8. Sour grape

Hunter thought he was dead again but he just lost consciousness. He remembered how long Jack said he was out before and hoped it wouldn't take as long this time. They were still on the top of the stairs and it was a bit cold. Hunter snuggled to Jack's chest to listen and make sure he wouldn't go back to Yama again.

Hunter woke up the next day when the light shone from the windows of the hospital corridor behind them because he had to pee. He was relieved that he could hear Jack's heartbeat, much calmer and smoother than before. When he lifted his head from his chest he met his eyes directly. Jack looked at him sleepily and Hunter thought 'So these are the famous 'bedroom eyes'.

"Morning." Jack said, and raised his hand to his forehead, he felt fabric but no metal pole?

"Where's my pole?" Hunter smirked but let that go, and leaned to the other side and showed him the metal thing. Then he asked happily "You remembered again?" .

Jack stared blankly at the pole and couldn't believe it. "Yeah, I wanted to help you down and suddenly blacked out."

"Your fucking idiotic self wanted to help me down and put my arm over your shoulder while touching the other end of the thing in your brain." Hunter scolded incredulously.

Jack looked up blankly, then put his arm over his face and was silent before laughing till he had no more energy and chuckled weakly to himself. Hunter himself had to grin but finally interrupted "I have to go to the toilet."

"Yeah, me too" Jack raised himself very slowly, but saw that there was no problem. He put down the fabric on his head and threw it on the floor, as the wound was not bleeding anymore.

He helped Hunter up and put his hand over his shoulder,- this time without taking lives- and then walked to the direction Hunter had pointed out. They entered and got to the pissoirs, Jack couldn't help but exclaim "Man, the world is much brighter when you haven't got something stuck in your head, I tell you. Thanks for taking it out."

Hunter looked over and his face fell "Jack you were dead...for hours..."

"Yeah, I think something is not right with the whole situation here, do you think its like Matrix, we are in some laboratory with, dunno, VR´s on and this isn't reality?" He thought for a moment, "By the way it didn't hurt the whole time with the thing stuck. At least not how much it should have. How about you, are you feeling pain?" He zipped his pants and took the disinfectant out of his red jogging pants, after Hunter followed suit, he gave him some too and helped him back to the staircase.

"No, I can feel pain accurately, not too much, not nothing, it would be good to talk to the others you mentioned, and see if we can get more information. Ah, and don't be superstitious, Matrix is superstition."

Jack laughed and raised his eyebrows "How is Matrix superstition?"

"Don't know, it just is." He scoffed, "Didn't like the movie."

Jack chuckled, "Just cause you didn't like it, it's superstition? So is there a fruit you don't like?"

"Everything sour..." Hunter answered.

"So is, like, a sour grape superstition?"

"Yeah."

"Ok sir, let's get out of here."

Jack wanted to help Hunter down but he just sat himself in his wheelchair and pointed at his head, "We have to bandage it first."

"Right!" Jack turned around and went to the VIP ward and came back with a bandage. There were no mirrors so he knelt before Hunter.

Hunter took the bandage and asked for the disinfectant, then he said "Let's test your pain tolerance? Ah right, before, look at me." Jack looked up and his nose almost touch Hunter's. The other man was stunned to for a moment but quickly regained his composure as he looked at Jacks left eye, but the pupil was in place again.

It was a strange feeling to have someone as attractive as Jack kneel, all bloody and full of vomit with clear and devoted (?) eyes looking at oneself. With eyes, the upper half blue the lower half a light brown, like the melting of sky and earth.

Hunter took a moment to observe him.

"All okay again, do you remember that you woke up before and talked about the smell of flowers?"

"Ha? No, don't remember."

"Okay, your pupil was huge but now its back to normal again. So lets finally test your pain tolerance."