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"Fuck", Chris Redfield groaned.
He was in pain. He`d had worse, of course, but still. He was in pain. He was also very, very annoyed.
His shoulder throbbed, the stitches iteched and worse of all, he was forced to wear a mint green night gown. Spending new year´s eve at a hospital was hell. He´d had nights on battlefields that were more pleasant than this.
Tomorrow, he would organice himself a car, check out of hospital and check in some motel. Anything with a stable internet connection and a minibar would do. No nurse would stop Chris Redfield.
Earlier this day, Claire had called him from Ohio. She was on a job vor Terra Save. Since the news spread he´d been wounded in battle, she had insisted to take the next flight to get to her brother. Chris had convinced her not to come, telling her he had worse and that she couldn´t help much anyhow. He regrettet his decision, now.
He had had a lot of pretty lousy new year´s eves before, but being confined to a hospital bed in rural countryside was definetly on his top ten list. He was starting to feel restless, again. Worse, he was starting to feel useless. As one of the founders of the world´s leading counter-bioterrorism organizations, he wasn´t used to spend his days in bed. Hard to fight bioweapons in a hospital´s night gown, although Chris was ready to try it. Just as he decided to contact HQ again and repeat his request to be transportet back to the north american base with more...emphasis, a nurse came in to bring him his medication and some lukewarm herbal tea to wash them down with. She was wearing a rediculus litte party hat on her head and looked just as pained as Chris felt. He had no doubt that she, too, could imagine something better than having to work the night shift on New Year's Eve. He tried to be friendly, but she remained unimpressed.
As she left, his phone rang. Not the one he kept for work, but the one he used for his private contacts. He had spoken to Claire earlier and even Barry had called him to ask if he was well enough to live till next year.
Chris groped for his phone with his good arm and reached it just before the call went to mailbox. The screen said "Nivans". Odd! His lieutenant rarely called him, especially not on his personal phone. Adrenaline surged through Chris as he pressed the button to return the call.
"Nivans!"
"Oh Captain, it´s you." Somehow he seemed to have thrown Nivans off his game.
"Of course, it´s me. You just called me."
"Yeah, right, I did. I just thought you might already be asleep."
"Nope, not asleep"
"Great, well..."
"Nivans, is everything all right?"
"Sure, Sir. Actually, I called to ask, if you´re all right. I mean, I know you´re not, as you´re in hospital, but I wanted to ask if you´re doing better."
"Yeah, getting better. I´m just bored out of my mind."
Piers chuckled, "That doesn´t surprise me much, Sir."
"What do you mean?"
"You are not a exactly a patient -uh- patient, are you? I bet you refused to be flown out by the rescue team."
Chris decided not to tell his lieutenant that he´d been unconscious for nearly three hours before help arrived. No need to give the young man more reasons to give his Captain a dressing-down for beeing reckless. So he just said: "I might have been tempted to try."
"You remember that one time when I was shot in.....holy shit, did you win your driving license in the lottery?!" Through the speaker, Chris could hear someone honking. Presumably Piers.
"Sorry, Cap, wasn´t talking to you."
"I hope so. Are you driving, lieutenant?"
"Yep. Got some miles ahead of me, so I thought...ugh... I´d call you." Chris tried to get into a more comfortable position in bed.
"Don´t answer your phone while driving."
"There's an invention called a hands-free system. Pretty handy." His lieutenant could be quite sassy. "And don´t worry. I´m the best driver of the BSAA" He was. He was also the best sniper, fastest runner and probably best dancer.
"Sure you are, kiddo."
"So, Captain, how are you really. Except bored out of your mind?"
"Two rips broken. Not much one can do about it. Pulled the bullet from my shoulder two days ago."
Piers groaned. "So it´s true, you´ve been shot again?"
"I could refill a magazin with the amount of bullets they pulled out of me over the last ten years." he tried to joke.
His attempt to be funny fell on deaf ears. "As far as I remember, HQ only requested you as an advisor for a reconnaissance mission. How could it end with you being shot? Why were you alone? Didn't they provide you with sufficient backup?"
"Let´s just say I had a job to do and I´ve seen it through."
"Your job wasn´t do get shot. It wasn´t to go into warzone all alone."
"They were killing unarmed civilians, Nivans. Couldn´t wait for backup." Chris realized he was getting louder. He had had this conversation first with HQ and then with Claire. He was not willing to justify himself to his lieutenant now, as well.
"That´s why you should have brought Alpha Team with you, Sir", Piers sounded just as annoyed as Chris.
"And what would you guys have done? Taken the bullet for me?" Chris winced. To late, he remembered that Piers Nivans had done excactly that during one of their missions. Piers started to protest, but Chris cut him short: "Fall in line, Soldier."
"Captain."
"No, listen Piers. I admit it. In retrospective, it was a stupid decision to act without the team, Sometimes I forget, I´m a teamplayer again"
"That´s why you´ve got me. To remind you, Captain.
"Appreciated."
Chris decided to change the subject, before he had to apologize for any more stupid decision he´d made in his life.
"Anyway, how is everyone holding up? Most of you guys on your well earned vacation?"
"The base is still occupied, of course, but Walker and Alfonse are already home since Christmas and MacCauley is ready to leave tomorrow."
"How about you, then? You´re on the road, too" Chris chuckled "Driving home for Christmas?"
"Christmas is over, Cap."
"So you´re not on your way to your family?"
"Nah, not this year."
"You skipped last year and the year before, as I remember."
Chris felt the urge to aks his lieutenant why he chose to spend the holidays at base instead of with his family. He didn´t ask.
Instead, he said: "Someone told me, it´s important to keep a healthy work-life-balance, Nivans."
"That´s one workaholic judging another."
Chris had to grin, but then added more soberly: "Except, it´s more than work. This is our life, right?"
"It is."
"So, we´ve got to keep the motor turning, as they say."
"We will, Captain."
They stayed quiet a little while, before Piers asked: "Wanna listen to the radio?"
"Why not. Just make sure it´s not something from One Republic, I don´t like that stuff."
Piers turned up the volume of his sound system. "That´s more your style?" he asked, as Bob Seger started to praise the good old Rock n´Roll.
"I´m old, but not that old, Nivans."
"I´ll try to find something else, then."
"Actually, I might be old. Just let it play, think I like it"
Piers groaned. Obviously, he was no fan of oldies.
"Back to my original question, then. Where are you going, lieutentant? Meeting your sweetheart to celebrate new year?"
Nivans had never mentioned a girlfriend, but then again he was very close lipped about all the other aspects of his personal life. Claire had put the idea in Chris´ head that he should try to build a better relationship with his lieutenant. When he pointed out that they already worked perfectly well together as a team, she had just snorted derisively.
To Chris's surprise, Nivans actually began to reply. "Well, Cap, Claire is in Ohio, so..."
Chris nearly choked. He made a gurgling noise.
"Just a joke, Chris." Nivans hurried to explain himself.
"A joke? I think, I might have just had a heart attack. Didn´t I just confirm, I´m old?"
"Sorry Captain. I was just kidding . Moreover, you´re not old and I think your sister has a crush on that Kennedy guy."
"Leon Kennedy?"
"Yes. No one can hold a candle to him. Did you see his perfectly styled hair?" Chris couldn't help but think of his lieutenant's impeccably styled pompadour. Strange, where did that thought come from? Pain medication, probably.
They went on with easy banter while Piers changed the radio station from time to time. Chris realized, they´d spent more time talking than he´d thought. It had long gone dark outside. It was already close to midnight when Piers announced he dad to end the call. "I´m pulling up at the parking lot, sorry, Captain."
"Nivans?"
"Yes?"
"Piers, I mean... thanks for calling. I really appreciated it"
"Anytime, Captain. See you soon"
As Chris put his phone aside, he realised, how quiet his room was. The ocassional beeping from the monitors next to his bed and the dripping from the crane in the bathroom didn´t count. It was quite depressing. He sighed and looked at his watch. Nearly midnight. Nealy new year. He never set intentions for the next year. Why should he? Quit smoking? For what reason? Only a few days ago, his lungs were nearly pierced by his broken rips. He was willing to risk the danger of smoking. Quit drinking? Yeah, good luck with that. It was his best way to escape the memories of horror haunting him at night. If every mission could be his last one, people dying around him like flies, ripped apart by BOW or transformed into monstrosities, you didn´t plan ahead more than a week. This was the life he`d chosen. He didn´t regret it often.
Chris swung his legs out of bed and carefully placed his feet on the cold linoleum floor. His legs supported him. So far, so good. He trudged over to the corner where his clothes and gym bag were and squatted down. The evening was ruined; at least he could write a report about the incident. Just as he had retrieved his tablet, there was a knock and the door opened. "I swallowed the pills, don't worry, Ma'am." He didn't bother to sit back up, but made sure that the hospital gown covered the essentials.
"That´s a view to remember."
Chris whirled around.
Leaning against the door frame stood Piers Nivans, grinning from ear to ear.
"No way" Chris said as he was to dumbstruck for any other response.
"Happy new year, Chris"