#YEAH EXCEPT IT WOULD HELP MY FUCKING NURSE. AND PT. AND THERAPIST. AND PARENTS. AND ME!!!

[cryptozoologyujustmightexist]

My gp didn’t know what the beighton scale is my ass is NOT getting diagnosed 😭

[flowerfan2]

Part of You Indefinitely - Ch. 3

Chapter 3 is up!  Read it here or on A03.

Summary:  An accident sends Patrick to the hospital and terrifies David.  What follows changes their relationship in ways David and Patrick never imagined.  A story of love and its challenges.

Chapter 3

When Alexis returns, she tries to make David get out of Patrick’s bed, but David won’t do it.  It feels far too good to be sitting pressed up against Patrick, his body warm and alive against his side.  They compromise by raising the head of the bed until they are mostly sitting up, Patrick leaning against David’s shoulder as David hand feeds him tiny bites of cinnamon roll.

Things are going well enough until a nurse comes in to look at Patrick’s head wound, and it turns out that Alexis is the only one besides the nurse who can face the thought of stitches in Patrick’s scalp without getting dizzy.

“It’s really not that bad, Patrick,” Alexis says lightly, shoving her compact mirror back in her bag after David screeches at her to put it away.  “When your hair grows back, the scar will be completely hidden.”

“My hair?” Patrick asks.  “What did they do to my hair?”

Alexis purses her lips at him.  “I suppose you could keep that part short, David loves that 90’s asymmetric style-”

“There will be none of that,” David interrupts, propping a hip on Patrick’s bed and running his fingers gently through the untouched hair on the top of Patrick’s head.  “It’s just a little trimmed patch above your ear.  It’ll grow back in no time.”

“Why didn’t you tell me they shaved my head?  It must look ridiculous.”  Patrick looks at David, betrayed, and it’s all David can do not to laugh.  For once it isn’t David being vain.

“It’s hardly your whole head.  Your boy next door good looks are still intact.”  David kisses Patrick’s frowning lips, which seems to satisfy him for the moment.

“Eww, David.”

“Shut it, Alexis.  I’ll kiss my handsome husband whenever I like.”

Alexis tilts her head at them, and then leans down and smacks a quick kiss on Patrick’s cheek, making him blush.  “He is pretty cute, even with a shaved head.”  She stands up, grinning at them and tossing her own luscious waves – adding insult to injury, David thinks.   If someone shaved Alexis’ head without her permission there’d be hell to pay.   “I’m going to go find us some lunch.  Try to keep it PG while I’m gone.”

****

Patrick’s mood sours as the afternoon wears on.  When the physical therapist comes in to evaluate him, Patrick glares at David until David leaves the room.  David splits the next hour between pacing the hallway and answering texts from his parents, who have already flown halfway home from Fiji and are in the airport in L.A., waiting for their flight to Toronto.  He uses every trick he can think of to convince them not to come, including telling Moira that Schitt’s Creek has implemented a ban on wigs, but they board the flight anyway.  David follows this up with a quick text exchange with Jocelyn, who promises to pick his parents up at the airport and keep them away from the hospital for as long as possible.

When David is finally allowed back into the room, Patrick is having his dinner.  As David watches, Patrick fumbles with a fork, unable to get even one piece of the overcooked pasta from the bowl to his mouth.  The orderly makes a noise of disapproval, taking the fork out of Patrick’s hand and trying to feed him, at which point Patrick squeezes his eyes shut and turns his head into the pillow.

“All right, that’s enough,” David says.  “You, leave the food and clear out.”

“Patrick needs to eat-”

“And you need to go somewhere you’re wanted.  Shoo.”  David waves his hand at the orderly until he leaves, practically tsk-tsking as he goes.

David takes a deep breath and rests one hip against the bed, giving Patrick time to regain his composure.

“I don’t need to be fed like a child,” Patrick finally mumbles into the pillow.

“I know,” David says.

“It’s humiliating.”

“I’m sorry.”

David scoots a little closer to Patrick and Patrick slides his head from the pillow to David’s thigh.  “I want to go home,” Patrick says, his voice tight.

“Tomorrow, right?”

“They’re not sure.”  There’s a pause, and when Patrick continues, he’s clearly hating every word.  “They said I have to be able to transfer from the bed to a chair, and do better with meals.”

“Why?”

Patrick rolls his head, his eyes blinking up at David.  “Why?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Isn’t it obvious?  So I can take care of myself,” Patrick says angrily.

“But I can take care of you,” David says, still not seeing the problem.

“You can’t,” Patrick replies.  “You have the store, and you’ll have to work even longer hours since I won’t be able to help.”

“I’ll take time off.  Patrick, come on, you really think I’m going to leave you at home alone when you’re like this?”

Unfortunately this doesn’t have the desired effect, apparently just emphasizing how helpless Patrick is right now.

“It doesn’t matter.  They’re going to send me to a rehab facility.”

It’s starting to sink in that David has missed quite a lot of information, and while a few days of rehab doesn’t sound like the worst possible thing, it’s clear that Patrick is truly shaken.

“Let me talk to them.  They can’t force you – you’re not in jail.  I’ll just take you home.”

“David, you don’t want to be stuck with me like this,” Patrick says bitterly.  “I can barely wipe my ass.  There’s no fucking choice, I have to go.”

“Patrick,” David says, rapidly realizing that things are going downhill faster than he can catch up.  If nothing else, Patrick’s use of profanity gives away how distraught he is.   “You aren’t going anywhere you don’t want to go, do you understand me?  I won’t let that happen.”

Patrick shakes his head and doesn’t answer.  David slides down until his face is up against Patrick’s, or at least the half of his face that isn’t smushed into the pillow, and whispers softly to him.  

“I know this is upsetting, more than upsetting, and you’re scared.  But you’re not alone in this.  You’re not alone in anything anymore, remember?”  He puts his arm around Patrick and pulls him close.  “Let me get all the information and see what our options are, okay?”

Patrick slides closer and buries his face in David’s neck, sniffling hard.  “Okay.”

*****

Later, after David has coaxed Patrick into eating at least a few bites of the now cold and therefore even less appetizing pasta, Patrick dozes off while an old episode of a cooking show plays on his laptop.  David goes out into the hallway and starts making calls.

He starts with Alexis, because next to his mother, she is the queen of making the impossible become possible – and while Moira seems to stumble into these situations by accident, Alexis makes things happen on her terms.  It helps that Alexis has been so chummy with Patrick’s doctor, because twenty minutes later David’s on the phone with the man himself.  They believe Patrick’s problems are caused by a head injury, not the electric shock.  But given his promising test results, there’s no medical reason Patrick can’t go home.  He’ll need some help at first – either from a family member or a home health care aide – but he can do PT on an outpatient basis if he doesn’t want to go to a residential rehab center, especially if there is someone (i.e., David) able to monitor Patrick’s condition.

David’s about to go back to Patrick’s room with the good news when he gets a text from his dad.  <i>Call me</i>

It’s progress from a guy who used to send emails in all caps.  At least this message is short.  He hopes it’s not an emergency – he’s already got his hands full with his Patrick-emergency.  His heart can only handle one at a time.

“Son, you don’t have to worry.  I’ve got it covered,” his dad says when the line connects.

“Got what covered?”

“The store.  Alexis told me about your dilemma, and you don’t need to worry about it.  Stevie’s coming in tomorrow, and between the two of us and Jocelyn after school, you won’t have to lift a finger.”

David can’t help the wave of relief he feels, even as he protests.  “Not that I don’t appreciate the offer, but last I checked you and Stevie had full time jobs of your own.”

“I already took the month off to go to Fiji, so no one’s expecting me back for at least three more weeks.  Stevie’s due some vacation time too.  Plus we just promoted two new regional managers – it’ll be good for them to have some space to do their thing without us hanging over their shoulders.”

“You can’t spend your vacation time working at the Apothecary – and you can’t make Stevie do it either.”

“Fine, I’ll give her extra vacation time, as much as she wants.  She never takes any time off anyway, no matter how much she saves up.  This will be fun for her – she doesn’t say it, but I know she misses you guys.”

It’s really too good to be true.  “Dad, are you sure?  Because Patrick and I can make it work, we’ll be okay on our own.”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to do this on your own, David.”

It’s oddly reminiscent of what David just said to Patrick a little while ago.  They’re not alone in this, neither of them.

“All right, but I’m still supervising operations.  Don’t go making any changes or ordering anything different without asking me.  We have to stay on brand.”

“David, I would never.”

David lets out an embarrassing half-laugh/half-cry and presses his hand over his eyes.  “Dad, I have to get back to Patrick.”

“Okay, son.  I love you.  And tell Patrick we love him too.”

David hangs up and goes into the bathroom to splash some water on his face.  His dad has gifted them the perfect solution to this problem, even if he screws up and decorates the place with poison oak in ugly vases.  He can’t wait to tell Patrick.

Unfortunately, Patrick is fast asleep when David gets back to his room.  The nurse tells David that they gave Patrick a sedative to help him rest, and that he probably won’t wake up until morning.  Glancing at his watch, he sees that it’s nearly eleven o’clock.  No wonder he feels like he’s about to pass out.  Except for a few hours of sleep crammed in the hospital bed with Patrick last night, David has been awake since the previous morning.

“Do you have someone who can take you home for the night?”  the nurse asks.  “If Patrick wakes up I’ll help him call you.  You need to take care of yourself, so you can take care of him.”

“I’m pretty sure I told you that already,” Alexis trills at him.

David turns, and Alexis is there, smiling affectionately.  “Come on, David, give your little button a kiss and let me take you home.  I promise I’ll bring you back first thing.”

David really doesn’t want to leave, but he can barely keep his eyes open, and the thought of crawling into his own bed is irresistible.  He sends Patrick a text, letting him know he’ll be back early.

“You promise you’ll have him call me if he wakes up?”  David asks the nurse.  “Even if it’s the middle of the night?”

“I will.”  The nurse walks with them out of the room.  “He’s going to be fine, your husband.  He’s mostly just scared, but he’s going to be okay.”

“I thought medical professionals aren’t supposed to make promises like that,” David says, suddenly suspicious.

“I can tell he’s going to be okay, because he’s got you and your family on his side.”

Alexis turns and steps closer to the nurse, her eyes narrowing.  “Wait, do we know you?”

The nurse laughs.  “I’m Twyla’s second cousin, Marti.  I came to singles week at Schitt’s Creek a few years ago.”

“Ugh, do you still promise to take care of Patrick?”

Marti laughs.  “I do.  Now go home already, just looking at you is making me tired.”

*****

Sleeping in his own bed isn’t quite as wonderful as David had hoped it would be; Patrick’s absence is like a physical pain.  But David does feel more like himself in the morning.

As promised, Marti calls him around six when Patrick wakes up, and puts Patrick on the phone.  He is still a little drowsy, so David just makes sure everything is more or less okay and asks him what kind of scone he wants for breakfast.

“Blueberry,” Patrick says, surprising no one.

They get to the hospital around eight, Alexis giving Patrick a quick kiss on the cheek and then skipping off on what she says is an important work-related errand, but what David thinks is probably a coffee date with Patrick’s doctor.

“He’s named Dr. Lee,” David says.  “Do we think he’s related to someone in Schitt’s Creek too?”

“Ronnie’s last name is Lee,” Patrick says.  “But there’s not exactly a family resemblance.”

Dr. Lee is tall, built, and most likely Korean.  He reminds David of a younger, even more handsome Daniel Dae Kim. “No way to know, really.  And I’m not about to ask him.”

Patrick nods in agreement.  “I can’t believe that nurse is Twyla’s cousin.  Marti seems so normal.”

“Very funny.”

“So, what was the good news?”  Patrick looks cautiously optimistic, but still so nervous that David is compelled to sit down on the bed and pull him into his arms before he goes on.

“If you don’t want to go to that rehab place, you’re not going.  You don’t need to be there to do your PT.  You can come home, with me, and I will stay home and wait on you hand and foot until you get better.”

“David, you can’t leave the store-”

“My dad and Stevie are going to work the store.  Don’t argue with me, that part wasn’t even my doing, and it’s already decided.  Either you let me stay home with you, or I’ll wander the streets lonely and pining, but I’m not needed at the Apothecary.”

Patrick seems to be holding his breath, then asks, “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Patrick’s eyes are shining, and he leans into David, sighing deeply.  “David… thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet.  So far my mother hasn’t announced whether she’s part of this plan too, but I wouldn’t put it past her.  We might wind up with a selection of all-natural handmade wigs for sale.”

“I don’t care,” Patrick murmurs into David’s sweater.

“No, me neither.”

They pull apart when David’s stomach grumbles, and he unpacks the food he brought in.

“This doesn’t look like it came from the café,” Patrick says, as David deposits a blueberry scone iced with lemon and sparkling sugar on a paper plate.

“Nope.  We stopped at that place in Elm Falls, the one we looked at for wedding cakes?  They have a new baker with a real flair for pastries.  I’m thinking we should give them a call soon, see what it would take to set up a weekly delivery.”

David takes out his own breakfast – French toast stuffed with ricotta and strawberries, and cuts off a chunk, holding it out for Patrick to bite.

“Mmm, that’s good too.”

“Right?”

They eat in silence for a few minutes, David feeding Patrick bites of his French toast and Patrick breaking off pieces of his scone and slowly putting them into his mouth.

“Your arms seem steadier today -” David starts, and Patrick interrupts him.

“Don’t say it, I thought it too, but I don’t want to jinx anything.”

David grins at Patrick, and Patrick grins back, a little shy.  “Okay, I won’t say anything.”  He tries not to watch as Patrick picks up his iced coffee and sips from the straw, placing the plastic cup back down on the bed tray carefully but without any mishap.

“You’ll be stocking shelves in no time,” David says, and Patrick groans.  

“Shut up, please.”

Patrick’s mood improves even more when David reveals what else he brought him.

“I have never been happier to see a pair of sweats,” Patrick says, as he reluctantly lets David help him get dressed.  

“I figured that doing PT in a hospital gown probably didn’t improve the experience,” David says.  “Wait, there’s one more thing.”  He pulls out Patrick’s Café Tropicale baseball cap, which easily covers the shaved spot and the bandage on Patrick’s head.  Patrick’s smile lights up the room.

“Babe, you are really the best.”

David blushes as Patrick pulls him in for a kiss.  “I can definitely get you better hats, this is just temporary.”

“What, you mean you’re not a fan?”

David takes in his husband, smiling and laughing and thrilled to be wearing a worn green baseball cap while sitting in a hospital bed.  “I am, in fact, your very biggest fan,” he says, sappy and proud.  He kisses Patrick a few more times, for good measure, but all too soon a nurse comes in and they have to stop.

Even with his spirits lifted, Patrick still kicks David out during his physical therapy session.  David thinks it’s kind of silly, since it’s likely that the therapist might be imparting information that would be useful for them both to know, and he’d rather hear anything that’s going to upset Patrick so he can try to help deal with it before he spirals.  But he gets that Patrick is trying to hold on to some shred of privacy.  This whole situation is hell for David in terms of secondhand embarrassment, and he knows it’s a hundred times worse for Patrick.

When Patrick’s finally done with PT, David comes back into the room to find Patrick curled up on his side, his eyes closed.  David pulls his chair close to the bed and sets a hand on Patrick’s shoulder.

“You okay?” he asks quietly.

“Tired.”

“Can I get you anything?”

Patrick just shakes his head, not opening his eyes.

David leans down and presses a kiss to Patrick’s forehead, then pulls out a magazine from his bag and starts flipping through it.  He’s bored, though, and now that’s he’s actually gotten some decent sleep, full of restless energy.  If he stays here, he’s just going to annoy Patrick with his fidgeting.

“Okay if I go for a walk?”  he asks, whispering.  “I won’t be gone long.”

“Do what you want,” Patrick mutters.

It stings.  David tells himself that it’s understandable, Patrick is going through a rough time, it’s no surprise that he’s grumpy.  But Patrick is usually so unflappable.  The contrast is striking.  David is supposed to be the dramatic one, while Patrick remains calm, the sober port in David’s passionate storm.  An exaggeration, maybe, but on the nose more often than not.

Now Patrick needs him to step up and be calm and capable for both of them.   David needs to set aside his own anxieties and be there for his husband, no matter how uncomfortable it might feel.  He’s always said that he would do anything for Patrick, but it’s a lot easier to say when his husband is cheerful and healthy and really doesn’t need much except David’s fond attention.  David is determined not to let Patrick down now, but based on his track record, he can’t help but think that the odds aren’t really in his favor.

[thelookingglassalice]

Generations Pt. 7

Previous / Masterlist

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier x Taya/OC

Warnings: Human experimentation, flashbacks of childbirth

Word Count: 1601

Square Filled: Lost

Summary: The day has come to retrieve the files on Delilah’s creation, everyone hopes they can find answers. Taya may find more than she can handle.

A/N: @star-spangled-bingo  @avengerscompound @lillianfromaccounting@patzammit @mumbles411 @until-theend-oftheline @nikkimarie (If you’d like to be tagged just ask)

“Steve? Yeah, we’ll be back tomorrow. I’m fine, the place was almost deserted, I didn’t have to do anything. She’s processing everything. Did they get the doctor caged somewhere? Good. You get the details from Nat? Yeah. I’ll work on the mission report when we get back. How’s Lila? Okay, yeah, bye.”

Bucky hung up the phone and tossed it onto the bed. He pushed his hair back with both hands and sighed. Taya was in the shower, he could hear the water running.

They had made it in and out of the facility where Taya had Delilah easily. Like he told Steve, the place was all but deserted. Thanks to their being ousted from SHIELD many of the HYDRA controlled groups had to relocate. The Avengers had leveled many. This one was not the underground creep factory Bucky remembered from his time. This was a three-story brick structure on the Ukraine/Slovakian border. 

“It looks like a fancy hospital,” Nat remarked as they flew over it. Her intel had shown that the place seemed defunct, no people or cars on a regular basis.

“It was supposed to.” Taya sat in one of the quinjet seats. She was looking out the window, but not at the building. “I came here since I was useless as an assassin or spy anymore. You came here to be fixed, be useful again.” 

“Landing.” Clint shot a look at Natasha, Taya had weirded him out.

“You don’t have to go in.” She signed.

“This is how horror movies start.” He signed as soon as his hands were free.

“Clint and I will secure the outside. There are maybe four guards, they patrol the whole grounds. If you can get to the roof there’s an access hatch or just go through the front doors.” Natasha shrugged. “They don’t seem that concerned about breaking and entering.”

“Probably means all the files are gone.” Taya stood up and took the gun Natasha offered her.

“Let’s go see.” Bucky looked at her. Taya met his eyes and gave him a small smile.

They had gone in from the roof just in case. They checked the top two floors and they were clear. Empty, to be more exact. There were five rooms on each floor. The rooms were hospital-like except for the steel-reinforced windows and iron doors.

“It’s like a psych ward,” Bucky muttered as he looked at the locks on the second floor.

“My room was on this floor.” Taya looked around. “There were three other girls I remember. I think the top floor were their offices. The ground floor had the exam rooms and testing rooms.”

“Taya?”

“Yeah, no, I’m fine. It’s empty. I sort of liked my room. It was bright and you know, I wasn’t expected to lie and kill people while I was here.” Taya turned with a huff. “Downstairs may be another story.”

Bucky led the way down. The main floor had more security. The rooms here had not only locks but alarms and cameras. Bucky could see panic doors set at intervals along the hallway.

“This looks more like I’m familiar with,” Bucky muttered as he ducked in each open room to clear them. “Seems like they’re in the middle of clearing this floor. Is there a basement?”

“Procedure rooms and parking.” Taya clenched her fist. “Bucky, someone is down there.”

Taya was now keeping it together by a thread. This was the floor she had escaped from. She had been having a post-birth exam when something had happened in the basement. She’d been left alone, the door unlocked. Delilah was in the next room and Taya could hear her fussing. She had known that she would get in trouble but she went to Delilah. 

The baby was in a metal crib, there were sensors all over her, there was an IV in her foot. Taya’s heart had dropped. She knew that the baby was an experiment but this was too much to see. She had grabbed Delilah and ran, killing anyone. Most of the staff was in the basement dealing with whatever had happened. Taya took a nurse hostage and with her retinal scan had escaped.

“Taya, get behind me. Your gun is down.” Bucky had pushed past her to the room with a light on.

A pleasant-looking woman was sitting at a desk. She looked up and shook her head.

“Kataya. And you, I know who you are as well. Why would you come here? Everything is gone.” She stood up with a smile.

“Doctor. I want the experiment dossier on my daughter.” Taya swallowed. This was the woman who had delivered Delilah, who had implanted her, who started this whole thing.

“You don’t have a daughter, you stole a  weapon. Just like that one over there.” She gestured to Bucky who glowered at her. “You signed up for this Kataya.”

“HYDRA convinced me that I was helping, that the outside world wouldn’t understand and I could never go back after what I did. You said I could be fixed.” A tear rolled down Taya’s cheek. 

“You don’t realize what you were a part of. Of all the women you, only you, were able to finish the experiment. You could have created an army to shape the world. We didn’t give you enough stabilizers and your maternal instinct saw it as a child.” The doctor rolled her eyes. “Now, Mummy, what are you going to do when she wakes up one day and has peak strength? Or one of the other many gifts her fathers have?”

“Shut up. She’s a child, she thinks like a child, acts like a child.” Bucky moved closer to Taya as he spoke.

“I’m thinking not. You came for answers, so she must be displaying some abilities. That’s the tricky thing with the super serum, not to mention that X serum. That beauty activates evolutionary advances in the body. Beyond the strength, agility, senses, so on and so on she could have the ability to destroy all she touches. Or teleport across the globe. If you would’ve kept her here, she would’ve been controlled and monitored.” The doctor slammed her hand on the desk.

“Stop it,” Taya whispered.

“Or maybe you came here to ensure the retrieval attempts would stop. Don’t worry, once you took her to these men, we knew getting the two of you back would be useless. You may have their protection now, but you won’t forever. And as the specimen grows and you lose control, maybe you’ll need our help again. I am assuming I am under arrest but I’m sure my colleagues will be seeing you in ten years or so.” The doctor grabbed a file from her desk and gave it to Taya. Then waited to be escorted out.

Now they were in this hotel room. Natasha and Clint had taken care of the doctor but everyone was concerned about Taya’s near-catatonic state. They agreed that she should have some time before going back to Delilah, so they would stay overnight in London and fly home in the morning.

Bucky finally decided to check on Taya, the water had stopped and he didn’t hear any movement. He knocked on the bathroom door.

“Come in.” Her voice was quiet, but at least she was talking. The thousand-yard stare and silence had been disturbing.

“I talked to Steve. Everything’s fine there.” Bucky opened the door to find her sitting on the edge of the bathtub wrapped in a towel. She looked up at him.

“While we were there, I remembered when she came out of me. She wasn’t really crying, she was sort of whining and she looked so lost. Shit, I was lost. One minute I’m an incubator and then she was there. They acted like she was theirs, but I knew she was mine.” Taya stood up and gave a watery chuckle. She moved into the room and grabbed clothes. “I made some fucked up choices, but she wasn’t one.”

“No, she wasn’t. As for being lost, I guess that’s our job isn’t it, help her find her way. And I’m not saying that this is going to be an ideal life. But I am saying that no matter what she was created for, or what you were used for, you make peace with it. You find your way and get un-lost. If you don’t, you’ll go batshit crazy.” Bucky spread his arms in a what can you do gesture.

“An ideal life was never in my game plan. But now I have to worry that Delilah will go to preschool and, I don’t know, levitate the playground equipment.” Taya turned and smiled. She was feeling better now that she was out of that place. It was just a building now. She knew she still had the file to go through but knowing that HYDRA would leave them alone at least was something.

“As long as there aren’t any kids on it, we should be okay.” Bucky crossed his arms over his chest. “I also think when we get back, you could meet that therapist Nat talked to you about. They’ve worked with parents of gifted kids.”

“So you and Steve will be going to?” Taya made a twirling gesture with her finger so Bucky would face away from her.

“What? Oh.” He turned away as she dropped her towel. “Steve and I have our own therapists but family therapy isn’t a bad idea.”

“Okay, turn back.” Taya pulled her hair out from her collar. “So we go from here. Where do we start?”