I was doing fine. I didn't cry throughout season 3.
Until we got to this part.
This cat symbolizes Judy. Jen kept her at arm's length and was afraid of her. She denied her physical affection. But the innocence and sweetness of the cat break her down. She will help her through her grief.
Judy is not gone. Her spirit lives on in Sammy, who will protect Jen and get her through not only grief but whatever life throws at her.
It's Sammy that gives Jen the courage to confess the truth in those final moments. Because it's what Judy would do.
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[fic] but I am too weak to be your cure
pairing: jen x judy
Nights like these are the hardest.
It had been the chemo that you dreaded at first. They’re the most vivid memories you have of your mom, after all — sitting in a hospital room and watching the poison get pumped into her body. You’d blocked out the worst of it. The days following treatment were always brutal. A total fucking nightmare. The nausea, the vomiting, the pain.
Maybe you subconsciously thought that Judy was stronger, somehow. Healthier. That it wouldn’t affect her the way it did your mom. But it’s the first day after her third round of chemo and she’s so run down while you run around — clandestine meetings with Perez and phone calls to clinical trials and taking care of the boys and making sure Judy has everything she needs and fuck, are you exhausted. You put on a brave face for everyone, reassure them that everything is going to be okay but you’re fucking drowning.
Most nights you barely make it to the room before you’re shaking, throat tight from swallowing around the lump that formed within it fucking hours ago. Tonight is no different. Henry is tucked in and Charlie has retired to the guest house for the evening (and god, you don’t even have the energy to think about what he’s getting himself into over there). Judy has been asleep for the last couple of hours, but you find yourself at her bedside, fingers raking through her hair, and you’re almost grateful for how heavily she sleeps now because you’re positively vibrating.
Your breath is shaky, the image in front of you obstructed through the moisture in your eyes. She’s gripping that baby blanket as tight as she can and you wish for nothing more than the ability to shrink yourself down and go in and chisel out those fucking cancerous invaders yourself. It’s such a helpless feeling, being human, when you want nothing more than to morph into Judy’s blood cells and go to fucking war for her.
Brown eyes blink open and a vibrant smile spreads across chapped lips and your heart immediately seizes in your chest, stealing the breath from your lungs as it hits you all at once how fucking in love with this woman you are. Your hands shake as they pull away and you’re choking on sobs. You can’t help but note how difficult it is for her to sit up, her expression morphing to concern as she pulls you in. It’s a sudden turn of events, your head in her lap as she runs her fingers through your hair, soothing you with her voice. It’s just the chemo, she tells you, it’ll be okay.
“How the fuck are you the one comforting me right now?” The worlds are muffled against her thigh between sobs and you manage to choke out a laugh.
Your name leaves her lips on a shaky exhale. You shake your head, knowing exactly where her mind is going. There’s no way you can listen to her spout off bullshit about being a burden right now.
“No,” you tell her, and you can feel her sigh more than you can hear it.
“Jen,” she tries again, and this time you’re forced to gather yourself, leaving no room for argument.
Her eyes are watery and the corner of her lips are twitching downwards and you absolutely fucking refuse to entertain this train of thought. The tone of your refusal is very much what Judy refers to as your mom voice — the same one you use to end an argument with Charlie. Judy can’t help but smile.
You pull yourself together long enough to climb into the bed, a warmth spreading throughout your chest as the brunette immediately snuggles into you. The lump in your throat releases, if only marginally, allowing your voice to regain its usually steadiness.
“It’s just been a long fuckin day, Judes. And I just — I missed you today.”
She grins and you try to suppress this newfound desire to press a kiss into the creases that line her smile.
“Lucky for you, I’m feeling much better.”
And you know it’s a lie. She knows that you know it’s a lie. The circles beneath her eyes are pronounced and her uncharacteristically pale skin is coated in a sheen of sweat. But you don’t have it in you to call her out on it. Not today.
“How about I whip us up something to eat? We can grab a bottle of wine and take it to the back yard.”
It’s such a fucking Judy thing to offer, when she’s barely able to stay conscious, let alone upright.
“Or,” you argue, “take out and tv.”
“With wine?”
“With wine.”
“Deal.”
Her eyes light up, the only real sign of life that you’ve seen all day, and your laugh is more out of relief than anything else. But then her shoulder nudges yours and when you meet her eyes, the laughter you find behind them makes it all worth it.
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