The Breakdown

Two weeks in. The puppies opened their eyes. They started to wobble-walk.

Elena’s life became a dichotomy.

Day: The cold blue light of the hospital. The hiss of oxygen. The plastic bags zipping shut.

Night: The warm amber light of Apartment 4002. The smell of pizza. The soft yips of the puppies.

It all crashed on a Tuesday.

Elena lost three patients in one shift. One of them was a father of two who had whispered, "Tell them I tried," before he was intubated. He never woke up.

She came home trembling. She couldn't stop the shaking. She stood in the hallway between their apartments, staring at Jax’s door, unable to knock. She felt toxic. She felt like death walking.

The door opened.

Jax was standing there—standing, without crutches, leaning heavily on the doorframe. He had heard her keys jingle and then... silence.

"El?"

Elena looked at him, and her face crumbled.

"I can't," she sobbed, backing away. "I can't come in. I’m dirty. I’m full of ghosts, Jax. I’m going to infect this whole place."

"Hey, hey," Jax said. He took a step forward, wincing as his knee took the weight. "Stop."

"Don't come near me!" Elena shrieked, pressing her back against the wall. "I'm poison!"

Jax didn't listen. He limped into the hallway. He closed the distance.

He didn't care about the mask. He didn't care about the virus. He wrapped his massive arms around her and pulled her into his chest.

"You are not poison," he rumbled into her hair. "You are the only good thing in this world."

Elena fought him for a second, terrified, before her body gave out. She collapsed against him, sobbing into his t-shirt. She cried for the father of two. She cried for the twenty-four-year-old. She cried for herself.

Jax held her. He was solid as a rock. He absorbed the tremors.

"I've got you," he repeated. "I've got you."

He walked her—half-carrying her—into his apartment. He kicked the door shut.

He sat her on the sofa. He didn't ask her to talk. He just piled puppies onto her lap. One by one. Until she was buried under a wriggling blanket of life.

Blitz licked the tears off her chin.

Elena laughed. It was a wet, broken sound, but it was a laugh.

"See?" Jax said softly, sitting beside her. "They know. You're safe here."

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