Categories > Celebrities > 30 Seconds to Mars > Just Playing Dead
Shannon had watched the security scour the grounds of the hospital before the police had finally been called in. Jared was unstable, he couldn’t be out on those. Shannon wanted to be out there, wanted to stand beside his brother and calm him when they finally found him but they told him that it would be best if he simply stayed put. There was only so much he could that a sedative couldn’t take care of.
A shiver passed through him at the thought of Jared being taken into a hospital, kept there and being administered all sorts of drugs. There was nothing really he could do. Could he really keep him home? Try desperately to try and save him himself? He couldn’t do that. He wasn’t equipped to watch his brother lose himself even further.
And what would the press do with all of this? What sort of field day would they have with the fact that Jared was slowly descending into madness? It would be the worst day for himself, for Jared, for their family. To see that splattered across the news. He didn’t find it fair to his brother, didn’t find it fair to even himself. He didn’t want to watch that, couldnt bear to.
But what other options did they have other than sending him off to give him peace? He was lost in some sort of nightmare that he had yet to pull himself from. He was chained to the darkness in his conscience and had let it take him over. He had allowed it to overtake him until he was nothing but a fragment of who he had once been.
Slowly he entered Harlow’s hospital room. She was awake. Had been for the past couple of hours but she had yet to speak one word. Her eyes were widened with confusion, shock, pain. There was only so much that one person could take. But Shannon was confused. So confused, so unsure about what was happening. She had been afraid of Jared, had yelled and screamed for him to leave. Crazy or not Jared would never hurt Harlow, he loved her so much. None of it was making any sense.
He sat down on the chair beside Harlow’s bed and reached out, carefully taking hold of her hand and lightly running his thumb over the ice cold skin he found there. Her eyes fluttered closed at the contact and her head slowly turned to face him.
Her once lively eyes were now devoid of emotion. Her natural and loving nature had somehow stifled and she was nothing but a broken shell. Seeing her this way though, seeing her so lifeless now made him question his assurance that Jared would never do anything to her. What else could extinguish her so easily other than Jared turning on her? But would he really do that?
"Shannon…" She whispered, her cracked lips parting as she registered finally the face in front of her. Her hands wer shaky as they rested on the bedding beneath her. The sound of the machines beside her were distracting him from hearing her coarse breathing. Was she dying?
"I’m here, Harlow." He answered although he truly wanted to be out there finding his brother, making sure that he was alright. He didn’t want to sit here, waiting for a call that might never call. No one knew Jared the way he did how would they even know where to look? There were so many places that he would go. The trails he hiked, the hotels, the shows. No one knew that as well as he did.
"Jared…" She whispered and then shook her head, her breath making her lips dry again. "…he isn’t here?"
Shannon shook his head, reaching out and lightly touching his hand to hers. “Just you and me Harlow….what happened?”
She sighed, carefully pulling her hand from beneath his. Her skin wasn’t cold, she was just so sickly. There was fear in her eyes. Fear accompanied by a guilt that he hadn’t seen before in her. She was always so alive. What had hammered her down so low?
"Shannon? Shannon, I’m sorry."
His brows knitted as he stared at her and then again he shook his head. “You have nothing to be sorry about.” He assured her but her eyes were on him again and he was startled by the firm stare she gave.
"We did something. I did something." She pushed out, her eyes ablaze with a darkened fear.
"What? What did you do?" He moved closer, her voice was slowly fading.
Her hand reached out then, gripping tight to his arm and she coughed loudly, dry and hacking. “we…”
But his attention was diverted when his cell rang and quickly he pulled from her and answered it. “Hello?” He answered hurriedly with a sharp panic in his voice.
"Shannon…We found him. We’re taking him back to the hospital. It’s bad." The officer said on the other end.
Shannon stopped and then let out a shaky and broken breath. “I’ll wait outside. Hurry.” He urged before hanging up and looking down to Harlow. “Harlow, I need to go.” She shook her head and tried to reach for him again but he didn’t have time. He needed to see Jared. “Later, we’ll talk later.” And with that he was out the door and heading towards the outside entrance to the ER.
Finally after a few impatient minutes the flashing lights of an ambulance came through and Shannon’s heart began racing, fear gripping him ever so tightly. It was a flurry of rush as the EMTs wheeled out a gurney. Jared was laying strapped to it. Blood was pouring from his chest, his lips were moving with incoherence.
"What happened?" He demanded as he tried to reach his brother but he was asked to stay back and told that the doctor would be with him shortly.
He stood back as ordered but his impatience lingered. He looked back to the ambulance that Jared had just been wheeled out of and saw that there was a second gurney with a body on it a sheet pulled over to cover it up.
A shiver passed through him at the thought of Jared being taken into a hospital, kept there and being administered all sorts of drugs. There was nothing really he could do. Could he really keep him home? Try desperately to try and save him himself? He couldn’t do that. He wasn’t equipped to watch his brother lose himself even further.
And what would the press do with all of this? What sort of field day would they have with the fact that Jared was slowly descending into madness? It would be the worst day for himself, for Jared, for their family. To see that splattered across the news. He didn’t find it fair to his brother, didn’t find it fair to even himself. He didn’t want to watch that, couldnt bear to.
But what other options did they have other than sending him off to give him peace? He was lost in some sort of nightmare that he had yet to pull himself from. He was chained to the darkness in his conscience and had let it take him over. He had allowed it to overtake him until he was nothing but a fragment of who he had once been.
Slowly he entered Harlow’s hospital room. She was awake. Had been for the past couple of hours but she had yet to speak one word. Her eyes were widened with confusion, shock, pain. There was only so much that one person could take. But Shannon was confused. So confused, so unsure about what was happening. She had been afraid of Jared, had yelled and screamed for him to leave. Crazy or not Jared would never hurt Harlow, he loved her so much. None of it was making any sense.
He sat down on the chair beside Harlow’s bed and reached out, carefully taking hold of her hand and lightly running his thumb over the ice cold skin he found there. Her eyes fluttered closed at the contact and her head slowly turned to face him.
Her once lively eyes were now devoid of emotion. Her natural and loving nature had somehow stifled and she was nothing but a broken shell. Seeing her this way though, seeing her so lifeless now made him question his assurance that Jared would never do anything to her. What else could extinguish her so easily other than Jared turning on her? But would he really do that?
"Shannon…" She whispered, her cracked lips parting as she registered finally the face in front of her. Her hands wer shaky as they rested on the bedding beneath her. The sound of the machines beside her were distracting him from hearing her coarse breathing. Was she dying?
"I’m here, Harlow." He answered although he truly wanted to be out there finding his brother, making sure that he was alright. He didn’t want to sit here, waiting for a call that might never call. No one knew Jared the way he did how would they even know where to look? There were so many places that he would go. The trails he hiked, the hotels, the shows. No one knew that as well as he did.
"Jared…" She whispered and then shook her head, her breath making her lips dry again. "…he isn’t here?"
Shannon shook his head, reaching out and lightly touching his hand to hers. “Just you and me Harlow….what happened?”
She sighed, carefully pulling her hand from beneath his. Her skin wasn’t cold, she was just so sickly. There was fear in her eyes. Fear accompanied by a guilt that he hadn’t seen before in her. She was always so alive. What had hammered her down so low?
"Shannon? Shannon, I’m sorry."
His brows knitted as he stared at her and then again he shook his head. “You have nothing to be sorry about.” He assured her but her eyes were on him again and he was startled by the firm stare she gave.
"We did something. I did something." She pushed out, her eyes ablaze with a darkened fear.
"What? What did you do?" He moved closer, her voice was slowly fading.
Her hand reached out then, gripping tight to his arm and she coughed loudly, dry and hacking. “we…”
But his attention was diverted when his cell rang and quickly he pulled from her and answered it. “Hello?” He answered hurriedly with a sharp panic in his voice.
"Shannon…We found him. We’re taking him back to the hospital. It’s bad." The officer said on the other end.
Shannon stopped and then let out a shaky and broken breath. “I’ll wait outside. Hurry.” He urged before hanging up and looking down to Harlow. “Harlow, I need to go.” She shook her head and tried to reach for him again but he didn’t have time. He needed to see Jared. “Later, we’ll talk later.” And with that he was out the door and heading towards the outside entrance to the ER.
Finally after a few impatient minutes the flashing lights of an ambulance came through and Shannon’s heart began racing, fear gripping him ever so tightly. It was a flurry of rush as the EMTs wheeled out a gurney. Jared was laying strapped to it. Blood was pouring from his chest, his lips were moving with incoherence.
"What happened?" He demanded as he tried to reach his brother but he was asked to stay back and told that the doctor would be with him shortly.
He stood back as ordered but his impatience lingered. He looked back to the ambulance that Jared had just been wheeled out of and saw that there was a second gurney with a body on it a sheet pulled over to cover it up.
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