Chapter Text
Max had been front and center when David had passed out. He was covered in both His own and Daniel’s blood, and as Max had pressed Neil’s shirt against the stab wound in his side, his hands had become coated in the substance as well.
Gwen had shown up at some point later. He couldn’t remember when. Campbell was there too. She had called him there apparently. It wasn’t a surprise that the fugitive of several countries had experience in both body disposal and in medical attention. Gwen had ushered them all away. Everyone was in a daze in the cafeteria, staring down at the gruel Quartermaster, the only person who seemed unaffected by the violent event, had prepared for them. Some of the campers would occasionally start crying, mainly Dolph, Space kid, and Preston.
Max felt numb as he excused himself to the bathroom. He scrubbed the blood off of his hands. Scrubbing longer than usual. His hands felt so dirty. The only correct analogy that could be used was that lingering substance after you get oil or some slick liquid on your hands. He didn’t regret not looking at Daniel’s body. Seeing David cold and so close to death was enough.
Gwen only asked him where he was going after he left the bathroom and started heading for his tent. The blood on his jeans was bothering him. She nodded at his answer, and he zoned out until he arrived at his tent. Finally, alone. His hands began to shake. He had a hard time unzipping his bag. Tears welled up in his eyes, Max furiously blinking them away. He ripped a fresh pair of jeans out from the bag, finally dropping to his knees. He muffled his cries into the denim, tears darkening the pants.
“F-Fuck…” He cried, voice cracking.
“Max?” Gwen’s voice cautiously asked from outside the tent.
“G-Go away!” Max huffed. He didn't want to talk anymore, anymore talking and he would start crying even more.
“Max, are you changing? Can I come in?” She continued.
Max was silent for a few seconds, gathering himself. “No, y-you can come in,”.
The tent’s flaps swing inwards as Gwen rushes inside, grabbing Max into a big hug. The boy’s chest starts heaving, arms slowly wrapping around Gwen to return the hug. Heavy silent sobs started escaping him. She squeezed him tight. “H-He, he looked d-dead!” Max struggled to get the words out. “He’ll- He’ll be fine!,” She assured, crying as well now, “He’s stable- He’ll be fine! Max, David is going to be okay,”.
They stayed like that for a while, Gwen holding Max while the child cried into her shirt. When he was mostly done crying, she stood outside the tent as he changed into his clean jeans. When they returned to the main cabin, no one asked about the damp spots on Gwen’s shirt or the damp spots on Max’s jeans.
David had woken a couple times before, though they all left him incoherent until he fell back into unconsciousness. However he seemed more coherent now.
“David?” Gwen asked cautiously, approaching the bedside.
“….Gwen?” He responded, blinking away the haze of sleep.
“Hey. How ya feeling?” She inquired, rubbing the back of her neck. He was silent for a few moments.
“The campers? Are they ok?”
“Yeah dude. Don’t worry, they’re all good. You took the brunt of it. So how are you feeling?”
“I…fuzzy?” He answered, finally taking in his surroundings. It was the counselor’s cabin. He was laying in his bed, an IV drip next to him. His legs were wrapped in bandages, as well as his torso and a portion of his shoulder. There were softer bandages wrapped around his neck where he was strangled, and a bandaid was on his cheek.
“Wh’ happened to Daniel?” He asked, shutting his eyes to focus better.
“…David…you…he died,”.
David opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling. “Oh,”.
“Yeah. Campbell took care of it. The kids are out doing their activities,”.
“Who’s watching them?”
“Campbell, surprisingly. You want me to go tell him you’re awake?”
“Yes please. Thank you, Gwen,”.
He smiled at her, and she smiled back before leaving to go find the camp owner. David took a shaky breath, smile dropping. He had killed someone. Not even by accident. He had stabbed Daniel’s throat. Yes the other was attempting to kill his campers, but did he deserve to die? A part of David said yes. But not by his hands, and the kids. Oh the kids- they saw him. They saw Daniel’s body and probably pieced it together on their own. They're smart. He’s so proud of them. He killed Daniel, and the kids knew. Oh the poor kids. They probably are terrified of him- rightfully so. He killed someone. Oh geez he KILLED someone. He-
“Davey! Glad to see you’re awake!” Campbell’s booming voice interrupted his thoughts.
David startled, looking over at him and giving him a relieved smile. “Hello Mr. Campbell. Thank you for looking after the kids,”.
“Right…that’s what I was s’posed to be doing…” Campbell muttered to himself, before clearing his throat.“How are you feeling, Davey?” He asked, grabbing a chair and bringing it over to the bed to sit down on.
“Fuzzy,”. He repeated the description he had said to Gwen.
”Probably thanks to the morphine!” He pointed to the IV drip.
“Morphine?” David asked nervously.
“Oh don’t be a pussy David, it’s diluted enough so you won’t become an addict,”. He waved off. “When do you think you can get back to work by the way? I can get you a wheelchair or crutches or whatever it is you might need,”.
“I…how long have I been out?” David asked, using his good arm to scratch his head.
”Eh. Two days? This is the third! I should be going soon, so the quicker you get up and go the quicker I can get back to gam- my work!” David decided to ignore the last part.
“I should get back to it today, shouldn’t I?”
“You’re words! Not mine! I’ll be right back!” Campbell stood, running out of the cabin.
David blinked, sighing. He began slowly pushing himself upright, gasping in pain when he put pressure on one of his legs. He bit his lip, pushing himself up quickly and whining in pain as he relaxed against the backboard of the bed. His abdomen stung dully. It hurt. But he needed to get back to work soon. At that moment, Campbell walked back through the door with a wheelchair, a new shirt and shorts resetting on it. His yellow camp shirt slung over the back of the chair. The older man put his hands on his hips, nodding.
“Alright! There you go!” Campbell looked at him expectantly.
“Thank you Mr. Campbell, you’ve been a big help!” David wasn’t quite sure how he was going to get in the wheelchair, but he would figure it out!
After a long painful process, Campbell eventually helped to transfer him into the wheelchair. After a while, he was settled and fully clothed in the device. Campbell grabbed the iv drip and taped it onto the chair, making sure it was secure before grabbing the handles of the mobility aid.
“Finally! Now let's get you outside!” The older man huffed.
“Real quick, Mr. Campbell?” David blurted, his uninjured hand gripping the arm-rest.
Campbell groaned. “What?”
“The campers...they uh. They don’t dislike me now? Right?” He asked, nervously.
“No Davey, they don’t dislike you. They were constantly whining and asking me about how you were doing! Another reason why I hate kids…” He muttered the last part to himself, David hearing but deciding to once again ignore it.
“Thanks, Mr. Campbell. We can go now!” He stated, nervous demeanor switching over to a more cheerful one.
“Finally…” Campbell grumbled, pushing the wheelchair to the entrance of the cabin.
David took a deep breath to calm himself as Campbell moved to open the door.
Max never strayed far from the view of the counselor cabin, so when he heard the familiar sound of the door opening, his head snapped towards it. Neil and Nikki followed his view.
“DAVID!!” The three bellowed, quickly leaving whatever they were doing to run to the side of the redhead. Neil had to hold Nikki back so she wouldn’t jump on the poor guy.
Max took in David’s sorry state. He was visibly paler due to the blood loss, eyebags deep. Thick bandages covered his legs, arm, and neck. But he was smiling. That oh so familiar smile that he had missed over the past few days. That hollow feeling in his gut finally dissipated.
“Fucking finally-” “Language!” “Do you know how worried everyone was!?” Max exclaimed, crossing his arms.
There was a commotion near the activity area, before a stampede of children with Gwen running hurriedly (to protect David from any jumpers) beside them.
Campbell patted his good shoulder. “Well! I’ll be going now! Good luck Davey!”
“Mr. Campbell-” David started, but Campbell had already begun booking it towards the lake. A submarine was waiting for him.
Gwen was suddenly in front of him, catching both Nikki, who had escaped Neil, and Dolph. An onslaught of questions about how he was had flooded his ears. He hurriedly answered all of them, not wanting anyone to feel left out. After about 30 minutes, everyone’s questions had been answered. The campers had eventually split into their usual groups in the immediate vicinity of David, doing their usual activities. Max was left standing beside him.
“David?” Max began.
“Yes, Max?”
Max grabbed his good arm, hugging it tightly before letting go.
“Don't make me worry anymore, you asshole,”.
David smiled at him.
“I’ll try, Max,”.