Chapter Text
The incessant beeping of the machinery filled the room, steady and irritating, blending with the muffled chaos spilling through the hospital walls. Voices shouted somewhere down the corridor, hurried footsteps echoed against the tiled floors, and every few seconds the squeak of a trolley being pushed could be heard. Nurses rushed from room to room, doctors barked orders, police and military personnel on standby. The hospital was overflowing, stretched beyond its limits by the disaster that had torn through the city only a few hours earlier. As was every hospital surrounding Raccoon City. Those lucky enough to get the cure in time swamped every hospital within a few mile radius. The unlucky ones stayed behind, leaving the government and military to deal with them.
Bryan sat alone on the edge of his hospital bed, his elbows planted firmly against his knees. His fingers were intertwined, though he kept pulling them apart and twisting them together again without even realising it. His leg bounced uncontrollably beneath him, the heel of his foot tapping against the floor in a rapid, uneven rhythm. He couldn’t keep still. He’d never been particularly good at keeping still, but now every nerve in his body was screaming at him to move.
He glanced toward the door for what felt like the hundredth time.
Still nothing.
A frustrated breath escaped him as he leaned forward, his shoulders tense and his jaw clenched. He wanted to leave. The longer he sat there, the more trapped he felt. The sterile white walls seemed to close in around him, and the constant beeping beside him only made his thoughts race faster.
He bounced his leg harder, unsure if it was the copious amounts of drugs he was administered, exhaustion, or just stress.
Bryan knew he probably shouldn’t leave. He knew that after what he had endured he would be here for a long while. But he couldn’t stop thinking about Michelle. About his unborn child. About the cop that saved his ass.
He wondered where the man was. The later part of the infection was a blur. All Bryan remembers is being terrified. Fading in and out of consciousness as he fought for control over his body. Then a sudden wave of relief, and then… darkness.
He must’ve passed out after the cure was administered. But the officer ensured he got to a hospital.
And Bryan didn’t even get to thank him.
Another set of hurried footsteps passed his door.
The courier’s eyes snapped towards it.
For a moment, he held his breath, waiting for someone to finally walk in.
But the footsteps continued down the corridor, fading into the endless hum of the hospital.
He exhaled sharply and dragged both hands over his face.
“Come on, man,” he muttered to himself.
The click of the door mechanism made him pull his hands away from his face at a rapid pace, eyes locked onto the finally opening door.
Leon stood in the doorway.
For a second, Bryan simply stared at him.
He looked just as bad as Bryan felt. His police uniform was dirty and creased, his hair was a mess, and there were scratches scattered across his face and hands. He looked worse than Bryan remembered.
But he was standing.
Bryan’s shoulders immediately loosened.
“Oh, thank God.”
Leon gave him a tired half-smile as he stepped inside, gently closing the door behind him.
“Nice to see you too.”
Bryan let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh.
“Where the hell have you been?”
“Busy.”
“Yeah, I noticed.”
Leon leaned against the door, looking over Bryan. His eyes travelled from the hospital gown to the bandages on his arms, then down to his feet.
“You look better.”
Bryan raised an eyebrow.
“Do I?”
“Compared to a few hours ago.”
“That’s a pretty low bar.”
Leon shrugged and nodded slightly. He couldn’t disagree.
It was strange seeing Leon without having to run. Without something trying to kill them around every corner. For hours, the two of them had barely been able to stop moving. They’d gone from one disaster to another.
“You stayed?” Bryan broke the slight silence.
“What?”
“At the hospital.”
Leon cocked an eyebrow before dipping his head. “Of course.”
“I thought you’d be out there.” Bryan gestured at the door.
“I was,” Leon shifted, crossing his leg over the other one as he folded his arms. “I came back.”
That coaxed a grin out of Bryan. He was incredibly glad he had someone to talk to right now, one more minute and he would’ve bolted out those doors.
Leon pushed himself away from the door and pulled a chair closer to the bed, dropping onto it with a tired groan.
Bryan watched him, finally allowing himself to relax—if only for a moment—and rested his head back against the headboard.
“What happened after I passed out?”
Leon sighed, adjusting his position slightly before answering. “I waited for it to work, managed to get through to some of my colleagues and we arranged help,” he paused, glancing past Bryan at the window. “We succeeded in finding some labs to mass produce the cure and the government took over from there. But I stayed and did what I could.”
Bryan listened with a sort of admiration. The dedication this guy had to help others was inspiring.
“Dude, you like saved the world,”
Leon genuinely chuckled, giving Bryan a confused look.
“I saved a few people. Not enough,”
“You literally did.”
“I did what any cop would do. Or any person. I hope.”
Bryan brushed off Leon’s attempts to stay humble. To him he was the coolest man ever.
“I owe you my life man, thank you.” Bryan voiced, trying to sound as genuine as possible. Leon just smiled, offering a nod as acceptance of his gratitude.
The room stayed quiet for another few moments. The beeping wasn’t annoying anymore. The shuffling outside was barely noticeable. This was a good quiet. A quiet Bryan thought he’d never experience again. He closed his eyes, relaxing his muscles more.
Leon understood it. He’d craved this quiet too, so he let it linger.
Finally, the blonde broke the silence. “You need a ride home?”
Bryan’s eyes opened, tilting towards Leon. “Oh, fuck yeah. I get to leave?”
“Not now,” Leon chuckled. “But when they let you out.”
Bryan huffed, pouting as the newfound excitement disappeared quicker than it came. “When’s that?”
“I don’t know,” The cop answered honestly, “A day or two.”
Bryan’s eyes widened, immediately sitting up as he stared at Leon in disbelief. “No way, man. I’ll go crazy here.”
“Bryan, you were infected. We’ve never seen anything like this, we don’t know if there are long term effects or if the cure is permanent.”
Bryan slumped back down. He wanted to argue, but he knew it was futile. And that Leon was right.
They didn’t know. Nobody did. Nobody knew how to deal with this.
“My girlfriend. She probably thinks I’m dead or ran away. And she’s pregnant. I can’t just leave her by herself thinking up the worst scenarios. What if-“
Leon cut him off by reaching into one of his pockets, pulling out a phone. Bryan’s phone. He picked it up when it fell out of his pocket when Leon was carrying him to an ambulance. It’s why he came here in the first place, to return it.
And to make sure Bryan was okay.
Bryan almost snatched it out of the cop’s hands, gripping it tightly. Immediately unlocking it to find Michelle’s contact. “You legend.”
Leon just smiled coyly, getting up with a slight grunt to allow Bryan some privacy with his girlfriend. The brunette barely noticed the other man head for the door, too enthralled by his desire to explain everything to his girlfriend.
The handle pulled down, the heavy door opening with a slight creak. The rookie hesitated for a moment, looking back at Bryan.
“I, uh, put my number in there by the way,” he cleared his throat. “When they discharge you, let me know. I can give you that ride.”
“Yeah, for sure man. Thanks again.”
Leon bowed his head, tugging the door toward him and stepping out. He took a second to look over the chaos, a stark contrast to the calmness inside Bryan’s room. Then he moved. Not entirely sure where to next.