What Could Go Wrong?

by Nicky

Setup: Jack finds an interesting way to fund his trip to Vegas... It turns out to be a little more than he bargained for.

Chapter 1

Giddy with barely contained excitement, Jack practically bowled Jennifer over, nearly spilling her steaming cup of peppermint tea as it bobbled between them in his extreme haste to greet the mailman whom he'd impatiently been waiting on for the last half-hour, letting his oatmeal turn cold and gruelish while he peered anxiously out the frost glazed window every other twenty seconds or so.

Amazed Jennifer watched as Jack, securing the teacup, barreled out the door, minus a coat, and slipped on the icy sidewalk careening smack into the startled mailman, whose booty of letters and flyers went scattering amongst the snowdrifts like so many broken pillow feathers. The poor postal worker didn't have the time to curse much less lift his handy vial of pepper spray he kept tucked inside his pocket (in case of rabid dog or raving lunatic attacks) as he too kissed the concrete.

Placing her hand over her mouth, Jennifer giggled in surprise as the prone postman held up the tiny canister, backing away, trying to ward off Jack who was earnestly trying to recover the fallen mail and explain himself before getting 'peppered'. The silver-tongued fool must have succeeded she realized as the mailman quickly put his weapon away to help with the makeshift game of pick-up, the two parting with a handshake.

And in a flash, Jack was back in the kitchen, shaking off the snow from his pajama bottoms and socks, grinning from ear to ear, and holding a plain manila envelop in his hands eyeing its return label of VanKo the progressive development company as if it held a map to the Holy Grail itself.

He was actually trembling as he tossed her the rest of the mail-bills-and commenced to tear apart the envelope.

"What's that?" She heard herself ask breaking the silent vow she had made the moment she noticed his peculiar behavior over breakfast...she Could and Would ignore him; under no circumstances would she allow herself to be drawn into another one of his crazy schemes. She would be strong. She would be vigilant. She would be of the boring, non-curious variety.

Yeah right, and tomorrow she'd suddenly wake up next to Antonio Banderaz.

"Nothing." He murmured his eyes glued to the forms he'd pulled from the envelope.

"Nothing, my sweet patootie! What are you up to now, Jack?" She seethed, grabbing the papers from his hands and sprinting away as he chased, hating herself for the thrilling rush it gave her as he wound his arms around her waist and caught her fast against his hard body pining her in close.

"Give it back. It was addressed to me…or do I have to remind you that it is a Federal offense to interfere with another person's mail."

Oh damn, why did he have to use that threating, sensual Antonio Banderaz tone?

"I'll take my chances and I'm Not giving it back until I read it." She quipped balling the letter tightly in her fist, glaring defiantly, their breath coming quick and ragged.

He held her tighter, silent, his sight fastened to her lips.

"Fine. I have nothing to hide." He abdicated letting the moment pass, his voice husk, his movements deliberate, graceful as he made his way to the couch and sat down draping his arms across the cushions gazing at her expectantly.

"Fine, let's see what all the commotion is about then, shall we?" Shakily she tried to regain her composure, untense all that he'd frustrated as she uncrumpled the document in her hands, waiting on his nod of ascent to continue.

"We are pleased you have taken the first step in becoming a research study participant." She halted, frowning his way before carrying on, "Your appointment will consist of an explanation of the study as well as lab tests, physical exam, and medical history. This initial screening should take approximately 2-4 hours; in preparation, please adhere to the following instructions…"

Trailing off, she glanced at Jack anxiously, "You're going to be a lab rat?"

This is unbelievable even for him she thought as he grinned and winked.

"A well paid lab rat." Happily he elaborated, whisking the paper away from her and returning to the kitchen in search of a pen.

"But…but…that's crazy."

"Four thousand dollars, Jennifer, four thousand dollars for a ten day study. All I have to do is show up, take their..whatever it is, some kind of cough syrup…get my blood drawn and I'm four thousand richer. They even feed you; can you believe it!"

"No I can't. Aren't you worried about your health?"

"Nope. It's FDA approved, government funded. I'm sure there are regulations to deal with that sort of thing. My friend Mannie did it and he said there was nothing to it."

"Mannie…you mean, crazy Mannie that old guy that eats dog food?"

"Jennifer, I'm shocked at you… spouting such wild rumors, started by bored teenagers no doubt, who have nothing better to do than pick on an old recluse. I've never seen him eat dog food…cat food maybe but not dog food."

"Jack, don't do this, please. Think about Abby." Desperately, she tried to grab the pen away before he could sign the release form, but he simply lifted both form and pen over her head and out of reach.

"Calm yourself Jennifer. Nothing bad is going to happen. It's a government funded study…if you can't trust the government who can you trust?"

"Do the words Tuskegee Experiment or …FireStarter hold any meaning to you?"

"You worry too much. Because of this study, I'll have the money I need to take that trip to Vegas which is going to land me the best job of my life and then I'll be able to provide for you and Abbigal in the style the both of you deserve. And who knows? With the extra hundred bucks I made from selling my plasma, I might even strike it rich while I'm at it. What could possibly go wrong?"

 

Chapter 2

A couple weeks have past
picture a hospital waiting room
------------------------------------------------

Ok, Jack, my boy. You're going to be fine.

You peed into a cup for these people. No sweat, all it took was a sports bottle of water and a few thoughts of the glaciers melting along the choppy Atlantic and it was a done deal.

You passed the physical, not surprising being the epitome of good health and fitness, the Duke of Diet, that you are, the exquisitely chiseled bulk of manliness that soon even Jennifer will no longer be able to resist. Face it, this screening is yours. You own VanKo. You are the King of VanKo.

And most importantly, thanks to Sami Brady, a tad bit of groveling (free babysitting, must remember the free babysitting), you have a squeaky clean medical record, not so much as a cold on a wet drizzly November morn will show up. Yeah that's right Nurse Lady, check your charts all you want, Jack Deveraux is good to go.

---------------------------

"Mr. Deveraux?"

"Yes! Present and accounted for!" Leaping to his feet, Jack nearly collided with the startled nurse as he grappled at the chart in her hands trying to reveal its secrets. "So did I get in? Is it official? Am I a new pioneer in the brave world of medical research?"

"Please, Mr. Deveraux!" Disgruntled, the middle-aged battle-ax pulled the chart away and clasped it to her business white blouse while casting him an indigent glare.

"Oh no, call me Jack by all means-- and I'll call you…Peggy." Tapping the name-tag hanging perilously above the increasingly agitated woman's left breast, he dished out his best smile and broke into spontaneous melody while snapping his fingers, "Peggy Sue, Peggy Sue, don't you know my heart is true. Oh-oh Peggy, my Peggy Sue ue ue, ue, ue, ue ue ue, uuuue".

At her scathing, clearly un-amused silence, his ue-ue's trailed off morphing into a clearing of his throat from which he fell back upon a bright and hopeful smile, "So did I get in?"

"Mister Deveraux." She firmly addressed him making it clear that they were nowhere near a first name basis while leading him into another room, "According to the examination so far, along with your records, it does indeed appear that you will be accepted," but before he could so much as shout for joy she set down the chart and walked over to a table full of gleaming medical gear, motioning for him to recline in the neighboring Red Cross version of a lazy boy while she picked up a rather wicked needle and turning grinned, "although, there is this little matter of a blood test…"

Jack couldn't tear his ever-widening eyes away from the needle as she approached.

It was long. It was sharp. It was frighteningly thick.

"B-blood test?" His voice hit a higher octave than even he thought he was capable of as he scrunched himself back against the chair and Nurse Peggy cackled.

At least, in his terror stricken mind he thought Nurse Peggy had cackled, that is until he noticed Jennifer, all mirth from her black slacks to her lime green V-neck, standing in the doorway he'd been planning to bolt through, grinning happily and waving, a cotton ball band-aided to her left arm.

"Jen? What are you doing here?"

"What can I say Jack? I could use four thousand dollars too. But now? I think I'd do it for free simply to watch this!"

He'd been so distracted by his ex-wife's chipper exuberance that he'd completely forgotten about the needle and Peggy. In fact he hadn't even felt her push back the sleeve of his navy blue sweater.

"Watch what? OW! OWWWWW! OWWWWWWWWW! The pain…h-help…the pain…"

For years later, the unearthly howls would be remembered until the incident itself turned into something of an urban legend…that of… the half-man, half-wild cat of Salem Mercy Medical.

Chapter 3

He was starting to like the silence. Crave this place without expectation or failure till he wore its hush like a cloak and draped it over his self like a gauze. The quiet didn't care if he was witty or awkward, if he said or did the right things; here he was but a speck in the vastness. So what did it really matter if the one he loved with all his best didn't love him back? The heavens would still have her suns, and the suns her dawns upon worlds far and close, like this one world with its sole sun burnishing blaze-gold across the sky to dazzle those insignificant specks who dare look up, breath bated, eyes stinging, in an amazed and humbled silence.

She once loved him.

Perhaps, that should be enough.

***

Jennifer rose to her fifth day of voluntary confinement with a deep sense of urgent dread. She sped through her morning routine of greeting her roommates, brushing her teeth, showering, and dressing with the mechanics of a crazed drone--body on autopilot, mind free to panic.

The whole debacle was not going as predicted.

As far as investigative reporting went, VanKo was clean, a legitimate research facility following all the codes and tenets of the law. The 'volunteers' were free to quit the study at any time for any reason. If testing proved to sicken the participants unduly, the research would immediately terminate. In fact, other than meeting a few interesting characters, like Miriam-- the rotund, flashy, sixty year old, professional guinea pig who made a living out of traveling across country jumping from one study to next-- the whole stay was about as boring and nefarious as waiting in the long line at the Quickie Mart. So much for her high hopes in freelancing.

And Jack…Jack was barely speaking to her.

But what had her acutely worried was that he was hardly speaking at all. Instead of pursuing her with the tenaciousness of a bulldog, as she'd anticipated, he spent the bulk of his time in the 'Quiet Room' where no noise of any kind was allowed.

At first it hadn't bothered her much. She'd see him there with a newspaper or an Agatha Christy novel, watch him occasional creep out to flirt with Miriam and her cohort Alice as they'd walk the short stretch of hall that pieced the ward. He'd even come to the 'Fish-Bowl' every now and then to gaze out the windows or play a quick game of pool. But two days ago that stopped. And she only saw him at treatment, at meals, or confined to the Quiet Room, now pretending to read.

It was so unlike him; it scared her.

When she chanced to meet his gaze the other morning across the breakfast tables the distance she witnessed sent a chill through her, which clung the entire day and night, and still had yet to depart as she raced down the hall determined to put an end to his theatrics.

If he was toying with her again…God help him… but what if…what if he wasn't?

She made an abrupt halt in front of the Quiet Room sure he'd be inside, flinging the door wide to find it empty.

Where could he be?

She checked his room next wondering if he was still asleep-no he wasn't there. She checked the hallways, checked the mess, knocked on the men's bathrooms-again, he was nowhere to be found.

Could he have gone home? Without telling her?

Just before she was about to give up and seek the nurse on duty, her aimless feet fleeted past the Fish Bowl and she saw him where she least believed he'd be.

The normally crowed, bustling room was hauntingly vacant in the dim morning light and even so, Jack stood off in the corner staring at the skyline creating his own solitude as if the cozy furniture, home-like touches of paintings and flowers and TVs and computers and games, somehow pained him.

He didn't even notice her approach.

Wincing, she tapped him lightly on the shoulder and whispered.

"I miss Abby", following his gaze as he watched the sun struggle to spread its light through muted the drizzle of slate blue rain.

In the hush, in the pause, he turned to look at her, straight on, the distance shockingly gone.

"I miss you." He answered.

Then took her stunned silence into his own, and left.