Stacey said. JC groaned. Not this again. "What?" he said, shortly. "We're leaving tomorrow," Stacey said. "What?" JC was stunned. "Why?" "My mother...I..." "You're telling me you're siding with her now? What about Lance?" "He's my brother and I love him, but I have to talk to my mother." "You can't talk to her on the phone?" JC said, in disbelief. "No, what I have to say to her, I have to say in person." "I can't believe this," JC said, shaking his head. "You're kidding, right?" "I talked to her today, and she was furious at me, for staying here after what you said to her." "So what?" JC practically screamed. "Who cares what she thinks?" Stacey sighed. "Josh, I'm sorry..." "Sorry? You're sorry? You're leaving without even saying goodbye to you're brother..." "I'm going to say goodbye to him. Our flight isn't until 2 o'clock." "Fine, that's fine. You're leaving your sick brother to go back and talk to that woman." "That woman?" Stacey sounded angry. "My mother, JC." "Yeah, I know she's your mother. And someday, maybe, she'll be the grandmother of your children. But what if, one day, one of your children realizes that they're gay?" "JC," Ford said, finally entering the conversation, "that's enough." "No, it's not. What do you think she's going to do then? Is she going to be a loving grandmother to that child? No. That woman is going to reject them, just like she rejected Lance. Do you really want to put one of your children through that?" Stacey did not answer him. She stared at him silently for a moment, before standing. "I'm going to bed," she said, walking out. JC and Ford looked at each other. "You really should give her the benefit of the doubt, JC," Ford finally said. "Really?" JC muttered. "Why should I?" "Because she's a good person. I think you know that." He stood, and followed the path his wife had just taken. "I'll see you in the morning." * Ford and Stacey were gone when JC got up the next morning. When he checked their room he saw that their bags were gone as well. However, sitting on the bed was Stacey's Teddy Ruxpin, with a note pinned to it. Curious, JC unpinned it and read. 'JC, Please give this to Lance for me. And tell him that, no matter what he might think now, I love him. I'll be in touch soon. Stacey' JC frowned when he finished the note. "What the hell is she doing?" * Lance was curled up on his side when JC entered the ICU. The IV had been removed, JC noticed. Lance's eyes were open and he was staring at nothing. "Lance?" JC said softly, as he approached the bed. Lance blinked and looked up at him. "Hey," he murmured. JC frowned in concern. "Are you ok, Lance?" "Yeah, I just..." He closed his eyes. "Stacey was here." "Yeah, I figured," JC said, sitting next to him and taking his hand. "She left." "I know," JC sighed. "She told me last night." Lance did not speak for several minutes. He opened his eyes, finally. "I can't believe she would do this to me," he said, his voice broken. "She loves you, Lance." "If that's true then..." "No, Lance, it is true. She loves you. She has her reasons." "What are they?" JC shook his head. "I don't know." "Mr. Bass?" They both looked up and saw a nurse standing there. "It's time to move to your own room." Lance smiled a bit. "At least I get some good news today." *** While the nurses settled Lance in his new room, JC set up his various get well card around the room, and put his things away. "Look how popular you are," JC said, when they were alone. Lance surveyed the room. "I'll read them later," he said, softly. He looked so sad. JC remembered something and smiled. He picked up the bag and placed it on the bed, next to Lance. "Here's something else for you." Lance smiled a little. "A present?" he said, hopefully. "Sort of." "From you?" "No." Lance opened his mouth to speak again. "Just open it," JC smiled. Lance reached into the bag, his brow furrowing when his hand touched the plush fur. Pulling it out of the bag, his eyes widened in surprise. "Teddy Ruxpin," he whispered. His eyes filled with tears. "This is Stacey's." "Yeah," JC agreed. "She told me that it was really special to you." "It was," Lance said, wiping a tear away. "It, uh, it made me feel better when I was sick." He looked at the bear, then at JC. "She told you to give this to me?" "Yeah. And she told me to tell you that she loves you. 'No matter what you might think now'." Lance bit his lip, and tried to stop the flow of tears to from his eyes. "I wish she hadn't left." "I'm sure she wants to be here, too," JC said, taking Lance into his arms. "I'm so glad you're here," Lance whispered, against JC's chest. JC smiled. "I'm not leaving. In fact, I get to stay with you tonight." Lance pulled away to look at him. "You do?" "Yeah, I get my own cot and everything," JC said, smiling broadly. Lance's smile matched his. He pulled JC to him and hugged him. He stiffened as he caught sight of something over JC's shoulder. JC felt it. "What's wrong?" Lance shuddered. "Who the hell gave me a card with a clown on it?"