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"Todd, it's cold season, he has a cold. You don't have to rush him to the hospital if he has a slight fever." Todd frowned, raising his arms at Farah incredulously.
"Wait, you're saying this?! You? Farah, look at his temperature. If it goes up more, he could get permanent brain damage, he could die." Dirk whimpered with a shiver under the light blanket he had wrapped around him on the couch. Farah rolled her eyes, and Dirk looked up, giving her a weary and also slightly terrified look. She shook her head at him.
"He's not getting brain... You're not getting brain damage, Dirk." She grabbed the thermometer out of Todd's hand. "His temperature is not even close to dangerous, okay? Can you calm down? Please? I swear, you freak out about every little thing..." Todd pressed his lips together. "If it starts getting close to 102, then you can take him to Urgent Care or something, but 100 degrees is not something to worry about." She grabbed Todd's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "He has a cold. Give him some tylenol or ibuprofen, make sure he's drinking fluids, and soup or something and let him rest. He'll be fine. I need to take care of the whole... turtle thing at the office now. Okay? Can you manage to not freak out too much for a few hours?" Todd frowned.
"I am not freaking out," he said, pouting. Farah smiled and laughed lightly.
"You are. But it's fine. Dirk needs someone to freak out over him sometimes, don't you?" She pressed her hand over Dirk's warm sweaty forehead. He leaned into the cool touch of her hand and sighed.
"I'm really fide, you guys," he said, his voice sounding like he'd been gargling nails for the past three days. He immediately went into a fit of violent and wet sounding coughs. Todd frowned, sitting down next to him. He starting firmly patting his back, grabbing the cup of water off the table and holding it in front of him. Dirk shook his head, face red, while he struggled to catch his breath. "J-ust," *cough*, "f--ine." Farah rolled her eyes.
"Call me if you want me to pick you up anything, groceries or medicine or whatever. I need to get out of here before I catch the plague too." Dirk watched as she left, whining softly as the door thunked shut behind her, and Todd watched Dirk, his frown still pulling down the sides of his mouth. Dirk flopped against the back of the couch with a heavy, wheezy sigh, and closed his eyes.
"Don't fall asleep yet." Dirk felt Todd stand up from the couch and listened as his footsteps faded to the other side of the room. He cracked open one eye to see him walking into the kitchen. His vision was blurred with exhaustion, but he could see Todd grab something and start walking back.
"Was'sat?" Todd frowned at that and shook his head.
"Your cold medicine. You need to take some more before you go to sleep. It's been like... five hours since you took the last ones. It'll probably make you feel better."
"Pro-bly?"
"Well, if this is actually a cold, which... I mean who knows with you, it could be like Mars fever or fairy dust or some stupid thing..." Dirk tried to roll his eyes, but it just made him dizzy, so he huffed a slightly offended breathy cough.
"I can ged cold, Todd. Just because I'm me, do-dn't mead I do't ged regular human dings too," Todd rolled his eyes, which made Dirk a little jealous at the ease he did it with, smiling slightly at Dirk's struggle to get his words out through the snot plugging his nose. Dirk moaned, leaning back again. Todd grabbed the cup of water from the table and popped out two of the tablets from the packet and held them out to Dirk.
"Whatever, stuffy. Just take them. You'll feel better when you wake up." Dirk glared up at him and narrowed his eyes.
"You sed I was gon' to die. Wud if id is Mard feber?" Todd sighed and shook his head.
"I was joking. I don't think it's Mars fever, whatever that is. And you’re not going to die… I’m sure Farah’s right. I”ve never been… great with dealing with this sort of thing." Todd sighed, thinking back to how panicked he’d get whenever Amanda got even the smallest colds. Dirk frowned, narrowing his eyes at him, and took the tablets and water from Todd, quickly swallowing them and scrunching his face in disgust at the aftertaste. He sipped at the water, trying to ignore his sore throat protesting against him drinking, and then sat the nearly full glass back on the table. Todd frowned. "You should probably drink a little more before you go to sleep. I don't want you getting dehydrated."
"Ugh, fide" Dirk said. "Feeld bad." He took another couple sips, his face scrunching up at the discomfort. Todd sighed.
"I could make you some tea, put some honey in it? That might help a little with your throat?" Dirk shrugged, yawning. His eyes were red and watery, and he leaned back against the cushions again, and shook his head.
"Too tired. Mebbe lada." He said, coughing again, his throat making some gross phlegmy sounds. Todd pressed the back of his hand against Dirk's forehead, frowning at the heat coming off his skin. Dirk leaned into the touch like he had with Farah, shivering slightly again, and pulling the blanket tighter around him.
"Get some sleep, Dirk. I’ll be here if you need anything." Todd said sincerely, trying to quell his anxiety, looking down at Dirk softly. Dirk smiled and nodded appreciatively and Todd pulled his hand away, walking over and taking a seat on the armchair across from the sofa. He turned on the television, lowering the volume so that it was barely audible. Dirk slowly rearranged himself on the sofa, turning so he was facing the back cushions. He thought it would take ages to fall asleep with how shivery and sweaty and uncomfortable he felt, but the moment he relaxed his head into the pillow, he passed out.
Time passed. Dirk wasn't sure how much time. His head felt tight and sore as he forced his eyes open. He was facing the television now, the volume blaring loud and painfully in his ears. Dirk turned to the chair Todd was in to ask him to turn the volume down, but he wasn't there. He frowned, looking around the living room.
"Todd?" His voice came out in a whisper, not painful like when he’d speak through his sore throat, but like even if he was screaming as loud as he could, it would still sound the same volume. Barely audible even to his own ears. He pushed himself up on the sofa. His body felt strange. His limbs moved like he was wading through thick sludgy water, heavy and dragging. He let out a soft groan and looked to the coffee table for his glass of water, but it was empty there was nothing on the table.
"-Cjelli, Project Icarus, Dirk Gently. Come back to Blackwing before anyone else dies because of you!" That horribly familiar voice crackled through the television, the volume of it still deafening. Dirk jumped, looking up at the screen, and let out a terrified half-gasp, half-sob, as Mr. Priest's face glared at him, his lips curled up in a vicious smirk.
"No," he breathed out. Mr. Priest chuckled.
"Oh, yes. OH, yes, yes, yes. It's time to come back. You don't belong here."
"You're not here. This isn't real. This isn't happening." Dirk pressed his face into his hands, shaking his head, trying to squeeze the face he could never forget out of his mind. He could still hear Mr. Priest cackling from the TV. "GET OUT!" He shouted. He peeked through his fingers, and could see Mr. Priest in the TV, his hands now clawing through the screen, eyes boring through him angrily.
“Leave me alone!” Dirk tried to stand up, but his body was tangled in the blankets around him like he was wrapped in a strait jacket, and he wriggled terrified, trying to get away. Mr. Priest’s torso was out of the screen now, his fingers digging into the wood floor as he dragged himself out further. Dirk squeezed his eyes shut tight, trying to curl in on himself. “GET OUT! GET OUT!”
"Dirk!" He opened his eyes and Todd was in front of his face. He could see behind him now that the TV was off, the screen dark. Dirk shook his head, heart pounding violently. "Are you okay?" Todd rested a hand on his shoulder, as he started shaking and panting. He shook his head.
"Bad dream." Dirk dropped his head into his hands again, trying to regain his composure. Todd's hand on his shoulder tightened. Dirk winced, trying to pull away. "Ow, Todd, stop." The hand gripped even tighter, nails digging into his skin. Dirk looked up, and Todd was gone, Mr. Priest standing in his place, snarling down at him. He dug his finger into the scar on Dirk's shoulder, and pushed him back into the couch cushions, moving to straddle over the top of him, leaning down so Dirk could smell the scent of his breath wafting over his face. Dirk flinched back, closing his eyes.
"You can never escape. You'll always be... right here." Mr. Priest slid his tongue up the side of Dirk's cheek, eliciting a shaky whimper from him. The weight and heat on top of him was unbearable. Dirk fought to breathe, his lungs compressed in his chest as Mr. Priest leaned closer, forcing his back onto the cushions of the couch. "I own you, forever." Mr. Priest's voice echoed in his ears like he was blasting it through loudspeakers all around him. His breath kept catching in his throat, gasping and wheezing. Dirk tried to push Mr. Priest away, but his muscles were weak, useless. It was like he was pushing against a tank, and his arms dropped back down to his sides, exhausted. A sob escaped his mouth, and Mr. Priest laughed, digging in his fingers harder into his shoulders. He cried out at the pain, writhing under the weight. "Open your eyes," he whispered.
“No,” Dirk gasped softly. “Go away, please go away.”
Dirk didn't want to. Didn't want to see whatever horror was awaiting, but it was as though his eyelids were not his own, controlled by Mr. Priest, and he opened them. Their apartment was gone. The sofa, the coffee table, the television. Replaced by the light gray walls, the bright fluorescent lights, his too-hard mattress of this damned awful cursed room he had been trapped in for too long. Mr. Priest was still on top of him, his hands now wrapped around his neck, smiling as Dirk choked and sputtered, fighting to breathe.
"Remember this? Remember how much we liked to play? Don't you miss it?" Mr. Priest leaned down, licking one of the tears from Dirk's cheek and shuddering disturbingly. Dirk scratched at his hands around his neck, but it was like trying to scratch at rock and his fingers wore away on his skin. "I miss it. I miss you. You think anyone else in this world would miss you? You could die and nobody would give a shit." His hands loosened for just long enough for Dirk to suck in a harsh gasping breath, before they tightened again. He could feel the warmth of more tears leaking out of his eyes. His vision started to go fuzzy around the edges.
Please. It was getting difficult to think, to process what was happening. He could only manage to plead in his mind for this to stop. Please, no more.
The room at Blackwing started to blur, shifting colors and depths, at moments flashing into almost looking like their living room again and then back to the harsh light of Blackwing again. Mr. Priest's face started to shift too. His expression, the disturbing delighted menace as he choked the life out of Dirk, flashing to concern and panic, his eyes, for a moment, a familiar bright blue. Dirk thought he could hear someone calling his name, his real name, but he couldn't catch his breath, couldn't follow the path towards it enough to be able to recognize it. Then there were faces that he couldn't recognize, the unbearable heat and weight pulling off of his chest, something ice cold touching his skin. It was too much, it was all too much. He was exhausted, lungs aching for air, and the dark consuming the edges of his vision was too strong to keep fighting against.
He heard Todd's voice before he let the dark drag him under.
"Hold on."
Farah walked into the hospital room, a heavy ache of guilt in her chest. The sight of Dirk in a hospital bed was never something that she got used to, even after the numerous times he'd ended up in one. Usually, though, it wasn't because he was sick, more like he'd accidentally gotten himself hurt on a case. But pneumonia from the flu? That was such an un-Dirk thing. Human and ordinary.
The heart monitor beeped softly in the room and there was a soft hiss from the oxygen tank helping Dirk to breathe. Farah quietly dragged a chair to the side of the bed closest, since Todd had stationed himself on the other side, now collapsed, asleep on the edge of the bed, his hand resting inches from Dirk's. She glanced up at Dirk, taking in his appearance. He at least looked more alive than he had last night. His skin was still paler than usual, dark circles under his eyes, a soft sheen of sweat across his forehead, but the blue tinge was gone from his lips, and he wasn't wheezing and choking on every breath. The sight of him like that haunted her, reminding her of the months taking care of Todd through his attacks while they were on the run. Those days he'd run out of medication and she'd spent the agonizing ages of his attacks praying that Todd would start breathing again, weighing the pros and cons of risking both of their lives by taking him to the hospital. Now, with the agency, with the dangerous cases they end up on, there's always the risk of losing each other, too many close calls, but this was just too human, too normal to brush away, and even worse knowing that she'd told Todd not to worry about it.
Farah squeezed her eyes closed, pinching her temple and trying to swallow down her emotions. She breathed in a shaky breath.
"It's not your fault, Farah." She looked up. Todd was watching her from the edge of the bed, still leaned over onto the mattress, his hands propping up his head. His expression was soft, the panic and anger from last night faded away. Farah pressed her lips together. "I'm sorry for what I said last night... I was just..." He sighed and looked over at Dirk, his forehead wrinkling up with worry.
"I know, Todd. Me too." She sighed and shook her head. Todd sat up and stood, carefully moving the chair closer to the head of the bed. Farah looked back at the door. "Did he wake up while I was gone?" Todd shrugged.
"They came in and woke him long enough for the breathing treatments, but he was exhausted. He just passed out again after they finished. I don't even know if he knew I was here." Farah pressed her lips together. "The fever's gone down, at least, and it hasn't seemed like he's having any more nightmares." Todd shook his head, closing his eyes at the memory of finding Dirk yesterday. "I just keep seeing it. Replaying it over and over."
"Yesterday?" Todd nodded.
"I walked away for three minutes, and I come back and he's..." Todd blinked back tears, swallowing hard. "He's fucking blue. Just writhing on the couch, tearing at his neck." Farah frowned at the scratches across Dirk's throat, shining in the light from the window with the ointment coating them. "Fuck. I mean... he could have died, Farah. On the couch in our apartment." He shook his head, his lips wobbling, jaw clenched.
"He's okay, Todd," Farah said, not sure what else to say. Todd glared up at her.
"I know. Okay? I know. I just... it doesn't ever feel... real, you know? With what we do, the stupid nonsense, the stakes just feel... I don't know. But this..."
"It's human," Farah finished, and Todd nodded.
"I guess I just forget that he's... he's still like us... you know? I hate that I do that, but I do. He just... he feels bigger than stupid shit like this. Flus and pneumonia and cold medicine. I mean with everything he's done and been through... it can't be this that..."
"He's going to be okay, Todd. He'll be up and back to doing his normal thing in a few days." Todd nodded slowly, pressing his lips tighter together, and then broke down into choking tears, shaking as they wracked through him. Farah jumped up from her chair, and circled the bed, leaning down to pull him into her arms. Todd wrapped his arms around her, squeezing tightly as he fought back the tears. He clenched his jaw tightly as she stroked his back.
"I don't know what I'd do... if he did... if he didn't make it. I'm not... I couldn't..." Farah shushed him, pulling back so she could look him in the eyes, sternly.
"Todd, look at him." She stepped aside, motioning back towards Dirk in the hospital bed, still sleeping quietly. Todd sighed, looking down at his hands and then glanced up. He shrugged, shaking his head.
"What?"
"He's alive. You got him here, you got him what he needed because that's what you do. He needs us to be here for him right now. To not act like he’s already dead, because he’s not.”
"Yes, but..."
"No, buts. You think he doesn't go through the exact same thing every time you have an attack? You think I don't? Those times when you were out of medication... I was terrified that you wouldn't make it through, that your lungs would just give up, and then I'd be completely alone." Todd frowned, and nodded. "This scared the shit out of me too, though. I was up all night just… freaking out… like I do," she said, with bitter sincerity. There was a short pause. Farah sat down on the edge of the bed, and looked back over at Dirk.
"You're right. I know you're right." He sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his neck. “I need to use the bathroom.” Todd pushed himself up out of his chair with a groan, stretching his arms out, a couple cracks coming from his spine. "Shit, I'm too old to sleep like that." Farah huffed a laugh.
"Are you just now realizing that?" Todd sent her a glare, but there was no heat behind it. Farah smiled softly and raised an eyebrow. “You know you can go home, shower, get some rest? I’ll be here, I can let you know if he wakes up?” Todd shrugged and shook his head.
“They said he’d probably be waking up anytime now that the fever’s gone down. I’d rather stick around a bit longer…” Farah sighed and nodded, knowing she wasn’t going to win that argument, as much as she’d prefer Todd get some actual rest. She took a seat in the other chair in the room as Todd made his way out to use the restroom.
The room was quiet again now that Todd walked out. Dirk's breathing was still slightly wheezy. Farah wondered absently as she glanced out the window if he'd wake up while Todd was gone. Part of her hoped he wouldn't, not sure what she'd say, knowing the last time she'd spoken to him, she'd waved off Todd's concerns in front of Dirk. It's hard not to blame herself as she's looking across at one of her best friends, once again in a hospital bed.
She shook herself out of the self-deprecating talk in her mind, and folded open her laptop. She started working on getting through emails and paperwork that needed to be sent off. Todd walked back in a few minutes later, giving her a half smile and going to his chair. He looked up at Dirk before he pulled out his phone, tapping away at the screen.
Farah looked up from her laptop, watching Todd and then Dirk, her heart aching. There was good things about having people in your life to care about, people that you'd do anything for, but at the same time, the amount of worry that she had for these two that seemed hell-bent on getting themselves into trouble was often incredibly overwhelming. She loved them, but it'd be nice to go a week without having to be concerned about their safety, though she had to admit, she kind of liked it a bit too much too.
She pulled up her emails again, trying to focus on the work she needed to do, but her mind wandered, distracted by the beeps, and the sounds from the hallway. She sighed and closed her laptop, leaning back in her chair, and shut her eyes.
Her phone buzzed, and she glanced down. It was call from 'Turtle Guy,' some man that had seen her ad and was very interested in taking the turtles they had in tanks all over the office right now.
“Todd," she whispered, looking over at Todd, who glanced up from his phone.
“What?” He asked in a hushed voice.
“I’ll be right back. I need to take this call.” She couldn't take the call in here. She recalled having to practically scream at the man over the phone, apparently he was partially deaf. Todd nodded, and Farah walked out of the room.
Todd let out a sigh, looking back at his phone, trying to intently concentrate on the important task of unsubscribing to all the marketing emails he was still getting, because that was easier to deal with that focusing on the elephant-in-the room, or more accurately, the ‘guy-that-you’re-kind-of-sort-of-interested-in-and-care-a-lot-about-and-work-with-and-were-sent-into-multiple-panics-about-because-he-got-sick-in-the-hospital-bed… in-the-room.
There was a soft knock at the door and Todd looked up to see one of the hospital staff peering in and waving him over with a smile. Todd frowned, furrowing his eyebrows and pointing at his chest, confirming that it was him she was asking for. She nodded, and waved him over again. Todd looked to Dirk in the bed, still asleep, and walked to the door.
“Mr. Brotzman, I understand you’re Mr. Gently’s emergency contact?” Todd nodded. “There was just some missing information on his intake forms last night, we were hoping you’d be able to help us complete, insurance purposes and everything. Can you come with me to the desk for a couple minutes?” Todd pressed his lips together, looking back towards Dirk.
“Uh, well, can it wait? I don’t really want to leave him by himself. My other friend is just on a call, so she should be back any minute.” The nurse pressed her lips together and frowned.
“I’m sorry, but we really need to get it updated now. You shouldn’t be concerned about your friend, we’ll be able to listen for any changes from here, and it really will only take a couple minutes.” Todd’s chest tightened, but he nodded, sparing another glance back to Dirk before following the nurse out of the room.
The door to Dirk's room closed with a thud, not an unusual or particularly loud thud, but it was enough and at the right time that Dirk started to shift at the sound, his eyelids twitching, fingers wiggling slightly on the blankets. His brain was still fuzzy, heavy with sleep and large doses of antibiotics and nausea suppressants, as well as the remnants of the fever delirium that had plagued him yesterday. He started to slowly come back to the world of the conscious people, peeking open one eye slowly, trying to comprehend where he was, what was going on, why he felt like he'd been hit by a semi-truck, etc.. etc...
The first thing he noticed was the light gray walls, the sterile white of the blankets covering his legs, the pain in his throat. The memory of Mr. Priest’s hands around his neck sprang to his mind immediately. It was Blackwing. He was there still. It was real, Mr. Priest, his room, he was still there. He hadn’t gotten out. The adrenaline pumping into his mind fueled the fear, sharpening the hazy details of the hospital room with details from his memories. His hands clenched around the blankets, throwing them off the bed. He took a brath and swung his legs over the side, his head spinning, but he had to go, he needed to leave now. There was a pinch in his arm as he tried to get up from the bed, and he glanced down noticing the IV taped to his skin. He frowned at it for a moment, his exhausted mind trying to understand what it was doing there, but the pieces just weren't coming together quick enough. This thing was keeping him in the bed, so it needed to go.
He yanked it quickly, the tape ripping up some arm hairs, and the plastic tube pulling painfully at his skin. The small hole immediately began bleeding, pumping out in a thick stream and started dripping onto the floor. He winced, wrapping his hand around the bleeding wound, and looking for an escape. The dizziness was worsening with the sudden blood loss and pain, and as he stepped down onto the floor, his legs gave out, and he collapsed. He reached out as he fell, trying to catch himself on the bed, but his muscles were still weakened by the infection and he dropped down, sharp pains blossoming in his knees. He tried to bite back the reaction, but let out a rough yelp, hoping that nobody heard him. There was more beeping now, frantic and insistent. Dirk knew that he didn't have long before he'd be found here, and they'd make sure he couldn't escape next time. The floor under his arm was getting smeared with a layer of his blood. He winced, wrapping his hand around it again, and tried to shift to push himself up when he heard the door open and multiple sets of footsteps moving towards him on the other side of the bed.
"Mr. Gently!" Dirk's vision was hazy, looking up at this woman with a concerned and friendly voice. She was tricking him, the ones in the hospital wing always did, pretending like they cared when he ended up in there after Mr. Priest had his fun. He pushed back away from her.
"No! Get back! I'm leaving! I have to go!" He wheezed out, his breaths coming too quickly, crackling in his chest. He could see more movement behind the woman, more people coming in. He knew they’d be grabbing him soon, strapping him into the bed so he couldn’t escape. She paused, turning back and saying something he couldn't quite hear to someone out of sight before she knelt down, a short distance away from him.
"Mr. Gently. My name is Jessica. I'm just here to help you. You're in the hospital. Your friends brought you here, so you could get better, okay? It looks like you're bleeding, can I help get you cleaned up?" Her voice was soft and gentle. Dirk pushed away again, his back coming up against the wall, but his adrenaline was fading, and exhaustion was taking over. He fought to try to catch his breath, coughing and wheezing. He knew he wouldn't be able to fight his way out of here like this. He only hoped that Farah and Todd knew he was here and that they would be looking for him.
"Please don't tell Mr. Priest what happened," he gasped out. "Don't tell him I tried to leave." He blinked back tears, clenching his jaw. Jessica frowned and shook her head.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I don't know who that is. But I promise, we won't tell anyone anything you don't want us to. Okay? You're safe here." She shuffled slightly closer, holding out her hand towards Dirk's arm. Dirk frowned and reluctantly held it out to her. She started wiping up his arm carefully and quickly, like she had done this a million times before, and taped a piece of gauze over the slightly bleeding wound. She started to look him over, checking for any obvious signs of injuries he may have gotten from falling out of the bed.
“Dirk!” The familiar panicked voice cut through the haze and Dirk looked up to see Todd running into the room. Todd was here, he came to rescue him. His panic lessened slightly. “Shit! What happened? Is he okay?”
“Todd!” Dirk said hoarsely, his voice more tired and weary with the passing minutes. Jessica turned around to Todd who was walking over, hovering behind them.
“He’s alright, Mr. Brotzman. Just had a little slip out of bed, didn’t we?” She smiled back at Dirk, patting him on the arm.
“Todd, when did you get to Blackwing?” Todd’s face fell and he shook his head, walking around Jessica and dropping down next to Dirk.
“You’re not in Blackwing, Dirk. It’s the hospital. You’re not back there, I promise.” Todd reached down, placing his hand on Dirk’s arm. Dirk frowned, taking a breath, and looked back around the room. With his adrenaline faded, Todd here and feeling slightly more awake, he could see the room clearer. The harsh edges of Blackwing softened into the still sterile, but slightly cozier looking hospital room. The walls, a light blue instead of that intimidating gray, a mundane painting of a bouquet of flowers on the wall that never would have been allowed in Blackwing, most of all the bright open window looking out over trees and a parking lot and people walking on the sidewalk.
"This isn't Blackwing." He said, relieved, the tightness and fear in his chest loosening. Todd nodded, smiling at him softly, his forehead still wrinkled with concern. Dirk shook his head. “What happened?” Todd pressed his lips together, the panic coming back remembering what happened the day before. Jessica seemed to notice his distress and spoke up.
"You were brought here in an ambulance yesterday with a bad case of pneumonia and the flu. It’s really common that the fever can cause some strange and frightening dreams, and you’ve been on some heavy medications, so you may feel pretty disoriented right now. But it’s looking like you’re feeling a bit better now." She gave Dirk a smile. Dirk nodded slowly, the small bits of memories coming clearer in his mind. Snippets of hazy moments that must have happened in the last few hours. He wrapped an arm around his chest, fighting to take a deep breath. "Now that we’ve calmed down, we need to get you a clean gown and back into bed, but first, I just want to make sure you didn't hurt yourself, okay?" Dirk nodded, he noticed another nurse now waiting on the other side of the bed. Jessica quickly asked him a few questions, and prodded and poked at his limbs where he'd fallen. Todd stepped back, hanging by one of the walls awkwardly. Jessica waved over the other nurse after a couple minutes and they pulled him up slowly and helped him to sit down on the edge of the bed. They pulled the curtain, giving Dirk some privacy as they quickly helped him out of the dirty gown that was now coated in a light layer of blood. He shivered at the cool air, feeling a bit self-conscious, but he was sure they saw worse all the time, and they got him dressed in the clean one quick enough that he didn't have much time to be too concerned. "Better?" Dirk nodded.
"Yes, thank you. Sorry for..." he motioned at the smear of blood on the floor. Jessica shrugged, waving off his apologies.
"Don't worry about it. Literally happens all the time." She gave him a reassuring smile. The other nurse pulled the curtain back open, before leaving, and Dirk felt himself relax seeing Todd standing there, giving him a soft smile. "We do need to get another IV in you, just don't rip this one out, okay?" Dirk's face scrunched up a little at that. "You won't even feel it. I'm super good at IVs." The other nurse walked back in with a tray of medical supplied and smiled at him. They helped Dirk lay back in the bed, and the other nurse pulled the blankets back up over legs and waist. He sighed, and let out another wet cough, wheezing a bit. Jessica pulled the cannula back over his nostrils, and he could feel the tickle of oxygen on his nose hairs, and an immediate loosening in his chest as he breathed it in.
Todd walked back to sit in his chair, watching carefully as Jessica worked on getting the IV put in on Dirk’s other arm, not wanting to get in the way. Dirk looked down at his arm, but when she picked up the needle, he looked back at Todd, staring at him for reassurance as the needle went in. Jessica was right though, he barely even felt it, and only looked back when she patted him on the arm.
“All done.” Dirk let out a relieved breath, looking back over at her, and the taped tube in his arm. She finished getting it hooked up, looking him over once more before nodding."No more hopping out of bed right now, got it?" Dirk nodded. "We'll be back in here in about one hour for the next breathing treatment, so just take it easy. I'll have someone in here in a couple minutes to get that cleaned up.” She motioned to the smear of blood on the floor. “And just press your call button if you need anything." The two nurses picked up their supplies and the dirty gown and then walked back out of the room, letting the door close behind them. Dirk looked back at Todd hesitantly, Todd’s face creased with concern. Todd stood up and walked to the edge of the bed, standing close enough that he could take Dirk’s hand, but he kept his hands clenched at his sides.
“I’m sorry, I should have been in here when you woke up. They were having me fill out some stupid paperwork and Farah left for a phone call, and you’d been asleep all night, so I-”
“Todd, it’s alright. I’m okay.” Todd frowned and shook his head.
“I’m just sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone,” Todd said, before drawing in a shaky breath. Dirk could see his eyes shining before he squeezed them shut. He looked away from Dirk, clenching his jaw. Dirk frowned and reached out, taking one of his hands in his.
“I’m just glad you’re here now. That’s what matters.” Todd looked back at him, his heart pounding. Dirk smiled up at him.
“I thought I was going to lose you.” Dirk scoffed, the sound catching scratchily in his throat, and shook his head.
“Todd, come on. It’s pneumonia, not Mars fever.” He smiled, and Todd let out a soft laugh, rolling his eyes. “It’d take a lot more than this to get rid of me. Unfortunately, you’re stuck with me.” Todd’s face softened, and he shook his head.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Dirk.” Dirk squeezed his hand, and Todd leaned over, pressing his other hand to Dirk’s cheek, his skin still warm, but not concerningly so like it had been. Dirk leaned into the touch same as he had yesterday, his eyelids lowering as he gazed up at Todd. They held like that for a moment before Todd slowly leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Dirk’s lips, which he returned, and then broke with a wince when he tried to bring his other hand to Todd’s neck and it pulled on his IV.
“Ow.” Todd let out a soft laugh.
“Seriously? Todd, if you get sick, I am not going to be taking care of both of you.” Farah said from the doorway, which they both hadn’t noticed opening. She rolled her eyes at them, but she had the faint curve of a smile on her lips.
“Farah!” Dirk said, excitedly, still holding Todd’s hand. Farah walked further into the room. “You’re here!”
“I am, just in time to catch the show, apparently…” She shook her head, and then noticed the red patch on the floor, frowning and pointing to it. “What the hell is that?”
Dirk’s eyed widened and he looked up at Todd. Todd frowned.
“Nothing major. Dirk woke up, had a little panic thinking he was… you know where, and tried to stage an epic escape.”
“Yes, apparently, when you pull an IV out, it can bleed quite a bit sometimes…” Farah pressed her lips together, walking to the edge of the bed.
“You alright now?” Dirk nodded.
“I’m definitely feeling much better than I was.” Farah nodded, not entirely convinced, especially since Dirk’s breathing was still pretty labored and he wheezed after he spoke, but it was better seeing him at least awake now. Todd looked over at her.
“Any luck with the turtle guy?” Todd asked. Farah narrowed her eyes at him for the quick change of subject, but shook her head.
"No, not yet. The guy I was talking to, he's half deaf, but apparently he thought I was trying to give him hurdles, like the things the runners jump over? He's some like ancient track coach and misread my ad on Craiglist." Dirk laughed.
"That's...really funny." Farah rolled her eyes, but laughed too.
"Funny for you... you're not the one that's been having to take care of the things. The whole office stinks of turtles right now. It's awful,” she said with a soft laugh. She turning back to sit in her chair. Todd followed her lead, but dragged his chair further from the blood stain and closer to the top of the bed near Dirk. He wasn’t going to hold his hand again, not sure about it with Farah here, or what the protocols were, just generally overthinking all of it, when Dirk reached his hand out to him, taking his hand without even a second thought. He smiled, feeling relieved, and rejoined the conversation.
Dirk was in the hospital for a couple more days recovering, Todd and Farah by his side as much as they were allowed to be. They never did find someone to take the turtles. Farah walked back in the agency a day later, and the tanks no longer had turtles in them, and there were about fifteen cats wandering around, clawing at the windows and knocking everything off the desks. They had a really wonderful animal adoption event with the help of the local animal shelter though, which they hoped they wouldn’t get a bunch of calls soon about disappearing cats and appearing…other animals.
It was nice when things could get back to normal.