Chapter Text
Jack didn’t know what had woken him, whether it had been the front door slamming or the last dregs of a dream he couldn’t remember that left him drenched in sweat and twitching. The room was still dark thanks to the black out curtains, but a slight sliver of light made it through where Michael hadn’t quite closed them all the way.
Jack groaned as he tried to bury his head under the pillows. He was trying very hard to ignore the damp sheet clinging to his skin, just on the wrong side of gross and uncomfortable. The room was quiet and he suffered silently, laying in the cold sheets, cursing out the world, and Robby, but mostly the tight tension still running through his limbs.
It was supposed to be a good two days off, nothing to do and nothing to worry about. Robby was supposed to have a shorter shift and get home earlier so they could just rest and chill out, maybe read some new medical journals and cook some good food.
Jack felt the muscles in his leg contract slightly and gripped the sheets tighter, scrunching his face up under the pillow and resigning himself to not being able to go back to sleep. He reached out a hand blindly fumbling around trying to find his phone before he flashed himself with the white screen.
7:30
Jack sighed, he put his phone back on the nightstand and shoved his head back under the pillow. He had been lying in bed longer than he thought. Robby had left some time ago and he'd been wallowing. In all honesty he was surprised he had stayed in bed this long. Usually after a bad night he was up and moving, making breakfast or out on a walk, anything to get his blood pumping and his mind quiet again.
He blinked slowly under the pillow, feeling his chest move the sheets gently as he breathed in and out, his body felt so heavy. He was exhausted but his mind just wasn’t letting him go back to sleep.
Behind him, Jack heard the bedroom door creak open and the light clicking of nails pierced the quiet. A whispered huff of effort and then a weight settling behind him had Jack bracing for what he knew was coming. He still flinched when a cold wet nose nudged and wiggled its way under the pillow where he still had his head buried. The wet huffs of warm air had him groaning and pushing gently at the weight that settled next to him on the bed.
“Zoe.” Jack grunted as the wet nose snuffed its way closer to his ear and he felt the larger body wiggle its way along the line of his back. The only warning Jack got was a small boof before Zoe jerked her head and sent the pillow flying off the bed and towards the curtains. He watched as it was launched off the bed before sadly slumping against the wall and slipping between the two curtains.
For the second time that morning, Jack found himself blinded, this time by the full concentrated power of the sun being beamed directly onto his exposed face.
Jack twisted slightly in bed, glaring into the brown eyes staring happily at him getting a full face of stinky hot dog breath. He could hear her tail gently dragging across the sheets as she realized he was awake. He could feel a muscle in his jaw twitch and he resisted the urge to try and see if suffocation would be a good way to continue his morning. He knew he wasn’t going to get any more sleep any time soon. So did Zoe.
Sometimes he really hated having a service dog who knew how to bully him into doing things. God forbid he stay in his sweat soaked sheets and wallow in the muscle pain and the headache he could feel building behind his eyes.
Another gentle boof had Jack sighing before he grunted and flipped onto his back. Zoe scrambled next to him, hopping off the bed and he heard her claws clicking as she went to the dresser and pulled on the ropes attached to the drawers.
Sitting up wasn’t hard but his body felt like shit. He felt like shit. God why couldn’t he just sleep in on his day off. Zoe’s nose nudged his hand and Jack looked over to see her hold a pair of his socks in her mouth. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, throwing off the sheets and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He reached out and took the socks from Zoe before she could drop them on the floor next to his foot.
He could feel his leg muscles shaking, straining against the abuse of one too many shifts with his leg on just a little bit too long. He had twisted wrong the other night during a patient hand off and almost collapsed the whole prosthetic. That alone was a whole other problem because that meant the adjustments he had gotten weren’t holding and he’d have to go back to get his leg looked at to figure out why it was giving out.
Just another thing to add to the list.
He ran a hand through his curls feeling how gross his hair felt after sweating so much. He could feel that half of them were dead and flat and knew they must be absolutely plastered to his head. A gentle weight settled on Jack's lap and he absently reached out to scratch along Zoe's ears.
He felt her breath ghost along the skin of his shin before she nosed at him, huffing when he didn’t move. He looked down at her and he could practically feel the judgment in her brown eyes.
“Alright, alright I’ll get up. You’re so bossy and you don’t even talk. Crutch”
Jack grumbled beneath his breath before he called out and gestured towards the crutches he kept in the corner of the room. Zoe trotted over and pulled at the ties on the handle of the crutch and quickly brought it over.
“Good girl.” Jack patted Zoe once before shuffling his way to the bathroom. He could see where Michael had left out his toothpaste again and the splash of water against the counter. It was a comfort intertwined with an annoyance as Jack shuffled his way to the toilet.
One would think Michael would learn to clean up after himself but before his first cup of coffee he’s like a zombie going around in a dead shuffle running into things and hoping he grabs the right toothbrush. Zoe walked into the bathroom, another pair of socks held in her mouth, this time they were a light grey.
“Thank you Zoe but I don’t need them yet. Shower first, then clothes and leg.”
Zoe tilted her head and wagged her tail happily before dropping her cargo and wandering back into the bedroom. Jack could just see her plopping down on her bed in the corner of the room huffing out a deep breath before closing her eyes. Jack shook his head and let out a small chuckle watching her ears twitch and move as she listened to the world.
Jack rubbed a hand over his face and concentrated on getting his shower going. When he and Michael had first moved in together, Michael surprised him with a renovated bathroom. Fully accessible with a sit down soaker tub and a shower with a built in chair and grab bars. Both were their own kind of heaven after a long day on shift or even just a bad leg day.
Not to mention fun for everyone all around if you’re prone to slipping and have something to grab onto if you get too into the moment. Really get the adrenaline pumping.
Jack let the water heat up before hopping in and taking a quick 10 min shower. He scrubbed off the sweat that was still stuck to his skin and grumbled as the last bits of his shampoo puttered sadly into his hands.
Another thing for the list.
The bathroom hadn’t even had time to fog up before Jack was carefully maneuvering out and efficiently drying himself off. The air was warm and he was glad to feel that his muscles had relaxed a bit while he was under the heat. Taking care to brush his teeth and scrub his hair dry Jack shuffled his way back into the bedroom to find the rest of his clothes for the day.
He pulled out a shirt he was sure was Michael’s and a pair of his softer shorts to wear before settling on the edge of the bed and pulling everything on. He could see Zoe watching him from her bed and a bit of air whooshed out of his nose as he saw her eyes lock onto the two pairs of socks he had sitting next to him.
Zoe was funny like that. She was well trained and knew her commands and retrieved the things he needed but man did she love her sock bundles. Never mattered what or where she somehow always ended up bringing him a pair of socks. On one memorable occasion she had even brought Michael a pair of socks definitely weren’t his or Jack’s and he still has no idea where she got them.
Reaching out, Jack grabbed his leg sock and liner and slid everything on quickly, hearing the compression of air and tugging lightly to make sure the suction was correct. Feeling the light pull Jack grunted before standing and walking out of the bedroom to hopefully get a cup of coffee and some food. Zoe’s nails clicked gently behind him, her collar jingling as they made their way to the kitchen.
Now usually when Jack was up and making food it was closer to left overs or meal prep if either of them had remembered. Opening the fridge he sighed at the bare looking shelves and pulled out some containers from the take out he and Michael had ordered yesterday.
Groceries, another thing on the list.
Jack set the container in the microwave and closed his eyes in thanks when he spotted the half full coffee pot on the counter. He really would have to do something nice for Michael when he got home. Maybe a massage or a new book or something more spicy.
Jack grimaced to himself feeling all the weight of the world on him as he realized that once again the kid's vocabulary has wormed its way into his daily life. He would never live it down. Then again maybe it would make them feel more comfortable around him.
Jack sipped absently at his coffee, thoughts about med students and residents floating through his head like a particularly dazed toddler. Jack knew a few familiar faces would be on in the following days. Shen to fill in the gap of his days off, Mohan learning more on nights, King should be on day as well as McKay and a few others. Santos should be running around trying to bully her way into procedures and Whitaker shouldn’t be too far behind.
Whitaker, the med student, now resident who Michael couldn’t seem to get out of his head. Now don’t get him wrong, Jack never minded a bit of looking, he felt secure in his and Michael’s relationship but that little mouse of a kid has seemingly wormed his way past every defense he and Michael had put up.
Jack sighed and took another sip of his coffee, watching Zoe tear into one of her toys in the living room. The microwave beeped softly in the background as Jack got his food and sat down, letting the steam heat his face for a moment before taking a bite.
It was quiet in the house with only the sounds of Zoe massacring her squeaky toy and Jack scraping some rice and chicken along the side edge of the take out container. He hoped after he finished his food he could take some sleep meds and pass back out. Or maybe he should try and stay awake so he could actually get some stuff done tomorrow.
Mentally going over his to-do list, Jack lets his gaze wander around the room. At this point his list was so long he knew he was forgetting stuff even as he listed it.
Wash the sheets on the bed. Set up an appointment to get his leg adjusted and figure out why the joint is weak. Get the groceries. Remember to get shampoo. Find something nice for Michael. Take Zoe on a walk. Make sure Michael doesn’t forget his lunch.
Fuck.
God damn everything.
There, sitting innocently tucked into the corner of the kitchen counter sat Michael’s lunch. The one he actually put effort into because he was trying to eat better so he could stop losing weight. The reason they had no more god damn food in the fridge.
Jack really felt like slamming his head against the door frame. Instead he roughly scrubbed at his face, feeling the scratch of the stubble along his chin.
One day. That's all he wanted. One day where he didn’t have to go in on his day off.
The amount of times he’s had to drop off shit Michael forgot when he was supposed to be sleeping or had time off is astronomical. At this point he might as well just make doubles of all the important shit so Michael can just keep one copy at work.
A gentle nudge against his leg had Jack looking down and breathing in deeply as Zoe rested her head on his thigh.
“I’m good, Zoe. I’m fine. Just tired and was so ready to go back to sleep but guess what, we get to go visit our favorite dumbass in your not so favorite place in the world.”
Jack reached out and gently felt along the bones on Zoe’s head, letting her smooth fur sooth his annoyance.
Really he wasn’t even that annoyed but with how the day had started who knows how he’s going to handle going into work. He could even say that the bubbling feeling in his chest was closer to fond exasperation. Jack sighed and felt Zoe tense against his leg as the muscle in his thigh twitched.
He really hoped today would be good.
Jack slapped his hands gently against his thighs and stood, throwing away his take out and heading towards the door. His wallet and keys were already in the drawer nearby. All he needed was to get Zoe strapped up and they could easily get in and out before the morning traffic really hit the roads.
Stepping into the kitchen Jack searched the cupboards for a travel mug and dumped the last bit of coffee into it before snatching Michael’s lunch off the counter and heading for the entry way.
Zoe was already by the door, her garishly bright vest secure in her mouth and dropped at his feet when he kneeled to grab it. It had been a gag gift that Dana had gotten for her that Jack will never admit to liking but made it easy to spot when it was inevitably thrown somewhere around the house that wasn’t by the front door.
Slipping the harness over her head and buckling it down, Jack quickly slid into his own shoes and grabbed his jacket off the front hook. Mentally he went through the list. Key, wallet, phone, check. Slightly wobbly leg, check. Zoe focused and ready to go, check. Michael’s lunch, check.
“Alright, let’s get going, girl.” Jack grabbed the end of Zoe’s leash and opened the door, locking it securely behind him and headed for the truck. In his head he was planning exactly what he was gonna say. Maybe bully Michael a little bit for forgetting and then maybe take Zoe on a longer walk.
A yawn escaped as Jack and Zoe walked down the path to the truck loading up and heading out. Jack grumbled all the way. He hoped Michael was prepared because he was grumpy and tired and in desperate need of R&R.