WHO: Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, Daniel Collins WHEN: Wednesday/Thursday WHERE: Hospital WHAT: Reunions and revelations WARNINGS: Hospital stuff
It had been nearly three days since Tuck had been hospitalised and still none of them were allowed into the ICU. The Merry Men had all taken their turns keeping Will company in the waiting room, or keeping watch while he got some rest. It was a long haul where they all waited for news, but none of the news they were getting was good. Tuck’s lungs had tried to collapse a few times, and he still wasn’t stabilising. It seemed like he wasn’t getting any worse necessarily, but he wasn’t getting any better either. And the fact that they were all aware he was awake and alone in there didn’t help.
And then somewhere around 11pm on the third day, a new doctor emerged from the ICU and glanced around at the group. “Is there someone named Will here? He’s been asking for Will for an hour. I think it would do him good to see Will.” He was a doctor none of them had seen before, and clearly he didn’t care about the rules. If a patient was asking for someone, he was going to go get them.
Waiting was one of the things Will was least good at, unless it was waiting for an unsuspecting henchperson to walk past at just the right point to be sniped. Waiting for news of someone he cared for very much, while being constantly denied and thwarted at every turn was agony. No matter how sweet he was to the nurses, no matter how many coffees and cakes he bought them, no matter how many times he tried to corner the doctor in the hall, he still was told No every time. Tuck was in there, hurt and alone, and Will was mere metres away and unable to reach him.
The others did their best to help of course. They offered to do things with him for distraction, which sometimes helped and sometimes didn't. Will found the nights the worst. Hospitals were never truly quiet, and he should go home to wait, but Tuck was alone in the dark and Will couldn’t walk away from that.
So when Will heard his name, his attention was on the doctor immediately. “Me! Yup that’s me, that’s me.” Will was on his feet in a moment, abandoning the cards he’d been playing with Daniel, and he hurried up to the doctor. Was he at last being allowed in? He was so close to having an in to swipe a set of scrubs and sneak his way in. Those nurses were eagle-eyed though.
The doctor smiled at Will, reassuringly and then he said, “come with me, please.” He led Will back through the door, and into the ICU. Tuck was back in the corner, and the curtains were pulled closed, but the doctor pulled them back, revealing Tuck laid up in his bed. He was covered in wounds from the broken glass, including one terrible cut on his head that was stitched. It was going to scar, but at least he could hide it with his hair. It had been shaved for now though, and it looked strange half-bald. He had a feeding tube inserted through his nose, and his broken leg was being held up off the mattress with a stirrup. He looked dreadful, but when he spotted Will, a smile still broke out on his face. “Will,” he slurred, clearly still high as fuck, “it’s you.”
“Nothin gets past you.” Will smiled back at Tuck as he came over, and then he leaned down to kiss Tuck gently on a clear patch of his face. “The fuck you been playin at, huh? Had us all worried sick.” He pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat close, carefully touching Tuck’s fingers so he could feel Will was there. He wasn’t going to freak out about the injuries when Tuck could see his face. He could hold it in a bit. But shit, it was a worry. Tuck looked smaller than usual, surrounded by all the equipment like he was.
Tuck’s fingers twitched when Will touched them, and he turned his head towards Will, even though that slightly displaced the oxygen mask on his face. Then he went and proved Will entirely wrong, that much got past him at the moment, when he said, “wha’ happened? ‘S anyone else hurt? What about my kids? Michaela and Christopher?” he asked, using Daniel’s birth name, which he didn’t go by any more, and not mentioning Evie at all. Tuck’s voice was weak and gravelly and he sounded like he was far away.
Will repressed a sigh and gave Tuck a patient smile instead of being worried about his lack of lucidity. “Nobody is hurt but you,” he said, wondering just how much morphine the man was on. “Everyone sends their best. Rob is teaching Mick how to beat you at cards.” He was going to keep things as relaxed as possible. Tuck wasn’t going to stand up to any grilling about what happened right now, obviously. He didn’t even seem to know what day it was, let alone how he ended up here.
"I love you," Tuck said, not really keeping track of the conversation at all. “My tongue feels so big "
The doctor walked back over and he approached Will. "I've been on leave for the past few days, but they've filled me in. Apparently he's been asking for you for days, and I apologise that no one came to fetch you. I can give you a more detailed update if you'd like to step this way?" He didn't want to talk in front of the patient.
Will gave Tuck a pat on the arm and got up. “Back in a tick. Don’t miss me too much.”
Funny how some doctors seemed to follow rules and others didn’t. Will liked this one a whole lot more than the other one. “Thanks for letting me in,” he said, slipping his hands into his pockets. “So what’s the story?”
"The bullet did quite a lot of damage," the doctor started. " It bounced around inside, and the most worrying damage was to his lungs. If he can manage to keep his lungs inflated for a full day, we can move him to a step down room. Then we can focus on his other injuries. His ankle will need several pins in it in order for it to heal correctly. We have patched up the cuts. We're hopeful. I do see you gave us information about an addiction. Unfortunately, if we were to use a non opiate manner of pain relief, it wouldn't be enough. He would be in agony. But I wanted to reassure you, because of where he was found, when he came in he was tested and his tox screen came up clean. He wasn't using drugs when he came in."
Will looked smug. “I fucking knew it,” he said proudly, glad his instincts had been proven correct, and that tiny bit of doubt was crushed. But that was the only good thing out of what the doctor had said. He looked back over towards Tuck, his smile fading with concern. What were they going to do with all of this mess? It was a big difference from the time he had broken ribs, and that had been bad enough. And the time they’d all nearly starved to death… They had a knack for getting into mischief, didn’t they? “So… how long will he have to stay in for, at an estimate? Best case scenario?”
"If he stabilises, he can do most of his recovery at home, provided you feel like you can help support him. I will caution you, he's going to continue to need opiates to manage his pain. Do you think you can handle being in charge of his meds?"
“Mate…” Will sighed, not liking that at all. He scratched his head, still watching Tuck for a minute, then looked back at the doctor. “I’m gonna need help with this. I don’t know- How do I manage an addict? I-” He sighed again. “How do I get him off them as soon as possible? He’s been so conscious of it, he’s gonna be gutted when he realises what’s happening. Really, I mean gutted.” He felt oddly responsible for this turn of events, somehow, even though it wasn’t anything he could’ve done anything about.
“I’ll arrange a social worker to speak with you about it,” the doctor promised. “You would be in charge of doling out meds, how much and when. If you stick to a schedule and are strict about it, it’s easier- This kind of thing is- It’s never easy though. I’m sorry. For mild to mid-level pain we could prescribe NSAIDs, but they won’t be enough. He’s got a long road ahead of him, but we can make sure he’s connected with an addiction specialist, so all you really have to do is enforce the administering of the medication.” As he spoke, someone went to go check Tuck’s vitals, ducking behind the curtain.
Will remembered Tuck talking about going through it with Francis, and how difficult it had been. At least this time it was managed, but what was to stop Tuck from losing his head and kicking off like he had before? He just hoped Tuck had the strength to get through it this time, with managing the pain.
"Christ. Yeah. I'll do what I can to get him through," he said with a sigh. Just wait until he found out who did this. There would be hell to pay. "How long are you lot gonna let me stay in here with him?"
“You’re his partner, correct?” the doctor waited for acknowledgement, before saying, “we’ll set you up a bed and you can stay as long as you’d like. If any alarms go off, or he has a backslide, however, we will need you to move quickly out of the way so we can work. Agreed?” Then the doctor said more quietly, “honestly? I think he’ll do much better with you here. He has motivation to get better. That’s apparently something some of my co-workers don’t understand and I can only apologise.”
A bed? Well fuck, he definitely liked this doctor a whole lot better. “Appreciate that, doc,” Will said with a nod. “If I got out to reassure the others, the doors won’t lock behind me, right? I’ll sleep on the floor if I have to. I won’t take up space.” He’d slept in much worse places than this anyway. “Better call the dog sitter and let him know.”
The doctor gave Will a supportive smile, “I understand it’s been a rough few days, but emphatically we will not make you sleep on the floor. Go tell who you need to, the doors will stay open for you. I can’t promise restful sleep, but at least you can stretch out.”
The doctor pulled back the curtains to see if Tuck was still awake, and found the nurse finishing up the vitals check. “Vitals looking good,” she said, giving the doctor a nod. Tuck glanced between them all and then gave Will a sort of very high thumbs up.
Will smiled back at Tuck, just glad he was alright enough to smile at all, but inside he was worried. Things were going to be difficult. This was only the first step. He walked over and sat down again, hoping that Tuck was going to get better quickly. He was going to sit here a while, and then he’d go back out and fill everyone in, and get some things, then go back in to wait, and watch, and hope for the best.
“See? Looking good, she said,” he told Tuck. “She knows it.”
“Will,” Tuck turned his head to focus on his partner and he tried to reach a hand out to him. “I don’t know what happened.” For Tuck, the last thing he remembered was being at the parsonage, and then he had woken up here. Time had passed in a blur, and he wasn’t sure how long it had been, just that he had been asking for Will, and now Will was here. “And I think someone gave me drugs!” he hissed, in what was supposed to be a whisper, but it was pretty loud.
Will’s brows raised in mock surprise. “What?” he whispered back, and then eyed up the doctor. “I think it must have been one of these people. You’re in hospital, because you got hurt. Do you think that could be why you got given drugs?” He was teasing a little, testing Tuck’s mood, trying to keep things light. He didn’t want Tuck to start panicking or anything.
The corner’s of Tuck’s eyes crinkled as he smiled at Will. He was far too high right now to be stressed about much, honestly. Pain felt far away, and instead he had a strange sense of euphoria. “Must be,” he agreed. Doctors giving him drugs made sense. And they were allowed too. “Are you okay? Were you with me?”
“Nah. You managed to do this all on your own, you clever f- thing.” Will felt a bit weird swearing in front of medical staff, like he was in school or something. “I was busy and you took off and next thing we know, here you were. You really remember nothing?”
“Nothin,” Tuck slurred. “‘Sall a blank. I’m so glad you’re here. I think I remember them saying you couldn’t come in. Did you sneak in?” That seemed like a thing Will would do. He was very sneaky.
Will chuckled. “I tried, believe me. This place is crawling with security,” he said with a shake of his head. “Cameras everywhere! Robin wouldn’t let me start a fire as a distraction.” He glanced up at the doctor and mouthed, “Joking, just joking!” Not really joking, he had suggested it just as a test and Rob had given him a real dark look.
“Think Rob was right,” Tuck nodded, and then he winced because even nodding hurt. “I’m sleepy. You won’t leave, right?” Now that Will was there, Tuck wanted to make sure he stayed. If he had been more with it, he would have insisted Will get some rest, but he was far too high to be rational. “You won’t leave me?” It came out slightly desperate, and it probably was. Will being there meant everything to him.
“I’m here, love,” Will replied, holding Tuck’s hand gently. “Not goin anywhere.” When he had to pop out in a bit, he’d be quick, but chances are Tuck wouldn’t even remember if he tried to explain. Just let him relax now, and he’d worry about everything else later.
Tuck relaxed back into the bed, luxuriating in Will calling him ‘love’. His eyes fluttered closed and he fell asleep rather easily.
The next twelve hours or so passed in a bit of a blur. Sometimes Tuck chatted with Will, though he always sort of forgot he had done so after falling asleep again. The vitals checks continued, and Tuck’s condition finally seemed to be improving. His lungs stayed inflated, and finally the decision was made to move him down to a step-down room, and out of the ICU. It was more private, and it was also a good sign that he was going to heal from his injuries.
His meds were lowered, just a little, and by the time he woke up in the step-down room, he was a little more with it. “Will?” he said, his voice a little croaky. Will had been given a cot to sleep in in the private room, so he could stretch out and sleep while Tuck did. “Are you here?”
Will had found himself dozing off. Sleeping in the hospital without medication was not particularly restful, especially in the ICU surrounded by beeps and wails and people rushing back and forth. Getting through the night was honestly a bit of a slog. He’d gone for a walk after Tuck had fallen asleep the day before, just to get some fresh air, and to see Flora and Evie when Addy had brought them in to help him recharge his batteries. So now when Tuck awoke, Will was mostly asleep in the dim, warm room, but he jumped awake when Tuck spoke, blinking quickly and sitting up.
“Yeah, hey, I’m here,” he said, moving around to the chair by Tuck’s bed. “Hello, you.”
“Hi yourself,” Tuck said, sounding a little more with it than he had for the past twelve hours. “Mmm. This is a bit of a shit, isn’t it?” he said, his words only slurring a little. “How long’ve I been here?” He had no memory of the passing of time, and no way to know it had been nearly four days. “Feels like both forever and no time.”
“Uhh…” Time really tended to blur in this place. “Like, a week? They’ve just moved you out of ICU so you’re doing better.” Will rubbed his hand across his face and slouched back in the chair. “How’re you feeling? More alive?”
“A week!” Tuck looked visibly distressed at that, though there wasn’t much he could do. He couldn’t move without it hurting, and he was attached to so many things, he wouldn’t get far. “Oh my god. Oh my god, Will. Oh, I’m so sorry.” Suddenly he felt immense guilt for making Will stay here for that long. He couldn’t even answer how he was. “Are you alright?!”
"Me?" Will shouldn't really be surprised that that would be Tuck’s first question. It was entirely in character, and as such, something of a reassurance, actually. "You're the one who got shot, my dear, we are all rather more worried about you." He leaned forward in his chair, looking closer at Tuck, trying to guage where he was at. He seemed at least more lucid.
“I-” Tuck looked horrified then, “I got shot?!” Yes, he had had this explained over and over to him several times, but he had been well out of it. Now that he was a little more with it, it was a shock to the system. “Oh my god, where was I? Were you there?!”
Will looked a little rueful and shook his head. "You took off without saying where you were going. Michael found you in a dumpster under a window you fell five storeys out of. Which was also… well, to put it… bluntly…" He sighed. "Well it was a drug den. But you've got more opiates in you now than you did then, so… silver linings?" He smiled weakly.
Tuck watched Will as he regaled the story of how he had been found, and he realised he was at a loss for what to say. Honestly, how could he respond to that? He’d been shot, and somehow fallen five storeys, and found in a skip? And he’d been at a drug den?! What the fuck had he been doing there?!
“Oh god, tell me- Will, please tell me I wasn’t- Did I fuck up?”
"No. Your tox screen was clean." Will squeezed Tuck’s hand lightly. Unless of course, Tuck had been on his way in, and… but that would never have happened. Not ever. Will wouldn't even joke about the suggestion. "Honestly, we don't know what happened. You prayed to Michael to find you and that was it. You didn't even leave a note."
“Oh what a fucking twat,” Tuck hissed, frustrated with his past self. He was relieved to know he hadn’t fucked up though. God, if he had- The very idea of it chilled his bones. It was bad enough he was on drugs now, but at least that had a purpose. “Oh, Will. You must have had the worst week. You can tell me about it. I’m here.”
Will looked at Tuck, and then let out a short laugh. "Barely! Tuck, we can be emotionally open all you like, when you're, you know, less- less this." He gestured at the tubes and machines. Chuckling again, he sat back again in the chair and shook his head. Honestly. Tuck was incorrigible.
Well he tried. Will was probably right, what if Will laid his soul bare and Tuck forgot everything he said?! “Well ‘m sorry. Either way,” he said, heaving a sigh. “That I didn’t leave a note and I can’t remember- I fell five stories? Christ.” How was he still alive? “It does hurt. Quite a bit.” Not that he could really feel much of it, but he could just tell. And it was likely going to hurt for a long, long time. “Fuck. Fuck, this is all…fuck."
"Yeah… pretty much." Will sighed. "I forgive you, obviously, I just… well, you're lucky Michael found you first, gave you a few tweaks before you got picked up. Made your insides less of an omelette, I suppose. I sure hope going there was important."
Tuck made a face at Will’s description, underneath his oxygen mask. “What a visual,” he said softly. “I’ll try to remember. Is there water, sweetheart? I’m so thirsty.” Will would have to move the mask a bit, but surely just for a second wouldn't make a difference. His throat was so dry.
Will glanced at the bag of fluids plugged into Tuck’s arm. He hadn't really been furnished with liquids for anyone, but he guessed that even though Tuck wasn't dehydrated, it didn't help to moisten his lips and throat. "I think there's a water cooler in the hallway. I forgot to ask for any. Hang on, I'll go look." He ventured out and along the hall to find a paper cup of water, and when he came back, he leaned carefully over the bed to help Tuck.
"Tiny sips. Your lungs are Swiss cheese, the last thing we need is you breathing water. Here, take it slow."
Tuck sipped at the water, because it was all he could manage, and he also didn’t want to upset Will by making his lungs worse. The water soothed his sandpaper throat, though he was glad to note he had clearly had lip balm applied, because his lips were less chapped than he had expected. He breathed out in relief, and took a few more sips. “Oh thank you,” he breathed, when he was done. “That’s much better. Have you been taking care of yourself?” Tuck was, as ever, worried about everyone else’s welfare too.
Will set the cup to the side for later, in case Tuck wanted more later. "We have been doing what we can," he said mildly, picking a bit of lint off his jeans. "Eating and sleeping at the right times, for the most part. I've been trying to work out a way to get through to you, until the new doctor came. That helped to pass the time." He sighed and pulled out his phone to check his messages.
Tuck was glad to hear they’d all been taking care of each other, but he was pulled up by that last comment. What did that even mean? “W-what d’ya mean by through to me?” Surely that wouldn’t have taken up much time? Tuck only half-remembered being alone in the ICU and even then, he couldn’t yet put it into context.
"Oh-" Will pulled a face. "Just- becaaaause… of the whole… legal next of kin thing. Hm." He glanced at Tuck’s face, to try and judge his thoughts. "They wouldn't let any of us in. So. I was trying to steal some scrubs, or seduce a nurse. They were really tight though. Eagle-eyed." He demonstrated pointing his two fingers to his eyes and then pointing his fingers at Tuck.
Tuck's face fell, but it was out of concern for Will, and not himself. He had been out of it, but Will had been dreadfully aware the entire time they had been apparently legally kept apart
"Oh, my love," Tuck breathed, that must have been so awful. Then a tiny smirk and, "you were going to seduce a nurse just for me, hmm?"
“Don’t let it go to your head, I would’ve done it anyway,” Will said casually, waving a hand dismissively. He was joking of course, but he didn’t want to get too emotional, that’d be, you know, a lot right now. “That doctor was an arsehole for the rules anyway. I don’t hold with having too many rules. They were made to be broken.”
"Oh it's going to my head," Tuck joked tiredly. "Right to it." He had worried about being kept apart, but he wasn't going to point that out right now.
"Well you're here now," he said, resolving to check in for real later. He was exhausted now, and still pretty high. Far too injured for deep conversations. "Please, if you do need to take a break though, you can."
“Take a break? From… being with you in your time of need?” Will smiled slightly. “You don’t need to worry about me. I am fine. I am taking care of myself. Rob has been here heaps, and the others, we are all keeping each other fed and watered. I wasn’t about to leave you, love. You needed me. You need me.” He leaned over to kiss Tuck on the temple, and then gave him a wink. “Anyway, now that you’re out here, one of the others can sit with you. They’ve been fighting each other for the privilege. It’s been a bit of a bloodbath, if I’m honest.”
Tuck did need him, but he didn’t want Will to feel too put upon. Hearing Will say I wasn’t about to leave you, love made his chest feel warm, and he smiled all high and loving. “I’ll try to stop worrying,” he said tiredly. “I’m so glad you’re here, really. It means everything. Are my kids here?” He was sure Addy hadn’t waited the entire time with Evie, but the older ones could be.
“They’ve been here. We told people we’d tell them when to come back, once they could come see you. Small children and jobs and all that. But they have been here fairly regularly. Daniel might be waiting, I messaged him to tell him you were moved, I’m not sure if he told Mickey or not. Do you want me to tag out? I’m sure he’d love to see you for himself. And Robin too.” Will patted Tuck’s hand. “I can go eat something that isn’t prepared in a cafeteria, for a novelty.”
Tuck wasn’t sure if want was the right word, but Will deserved to go eat something nicer than the little sandwiches they sold in tiny plastic containers. And of course he would love to see Robin and his kids. “You go eat something,” Tuck nodded. “I’m all hooked up here,” he pointed to the feeding tube he could feel in his nose. “Though I do hope they take it out soon. I might take a nap too. I love you, Will. I’m going to be okay, alright?”
Alright was kind of relative, but yes, in the long run, Tuck would be alright. Will nodded back, then got to his feet with a stretch, his spine clicking. “I’ll be back,” he promised. “A couple of hours and I’ll be back. Call it my union-mandated meal break.”
Tuck knew Will wouldn’t break his promise, and he relaxed against his pillows to wait for one of his loved ones to take Will’s place beside him, just for a few hours. By the time Will returned, Tuck was fast asleep again, having spent some time with Robin, and having a tearful reunion with his older children. A day or so later, Tuck woke to his vitals being checked and he smiled sleepily at the doctor. “How’s everything looking?” he asked, dozily.
“Good, quite good,” the doctor said, lifting his tablet. “We are going to schedule you for surgery to put some pins in your ankle, and then we should be able to send you home a day or so after that.”
Home sounded so good, and Tuck took a deep breath, letting it out and fogging up the oxygen mask. He watched the doctor finish a few things and then it was like a memory slammed into him and he let out a little wail. “O-Oh god. Will! I- I remember who shot me!”
Will had been casually browsing his phone while he waited for the doctor to be done, so when Tuck spoke up suddenly, he looked up in surprise. “You what?” he asked, sitting up straight. Now this was an unexpected revelation. “Who? Who was it?!”
The doctor had stepped away before Tuck had spoken, and Tuck wasn’t really paying attention to him anyway. “Will, it was Sarah. Norah. Whatever her name is now. She- She screamed she was keeping me away from her grandchildren- Are they okay?!” Now he felt panicked, but surely if something had happened to Sapphire and Amelia, he would know. “Have they seen Sarah hanging around?!”
“Holy shit,” Will said. “No- no they haven’t said- but Dan’s been here. Billie’s been home with the kids.” As he spoke, he was pulling out his phone and dialling Daniel’s number to give him the warning as fast as possible. “You definitely remember it was her? How did she get you into that place? Was she using?” Too many questions at once, but fuck, this was wild, and important.
“I don’t know where the fuck she came from,” Tuck admitted. He hadn’t even known she was there until he heard the-
The PI.
“Oh shit, I- I was there to- The PI came to say he had a lead on Ezra. He said he’d heard a tip that Ezra had been seen in that building and so we went to check it out together. Sarah hit him over the head and I heard him fall, and then there she was, and- She tried to fucking kill me. She tried to fucking kill me!”
“Ezra? Elijah’s brother?” That was the only Ezra Will could think of right now. Wait, was Sarah in on this? “How did she know?? Is the PI part of this?” Just then, Daniel picked up the phone, and Will quickly rattled off what Tuck had just said.
Tuck listened to his son, and then he said, “if you need to get to a safe place, the merry men will help, Dan. I promise you.” “We’ll figure it out, Dad,” Daniel said as gently as possible, though he was clearly pissed off. “You just keep healing. I’ll go find Bee and fill her in.”
With the phone call terminated, Tuck looked back at Will and he groaned, “can you have Robin go check on them? And yes, Elijah’s brother, Ezra. We didn’t find him- I- I hope the PI is okay. She hit him hard.”
“How the fuck did she find you?” Will muttered again. He was going to have to figure this bitch out because he couldn’t risk this happening again. There was the wellbeing of children at stake here as well as Tuck. Sending a text to Robin, he frowned, thinking things over. Should he go to this place and check it out? He’d definitely check on the PI.
“I don’t know,” Tuck said, feeling a little desperate. “Will, I- I never saw her coming. Nor did I ever imagine she would do something like this.” He was feeling quite distressed about the entire ordeal. “What if she followed me there? How long has she been watching?”
Will shook his head slowly, pondering the question. How long had she been watching? This definitely wasn’t ideal. Something would have to be done. “We’ll get answers, one way or another. We know now. I won’t let her hang around us with you in this state. Don’t worry. I got this.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’m gonna get that PI’s info off your phone, okay?”
“Will,” Tuck said, watching his partner warily. “You’re not going to shoot her are you?” While Tuck wouldn’t miss Sarah, he hardly wanted Will to go to prison. Especially not for murder. “Just…please don’t?”
"Hand on heart, I will not shoot anybody," Will promised, crossing his heart with one hand. That didn't rule out other things of course… strangling, stabbing, etc… but he would see how things looked once he tracked down that PI. He might have to get Rob to come along for the ride. Rob was usually a steady hand. "We need to make sure this doesn't happen again, though. The woman is a lunatic. She has to be stopped."
“Don’t think I am not fully aware you didn’t promise to do anything else to her,” he said, though he left it for now. If someone had shot Will, Tuck would already be chasing them, so Will was showing an incredible amount of restraint. “She absolutely has to be stopped. Will. How angry are you?” Will had been livid when Sarah just slapped Tuck, and this was a hell of a step up.
Will looked up at Tuck again, a very mild expression on his face. "Angry?" he asked, putting his phone down. He steepled his fingers, tapping his index fingers together a couple of times. "Well. Let's pretend here is angry. My feelings-" He gestured one hand curving over an invisible horizon. "-are so far past angry as to be invisible due to the curvature of the Earth. Angry is a yellow flame, and what I feel is a white hot blue flame burning in my soul. Angry is a bonfire and I am Mount fucking Vesuvius. This woman shot you. There is no end I will not go to to prevent this happening again." And he was deadly fucking serious as he said it too, although he ended with a bland smile. Vengeance would be his.
Tuck listened while Will listed several euphemisms for how angry he was, and at the end, his lips curled up into a small smile. “You are really very dashing when you’re being protective,” he said softly. “I don’t understand why she decided to shoot me, but I agree it can’t happen again. Thank you,” he said, smiling gently. “For protecting me.”
Will nodded and shrugged. “Protecting people is kinda my thing,” he said, “but the revenge? I do that just for you.” With a wink he picked up his phone again. Oh yes, the revenge he did for the fun of it, and it would be served stone cold.
“Just for little old me?” Tuck said, and he tried to bat his eyelashes, but he looked a wreck and he still had an oxygen mask on, so he looked beyond ridiculous. “I’m worried. About going home before- If she’s still out there. She knows where we live, and if Evie was there- If she hurts Evie I would snap her neck. Probably…not in my current state…”
“If she hurt Evie- she won’t get that far, but hypothetically- there won’t be enough of her left for you to snap.” Oh, let her even try it. Will would cut her down in a second. “Leave it to me, okay? I’m going to make this work. One way or another. You just trust me.” He smiled reassuringly.
Well Tuck wasn’t going to argue with Will protecting their daughter, though he did worry about Will ending up in prison, so how he did it was a factor. “Just maybe loop Michael in?” he suggested. If Michael was involved, everything could be above board.
Tuck was about to say something else, when Will’s phone rang. Tuck couldn’t see, but it was Daniel calling him.
“Yeah alright.” Will checked his phone, and then glanced up at Tuck. “Gimme a second. Gotta take this,” He flashed Tuck a thumbs-up and got up to step out of the room and into the corridor. “Hey Dan. Alright?” he greeted, in a tone where things were completely normal and there wasn’t a monstrous woman on the loose trying to murder people.
“Hey, Will. Are you with my dad?” Dan asked quickly. “Because I have an idea but he absolutely will not let me do it if he hears so you can’t tell him.” Daniel knew Tuck would be over protective, but Daniel also knew the best way to lure his mother out of the shadows was by contacting her himself. And he wanted her somewhere she couldn’t harm anyone else he loved ever again. “Which I know isn’t super fair to ask you, but- I know a way to get my mother to- I have an idea.”
“Nah, I’m outside,” Will said, glancing over his shoulder towards the door, but for good measure he walked a bit further away and lowered his voice. “So, sounds fraught, and Tuck won’t like it- lay it on me. How much self-sacrifice are we talking?”
Well that depended on if Will meant physically or mentally. “It sounds like my mother is wary of my kids and my sister growing up around Dad. And I’m not letting anything happen to Mimi, Saph or Evie. So it doesn’t matter.” Daniel checked to make sure Bee wasn’t anywhere around and then he said, “she’ll meet me somewhere if I ask her to. Especially if I pretend to be afraid of Dad. Michael the angel is a cop right? He could have access to a wire?” He hoped Will could see where he was going with that.
“Hmmm.” Will glanced back towards Tuck’s roof. Dan was right, Tuck was definitely not going to like it, so… perhaps he didn’t have to know about it until afterwards? He didn’t want to cause undue stress, after all. And Will had promised to take care of things. “Probably,” he said thoughtfully. “I promised I wouldn’t shoot anyone, but I’m open to other things. You know, if it goes south. What are we trying to get out of her, here? A confession?”
Daniel winced at the comment, even though he knew Will didn’t mean anything by it. But still, “I saw my father shot in the head when I was eight and now he’s been shot again. So I’d like to try to do this safely, in a way where no one else gets shot. I don’t want my mother to die, I just-” He wanted her to go to prison and maybe get a whole lot of therapy. “Yes, I was thinking a confession. The police know about Dad, and if I can get her to admit it- Do you think Micheal could be there?”
“I think he could.” Will already knew Tuck would feel better about this afterward if he took the proper precautions now. “I’ll ask him. We want to do this soon, don’t we? I don’t want her trying to sneak into the hospital and finish the job. Or creeping around our place. Or climbing in your windows at night. Or- anything else.” He paused for a moment, then asked, “You sure you wanna do this? We can figure something else out that puts you in less danger if you want. I’m not gonna pressure you, even though it’s a good plan. You gotta be sure.”
“It’s my family,” Daniel said, lifting his chin even though Will couldn’t see it. “And I’m the son of Friar Tuck. I’m sure. Today or tomorrow. Let’s get it done.” He supposed it made sense he had a brain for this kind of thing. It was in his blood.
“We have to plan first. We need a location where I can keep an eye on you, just in case. I’m not letting you go in alone. Tuck’d be seriously disappointed in me, and you know I can’t deal with that.” Will ran a hand through his hair. He liked having a plan. He liked that they could take some action of some kind instead of sitting around, which he’d always been bad at. “So yeah. Lets get it done. Gotta get Mike on the horn and let him know where to go. I can do that.”
Daniel let out a breath and then he nodded. “Sounds good. Just let me know where and when.” And he would likely panic until then. But at least he was doing something. There was a plan in place to get his mother somewhere away from them, where she could also be safe.
“We’ll be in touch. I better get back in. Tuck’s doing better, by the way. He would be glad to see you again.” Will checked the time. “I’ll be seeing you. Do some stretches or something to warm up. Do you want to message her now, or wait?” He was feeling like he should be getting back in before Tuck started wondering what has going on.
“I’ll wait until I know where,” he said, and then he chuckled just a little. “Stretches?” He was in pretty good shape, but he supposed he could do those if he needed to. “Tell Dad I’ll see him soon. I’m glad he’s doing better.”
Tuck looked up as Will wandered back in, and he smiled happily, underneath the mask. “Mmm, hi, gorgeous.”
“Hi yourself.” Will looked at his phone screen, and then back up at Tuck with a smile. “Dan sends his love.” He sat down again with a sigh, but he felt antsy now, like he needed to be getting on with things. “Hey listen, you won’t miss me if I pop out for a while, will you? I just haven’t had a chance to catch up on things… And now you’re better- I’ll be back later on. I can get someone else to sit with you, everyone is clamouring to get in here anyway. Will you be okay?”
Tuck reached out to touch Will’s arm and he nodded, “of course, love. I’ll be alright. You need to have some time for yourself.” He felt all warm inside, especially after hearing his son sent his love. “I would love to spend time with someone else, you just go rest. But kiss my head first?”
“I’ll even do it twice,” Will said, pressing two loud kisses to the top of Tuck’s head. “Love you, I’ll be back. Everything will be better.” He gave Tuck a wink and then left the room, his phone already out to message Rob to send someone else in, and then called Michael to talk things over with him as he strode out of the hospital.
Shit was about to get real, and Will was gonna make sure that by the time he saw Tuck again, Sarah would be safely off the streets.