Fracking Apocalypse - a ZNation 10K/Tommy Fanfiction

S8E14

S8E14:

The next day TJ still hadn't woken up, or the day after that; mainly because they were keeping him on medication that kept him that way and he wouldn't come off it until Hastings had deemed him healed enough that they could see if he'd breathe on his own.

It took a week – the longest week of their lives – until she finally was ready to try. TJ's vitals looked good and she was confident that he would have healed enough that his lung wouldn't rip the stitches if he laughed or took too deep a breath.

Bailey was asleep in her chair when Doc opened the door and waved 10K out into the hall. He got up quietly and headed out, closing the door softly behind him.

"Hastings wants to head in in about ten minutes to take TJ off the breathing machine and the drugs. I grabbed ya some grub from the dining hall so you and Bailey can go down the hall and eat lunch."

10K nodded along but didn't mention to Doc that they both had skipped breakfast that day. He let out a long breath and rubbed the back of his neck, "Okay, I uh, I gotta wake Bailey up and, uh. . . "

Doc nodded sadly, "Yeah, ya've had a lot on your mind lately, huh Kid?"

10K rubbed the bridge of his nose and leaned back on the wall looking at the floor. He could probably do with a few long hours of sleep but he didn't want to be out that long in case something happened to TJ. But it only made him more tired being on edge all the time waiting for a sudden turn for the worst.

"I didn't get it." He muttered and Doc looked at him confused, "I didn't get it, when we found Teller's kid in the amber. I said he needed mercy, I couldn't understand why a parent would leave their child like that." Doc put his hand on 10K's shoulder, "But I get it now. Doing that, having even that slim chance that one day something will come that will help, even something as desperate as that is better then giving up on your child and letting them die."

"Kid, he's not going to die."

"I know. . . but he could have. And I'm still scared out of my mind about it even though he has gotten better." This whole thing, the memory of it would haunt him even after TJ got well. He just hoped one day enough would go back to normal that he could forget. It made him think of Homer, how he'd sealed himself off from the world after his son died. How he'd asked 10K to shoot him in the head, back then he couldn't do it but if he'd known what it felt like to lose a child would it have been different?

And TJ hadn't died, Tommy knew the pain he was going through because of all this but how much worse would it be if TJ hadn't made it? Honestly, he'd probably look for a vat of nuclear waste to fall in too.

"Hey." Doc said pulling him out of his thoughts and he looked up from the floor, "You don't have to worry about any of that okay? Your kids take after you 10K, they're little survivors just like their papa."

He gave a small smile and took another deep breath, "I better go wake Bailey before Hastings gets here."

Doc nodded, "I'll stay with TJ while she takes him off the machines, make sure he's doing alright."

"Thanks Doc."

"No problem Kid. You go get a bite to eat with Bailey and leave the rest to Granddaddy Doc."

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He'd barely gotten Bailey to pick at her food while they waited to hear how it had gone with TJ. The second they were allowed back in his room Bailey took off like a gear from his sling and took back her place in the chair by TJ's bed. 10K walked over to the window where the afternoon sun was pouring in and he leaned on the sill looking outside.