June of Doom
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“Stay down,” the man hisses, right before pain explodes.
Kicked. He kicked him. Right in the ribs. Damn, yeah, that hurt. That really hurt. Gives up on trying to get to his feet. Can’t when all he can do is wheeze, try desperately to get back the air he just lost. Prays to a God who never really cared about him, that the man doesn’t keep going. His vision is swimming now. Bleary from the tears, one eye already swelling shut. Holds his breath, waits for another blow. Doesn’t trust God to answer his prayers now any more than he has in the past. Prays anyway.
Series
- Part 1 of June of Doom
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Robby was always supposed to die first.
That’s the way it was supposed to go.
Series
- Part 2 of June of Doom
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Taking her up goes fine. Him and Robby maneuver the bed through the halls and into the elevator. He smacks the button for the ICU. The ride up is quiet. The handoff to the ICU team is smooth. Caitlyn and Julia thank them both for helping them. Dennis offers his best comforting smile, can only imagine how freaked out they both are. Thinks how freaked out he’d be, if he came home to Santos, on the floor and barely breathing. They file back into the elevator, Robby hits the button for the ED.
That’s when it all goes to shit.
Series
- Part 3 of June of Doom
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Because Robby’s under no delusions about who he is. The kind of person, the kind of lover, he is. Knows this won’t last forever, no matter how badly he wants it to. No matter how much he wants to freeze this moment, live in it. Knows it won’t last, knows it’ll end. Knows it’ll be his fault when it does. Always is. Because he’s the kind of person people leave. Always has been. Has never been enough for anyone. Knows there will come a day when Dennis realizes he isn’t enough for him, too. Dreads it, with every fiber of his being. Accepts it, though, because it’s the way it’s always been.
Series
- Part 4 of June of Doom
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He steps from the room, tries to slow his heart rate down as he walks from Central 10 to the hub. Tries to convince his body that he’s fine, that the adrenaline can wear off now. No need for the fight or flight, it’s all okay. No need for the accelerated heartbeat, the tight chest. Dana and Robby are both at the hub when he gets there, Dana looking at paperwork, Robby on the computer. His chest is still tight, like he needs to cough. Clears his throat. Focuses on calming his respiration, realizes he’s still breathing too hard even though the threat has passed. Always did take him a minute to get it together again, after. Doesn’t have a bed to hide under now, like he did back home. Clears his throat again, the tightness still there. Clears it a third time when it still won’t go away.
Series
- Part 5 of June of Doom
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The words process, but they don’t make sense. It’s Whitaker. What does she mean it’s Whitaker? She was telling them about an incoming trauma. Surely she can’t mean that. No, no, she must mean something else. He missed part of the conversation. That’s it. He missed something. Didn’t hear a sentence. Because she can’t be telling him that Dennis is the one being brought in. No, no. That can’t be right. Because he’s fine. He’s enjoying the walk to work. The leaves, the leaves are turning and he likes the colors. Reminds him of home, that’s what he told him. So there has to be some mistake. It can’t be him. Robby just misheard. Because Dennis is fine, he’s on the way here now, and he’s fine.
Series
- Part 6 of June of Doom
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Garcia and her team leave. They all take a collective breath, let it out slow. Exit single file, pulling off gloves as they do. Dennis brings up the rear, adrenaline seeping out. As it leaves its replaced by something. What he has no idea. It’s not something he’s felt before. Not the usual post case come down he expects. No, this is different. Throat tight, breathing wrong. Difficult, too fast. Head light, dizzy in a way he hasn’t felt before. Tries to clear his throat, thinks that might help. Is shocked by the wheeze that comes out. Something’s wrong, something’s really wrong.
Series
- Part 7 of June of Doom
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As much as Dennis loves Pittsburgh, there are parts of Nebraska he misses.
Series
- Part 8 of June of Doom
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Someone’s screaming, who he has no idea. Only knows that something hurts and his face is hot and the room is spinning. Why is the room spinning? It shouldn’t be spinning. It wasn’t a second ago, and now it is and his head hurts. Why does his head hurt? Takes a step back, stumbles. Feels pain sear up his shoulder. Fell, he fell. Why did he fall? Why is his face so hot? Who is screaming? Blinks up at the ceiling in a daze, tries to make sense of whatever it is that’s happening.
Series
- Part 9 of June of Doom
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Tiny.
He looks so tiny. Which isn’t a word Robby ever thought he’d use to describe Dennis, and yet here he is. Small, yes. He’s shorter than Robby by a good six inches, a fact that he’s always adored because it means he’s the perfect height. Means he’s just the right height for forehead kisses. Means he fits in the curve of Robby’s body just so, fits under his chin when they lie on the couch together. Means he’s exactly the right height for Robby to stand behind him, to rest his chin on his shoulder, to whisper in his ear. Dennis is smaller than him, yes. But he’s never thought of him as tiny until now. But here, in this moment, he does. Dwarfed by wires and surrounded by white hospital sheets, he looks tiny.
Series
- Part 10 of June of Doom
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It happens too fast, there’s no way for anyone to react. To stop it. To step in. Not Dennis, not Dana, not Robby. No one. And he would have, if there’d been time. Would have stepped in front of Robby and taken the shove, if only so the head that cracked into the corner of the hub desk when he lost his footing and fell was his and not Robby’s. It’s a sickening sound, the crack. Hopes he never hears it again, especially because it’s Robby. Robby, who lies there after, not moving. Dazed. Brings a hand up to the now bleeding back of his head.
Series
- Part 11 of June of Doom
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Three more hours, he only has to make it three more hours.
His appendix will hold that long.
He hopes. He thinks. He prays. He’s fairly confident it will.
Series
- Part 12 of June of Doom
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Noticed it this morning, when he woke up sweating from the amount of heat Robby was throwing off. Robby, who usually runs on the cool side of warm, was generating enough heat to start a fire. He’d tried, when he realized he was getting sick, to get him to stay home. But he insisted he was fine, that he could work. Got lives to save. So he’d come to work. And has been working like everything’s normal, despite clearly running a fever. And the worst part, the worst part is that Dennis can’t even do anything about it. Can’t show too much worry, can’t hover, can’t stand next to him menacingly until he at least takes some meds and has some tea. Because they still aren’t, out yet.
Series
- Part 13 of June of Doom
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“Well, look who it is. Denny, long time no see.”
Denny. No one calls him that but. No, no, no. Please, no. Feels his whole body tense, his hands tightening enough his finger almost punches a hole through the side of the flour bag. Doesn’t turn to look. Because if he doesn’t look, then this isn’t really happening. If he doesn’t move, he won’t be able to see him. Not that that ever worked in the past, but maybe this time will be different. Inhales, feels the air get trapped. Goes in, doesn’t come out. Feels his chest get tight, too tight. Can’t breathe, he can’t breathe.
Series
- Part 14 of June of Doom
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Dennis processes it too late.
Hears someone across the street scream watch out but doesn’t have the time to realize that it’s directed at him before all hell breaks loose. Feels an impact. Sees a kaleidoscope of colors as whatever it was that hit him sends him flying. Lands, hard, on the pavement. And then, pain.
Series
- Part 15 of June of Doom
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He looks familiar, but Dennis can’t place who he is. Average height, mid-thirties. Brown hair and eyes. Jeans and a sweatshirt, both hands shoved into the kangaroo pouch. Dennis swears he knows him. Can’t remember from where, though. But he’s seen him before, he knows he has. The man completely ignores Ahmad, who is still calling after him. Marches right past him, right up to the hub. Before any of them can ask him what he needs, he lashes out. Grabs Trinity around the chest with one arm. Pulls her back against him. Dana opens her mouth, no doubt to tell this guy off. Doesn’t get the chance. Because the other hand comes out of his pocket.
A gun.
He has a gun.
Series
- Part 16 of June of Doom
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He hears a noise. Turns his head, instinctively, towards it. Hears it again, recognizes it for what it is. A whimper. Realizes what woke him. Robby. It was Robby. Judging by the noise and the expression on his face, he’s having a nightmare. Wishes it was the first time this has happened, that he’s been woken up in the middle of the night by Robby having a bad dream. It isn’t. Not even close.
Series
- Part 17 of June of Doom
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Dennis has no idea how long he’s been sitting here.
Too long. He knows it’s been too long. Has tried to stand a few times, keeps ending up here. Back to the wall, choking on blooms. It hurts, it hurts so fucking bad. Hasn’t had full flowers come up before this. Has only had petals until now.
Series
- Part 18 of June of Doom
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Because Robby was always supposed to die first.
He didn’t, but he was supposed to.
Series
- Part 19 of June of Doom
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Turns out doing stitches on yourself is nothing like doing it on someone else. Who could have known that? Everyone, everyone could have known that. Including Dennis, if he’d thought about it for longer than three seconds. Which he had, and had concluded that he’d be able to do them himself.
He’s starting to reevaluate that conclusion.
Series
- Part 20 of June of Doom