Work Text:
Ben was on his way back to the morgue when a commotion in the hallway drew his attention. A large group had arrived, seemingly all at once, and the hall was suddenly filled with people shuffling about chaotically. Suspects declaring their innocence were being dragged into interrogation rooms while various detectives and officers were demanding their silence while at the same time shouting commands and orders to one another. He was going to ignore it but then, over the din, he heard Luo Fei's voice; it was as strident and strong as always but there was a tightness to it that put Ben instantly on alert. Luo Fei only sounded like that when something was wrong.
"We've got it from here, Luo Fei," someone shouted as Ben turned the corner. "Go home!"
"You still need me, I can—" Luo Fei had begun to retort, but broke off when the door he was about to walk through slammed in his face. With an annoyed huff, he spun around and began to stalk off, but his leg buckled under him on the second step.
Thankfully, Ben had quick reflexes and was able to rush forward and grab Luo Fei before he could fall. Then, with one hand under his elbow, Ben took advantage of the few moments Luo Fei needed to regain his balance to look him over and decided he did not like what he saw.
"You're soaking wet."
"It rained earlier. I'll dry."
"You're also shivering."
"I'm fine."
"You are not," he replied. Far too familiar with Luo Fei's hardheadedness, he shifted his grip so Luo Fei could lean on him for support in lieu of his missing cane. "Since I assume I won't be able to convince you to head home—"
"I'm not going back to the Sullivan, not now. They don't know the right questions to ask. They won't be able to finish this case without my help and they're going to realize that eventually."
"As I said, since I assume I won't be able to convince you to go home, you're coming back to the morgue with me," he explained as he began leading them away. "It's just as convenient for you to wait there as anywhere else and I can give you a quick exam to get a better sense of what you've done to yourself this time. You're at least slightly hypothermic and knowing your eating habits when a case gets going I assume you're also running on fumes. What else are you hiding?"
"Ben…" Luo Fei began, but then sighed. "You're impossible."
"No, pretty sure that's you. I just know you too well for you to be able to pull anything over on me. You know I'm going to find out whatever it is as soon as I examine you so you may as well tell me."
"There was a bit of a chase near the end." At Luo Fei's pause, Ben made a soft hum of half acknowledgement and half query. "Some leaves were slicker than I expected and you know how my leg gets when the weather's like this. I took a bit of a tumble," he eventually admitted.
That matched up with what he'd observed so far, the tight lines of pain on Luo Fei's face and the tense way he was holding himself as they walked. Nothing broken, he suspected, but likely either strained or badly bruised. He kept his tone light as he teased, "There, that wasn't so hard was it?" as he herded Luo Fei through the morgue to the area off to the side where he could examine him in private.
"All right, time for me to look you over. Neuro check first." Under the guise of grabbing an armful of blankets and dumping them at the head of the table he subtly shifted the small footstool he kept nearby into position for those days Luo Fei wasn't up to his usual method of hopping on. "Jacket off, then up you go."
Thankfully, the years of Ben bullying and threatening Luo Fei about his health and lack of self-preservation paid off and, knowing that arguing would get him nowhere, Luo Fei capitulated to the inevitable without complaint. After shedding his jacket he stepped onto the stool with his good leg, planted his hands flat and hefted himself up so sit on the edge of the table.
"Did you hit your head when you fell?"
"No." At Ben's raised eyebrow, Luo Fei raised his hands, "Honestly, I didn't. I know better than to lie to you about a head injury."
Just to be on the safe side, he started the exam there anyway, feeling along Luo Fei's skull, where, other than the hair being damp, there was nothing unusual to note, and then held up a finger and moved it right to left and back again. "Follow," he ordered as he repeated the motion. Luo Fei's eyes reacted normally, good. "What did you hurt then?"
"Thigh and hip, like always."
After a quick check of Luo Fei's shoulders, arms and ribs—not only did everything appear fine, but he was watching Luo Fei's reactions to his touch and there were no tell-tale flinches or winces or anything—he spread one of the blankets out on the table and set the others right next to Luo Fei. "Time to assess the damage then. Get your trousers down far enough that I can see everything and then lie down."
"You just want to see me naked," Luo Fei joked, unbuttoning his fly with exaggeratedly large movements.
"Always, but I tend to appreciate it more when it's not in a medical setting." He tapped Luo Fei on the forehead and grabbed the discarded jacket that had been tossed to the side. "Trousers down, lie back and cover yourself up with blankets. I don't want you getting any colder than you already are. I'll be back in a couple of minutes."
To give Luo Fei what privacy he could, Ben busied himself by first hanging the jacket up where it might have a chance to dry and then putting up some water to heat. He was just gathering together some supplies when Luo Fei called him back over. Hiding his wince—that was some impressive bruising—Ben donned a pair of gloves and began carefully examining the area.
Plenty of burst capillaries and the slight swelling he'd expect from the kind of fall Luo Fei had described. Definitely some muscle strain but considering the previous mobility shown, a sprain was unlikely. No evidence of a hematoma, thankfully, and definitely nothing broken. "Icing would help, not only to contain the bruising but also with the pain and to keep the swelling down, but since you're already colder than I'd like so I'm not sure it's the best idea right now."
"No, probably not, but it's not necessary. If there's swelling and bruising, there's swelling and bruising and as for the pain, it's fine—" at Ben's glare he cut himself off and grinned sheepishly. "It isn't any worse than usual."
"It doesn't look like there's any cuts or abrasions so I could rub in some of that muscle cream that you pretend to hate. It won't take long for you to start to feel its effects, maybe even by the time I've made some tea and scrounged up something for you to eat. How long before you think they'll admit they're out of their depth and need your help?"
"Well, Ye Changqing is in charge so…."
"So probably quite some time then."
"At least until Savoy starts breathing down his neck."
"Plenty of time to get your core temperature back to normal and have the cream do its thing. I'll go get it." He began to step away, but turned back when Luo Fei grabbed his hand.
"Ben? Thank you."
Reaching out, he stroked Luo Fei's cheek with his free hand. "For you? Always."