his head pulses from the pain as the light assault his eyes, and for a moment, he believes he still must be out of it. a second ago he was on the ice, mid-check, matheson's knee coming dangerously close to his face in slow motion, and now he's surrounded by an echo of noises and...
"bittle."
"hi, hon."
jack swallows. hon. bittle's concerned looked hasn't changed, the way he says hon either. this scene could have been taken out from jack's bedroom in providence, five years ago, if it weren't for the subtle signs on bittle's face that time had changed.
he looks good.
he always did. but he looks really good. healthy. well. that's probably a shit way of putting it. he looks happy. without jack. slightly broader in the shoulders. three tiny freckles that he didn't have before, in a near perfect line down his check. perhaps a reminder of the tears jack put there, when everything happened, so long ago.
"apparently I'm still your emergency contact," bittle says, simply, as if he has to explain why he's here, in boston, instead of sunny los angeles. sunny los angeles, who took bittle away.
"oh. sorry. you shouldn't have." his voice sounds rough. what the fuck happened? "should have changed that."
probably nothing more pathetic than telling your ex, who's doing you a favor, that you didn't have anyone else to put as an emergency contact for seven years.
bittle chuckles, but there's no happiness behind it. "don't be silly. how are you feelin'?"
he slips his hand into jack's, and squeezes. it feels as natural as it had. motion repeated a thousand times, before the clog in the wheel. jack stares at their joined hand.
"why did you travel this far?"
"hon," bittle says, sounding now even more concerned. "do you need the doctor?"
"no, shit-" he knows he's not making much sense, but he is. his head is fine - well, it's not, but it's fine for now, there are more pressing matters - "I'm fine. you're far from home."
"ha." he looks up, and bittle's staring out of the window, a slight smile on his face. "not so much anymore. nour finally convinced me to take on the business world, if you can believe. we're opening a bakery in boston."
in boston.