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Estella knows something is up with Jasper when he starts to ramble a little too much one day.
Don't get her wrong, he's adorable when he does so. But this isn't like him, his words are typically calculated, even just a little. This Jasper is loose-lipped and is talking with anyone he can.
She watches as he and Horace have an adamant discussion about American football and how the name is stupid because "they don't even use their feet that much." Estella doesn't care much about sports so she's content to sketch out new disguises as the boys talk sports. At least, she was content to ignore them until she realized that Jasper seemed to have many opinions about the sport that he usually wouldn't share.
Her worries are confirmed the next day when he sleeps in past noon. He's shivering in his sleep and is pale, paler than she's ever seen him.
"Are you feeling alright?" She finally asks when he stumbles out of bed and pours himself a large cup of coffee.
"Huh? Yeah. Yeah. 'M fine, no worries, Stella."
She raises a brow, if his words were supposed to be convincing, they weren't and she tells him just that.
He gives her a confused look. "Just feeling a little under the weather."
"Are you sure--"
"I'm fine!" He snaps. He stands up, spilling a little coffee on the floor as he does so.
"I hope you plan to clean that up!" She yells back.
His only reply is making a rude gesture in her direction.
"Who pissed in his coffee?" Horace grumbles, she sighs and sits down at the table, shrugging.
Later that day, Horace is walking the dogs and Estella decides to try to make amends with Jasper.
"Jasper?" She calls, hearing him moving around. "Jas?"
"Go 'way." He grumbles. Deciding to ignore him, she pushes the curtain out of the way and crosses her arms. She knows she looks like her mother when she does this, but in this moment she can't find it in her to care.
"What's wrong?" She demands. He picks at his skin, looking downright miserable.
"I'm fine."
"You are not fine." She rolls her eyes. "I want to help."
"You can't help." He shivers slightly, wrapping his arms around himself. "This is my fault."
She's confused, what's his fault? His bad attitude? The way he looks ill? Feeling his forehead, she frowns and pulls her hand away as another shudder wracks his lanky frame.
"You have a fever." She pushes him to sit on his bed.
He chuckles, "Course, knew this would be a shitty ride."
That was a weird way to phrase that. It's just a cold, maybe the flu if he was unlucky...
... Or it was something else.
"Is this from the dope?"
He nods, barely. "Yeah. Had to quit, funds are tight."
Ah, that made more sense. This wasn't an ordinary sickness, it was self-inflicted, in a way.
Estella hadn't had personal experience with any form of withdrawal but she knew a lot of people and saw a lot of things. She had seen people go through it and immediately turn back, she's seen people quit cold turkey and never think about it again.
She gets a wet washrag and dips it into water, holding it to his forehead. He closes his eyes, falling asleep.
Estella leaves him be. Sleep will ultimately be the best thing for him. She explains what's going on to Horace.
Jasper sleeps most of the next day away. He wakes up a once and eats a little bit of soup Estella gives him but ultimately falls asleep again soon after.
"Do you want to sit on the roof awhile?" She asks him when he's more awake. He's currently curled up in a thick blanket, still shivering despite his temperature.
"Too cold." His teeth chatter.
"Alright. Do you want something to drink? Tea?"
He doesn't give a reply but she takes it as a yes anyways.
When she gives him the cup, he breathes in the steam, flashing her a smile that's all Jasper with no sickness.
"Thank you." He mumbles, eyes closed.
"Of course, darling."
The pet name comes out instinctively and she immediately blushes, but if Jasper heard her he doesn't react.
---
She is woken up at nearly 2 in the morning by him gagging and heaving into the toilet.
She tries to offer him a mug of water, he stares at it for a long moment, eyes glassy. "You'll get dehydrated if you don't drink." She explains, practically pressing it into his hands, he takes it. In the short length it takes him to get the mug from her hand to his mouth, he spills half the cup on the floor, on his shirt, and the toilet
The few short sips he takes are almost immediately puked back up. She ends up spending most of her night sitting on the bathroom floor gently stroking Jasper's hair as he gags and dry heaves.
At some point, he buries his face in his hands and begins picking at his skin. Estella placing her hands over his.
"Stop." She murmurs. "Don't scratch yourself."
He stares at her, eyelids slowly shutting from exhaustion.
"Let's get you to bed." She suggests, she isn't surprised when he doesn't reply,
She knows he wont be able to get into his hammock so she settles him down in her head.
Buddy rests his head on Jasper's side. Jasper puts his hand on the dog's head. She buses herself by getting a wet rag to place on his forehead in an attempt to get the fever down. When he begins to dry heave again, she hands him a bucket so he doesn't puke all over her bed.
"Stella?" He croaks, after a few minutes of silence. She looks up from where she's sketching out a new gown, a ballgown with enough sparkle to drown a man.
"Hmm?" She answers, glancing up for a moment. The bucket is empty, thanks to him already throwing up everything.
"'M sorry." He sniffles. She sets down her sketchbook and takes his hand to squeeze it.
"Don't apologize. You're doing what you need to do, I'm proud of you."
Estella isn't stupid, she knows that Jasper never intended to become reliant on the heroin. He was introduced to it years ago and never stopped. She knows he's never liked that he became reliant on it.
She also knows they aren't short on funds right now.
Some hours later, just before the sun is peeking over the horizon Jasper stirs in his sleep.
"Mama?" He mumbles, Estella bites her lip and takes his hand. She knows he has nightmares about his mother, she doesn't know what haplened but she's aware that it was enough to cause him to cry in his sleep sometimes.
"No, Jas. It's me, Estella." She corrects. He seems to be asleep still because his expression doesn't change.
Watching him struggle though this feels like something too intimate to watch or listen in on, or maybe it's just that Estella is mildly uncomfortable by Jasper being so unlike himself.
But she stays.
She stays by his side because she loves him and knows that he's going to get through this if she supports him. He would do it for her and it's only fair that she stays.
Estella becomes worried over the next few days as Jasper doesn't seem to be getting better. His body can't seem decide if it wants to digest food or not. Horace tries to help by getting medicine but nothing seems to be working.
By the sixth day, they can't ignore the obvious symptoms of starvation and dehydration.
"He needs a hospital." She says, hushed. Horace pulls a face but nods.
"I think you're right. I'll get the van."
Estella grabs a folder in the chest under Jasper's hammock. They've only needed it once, when Horace broke his arm a few years ago.
It's full of various legal documents, forged birth certificates, IDs, medical papers. Anything else that would be needed.
There's also a wad of cash reserved solely for emergencies and this seems like a pretty major emergency.
The receptionist only lets one of them back and since Estella has been the one caring for Jasper the most, Horace allows her to go back with them.
The nurses are nice enough, Estella begins explains the issue and they shush her.
"Don't tell us, honey." One tells her. "They might want to arrest him for using drugs when he recovers. Tell the doctor that he had the flu and never recovered."
Estella wants to cry, from both frustration and exhaustion. Instead, she nods and holds her head up.
"Thank you."
"Of course. I hope your husband gets well soon." The older nurse pats her hand.
"He's not-"
But the nurse is already gone.
The IV they put in his arm helps, soon the color is back in his cheeks and Estella feels herself begin to relax.
He wakes up, the next afternoon, thoroughly disoriented. The doctor takes his vitals and explains that Jasper became dangerously dehydrated. Of course, Estella already knew this but hearing it all over makes her realize how deadly the situation could have been.
"You scared us for a while." Estella whispers. Jasper grasps her hand.
"I'm here."
"I know. But Jasper, we can't lose you."
For the first time, tears begin to well in her eyes. She scrubs at them to no avail.
"I don't think I'd be able to handle losing you too."
Jasper frowns and pats the bed beside him. She crawls beside him, tucking her head on his shoulder.
"You'd be able to. You and Horace still would have had each other. But it doesn't matter because I'm here, Stella."
She sniffles. "I know you are. Never scare us like that again."
"I'll try not to."