James Carstairs (![]() ![]() @ 2012-07-12 20:06:00 |
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It was starting to get fairly late when Jem finally surrendered to Will’s nagging and decided to abandon their game of Ecarte in favor of trying to get some sleep. He knew that he must have been looking particularly unwell for Will to have been so persistent in the matter. Jem was himself quite stubborn by nature, so while he eventually agreed to rest he had refused to take any yin fen before retiring for the evening. His supply was becoming dangerously low and he knew that he needed to try and make it last for as long as he could. He was determined to push himself through the painful withdrawal symptoms if he had to, resorting to the drug only when he was in serious need of it. He was still intent on buying both himself and Will more time if it was possible and the recent amnesia episode had only reinforced his resolve on the matter. He’d felt his energy waning considerably over the past couple of days, the pain and lassitude in his joints and bones worsening, coughing more frequently. He recognized the warning signs surely enough, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Even still, he never complained or expressed his fears to Will, instead trying to carry on as normally as he could for both of their benefits. Will had officially moved into the cabin with him now and it seemed to have come at just the right time. As much as he was loathe to admit it, Jem needed the help of his parabatai when he was feeling especially ill. Like tonight. He’d needed the card game and the familiar banter that always accompanied Will to take his mind off of both his discomfort and the intensifying yearning for the yin fen. Sometimes it was difficult to eat or sleep or even think of anything else. Without Will’s loyal presence, Jem didn’t think he would have been able to hold out for nearly as long as he had. When he finally did drift off into an uneasy sleep he was plagued by nightmares. They were the same ones he’d had many times before but that made them no less terrible to endure. Rivers of blood and burning ruins. The sounds of screaming coalescing eventually into the one voice that he knew he would never be able to forget. He recognized it as the tortured sound of his mother calling for him and no matter what he did he was helpless to make it stop. Meanwhile, Jem had begun tossing and turning in his bed, breaking out into a feverish sweat that made his hair and clothes cling to his pale skin as he started murmur softly in Chinese. His breathing was quickly becoming more shallow and ragged until it finally caught in his throat and he was jolted awake by a violent cough. He barely managed to choke out Will’s name before the coughing started to devolve into uncontrollable convulsions. |