Who: Adam and MK Where: The Clinic When: Right after the kidnapping What: Adam is overworked and MK is stressed out Warning: Nothing crazy!
MK didn’t start to panic until she left the duplex where Wren was staying with Gus and drove a few streets away. It started off slow, just a few hitches of breath and a couple of tears, but soon it rolled into a full-on attack by the time she made it to the highway. She had to pull to the side of the road and step outside of the car for some fresh air, guzzling it up hungrily as she was doubled over and sobbed. She clutched at her chest, clawing at her collarbone as her heart raced, and prayed that it would stop quickly. She had a hard time wrapping her mind around what just happened, what she had just done, even as she was blissfully unaware of the AMBER alert out for little Gus. Cars passed, but thankfully no one stopped, and MK took a few minutes to steady herself, took a few steadying breaths so she could at least finish off what she needed to in one piece.
Once she was back in the car, she pulled the wig back on and drove to the airport to return the car. She changed into something more MK-like, tossing the clothes into an oversized bag, and threw out the wig before taking a cab back to Caesars. The dark sunglasses covered the puffiness of her eyes and the purple circles underneath as she strolled through the lobby and back to the suite. People would probably whisper about her state or create another salacious story for the presses, but she could hardly care at all. All she could focus on was not vomiting right then and there, which was proving to be incredibly difficult, so much so that the second she stepped into the villa, she beelined for the bathroom.
It was hours later, after a few drinks and a nap on the couch, that MK finally could control herself enough to ready for the next cover-up story. Wren had been right; she needed to be seen out on the town as soon as possible. She was hardly the first suspect one would go to for kidnapping, but covering all the bases would be necessary just in case. She washed up, and she piled on some make-up, and she dressed in one of her favorite going-out outfits. If this was all going to be a show, she was going to make it a goddamn good one. Texts were sent out, and VIP lists were made quickly so that by the time MK rolled into PURE, it was jam packed full of people ready to help her make a scene. And, in a sense, forget all that just happened.
Drinks appeared endlessly, and MK knew that pictures of her dancing on top of the bar or kissing that girl whose name she couldn’t remember would already be online before she left the club. Good, very good. At least people would focus on gossiping over her “issues” rather than trying to connect her to Gus. But it wasn’t helping to try to bury the thoughts of earlier in the day. The scared glint in Wren’s eyes. Gus’s mop of brown hair. It all proved too much, and she found herself leaving earlier than usual, feigning a gig in the morning to all those that asked as she stumbled to an awaiting car outside.The villa was lonely and felt cold without the other girls to inhabit in, and the drunken redhead couldn’t take much before deciding to seek out someone to comfort her. Adam. She changed quickly into a pair of boyfriend jeans rolled up at the ankle and a tanktop, pulled on sunglasses again and twisted her red hair up, and in the scramble to get to him, she completely forgot to actually contact him.
Knocking and ringing the bell of his apartment elicited no response, and after frowning at the door for a moment or two, the answer clicked into place. The clinic. Cabbing it there took a little longer, as the traffic of people spilling out of the clubs finally caught up with her, but she arrived at the Waterhouse Clinic before the rush of drunken injured idiots bombarded the staff. A sweet, middle aged nurse sat at the front desk, and MK leaned against the surface for support. “Is Doctor Waterhouse in? I’m a friend.” She was rocking in place a little, clearly not completely sober, and if the woman was versed in fashion magazines and tabloids, she could easily pinpoint who had just strolled in.
The first and second big waves of victims from the fire had already washed through, but Adam was still wearing a little thin. He had taken up sleeping at his desk for a couple hours before jumping to his feet at the sound of someone buzzing him for the next appointment. Pym hadn’t pushed his feelings one way or another in some time, almost knowing that the pressure alone could be enough to break the doctor. He wasn’t completely right about that, of course, since Pym wasn’t nearly as well equipped for stress as Adam was. For all the sensitive gentleness, Adam was also able to tuck that away for the sake of helping people. He could forget MK’s face for hours at a time while helping a patient or trying to negotiate money for his clinic. She was more than just a friend that allowed intimacy, she was a part of him that he could fall back on when he stopped feeling human. Something he could try and call inside like a cat after a hard day’s work.
And, Adam had intended on getting in touch with her sometime soon. Once things died down. It was an empty promise to keep himself going, but he knew that he’d follow through once he felt comfortable leaving the clinic. She made him feel more jealous than anyone ever managed in his life, but he still cared for her. Needed her in ways he’d never voice to her or anyone else.
Walking a patient out who had her hand wrapped in bandages, Adam managed a weak smile. “Luckily, you won’t forget to use ointment. Pain will remind you. Very useful that way.” The girl gave a small laugh and then waved at him as she left. He put his hands in his pockets, closed his eyes and let his mind just clear itself like a white board. Ten more patients to go and then he’d maybe get a food break. He was in the middle of a quiet zoning out when he heard one of his nurses ask Maddie K if she had an appointment in that judgemental, motherly way most nurses her age seemed to talk. Adam glanced over, recognizing the red hair and frame. “It’s fine.” Adam meeped, his voice barely there as he gave a weak wave to the nurse. “She’s a friend.” He teetered a little and then smiled to MK before looking back at the nurse. “Have my next appointment go to Jenny. I’ll drop off the medical files.”
Adam smoothed his hands over his messy hair in a simple, subconscious act to make himself look better for Maddie K. The stress wouldn’t go away, but maybe he could just relax for a couple minutes? No. Not likely. “Come back to my office.” Adam told MK and then turned back down the hallway.
MK was about to open her mouth to say something to the nurse, who was giving her one of those judgemental looks she hated so much, when Adam’s voice broke through her mind, and as she turned towards him she smiled back. He looked all doctor-ly, which just brought a bigger grin to her face. It was the first time she really saw him with a patient -- Adam playing doctor in the hospital with her didn’t count, not really, because she was hardly in the state to remember much and they forced him to step down for a little bit -- and it tugged at that affection for him in the most overwhelming way. And seeing him quelled the panic and fear shivering through her, at least a little, and while she was still rocking on her feet, her shoulders slumped and the tension in her face melted away. She’d never admit it, but being around him definitely helped her feel better no matter what. And all those silly things she said or did to make him jealous or keep his attention had a bigger, underlying meaning behind them all.
Following behind him down the hall, she looked over her shoulder and shot the nurse a smile that was all challenge and no sweetness. That’ll show her to try to start something. “I stopped by your apartment,” she said as she trailed behind him a little, a slur just evident in her voice. “But you weren’t there. Obviously. Busy?” Of course he was busy, but MK was being polite. His patients could wait a few minutes; she wanted to be selfish for a little bit after the day she just went through.
Adam shot a look over his shoulder that was barely hiding an amused smile and uptake of his brow. He was used to talking to her after she did her round of publicity at bars and such, but it was still sort of amusing. “Terribly. Busy doesn’t begin to describe it.” Adam opened his office door for her and turned on a light. It was a cramped little office with a desk and a chair across from it for meetings and consultations. Usually, he’d go straight to sitting behind the desk, but instead he leaned on the front of it, letting her sit down next to him.
“You normally don’t go looking for me. I don’t mind, of course.” Adam rubbed the back of his neck. “Still makes me curious.” He had no idea what Maddie K went through and did his best to stay away from the horrors that were leaking over the journals. It was his assumption that she simply missed him or perhaps had a particularly lonely evening and needed familiar company. Why she went to him and not this Simon character was anyone’s guess. Adam was notoriously busy. It was uncertain whether or not he’d be able to be there for her when she needed it.
If MK minded the small space, she didn’t let him know, instead immediately sliding herself on the top of the desk and crossed her legs. She took off her sunglasses finally, revealing puffy, bloodshot eyes, and hiccupped. “Sorry,” she said, not very sorry at all. There were other doctors in the clinic, right? They could afford to lose Adam for a moment to her drunken neediness. “You needed a break, I’m sure. You can tell them it’s my fault if anyone gets mad. Including your little nurse friend.” She smiled, a little teasing one, and nudged him with her shoulder. “I don’t think she’ll like me very much.”
Her eyes drifted down, and she began to pick off little bits of lint from her pants as if they were the biggest hindrance. “The villa’s lonely.” Which, really, was true, but it was obvious that wasn’t the only reason she went out of her way to see Adam tonight. She looked weighed down, heavy with something, and she pursed her lips for a moment. “Went out tonight, buuut it didn’t really help,” she said without looking up, puffing out a breath as her head fell down further, her red hair obscuring her face like a curtain.
Adam hummed a little with thought like a generator just trying to keep a light on and then reached an arm around her. She didn’t seem angry, so this couldn’t have been a fight with one of the other girls at the villa. She didn’t seem sad, so it couldn’t have been news that was particularly depressing. Adam couldn’t think of anything else that would have gone wrong (while knowing there was a tower of things that could be bothering her) and decided to just skip to making it feel better. That’s what he was good at, after all.
“Where does it hurt?” Adam asked with a gentle playfulness. It seemed appropriate. Him in the doctor outfit, running between patients like an assembly line. He’d find out what hurt, how to fix it and then at least give some kind of temporary relief.
The arm around her shoulder felt like the most wonderful comfort right then and there. Nothing like the cold connections made through liquor or making out with strangers on the dancefloor. It was warm and affectionate and caring like Adam. She tilted her head towards him, leaning it against his shoulder, and let her eyes fall shut for a moment. Through the haze of alcohol, she remembered that she couldn’t actually tell Adam what happened; she had promised Wren. And she didn’t want Adam pulled into the mess, not at all.
She laughed a little at his question, sniffing back tears that were threatening to fall. “Oh, I dunno,” she said with a slight shrug as she tucked the waves of her hair out of her face. “Maybe you should run a couple of tests. That’s what you doctors do, right?”
“Well, let’s see.” Adam slowly let her go and the moved the chair back so he could face her. Moving just close enough that she could barely feel the warmth of his body, Adam gave another thoughtful hum as he thought of where to start. He reached to tilt her face up at him and took a long look at her hazy green eyes. There was worry behind them, almost fear, but nothing like he had seen after the attack at Ceasar’s. He had patched up enough damsels in distress back in Seattle that he could catch the look of a victim, and this wasn’t it. “It seems you’ve taken just the right amount of alcohol. It’s good that it comes over the counter, but I’m afraid too much of it can make you untreatable.” Adam kept a playful sternness. “Can you tell me when it started to hurt?” He carefully rubbed his thumb against her cheek, hand cradling the side of her face with affection.
As much as she wanted to hide her face, she didn’t fight when he pulled her to look at him and even offered him a tiny smile as he searched her face. Her eyes were glassy, her cheeks rosy, and any ordinary person would chalk whatever the hell was wrong with her to clear lack of sobriety. But MK had a feeling Adam read her better than most people she ever knew, and that both comforted and scared the shit out of her. Rolling her eyes, she scoffed in amusement. “If you think this is bad, you should’ve seen me during spring break last year.” The alcohol and worry let her give in more than she would normally allow, and she leaned into his touch without hesitance. “I did something really, really, really bad today, Adam. Really bad.” It slipped out before she could bite it back, and she didn’t realize for a few seconds what she had just said. It was vague, could be taken a billion different ways, and maybe he would let it go, even if a part of her hoped he wouldn’t.
Adam’s head jolted back a little as if she had just sent a small bolt of electricity through him. A selfish part of him only wanted to know what this bad thing was to make sure it wasn’t going to hurt him. What if she had gone off and slept with someone else? Did that even constitute as a bad thing? They hadn’t cemented anything in stone about them. Hell, it was barely etched into the dirt. He looked away from her, his hand crumpling a little against her jaw as he tried to suppress any fear this was about him.
“Did you hurt someone?” Adam asked simply, his tired eyes turning a little sharper as Pym focused through Adam’s hazy sleepiness. If she did something that would hurt him, Pym wanted Adam to see it. Feel it.
She saw his reaction, and that made her immediately sit up straighter. Her tiny hand moved up to cover his and squeezed it. “I didn’t-- no, I didn’t. It’s not what you think. I didn’t sle-- well, there was that one girl tonight and a lot of tongue and probably some pictures but not anything serious, I promise. I haven’t with anyone else, not since...” She trailed off, letting her hand fall with a shake of her head. It was a drunken ramble fueled by a fear that he would worry about something like that. As much as she tried to make him jealous or teased him about what she did, she cared about him, a lot more than she would like to admit, and she hated the idea of losing him.
“It might end up hurting someone. Or a lot of people. I could get in a lot of trouble. Real trouble. Like, go to jail for the rest of my life trouble.” She sighed, the shaky breath rattling in her chest, and she reached up to press the back of her hands to her eyes, which stung with uncried tears. Her body shivered slightly, and she tried to take a couple of deep breaths to calm her racing heart while managing to make it only worse.
Adam raised his eyebrows at the mention of a girl and pictures, but whatever fear or perhaps resentment towards her for “cheating” on him was gone. He didn’t like hearing about any kind of fooling around, but the drunk, sloppy admission was endearing. The closest he’d ever get to her admitting that she cared about him enough to stay away from other people. He let Pym rest, fighting him off with a couple I told you so’s and then rested both of his hands on her shoulders as he listened to the rest that she had to say.
This was serious. It wasn’t just a matter of an Alter misbehaving, this was something she did on this side of the door. He’d lie for her, if it came down to it. Something he only did for vigilantes. “Why?” Adam reached his arms around her back and half pulled her into a hug, letting her complete the embrace if she wanted. Maddie K wouldn’t hurt anyone if she could help it, but there was always a matter of collateral damage.
MK was finding it difficult to catch her breath, as if someone was pressing down on her chest with an incredible amount of force. Hyperventilating, she gripped the edges of the desk to prevent her from just falling off completely, digging them painfully into the wood as if to remind her that everything was real. As he wrapped his arms around her, the panic attack didn’t stop, though it did relieve some of her dizziness and nausea and allowed her to focus on not tipping over face first onto the floor.
“Can’t,” she choked out with a shake of her head, tears streaming down her red cheeks and dripping off her chin. “C-c-can’t tell you.” There was no reeling in the sobbing, not now, and she struggled to remember the proper way to breathe. The only thing she could think about was that little boy with brown hair littered with bruises. Wren’s wide, frightened gray eyes. She just played the events over and over in her head, even as she finally took her hands off the desk and wrapped them around Adam tightly, desperately.
He tightened his hold on MK, as if to keep her from passing out or falling over and just let her sob against his white jacket. Adam was quiet, head ducked down on her shoulder as he tried to stay strong for her. Even breaths. Calm touch. It was something he had learnt from being a doctor, especially one in Seattle. Some of the more emotional vigilantes would scream their heads off when they were shot or stabbed and Adam just had to keep his cool through the blood and crying. There was more of a detachment in his technique with usual patients, but with Maddie K, he simply tried to be strong for her. Like a piece of furniture or maybe an ice pack.
“Okay.” Adam finally whispered. Trying to pull it out of her could ruin what they had, could even send her deeper into a panic attack, so he relented. It occurred to Adam that he wasn’t a super hero. He couldn’t save her from anything, couldn’t even fight for her. He’d never be anything more than someone on the sidelines and before this he was glad. Now, he just wanted to be their dead friend. He just wanted to be some kind of hero in a mask that could swoop down and save the day. “If something happens, we’ll figure it out. Cover it up.” Adam said slowly. “I promise.” He knew this might be a promise he couldn’t guarantee, but hell be damned if he wasn’t going to try. Life with her behind bars or worse would crush him.
Her head fell heavy against his chest, and MK couldn’t control her body’s shaking at all. This was worse than the one she had driving back from the duplex earlier in the day because she hadn’t allowed herself to give in completely then. She still had to keep an act going, all the way up until she and Adam were alone inside the office. No one could really see how much of a wreck she was. They could speculate, sure, especially after her hospital stay, but if the public saw how fucked up she was, questions might arise. No one could know except him. Around Adam, she was vulnerable, easily read, safe.
Shaking her head violently, she pushed against his chest in an act of defiance when she couldn’t find the breath for the words. “Nononono,” she murmured against his chest. “Don’t w-w-want you involv-v-ved. Can’t. Just can’t.” In through the nose, out through the mouth. Her heart beat like a battering ram against her ribcage, and the dizziness made her head hurt and her eyes heavy. Thin fingers clutched at the back of his white coat to keep herself in the moment. To not allow her mind to drift away to Gus or Wren or Luke. Deep breath in through the nose, deep exhale out through the mouth.
Adam leaned his head back a little to look at her, the doctor part of his brain kicking him for letting her have a panic attack for this long. She was young enough that it wouldn’t cause her to have a stroke or heart failure, but there was always a long list of terrible things that could happen because of overwhelming stress. The important thing was to stay calm, which was admittedly getting harder to do the more she protested and cried. His grip shook a little in nervousness and he had to close his eyes to steady himself. A couple more deep breaths. A promise to himself that whatever this was, it couldn’t be the worst problem he had ever faced.
“No.” He said steadily, opening his eyes to look at her. “No, you have to let me help you.” Adam didn’t know what happened or how many people were on her side, but nothing was going to keep him from being some kind of anchor for her. “Look at me, Maddie.” Adam ducked his head down a little so she’d make eye contact. “I can’t handle Pym without you and I don’t- I don’t think you can handle whatever mess this is without me.” His voice lost whatever authority it had and dipped back into something almost pathetic. Soft. “Please, you have to let me try.”
The breaths were easier to swallow as he held her closer, and she didn’t notice the shake in his grip or his own nervous energy until he forced her to look at him. His light eyes mirrored her own worry, and she looked at him with a quiet desperation. She wished she could fix everything, that they could just all live normal lives, but here she was, in Adam’s office, coming off of a panic attack after kidnapping her best friend’s child. It was easier being on the sidelines when the vigilantes did something less than legal, but that really was for the better good. Being hands on, well, that was not really settling right for MK.
Her fingers dug deeper, and she tried her best to keep eye contact as she took more deep breaths. The dizziness abated little by little, and her chest didn’t ache as much, her heart’s pounding finally returning to normal. She still guzzled air in, but more because of the tears continuing to fall down her face, as she slowly, visibly relaxed in his arms. Blinking sluggishly, MK almost looked lost, as if she just returned to her mind or like she just had an outer-body experience. She bit down on her lip, and green eyes took Adam in hungrily, darting from side to side. “No,” she said weakly, voice small and just as pathetic as his. “Adam, I’m serious.”
He shook his head and smiled sadly. “I’m serious, too.” There was a childish tone to his insistence, as if someone told him he couldn’t move away with his best friend or leave a pet store without a puppy. His chest expanded as he took in a deep breath and sighed it out as he looked back up at her. “Don’t have to tell me now what happened. Don’t have to tell me ever if you can help it. But, can find a way to help. To make sure that we can sweep whatever you did under the rug.”
Adam leaned in like he wanted to kiss her, but stopped short less than an inch. “Can’t live with myself if something happens to you. Would rather go down trying to help. You know that.”
MK bit down on her lip harder; Jesus, now she knew what it was like dealing with her sometimes idiotic stubbornness and insistence. Having Adam promise to help her was exactly what she wanted deep down, but at the same time, it was no good that he could possibly get involved. No good at all. She had a terrible feeling that nothing was going to work out -- that they would all be implicated for snatching Gus out of the church.
Closing her eyes, she shook her head and opened her mouth to reply, but his closeness caused the argument to catch in her throat, caused her heart and breath to hitch in that silly sort of teenage way. She looked up at him, but still could find the words, and just pressed her lips to his softly. Eyes fluttered shut, and she arched her neck to take in the kiss as best she could before she pulled back. “You don’t understand,” she said sadly, leaning her body into his. “I care about you way too much to get you involved in this. I didn’t--this isn’t just me getting trashed and like crashing a car or something. This is bad.”
Her lips pressed against his was a nice change of pace from the rest of the night, hell from the rest of the week. Vegas was turning into such a mess in so many ways. Who would have thought having a former superhero in his brain would lead him down this road of messy complications and secret after secret? Still, without it, he’d never have her. Sure, they’d stay in touch for a while, but eventually grow apart all the while never knowing how good this felt. If they all ended up in trouble one way or another, would it be worth it? Adam liked to think so. It was hard to protest with her so close, too.
“I don’t care.” Adam kissed the side of her mouth and loosened his grip on her a little. “You know how I feel. Won’t let this go. Won’t let you get pulled under by it.” He could find out what happened if he dug deep enough, but part of him knew that she’d tell him if things got desperate. For now, he’d have to assume she was safe and this threat was just another sleeping dragon for them to worry about in the back of their minds. “Come home with me. Will let other doctors handle the clinic for a couple hours. Haven’t been home in days.”
MK, too, thought of this all as a mixed bag of sorts. Everything, it seemed, was falling to shit, even quicker than it had in Seattle, but at least she had found solace in Adam. It was reassuring, at least, to know that he would probably always be in her corner, and she, in turn, would be in his. She hated labels, hated commitment, hated relationships, but he was turning out to be an exception. No way she would allow herself to rely on him, but the idea of him staying around for awhile was very comforting.
She made a noise at the back of her throat, something pleased and happy, and kissed his jaw before reaching up to meet his lips again. It was okay. She was okay, for now at least, and she was confident Adam would try his best to make sure of that. She met his eyes again as she nodded, feeling greedy enough to take him from patients. “Are these doctor’s orders?” the redhead asked with a playful smile. “Because those are the serious kind. I might have to listen to those.”
“Oh yes.” Adam straightened up, giving one of those aloof doctor looks with a hint of mockery. It was something he couldn’t do with a straight face, but it was almost convincing. “I’m afraid it’s the only cure for your current illness and honestly if you don’t follow the necessary prescription, there might be complications.” He crossed his arms across his chest and made a low tisking noise as if she had already committed a crime against the laws of medical science.
A giggle escaped at his serious doctor tone, but she pursed her lips to tuck away the smile and play along. “Really?” she asked, mocking genuine concern. “What kind of complications are those, Doctor Waterhouse?” She reached the back of her hands to dry up any of the leftover tears on her cheeks and under her eyes. Her chest still hurt a little, but breathing was much easier, and at least the panic ran out of her system. “I think you need to tell me exactly what the proper course of treatment is.”
He blushed a little, face turning red the more he tried to quell any sort of embarrassment. Adam wasn’t exactly someone who seemed cool, but the tiredness let sudden emotions push through without restraint. “Uhm, well yes-” Adam smiled down at her, glad to see she was at least relaxing. “I think you might be familiar with proper treatment. It might require a little check up to make sure you’re in healthy condition and I might be open to new suggestions.”
Being a girl with a certain personality, MK picked up on nervous energy pretty quickly, especially when she was the cause. It amused her most of the time to rile up some guy and make his cheeks go red or a stutter appear. With Adam, the rosiness crawling up his face just caused an affectionate grin to blossom across her lips that just screamed how much she actually liked him. She’d say it was the alcohol and stress later, if he asked, even if that was a complete lie. “You’ll probably have to remind me. Stressful week and all. Should we wait for the check up?” she continued with a smirk as her fingers curled around his white coat and tugged him a little closer. “I think we might have time to squeeze one in right now.”
Adam murmured a soft certainly and well of course this is a clinic as he ran his hands up the side of her frame. He reached down to kiss her. First hesitantly and then deeply. He let that look she gave him burrow someplace in the back of his mind. Maybe she had perfected that look and gave it to anyone that treated her sweetly. That was unlikely, but much easier to believe than her actually caring so much for him. Adam was comfortable being the hopeless one and expected her to easily manage without him if something went wrong. And, something would go wrong.
With that thought, he reached under her shirt, pressing his hands lightly against her skin as they traveled up and pulled her close to him. The part of him that wanted to know exactly what happened slowly faded as he focused on her body instead.