modernmanpain | [open]

Who: Jaime and Ashara, open to anyone who would want to visit him
Where: a hospital
When: ...the equivalent of mid-ASOS?
What: Jaime wakes from an attack.
Warnings: possibly violence trigger? Probably to be avoided if you have eye/medical squick.

It took Jaime a moment to realize he was awake, because he couldn't see anything. What tipped him off was smell: it smelled like a hospital, and his bedroom did not usually smell like a hospital. "Ashara?"

His voice was rougher than he expected and he lifted his head, trying again to open his eyes. They didn't open. He remembered all at once that he'd been with Cersei. He'd looked up just in time for something to fall of a shelf and splash into his face. A cold knot tied itself in his chest. He could remember screaming in pain, then nothing. Presumably he'd passed out. He lifted his hand, feeling the pull and tug of tape and a needle at his elbow -- definitely a hospital then -- and felt at his eyes. There was a bandage over them.

"Cersei? Is anyone there? What's happening?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I'm here." The words were soft, and Ashara stood, leaning over him as she held a cup to his lips, the straw sliding past when he spoke again. She tensed slightly at the mention of Cersei, although all she said was, "Drink, Jaime. We'll talk afterwards."

She'd come as soon as she'd heard, and dealt with all the doctors while Jaime was tended to before settling in a chair in his room to wait until he woke up.

"...I.." She wanted to tell him that Cersei hadn't even come and seen him but she bit her tongue and let the words lie unspoken. "I'll get a refill if you want one."

Jaime didn't like this. "Where am I?" he asked, but he managed to drink. He didn't fee dehydrated, thanks to the IV, but his mouth and throat were dry and the water felt nice for that. He drank, downing a good half the cup before he let go, sighing.

"I'm okay," he said, laying his head back down. "What's happening? How long have I been here?" He tested his arms and legs, moving them a little. He'd been here awhile, but he wasn't stiff, so it wasn't more than a couple of days.

"The hospital, Jaime, you had some ...damage to your eyes. The doctors did their best but you were alone for a few hours before Cersei even found you and called 911." Ashara relayed the information quietly, one hand curling around his before she spoke again.

"...The damage..it's permanent, and you've been here two days. Yesterday, they did surgery but decided it was best to keep to you sedated and see if there was any change."

"A few hours? That can't be, I..." Jaime stopped himself. He wasn't going to say anything that might make his sister look bad. "I can't...remember a lot." Permanent damage. He was trying very hard not to hear that, but it rang in his ears like a bell. Permanent damage. He was glad to have a bandage over his eyes, hopefully obscuring his expression. He had no idea what was happening in his head or what he might look like right now. Stunned, maybe. In the pre-stages of a freakout.

"I'm just telling you what the doctors said." Ashara kept her voice quiet, not letting any of her anger at Cersei bleed through. She did however reach over, gently brushing his hair off his forehead before she sighed quietly.

"I came as soon as they called me, Jaime. I... they did everything they could to save your sight."

Save your sight. "Can we not use words like that right now?" he said, slightly frantically. He shook his head a little. He knew he was snapping and his wife didn't deserve it.

"Sorry. I'm just...where are the kids?" The kids. That was a safe thing to think about.

"The kids are at home, they're fine." Ashara gave him the out for the moment before she settled back in her seat. "I'm staying here until they release you. They've basically given you a room to yourself and you won't be alone."

There was a moment of silence. "...They did send you presents. Mya sent her favorite stuffed lion. You know, the one she refuses to sleep without? She thought you might need him to help you sleep."

That made Jaime smile, tilting his chin down a little. "I hope she still slept without him." His smile faded a little when his next thought occurred to him. "Do they know what happened?" Jaime was still wrapping his head around the idea that he was actually blind. That that might be forever. "Does Tyrion know?" His little brother's presence would be beyond good right now.

"I told them your eyes were hurt but not the extent of the injuries. I'm saving that for when I can sit down and explain it to them in detail." Ashara relaxed a little at the smile.

"I did contact Tyrion. He's going to be here when he can make it back but the flights from overseas are a bit sketchy right now. He's trying, though."

Jaime considered that for a few moments. "Should we tell them together? Or do you think it's better they know before they see it?"

He took a breath and nodded a little. "Okay. Tell him not to rush or anything, I'm sure the African kids or whatever need him more than I do." Actually he was not sure of that, and while he did sometimes show some selflessness where Tyrion was concerned, this was an uncharacteristic amount. Jaime didn't want sympathy. He pretty much just didn't want this to be happening.

By the time Tyrion made it back to the states, Jaime's bandages had been removed. They'd done what surgery they could, and while he had the slightest bit of light perception now, that was as good as it got. His eyes were still obviously damaged, what had once been sharp green now milky and mottled. He couldn't really feel when they were open or closed, either -- as a result they tended to sit at half-mast.

Ashara had gone to do something, so Jaime was sitting up in bed with a board in his lap, trying to learn Braille. It had the usual outline of the letter just above the dot code for it, and they were large and in order so he could still figure out what was what. He was trying not to think about it, mindlessly moving his fingers over the reader, which wasn't all that conducive to learning.

Tyrion entered the room quietly, stopping when he got a good look at his older brother. He had known things wouldn't be pretty -- and he was used to that sort of thing, with his work. He just wasn't used to seeing it here.

So he cleared his throat a tad awkwardly and made his way over to the bed, settling down in the chair next to it. "Hi, Jaime."

Jaime heard something and stopped the movement of his fingers, turning his head a little. It made him nervous until someone cleared their throat. Someone who wanted to sneak up on him wouldn't clear their throat, although he didn't recognize a voice until Tyrion spoke.

"Hey," he said, smiling a little. "How was...what, Botswana? Laos? Wherever it is that you were." As he spoke, he groped at the bed next to him. His fingers touched hard plastic and he picked up a pair of sunglasses, pushing them on to hide his eyes. He was sure they looked pretty ridiculous, but it was probably better than the alternative.

He'd seen worse, but the gesture was appreciated anyway. "It was -- more of the usual. But we're making some progress, at least. And it was Botswana, this time."

Tyrion fell silent again for a moment or two, glancing around the room, then turned his attention back to Jaime. "How are you feeling?"

Jaime nodded and touched the board again, for lack of anything else to do. He shrugged at the question. "It's not fun being stuck here. But at least I'm doped up." He smirked a little. He was on a pretty low dose, which left him a little discomfort -- he'd suffered chemical burns and surgery -- but he'd rather take that than be completely loopy.

"Technically I'm not on bedrest or anything," he clarified. "But they don't want me trying to walk around too much until they can teach me to use a cane. I'm still at the point of counting steps and feeling along walls."

Jaime didn't really want to think about it. Thinking about it forced him to examine it, to deal with it, and he was pretty okay with just pretending he was going to wake up and see again any day now. He shook his head a little, fingering N absently. "The kids'll be happy to see you."

[open]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject