Spiked! Part 10
Title: Spiked! The VolleyVerse Part 10
Author: texankate
Pairings/Characters: J-squared, Chris/Steve, Usual Suspects OFCs, OMCs.
Rating: Up to NC17 in places
Disclaimer: If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumber'd here While these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, No more yielding but a dream,. In other words: complete and utter fiction. I own nothing but my twisted and sordid little brain. I even had to borrow my disclaimer.
Warning: Angst, drama, character death. Flagrant disregard of USVA reality.
Summary: When Jensen meets Mac's new volleyball coach, he falls head over heels in lust. Can they overcome misunderstanding and tragedy and find their way to each other?
Jensen's lease was the closest to being up, so he volunteered to move back home to be with Mac. His job was pretty time-consuming, but he could do a good bit of it from house.
Josh came over as much as he could, to see Mac and to give Jensen a break. But they were in a crunch time at work, and given how much time he'd taken off after the crash, Josh's bosses needed him there as much as possible.
Most of Jensen's friends were okay with toning down their boys' nights enough that they didn't feel uncomfortable with Mac in the house. Mike and Tommy tried to lure her out of her room to learn how to play poker, and Chris and Steve tried to lure her out with music. Every once in a while she would creep out to sit with them, but she mostly shut herself away from the world. She used the excuse that she had schoolwork to catch up on, but no one quite believed her. They just didn't know what to do.
The school year ended, and while Mac still had some make-ups to do, she was for the most part free. Her cast came off in June, and she was supposed to start physical therapy. But when the day of her first appointment came, she steadfastly refused to go.
"Mac, come on. You have to do this," Jensen said. "You don't want to walk with a limp for the rest of your life, do you?"
"So what if I do?" she snarled. "It doesn't matter." She slammed the bedroom door in his face.
For two weeks it went on. He or Josh would try to talk her into going to PT, and she would ignore them. It was frustrating as hell, and he was nearly at the end of his rope when help showed up at his doorway.
"S'up dude," said the wiry blonde man standing outside of his front door. "I'm Chad. Jared said you were having a problem getting your sister to PT."
Jensen didn't say anything for a few minutes. Then he nodded dumbly and stepped back so Chad could enter the house.
"Jay and I go way back. I usually work for some of the teams around here doing sports medicine, but he asked if I would stop by," Chad explained. He pulled out his phone and hit a speed dial button. He then handed the phone to Jensen. "Ask him."
"Hello?" Jensen said, finally managing to speak.
"Hey Jensen!" Jared said. "Chad's there already, huh?"
"What's going on?" Jensen asked, still confused.
"Chad's a friend of mine. When I talked to Jeff last week, he said you were having trouble getting Mac to go to therapy. Chad owes me a favor or two, so I thought maybe if we can't get Mac to therapy, we can get therapy to Mac," Jared explained.
Tears welled up in Jensen's eyes. He was absurdly glad Jared wasn’t there to see it. "Thank you. I just… Thank you."
"You're welcome," Jared said. "Now see if Chad can bat his eyelashes and get Mac out of her room."
"Sure thing. Thanks Jared," Jensen said.
"You're welcome. I'll call you later to see how things went," Jared said, and then hung up the phone.
Jensen handed the cell phone back to Chad. "I hope you can help. Even if you can't, I appreciate the effort."
Chad looked at him for a few moments before answering. "Anything for my man Jay," he said. "Now take me to your sister." He waggled his eyebrows.
"Why do I get the feeling you've used that line before?" Jensen asked with a chuckle.
"Most guys keep me away from their sisters," Chad admitted. "But don't worry, fourteen is a little young, even for me."
With that comforting thought, Jensen led Chad upstairs. They stopped outside of Mac's bedroom. Jensen took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
"What do you want, Jen?" Mac asked from behind the door.
"Someone here to see you," Jensen replied.
"Tell them to go away. I don't want to see anybody," Mac yelled.
"Mac, you can't stay in there forever. You have to come out sometime," Jensen begged.
"Sure I can," Mac said.
"You know what, fine," Jensen growled. He pulled out his wallet and grabbed his old college ID. With a few flicks, and an impressed look from Chad, he managed to pop the lock on his sister's door.
"What in the hell are you doing?" she screeched. "Leave me alone."
"Nope. Sorry. I'm tired of leaving you up here to mope," Jensen said. "You're not the only person hurting in this family, Mac. Now, I can't fix missing Mom and Dad, but I can help you fix your leg. I can help with that, and I'm going to help with that, even if you are being a spoiled brat."
He crossed over to the bed and scooped her up. "Chad, where would you like to start?"
Chad's jaw actually dropped, and it took him a minute to answer. "Uh, why don't we go downstairs," he suggested.
"Works for me," Jensen said. He carried a squirming and screaming MacKenzie out of her room and down the stairs. He deposited her on the couch, and managed to keep her from escaping while Chad set up his table.
"Listen, kid," Jensen said. "Jared sent his friend Chad over to help you with your PT. He's gone to a lot of trouble, and Chad has gone to a lot of trouble. Now, I know you were raised right, and I know you know not to treat people like crap when they're trying to help you. Will you please shut the hell up and let us try to help?"
Mac sat stiffly on the couch, staring at Chad's table with pure hatred.
"Honey, do you really think Mom and Dad would want this for you? They loved you, and they would want you to get better," Jensen said. When she just stared at him, he tried another tactic.
"So you're just going to quit. Damn, I thought you'd gotten out of that habit. So did they. Mom and Dad were so proud of you for sticking with volleyball. Thought maybe you'd finally found something you loved. But I guess we were all wrong," he said. "But Mac, this isn't throwing away a uniform or tossing your old skates into a garage sale. If you don't do this, you'll feel the effects for the rest of your life. And you'll regret not fighting for this, honey." He wasn't sure if that was the right thing or the wrong thing to say. It did, however, provoke a response.
Mac burst into tears, and wrapped her arms around her brother. She sobbed until he thought her little body would collapse from the strain. Chad looked supremely uncomfortable, but he didn't say anything. He did, however, move into the kitchen, where Jensen heard him getting a glass of water.
When her tears finally dried up, she sat back and looked at Jen. "I hate this. I hate feeling like this," she said.
"Like what," Jensen asked.
"I'm mad at them. Mad at them for leaving us all alone," Mac said. "I'm sorry that you and Josh have to take care of me. Sometimes I wish I'd died in the crash too."
Jensen's stomach dropped. "Don't even think like that, Mac," he said. "Sure, Josh and I wish Mom and Dad were here to take care of you, but not because we don't want you. Honey, Josh and I would be lost without you."
"You don't think this was my fault?" she asked. "I wouldn't blame you if you did." Her voice was small and fragile.
"Never," Jensen said. "The only reason I'm upset with you is that you won't even try to get better. Doc said you could make a full recovery, never have a limp, play ball again if you wanted to. But you don't even try."
"I'm sorry, Jen," she said. "I'll do better. But I don't want to play ball again. I can't."
Jensen decided to let the matter drop for the moment. "Will you at least try to do some exercises with Chad? That is if we haven't scared him off with the 'Family Drama Hour'?"
Mac gave a watery chuckle. "Yeah. I guess. At least he's kinda cute."
"Don't make me hurt him," Jensen warned. "I'm not above hitting him with one of Dad's golf clubs if he makes any inappropriate advances."
"I'll try," Mac said, hugging her brother again. "Wanna go rescue him from the kitchen?"
"Promise not to run away?"
"Promise."
Chad scheduled Mac for three times a week. On his third visit, Jared showed up as well, bearing a six-pack of beer and a promise to keep Jensen from hovering. Jensen was torn between watching over Mac and spending time with Jared, although he knew the latter was bad for him. Jared would not take no for an answer, however, and they ended up by the pool with a bucket of beer.
"I really don't know how to thank you for all of this," Jensen said, staring down into his beer.
"You don’t have to," Jared said. "I'm happy I was able to help."
"I've just been so afraid that she would never recover," Jensen said, unwilling to look up and let the other man see the tears threatening to fall. "Josh and I have been out of our minds."
"I can't even begin to comprehend what you two have been going through," Jared said. "If Jeff and I have had to take care of Megan, I doubt we'd cope as well as y'all."
"You have a little sister, too?" Jensen asked, eager to change the subject.
"Yep. She's two years younger than Mac," Jared said. "And our brother Jeff is a little over two years older than me."
"What's he do?" Jensen asked.
"Med school. Something very respectable that my parents can tell all of their friends about," Jared said with a wry chuckle.
"What, they don't approve of you coaching?" Jensen asked. He dared anyone to find fault with how Jared taught his players.
"They're pretty much waiting for me to grow up," Jared said. "My dad wasn't overly enthused with me ditching basketball to play volleyball when I was younger. Maybe if I was working with a basketball team he'd be a little more enthused."
"That sucks man," Jensen said. "All I can say is that the parents of every one of your players thinks the world of you. If you want us to gang up and go talk to your folks…"
Jared laughed. "No. But I appreciate the offer."
"It's still on the table if you change your mind."
Chapter 11