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When Toby woke up he was freezing. He pulled at the thin blanket draped around him before a heavy sigh left his chest and he sat up, his eyebrows knit together. He held up his left hand, catching sight of 3 new bruises on his arm. His head jerked to one side.
He threw his legs over the side of the bed, standing with his heels slightly off the ground. His eyes scanned the room idly before they settled on a pile of folded clothes with a post-it on them on his dresser.
“They’ll be a bit big on you, sorry -B”
Toby held up the garments. A well-loved sweater with an intricate pattern, a pair of heavy blue jeans, some underwear still in the package, and a pair of socks with cheaply printed cats on them. A warm smile grew on his face.
Once he left his room he realized how quiet it really was despite the time. His worn converse hit the ground lightly as he wandered into the shared living space, and he noticed a pot on the stove in the kitchen. Everything just felt too calm. Too quiet.
Suddenly, piercing static was all he could hear. His hands flew to his ears. In the mind-numbing noise he was told where to go and what to do. Before another thought could form he was mindlessly pulling on a thick coat to combat the cold and grabbing the hatchet he hid behind the cozy red couch. His mask and goggles were sloppily thrown onto his face as he walked out into the morning mist, the door slammed loudly. He didn’t notice.
When he returned it was nearly twelve hours since he had left. The first indication of his arrival was a weak knock hitting the door in the pattern Kate made as a joke.
Tim looked wearily to his fellow proxies as he carefully put down the broom he held. When he opened the door Toby practically fell into his arms.
Blood covered Tim’s flannel.
“Shit. Kate, get the med kit!” He rushed out as he hoisted the teen up and carried him to the kitchen table. He looked at Brian, who widely nodded back to him. He went through the kitchen drawers, the clinking of utensils accentuating his frantic movement. He pulled his hand away from the lowest drawer with a pair of yellow cloth sheers in hand, running over to Tim.
“The sweater again? I need to stop giving him my good clothes,” Brian sighed before cutting off the sweater and jeans he had lent him. Together they scanned over the wounds.
“Here, this is the restocked one,” Kate said, throwing down and opening the medical kit and unpacking what they would need. She walked to the side before hesitating and going to prepare his room for the recovery. Tim gently removed the glass from the side of his right shoulder. Brian played nurse, handing the different tools and bandages.
“He’s too young,” Tim muttered, concern was placed harshly under his tone. The procedure took little more than 20 minutes, but the tension in the air wouldn’t subside until they knew he would wake up again.
Once everything was said and done they carried Toby to his room, Kate had gotten the heavier blankets and propped up his pillows as well as finding their light-weight hospital scrubs to put him in. He was placed in his bed and dressed wordlessly, leaving Kate to watch over him until he would wake up again. The door shut lightly behind Tim and Brian. Kate waited a moment before turning to him.
“I don’t know if you can hear me,” she mumbled out, her voice wavering slightly as she looked away. “We should have warned you, but this has never happened so soon.”
She looked at him again, he moved slightly in his uneasy sleep. After the first 20 minutes Kate went to his bookshelf. It was filled with things that they collected over time, she scanned the covers and eventually settled on a comic book titled “Spider Man's Adventures, Vol 1”. She was never a fan of superhero stories before, but becoming what she has she couldn’t help but wish for a different life. She scanned through the pages for what felt like forever when suddenly she heard movement next to her.
She put the book down and saw Toby looking around before going to sit up, she hovered her hand over his chest.
“No,” She said, “You’ll hurt yourself more.”
Toby looked at her sharply. He then turned away and lifted his right hand, looking at the deep lashes on his arms. ‘Those have to be new’ he thought.
“W-what… what happened?” he stuttered out. Kate’s eyes scanned over him before she took a small breath.
“You were… tested.” She replied, trying to wave away the shaking in her voice.
“Tested?” he mumbled, his hand now flicking slightly from side to side.
“He gave you a job you shouldn't have done alone while Tim and I were out,” she said with a rough sigh. Toby hummed in response.
“How long should I lay here and rot for, doc?” he said with a small smile. Kate looked at him, her gaze softening.
“Well, we’re hoping you won’t be out of the game too long this time,” she replied, “so maybe 2 weeks?”
Toby made a little clicking noise when a solid knock came to his door. Before he could say anything, Brian walked in with two fresh plates of mashed potatoes with stuffing, Tim carried two other plates.
“Can we eat with you here? Kate always says it’s easier to heal with everyone close by,” Brian said with a soft smile on his face.
Toby looked around and nodded lightly. And everyone took their seats.
“This is your favorite, right?” Kate asks, taking a small bite of the warm potatoes. Brian didn’t learn to cook until his second year there, but since then, every new thing that he made was worth every cook book they stole.
A hum came in response, Kate smiled to Brian, he gave a thumbs up back.
Days off weren’t very common, but one thing was for sure. Nobody would ever recover alone.