Chapter Text
When they woke, there was no song, no poetry, no prose.
They woke up, and it was not beautiful.
It was only the dark, empty hospital room, nightlights sparkling like stars along the footboards as they sat up and looked around.
When they stood, they stood on shaky legs and stumbled to the person most important to them, hands, warm and alive, reaching for the ones they loved.
Bill grasped the footboards of each bed he passed, trying to stay on his feet as he went to Alice, to his daughter.
Deb collapsed into Alice’s bed, curling her arms around her and sobbing, grabbing Bill’s hand and pulling him into the hug as well, and they were a family, united, truly, finally.
Charlotte and Ted staggered into each other's arms, collapsing to the floor and resting against the footboard of her bed.
He watched this, pulling the catheter from his hand as the others had done, swinging his legs over the side of his bed, tensing as a hand, strong from years of playing the piano, came to rest on his back.
He twisted, his legs drawing back up onto the bed as he took Hidgens’ hand and dragged him into his embrace, pulling him down to sit on the bed with him.
He could feel Hidgens shake as he began to sob, hands desperately grasping his back, soft whispers of “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” poured cracked and broken from his lips.
When the door opened and light poured in, it was beautiful.
When the nurse stepped into the room, she shrieked, bolting from the room, locking the door behind her.
They flinched, the slamming of the door ear-splitting after the silence.
Pounding footsteps approached, muffled shouting preceding it.
“Do not let them in! Only medical staff and officers are allowed in the room! Remus- keep them out!”
Colonel Schaffer threw the door open and hit the switch, fluorescent lights and humming filling the room.
“If I tell you to get back into your beds, are you going to cooperate or do I have to get the guards to force you?”
“Touch me, and I’ll kill you.” Ted snarled, rough voice muffled on Charlotte’s shoulder.
Schaffer sighed. “Fine. Just get into a bed. Any of them.”
Charlotte gently pulled Ted to his feet, and together they piled into her bed, glaring daggers at Schaffer.
“Good. Nurses are going to come in and look you all over. You’re now officially in quarantine, and you will only be seeing myself, guards, and medical staff for the next 5 days.”
“Go fuck yourself, Schaffer,” Paul snapped, “where the fuck is Emma.”
“She’s currently trying to get past my guards. She will not be succeeding, and both you and her will have to wait 5 more days to see each other.”
Paul laughed, a low huff as he whispered through cracked lips. “Have you told her that yet?”
“No.”
Something slammed against the door.
Emma’s voice sounded outside the room. They could hear her shrieking, yelling at Remus to let her go, to let her in, to let her see him.
Her voice grew softer as she was dragged away from the door.
Paul dropped out of the bed, detangling himself from Hidgens and collapsing to the floor. Ted and Hidgens both reached down to help him stand, pulling him up onto shaky legs. He stumbled toward the door, pushing Schaffer aside.
Then she grabbed him.
Her hand clamped down on his shoulder and he froze, all the air rushing from him in a whoosh as he dropped to the ground, shaking hard.
Hands landed on his arms, his neck, the back of his head, his legs, his sides.
Someone was shouting at Schaffer.
He couldn’t hear it around the cotton in his ears, his head foggy and dense.
The hands lifted him, his weight dispersed amongst weak grips.
They carried him to the bed and set him down, Charlotte releasing his arms and standing with Ted, slipping her hand into his as he shouted at Schaffer.
Alice’s hand slipped off the back of his neck as Deb let go of his legs, and the piled onto the end of his bed.
Bill’s hand was warm on the back of his head, hands that moved to his leg as he sat between where Paul was curled up against the pillow, and Alice at the foot of the bed.
Hidgens' hands left his sides when he pressed against Paul’s right, tugging him into an embrace, icy glare leveled at Schaffer.
Schaffer was not expecting resistance, clearly.
Her hands came up in front of her as she tried to make Ted calm down.
“Sir, this is completely inappropriate- you need to calm down.”
Ted did not calm down.
Ted’s voice, as rough as it was, only rose in volume, his grip on Charlotte tightening.
Schaffer set her shoulders and slipped past Ted.
She opened the door and stepped out, calling to the guards around the door. “No one in or out. Keep the door locked. Quarantine starts now.”
“Coward!” Ted yelled after her.
The door shut and locked, Schaffer never looking back.
He swayed on his feet and staggered to the bed, grasping Charlotte desperately.
They collapsed in with everyone else, pressing against Paul and Bill as Ted tried to breathe through the dizziness that had come after shouting.
His breathing slowed as he fell asleep. Charlotte curled up under his arm, her head on his chest as she followed him into unconsciousness.
Alice and Deb did the same, arms and legs tangled together.
Bill lay in the last bit of unoccupied space, smiling softly as his breathing evened and slowed.
Hidgens’ arms tightened around Paul as he murmured apologies to him.
Paul nodded, shrinking deeper into his embrace, words not forthcoming as he and Hidgens drifted to sleep.
And then all of them, this family found, split, and found again, differently, were together in sleep, together on this hospital bed on this military base.
And they were happy.
Or rather, they would be.
Soon enough.