Work Text:
Stay
There were times when Jason wondered how the hell they got to where they were, when he wondered how cruel the world could be despite having seen some of the worst, yet here he was sitting in the suffocating silence of the hospital room with his eyes fixed firmly on Mandy who looked smaller than he had ever seen her as she laid asleep in the hospital bed with a mild concussion, covered in bruises with deep red burn marks that were covered by stark white bandages around her wrists from where the rope had dug in to her delicate porcelain skin as she fought to get out of the tight binds whilst stuck in the confined trunk of a car in a confused state due to the hard hit she had received with the tire iron as had been shown in the security camera footage from outside the bar after she had put up one hell of a fight. The only saving grace was that according to the medical staff there were signs of her being sexually assaulted but that didn’t mean much considering there are many facets to sexual assault and while she may not have been raped there were still others ways she could have been assaulted although Jason did not want to think about that yet.
Jason had not been privy to many of the details given that he had received the call from the hospital upon Mandy’s arrival rather than him and his team having been the one to rescue her from her captor but what he had learned was that it was not a terrorist that had caught her but rather a local man who had abducted her from outside one of the rougher bars on the other side of town after she had spent the night drinking alone although he was yet to know her motive behind drinking alone in a bad part of town. The only reason Mandy has been found was because of a random roadside stop by a local sheriff due to the out of town plates that were affixed to the vehicle, and Mandy had come around enough to signal that she was in the trunk having kicked her bound feet and thumped her bound hands against the hard metal.
Jason swiped his hand over his face allowing his fingers to catch on his stubble as he lent forward as the last of the day’s fading sunlight streamed through the half closed blinds providing a soft golden glow to the bland white room and to Mandy’s wan skin. Jason wished that Mandy would wake for longer for more than a few minutes like she had been doing since he had arrived which had been almost fourteen hours beforehand but then again he knew how bad concussions were, even mild ones, and that sleeping was good for healing.
Jason shifted in the hard uncomfortable plastic chair for what felt like the thousandth time as he let his hand drop away from his face and reached out to clasp Mandy’s hand in his own once more instinctually letting his thumb glide delicately over the back of her hand feeling the scraps on her knuckles from where she had fought off her abductor. He hadn’t known that he was her emergency contact until he had received the call, had not ever thought about who would have been hers, but then again he knew very little about her family with the exception of her mother which he had only learned after Alana had died when they sat in his car and talked. However knowing he was the one that she trusted enough to be her emergency contact made him grateful although he wished to never get a blindsiding call like he had again as the last thing he wanted to see was Mandy hurt and in a hospital bed with nothing more than a flimsy gown on after such an ordeal but there was also no where he would rather be because she needed him just like she had been there for him during the many times he had needed her.
Mandy's eyelids fluttered open and a soft smile rose to her lips as she felt Jason's rough calloused hand holding her own with his thumb performing rhythmic soothing movements as she looked over at him. It wasn’t often that Jason was so stuck in his head that he was unaware of what was going on around him. Before Mandy could move or begin to speak, her concussion made itself known once more and her smile faltered as her head throbbed and bought back the memory of what had happened or rather several short memories. "Jason." Mandy's voice was barely above a whisper but the tremble in her voice was clearly heard as Jason's eyes snapped to hers.
Jason smiled softly and his relief was palpable as he looked into Mandy's eyes seeing that they were clearly focused despite being clouded with pain, and hearing her speak was even better. "Hi Mandy." Jason kept his voice soft not wanting to make her headache worse as he reached his free hand out and grabbed the plastic cup of water then bought it closer until she drew the straw in with her tongue and greedily drank the water as she felt parched until she finished and he returned it to the table.
Mandy blinked heavily a couple of times as she willed herself not to cry but her own body was betraying her as she drew in a sharp breath to no avail. She was not a stranger to fear but she did not expect to be attacked on home soil and that was what had her rattled because even with the concussion she could recall what had quickly become the fight for her own life. "How long have I been here?" She wanted to know that much for the moment although she knew she would have to ask more questions as things were hazy in regards to how long she had spent in the trunk of the man's car although she did recall it being opened and the young police officer talking to her softly as he helped her out of the trunk then wrapped a blanket around her and sat down next to her on the curb until the ambulance arrived and the paramedics took care of her.
Jason stood up and sat down on the edge of the bed without letting go of her hand and with her other hand he reached up and placed it on her cheek lightly before he swept his thumb gracefully over her bruised cheekbone making sure that he did not apply any pressure. He hesitated but he knew he had to tell her. "The police found you just before 0430 this morning, I got here at 0610. It’s now 2045." He explained giving her a clear timeline as he knew Mandy liked to deal with facts and figures as it was engrained in her as an analyst as he watched her draw in another sharp breath before her bottom lip began trembling. "You are okay Mandy, you are okay." He murmured quietly hating how shaken she was, and that he had not been there to protect her as she leaned absentmindedly into his touch and allowed her eyelids to flutter closed once more for a few moments. “I’m here, you are safe.” He could see the comfort that she was taking in his words so if it helped then he would tell her again and again if that is what she needed.
Mandy opened her eyes and looked into Jason’s eyes, using the softness and care that she could see in his eyes as her grounding. There was no pity in Jason’s eyes or blame and that soothed something inside of Mandy, something that even she could not name or recognise. “Thank you.” Her voice was barely above a whisper but he heard her and although he had no idea what she was thanking him for, he wasn’t about to move away.
Jason watched as Mandy’s eyelids fluttered closed and he felt her go lax beneath his hands as she relaxed into him as her body pitched forward with her head coming to rest in his shoulder with her face pressed into his neck and her hand clutching the fabric at the front of his shirt. He slid his hand down from her cheek to the middle of her back with his hand slowly and repetitively rubbing small circles instinctively as he could feel her breath hitch repeatedly. “It’s okay, you’re okay.” He reassured her softly feeling as she went completely lax against him, melting into his as if she was suddenly boneless although her grip on his shirt remained strong.
Jason was unaware of how much time had actually passed but the ward that she had been admitted to had become quiet so it had to be late in the night. He figured given the way that Mandy had gone lax and was silent that she had fallen asleep. There was a pang of regret that he had to move her so that she was lying back down but the last thing he wanted was for her to be in more pain from having been sat upright cradled in his arms and against his chest all night; he just hoped he could do it without jostling her too much and waking her up. He slowly adjusted his hold and went to lay her back down gently but before he could her hand tightened and twisted in his shirt and he could feel the way she had tensed. “Don’t leave.” Her voice was barely above a whisper but he heard the desperation and the fear even as he felt her lips move against his skin.
There was something that Jason could not pinpoint in the way Mandy had spoken that made him want to keep hold of her. “I’m not going anywhere, just going to lay you down so you don’t get all stiff from being sat upright.” He kept his voice soft. “I will lay with you if you want me too.” He added on feeding his own need to keep hold of her and Mandy’s need to feel safe but it was completely her choice although he had no idea where the offer had come from except he did know he meant it because if it was what Mandy needed then he would do it happily.
Mandy’s breath hitched as she nodded and swallowed thickly. “Please… stay.” Her voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper, and she was unable to hide the involuntary tremble that could be heard in it.
Jason did not say anything more as she clenched her hand closed tighter around his shirt instead he kept hold of her as he kicked his shoes off letting them drop down onto the ground with a soft thud before he twisted around then as gently as he could managed to lay Mandy down as she was still attached to his shirt while lying down next to her, silently grateful that the hospital was extra wide. He laid on his side as Mandy rolled onto her side as her back ached and so that she was facing him. She blinked up at him and he could see how glassy her eyes were, and he could see how pale and shaken she was. All it took was a gentle push on her back for her to curl into him, to cuddle into his broad chest with her face pressed into the crook of his neck and her hand clutched tightly full of the fabric of his shirt still as he held her tightly against his own body.
Jason could feel that Mandy was relaxed against him but not enough to allow herself to fall sleep, and that was what she needed even if she did not agree with it. “Go to sleep Mandy. I will be right here when you wake up.”
Mandy inhaled then exhaled softly ignoring the aching of her body as she did her best to relax although she had to admit that being curled up with Jason holding her and listening to his soft yet gravelly voice reassure her that it was okay to sleep had an near immediate effect on her as she felt her own eyelids begin to flutter as his fingers danced gracefully over her spine without stopping.
Jason rested his head down on the top of Mandy’s head feeling as the last snap of tension left her body and she finally let herself go to sleep encased tightly in his arms. As he laid there his thoughts shifted to all the things he should have done since he had gotten the call that she was hurt but he quickly came to the conclusion that all that mattered was Mandy and what she needed instead of everything else that he had thought of. He kept moving his fingers over her nimble spine as he let himself drift into a light sleep.