Kane Owen (sellingsouls) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2020-06-17 11:03:00 |
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Entry tags: | #january 2018, bailey, bailey x kane, kane |
Who: Bailey and Kane
When: Late morning, Friday, January 26th
Where: car around town, her apartment at Haven Park
Status: complete
Bailey’s week had started going downhill the night Kane called to tell her he had been stabbed. Since then she had dealt with a power outage, missing people and… well, the missing people had certainly taken up the majority of her time. It didn’t help that one of their deputies had gone missing as well and Bailey couldn’t stop thinking about those abandoned cars out on Witcham Road. They had all been impounded now for evidence and investigation but… Bailey didn’t think anyone at the police station had any real hope for finding the owners. Then again, maybe they did and she was just cynical.
After checking in on her mother earlier that morning Bailey had to drive to the hospital to pick up her brother, who had been discharged. He’d had surgery on his leg and would need help for a bit until he healed enough to be able to take care of himself. Unfortunately that role landed on Bailey, given their mother was more or less on her deathbed and they had no other family in town. She didn’t really want him in her space but she didn’t want to have to constantly drive out to the motel by Cherries either. So her choices left her stuck between a rock and a hard place but due to the proximity to work and their mother… she opted to let Kane stay with her. On her couch, of course. Her bed was her bed.
After picking him up and getting him comfortably in her car, Bailey had to assume they would need to drive out to the motel to get some of his things. “I’ll make arrangements when we get back to my place to get your SUV towed to the apartment,” she told him once they were on their way. “I found your gun on the road when I went back for my car too. It’s locked up for now. We’ll grab essentials at the motel. If there’s something else you need, I’ll just grab it at the pharmacy when I get your prescriptions.” She kept her tone even and calm, figuring civility was the easiest way to get through this.
Kane’s head hadn’t cleared until after almost twenty-four hours in the hospital. He hadn’t been a good patient, combative with doctors and nurses alike, and all of it was kind of a blur of pain and chaos until they’d put him under. He’d stayed fairly sedated for the next stretch of hours, going through surgery without being aware of any of it. There had been a lot more pain when he’d woken up, but the hospital staff kept him pumped full of painkillers. He heard talk about what they’d done to him, how much damage he’d sustained, how lucky he was to still be alive, how they were keeping him for observation, but everything was cottony and far away.
Thursday was a bit more clear, and Kane heard all about how he was supposed to recover, what the risks still were, all that shit. He hated hospitals. Hearing that Bailey was coming to pick him up Friday morning was the best news he’d gotten in a long time. His leg was in a brace so he couldn’t move it too much and fuck up his stitches, propped up on the wheelchair footrest when Bailey came to get him. His face was a mess, his side hurt where he’d been slashed, and he was damn miserable trying to climb into her car. He cracked the window and lit up a cigarette as soon as they were pulling away from the hospital. It was good to hear that she had found his gun, even though he had others. He would definitely need to get those from the motel. “There’s more guns in the SUV,” he told her, his voice rusty and low. “Where is it?”
Bailey sighed. Of course there were more guns in his SUV. She should have just gone through everything in his car but she had opted for ignorance. She already knew more about Kane than she would like to. "It's parked at Seaview. We'll swing by there when we get back to town. And then we'll lock those up with the other one because I'm not having all of your shit strewn about my apartment." Clearly he was going to be off his feet for a while so he didn't need to worry about... hunting, or whatever it was that he claimed he did. Since he was smoking now, Bailey fumbled with the pack and got her own cigarette to light. She really just wanted a drink, but that would have to wait. "How are you feeling?" Bailey glanced at him. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" She wasn't sure she really wanted to know, but... morbid curiosity sometimes got the better of her.
Kane kind of hated the idea of his car being parked outside of Seaview unattended, even though he was sure Bailey had locked it up. But the worry was distant and hard to focus on in his current medicated state. He wasn’t high exactly, just ... muted. He was going to make sure that Bailey left him at least one handgun to protect himself with, but he didn’t feel like discussing it at the moment. He knew she was going to argue, and his head already hurt. “I’m feeling pretty shitty,” he said simply. “And I dunno ... probably shouldn’t.” Kane took a drag off of his cigarette and exhaled toward the window before glancing over at her. “Shit was fucked up though, I’ll tell you that much. Nothin’ about that felt right. I remember other people actin’ crazy too, do you know what was going on?”
Bailey hadn’t thought to clarify that his car was parked in Seaview, in the driveway of one of the empty houses. She hadn’t thought it would be a good idea to leave his SUV on the side of the road but she hadn’t known what else to do with it. It was the least of her concerns at the moment though. Bailey got her cigarette lit, not at all surprised that Kane didn’t want to give her details of his stabbing. She had only saved his life, but whatever. Bailey rolled down her window a bit for the smoke, enjoying the brisk air that hit her face. To his question, Bailey kept her eyes on the road and replied with a short and simple, “Nope.” She knew some of the aftermath of whatever had happened but no one really knew what had caused the illness and random bursts of aggression and chaos. What else was new? “It’s an ongoing investigation, so... I can’t tell you anything, anyway. What do you need from your motel room?”
Can’t tell, won’t tell. It made Kane laugh a little, gravely in his throat. “Ongoing investigation, so full of shit,” he muttered, but he was grinning faintly in spite of it. It wasn’t necessarily that he didn’t want to share what had happened with his sister ... it just probably wasn’t the smartest idea to tell a cop that he’d killed a guy with his bare hands. No matter if he’d stayed dead or not. She probably wouldn’t believe him anyway, just like she hadn’t believed him at first about the black eyed kids. And Kane didn’t have an inhuman corpse to show her this time. He sighed and tried to think of what was in his room. “Clothes. Bathroom shit. Two black duffel bags under the bed. My booze. Fuck, should prob’ly clean the whole place out. I ain’t got much.” He knew he would have to stay with Bailey for longer than just a few days, and it seemed safer to move his living situation anyway, just in case. Plus Kane didn’t want to pay for a motel room he wasn’t using.
Bailey smirked softly around her cigarette before taking a slow drag from it. Maybe she was full of shit, but oh well. She didn't have to tell him anything if she didn't want to and she was just petty enough to withhold information if he wasn't going to share his own. Kane had been stabbed in the leg and she had to deal with the possibility of him bleeding to death in front of her, so... she felt like she deserved to know what had happened to him. But she wasn't going to beg him to tell her if he didn't want to tell her. "Where is your motel key? Please tell me it's on your car keys because I have those." She didn't want to have to turn around and drive all the way back to Seaview. Bailey didn't think the shitty motel outside of town was nice enough for electronic locks just yet, but who the hell knew.
At the moment Kane didn’t truly give a shit what had happened. He didn’t like having his brain fucked with, but this was Point Pleasant. It kind of came with the territory. He’d acted completely rashly and almost gotten himself killed, but a lot of people had bypassed the ‘almost,’ so he was going to be grateful that he was still sucking oxygen. Maybe they would really compare notes later, when Kane was healed enough to get away from her if she tried to arrest him. Though there was no body, so no murder, right? Whatever. Kane was too tired and medicated to care. He was just content in the knowledge that he would find the bastard down the road and finish the job. “It’s on my car keys,” he confirmed. Kane finished off his smoke and flicked it out the window. The cold air felt good to him too, so he left it cracked. They were almost to the motel and he knew he shouldn’t move around, but he already wanted to get out and help collect his own shit. Having to rely on people was going to take getting used to. Especially since ‘people’ was basically just Bailey.
"Fantastic." One less thing to worry about. By the time they pulled up the motel, Bailey had finished her cigarette and she flicked it out her window before rolling it up. Then she tugged open the glove compartment and grabbed Kane's keys. "You'll stay in the car and I'll get your shit. I'll probably have to turn in your key too. I assume the room is paid up? Or am I doing that too?" She didn't sound annoyed. Not too annoyed, anyway. Kane needed to stay off his leg and things would go much smoother if he just let her gather all of his things. She could toss almost everything into the trunk and then they could be off. If Kane tried to help, he would just be a hindrance and Bailey didn't want to linger in this area any longer than necessary.
As much as he didn’t really want Bailey going through and touching all of his stuff, he didn’t have much choice in the matter. It would go faster if she did it alone. And fuck it, she knew who he was now -- what he did, anyway -- so she likely wouldn’t be freaked out by the strange bottles and books and talismans he kept around. And all the different types of weapons. And the idea of her pulling his condom stash out of the drawer amused him a little, so whatever. “Nah, m’all paid up through the end of the month,” he told her. The owner might try to hassle her about not being the actual resident when she went to officially check him out, but Bailey was a cop, she could handle herself. “Did you get my phone outta my car?” he thought to finally ask.
"Your phone is in my apartment. I was going to lock it up in your car, but the weather is shit so I didn't know if it would fuck up your phone or not." She had turned it off when she got home the night she took him to the hospital and left it on her kitchen counter. It had been easy enough to ignore it, considering she had no doubt he had a passcode and all that shit. Bailey left the car running and pushed open her door before sighing and looking back at Kane. "Two things, what number is your room, and I'm not packing up any weird sex stuff, am I?" She was mostly joking, as much as Bailey joked around with him anyway, but seriously, she didn't want to touch anything that might have his fluids on it.
At least she had his phone, even though Kane would’ve preferred to have it in his hand. No matter. It was secured so he knew Bailey hadn’t been snooping. Her questions made him laugh, which made him cough, which hurt in all kinds of places, but he couldn’t help it. “Room 115, and you might wanna wear gloves,” he told her with a smirk, then shook his head. “Nah. Nothing weird. Just condoms and I’m sure you’re familiar with those.” Or maybe she wasn’t, hell. Kane kind of default assumed all normal adults were getting laid, but he didn’t know anything about his sister’s sex life and didn’t want to. If she had any hot dates planned in the near future, she was going to have to cancel.
Bailey wrinkled her nose at that, but said nothing more before climbing out of the car. Room 115. She unlocked the door, already wishing she had just pushed his ass into the room to get it cleaned up for her. Kane wasn't messy, but it felt strange handling his things. She had only ever ventured into his room once or twice when they were kids but it never really felt like she belonged there. She definitely didn’t belong here. Bailey tossed as much as she could into the duffel bags, but it took a couple of trips from his room to her car. She had to adjust and then readjust a few things in the small trunk, but she eventually got everything to fit.
After one last check around the room, Bailey shut the motel door and took the key off of Kane's key ring to return to the office. The grimy looking man behind the counter eyed her with a bit of suspicion and when she could tell he was about to give her shit for checking out on Kane's behalf, Bailey pulled out her badge. She was going to make up some shit about Kane being a wanted felon, but the clerk immediately printed the receipt and allowed her to sign for him. Easy, but not as fun as it could have been.
With the receipt in hand, Bailey walked back out to her car and got inside. She offered the receipt and keys to Kane. "Okay, so I guess we have to go get the shit out of your car, and then stop to get your meds. Oh, and I left the condoms in the room because you sure as shit won’t be needing them in the near future, and given where this place is located, I’m sure someone will use them soon enough. Am I missing anything?"
Kane settled in enough to doze lightly while Bailey took care of his stuff and his room. If he couldn’t be helpful, he could at least relax. Maybe it was stupid to nap while sitting unarmed in a car, but whatever. If something wanted to come and kill him while he was down, there wasn’t much he could do about it. He lifted his head when Bailey returned to the car the final time, rubbing at one of his eyes. He took the keys and receipt, stuffing both into the pocket of his jacket. Kane gave a little groan and tsked. “Those were the good non-latex kind too,” he muttered, though he wasn’t really sore about losing his rubbers. He was in no shape to fuck anyone anytime soon, she was right. “Think you got it all though. ... thanks. While we’re at the pharmacy, think they got crutches? I can manage with just one, but for like, when you’re at work and I gotta piss, you know?” He wouldn’t be moving far, but he doubted Bailey wanted to empty a bedpan for him when he could technically walk a bit.
Bailey made a mocking, pouty sound in her throat when he mentioned the condoms had been non-latex. Hell, she would buy him five boxes when he was healthy enough to leave her apartment. They would be a celebratory "get the fuck out!" present. The idea of crutches was a good one though, even as Bailey sh1ot him a look, her lips pursed lightly. "Or how about, when I'm not at work and I'm home and you gotta piss. You can wipe your own ass, can't you? Fuck. I should have gotten you a bed next to mom's and just paid Camilla extra to take care of you too." Bailey began to pull out of the parking lot, happy to be done with this shitty motel. "I think they've got crutches though, back near the pharmacy counter. I'll get you two if they do. If they don't, I'll go back to the hospital and get some there. I should have asked about it when I picked you up. Do you think you'll be okay putting your weight on one foot? You won't be able to overdo it on the painkillers when I'm not there, in case you fall and crack your skull open."
He laughed again because she did have a point about bathroom use. Kane was pretty sure he could manage that on his own. He’d been doing it at the hospital, though that had been under nurse supervision. “You know you’re gonna have to help me bathe, right?” he said, only half-serious. Kane smirked. “I can’t get the incision site wet for a while, so you’re at least gonna have to help me get my leg taped up in a trash bag or some shit.” Honestly, he could probably afford a nurse of his own, but Kane didn’t want to involve somebody else in his business. Especially not the woman who was already taking care of their mother. The fewer people Kane relied on for anything, the better. “I can walk though, so I’ll make it,” he assured her. “Just need something to lean on sometimes.” He would make up his own mind about the painkillers. Kane liked to drink, but pills weren’t usually his thing, and now a highly dangerous kill had gotten away from him, so he didn’t want to be too compromised too often.
Bailey went for her cigarettes again. She was giving Kane a place to stay because he had nowhere else to go to heal, and he was still her brother, despite the fact that they didn't really have a relationship. Some part of her had been hoping she could just dump him on her couch and let him take care of himself. She could go to work and then spend her free time getting drunk at the bar before she had to come home and pass out. They could just stay out of each other's hair until Kane was well enough to be on his own again. Bailey was starting to realize now that they would have to be in each other's presence much more than she was used to, or was even comfortable with. With another cigarette lit, she rolled down her window a bit. "We'll figure out how to keep your leg dry. But you know you're going to have to spend most of the days alone, right? We're already short staffed at work and I've got mom to check on too. I have some streaming services, but not much else."
Kane knew -- and was honestly grateful -- that Bailey was going to be working a lot. He and his sister hadn’t lived under the same roof since they were teenagers, and given the obvious issues between them, he wasn’t sure how it would go as adults. They were going to find out, he supposed. “Of course I know. My laptop’s in one of those bags, so long as you got wifi, I’ll be fine,” he said. “I can entertain myself.” And he didn’t mean with porn ... though some of that would probably happen too, during those long hours when Bailey wasn’t home. But mostly Kane needed to do research. He had a tiny bit more information about what it was he was fighting, and every little bit helped. Kane had already thought of some connections to reach out to for advice. There was a network of people who knew things, and Kane knew a good number of them. “And she made it through all of this bullshit okay?” he added after a moment, glancing over at Bailey. “Mom, I mean. She didn’t get any worse?”
Bailey thought about canceling her cable and leaving Kane at home with nothing more than a few books and his thoughts, whatever those may be. Maybe he could will his body to heal faster so he could get back on his feet. It was probably a mean thought and nothing she would actually do, but the unease of having Kane in her space was growing. She could suggest he stay with their mom. He wouldn't have to take care of her, but the nurse could check on him. That probably wouldn't go over well either. He probably didn't want to be in that house any longer than he needed to be. She knew because she felt the same way. "Mom's fine," she told Kane. "I checked on her before I came to pick you up from the hospital. She was lucid this morning, watching Good Morning America or some shit like that. Her doctor was changing the dosage of her pain medication, but nothing major." Bailey took a short drag from her cigarette. "Since you didn't die, I didn't feel the need to tell her that you loved her. I suppose you can tell her the next time you visit, now that you've been faced with the knowledge that you're mortal."
He would’ve rather recovered on his own in the shitty motel room he’d just left than stay at their mother’s house. Kane loved her, he did, she’d given birth to him, kept him alive, tried to raise him, all that ... but he couldn’t connect with her. It wasn’t all the fault of her condition, it was on his end too, and he knew it. He just wasn’t built that way, not anymore. Maybe he never had been. The times she knew who he was were often upsetting for her. For both of them. And if something came to kill him while he was vulnerable? He didn’t want it to be in his mother’s house. Bailey was strong, she could cope, but not their mother. What his sister said made him laugh again, bitter and dark. “You think this is the first time?” he asked, shooting her a look. He’d been at death’s door more than once. He’d just never had a family member around to talk to while he was trying not to die. “I’ll go see her soon as I can,” he added in a mutter, turning his head to look out the window again. They were getting close and he was glad. He was tired as hell and he needed a shower something awful, however that was going to work.
"How would I know any different?" They hadn't spoken in ages before Kane showed up in Point Pleasant, and it wasn't like Bailey had known anything about his life anyway. For all she knew, this had been the first time he had been stabbed to the point where he could have bled out and died. But the question wasn't a combative one. It was just pointing out the obvious. Bailey was also aware, in a way that she was an expert at repressing, that Kane had wanted Bailey to tell their mother he loved her, in case he died. Their mother. Bailey was to be the messenger, not the recipient. She couldn't really blame him for that. Their mother had at least given him life. Bailey focused on finishing her cigarette as they came upon Seaview. "What do I need to get from your car?"
She was right, it wasn’t like Kane had kept her any kind of filled in about what his life was like. He had good reasons for that though, considering the nature of what he did. He’d left home to join the military and hadn’t really looked back. Maybe that was unfair, but it wasn’t like any of them could’ve understood what he was, what he did. Bailey probably still didn’t believe half of what he’d told her that night. But that was fine, Kane didn’t need her belief. That’s what he told himself, anyway. He let it drop because it didn’t matter and now they were almost at his SUV. “Backpack in the front passenger floorboard, gun in the glove compartment,” he said. “The rest should be fine until I can move it.” He shifted his bad leg and winced a bit. It was so tempting to try to hobble out and climb in his own vehicle to leave this fucking town behind again. There were too many loose ends here though, and currently he was in no shape to start over somewhere new.
It occurred to her on some level that if the two of them knew how to actually communicate, they would probably discover quite a bit that they didn't know about each other. But things were what they were and she couldn't imagine it changing at this point. Taking his keys, Bailey got out of the car and made quick work of getting his backpack and gun. She noticed that there was dried blood in his car, especially on the steering wheel. His, she knew. But he could clean it up once he was on his feet again. Bailey brought the backpack and gun back to her car and handed them both to Kane. "I'll get your car moved to my apartment tomorrow. Let's get your prescriptions and then get you settled. Are you hungry? We can grab some food on the way back too."
Kane gratefully took his stuff, checking the safety on the gun before he tucked it into the backpack. That one was staying with him, no matter what Bailey said, he decided. He still had to protect himself. There were a lot of people in the world who wanted him dead. And not-people. “Thanks,” he grunted. It wasn’t heartfelt appreciation quite yet, but Bailey was doing a lot of running around for him at the very moment, so he meant it. “Yeah, I’m fuckin’ starving. Food would be great.” He simultaneously wanted to eat, shower, and pass the fuck out, but he guessed he had to pick some sort of sequence for those things. Swinging by the pharmacy and then to grab some takeout didn’t take too much longer, and Kane made it through the struggle to get from the vehicle to the apartment. He hated feeling so weak, and his pain had amped up by the time he was settled on the couch. The crutches made it possible, but this was still going to fucking suck for a while.
Getting home was a relief. Besides work, Bailey wasn't used to spending the day centered around someone else's needs. And frankly, being stuck in a confined place, like her car, with her brother had started to grate on her nerves. It wasn't Kane's fault. He wasn't being obnoxious or demanding. But she was used to being able to walk away when his presence started to get under her skin.
As soon as he was settled on the couch, Bailey handed him his bag of food. She had some extra blankets and stuff for him but she could bring those out while he was in the shower. Or bath. Whatever it was he wanted to do. Before she sat down to eat, Bailey carried her drink into the kitchen to add a splash of Jack to the soda. She mixed it quickly with her straw and then took a long sip before returning to flop into the chair beside the couch. "When I'm gone you can help yourself to whatever you need. I... should probably go grocery shopping. Shit. But... stay out of my room. That's basically the only thing off-limits." Bailey reached for her own bag of food to dig into. "You have to sleep with clothes on too. And don't be a slob."
Kane was pretty sure he heard her add alcohol to her drink while she was in the kitchen, but he definitely wasn’t going to say anything about it. Hell, he kind of wanted to ask for some himself, but he knew she would never go for that, considering the medication he was now on. Kane was going to stop taking that shit as soon as he was able. He already had his food out on his stomach when she returned and started talking, and he paused as he pushed the paper back on his burger to shoot her a bemused sort of look. “Oh damn, ‘cause I was planning on just staying pantsless and taking a dump on the floor whenever I needed to,” he deadpanned. “I’m not a moron, Bailey.” He took a bite of his food, ignoring the way it hurt his face to extend his jaw that much and the way his stomach felt uneasy. He needed to eat so his body could heal, he knew that.
His response sparked some amusement deep in her gut but she managed to refrain from laughing. She already had the feeling that Kane wouldn't be a major pain in the ass while he was there. His presence was likely to be the only annoying thing about him. That's what she was hoping, anyway. Bailey took a bite of her own burger, replying as she chewed. "I don't know you well enough to know for sure that you're not a moron, so I figure it makes sense to make sure we're both on the same page." She picked the sliced pickle from beneath the bun and flung it into the bag. Pickles were disgusting. Still chewing, she picked up the small white bag that had his prescriptions inside and she read the directions stapled to the front. "You need to take your meds with food too, in case you're illiterate as well as a moron."
He did allow himself a chuckle and supposed she had a point. But he refused to take responsibility for all of their estrangement. Bailey knew how to work a phone, she could’ve reached out to him more often too. It might not have done her much good, as he wasn’t super into sharing his life with anybody else, but ... still. He was going to try to make his presence as easy as possible while he was here, and then get out as soon as he could. “Good to know,” he replied. “Thanks for that. Be sure to draw your list of house rules out for me in pictures and stick it on the fridge.” Kane thought she might be surprised if she did actually know him at how smart he actually was. How resourceful, how much of a survivor he was. She was a cop and that wasn’t an easy gig, but Kane had been through war, and worse. He didn’t feel like he could make her understand that though, and he didn’t really want to try. It was what it was. After a beat he added, “I do appreciate this, Bailey. I know you like your space, same as me.”
Bailey would have probably argued about responsibility if he had brought it up, but avoiding any meaningful discussion was something they were both experts at avoiding. Bailey knew she could have called him but in her mind, he abandoned her as soon as he ditched out of Point Pleasant. Thanks to some therapy, Bailey knew she blamed Kane for a lot of things that weren't his fault, but she hadn't gotten to the point of accepting responsibility for that yet. He had never asked for forgiveness and he probably didn't think he any done anything that needed forgiving. And maybe he hadn't. She coped with her life the best way she knew how, and she was sure he did the same. They had gone down different paths a long time ago. The only thing that bound them together now was blood and a dying mother. Settling back in her chair, she pretended to read the side effects of his prescriptions, taking another bite of her burger as she acknowledged his appreciation with a distracted noise in her throat. "The pharmacist gave me some pointers on how to keep your bandages dry in the shower. Probably won't be too difficult to do. Mostly using plastic bags or plastic wrap, so you should be fine if you want to shower."
Kane supposed he wasn’t really surprised that she didn’t have any words to offer back to him, but he let it go. It wasn’t the first time they’d danced around having a real conversation about anything important, and it wouldn’t be the last. It always made him hope that their mother’s affairs were in order already so they didn’t have to sort anything out amongst themselves when she died. He would make sure he expressed that he was grateful before he left her apartment, and that was all he could do. She could believe him or not. He kept eating and nodded a bit. At least his stomach seemed amenable to being filled now, instead of threatening to empty itself. He just hoped it stayed that way. Kane could deal with a lot of physical discomfort, but he loathed throwing up more than anything else. “I really need one, so I’ll just use some plastic wrap,” he answered after he’d swallowed his mouthful. Kane slurped some of his drink through the straw and worked on finishing up his burger.
Bailey nodded, because that sounded easiest and she didn't think he would actually need help applying plastic wrap around his incision. "I'm probably going to go into the station for a bit," she said. "Weird shit happened this week and we have a lot of missing people. I think the sheriff could use an extra pair of hands today. I'll check on mom on my way home tonight, but... you have your phone, and my number if you need anything. I know you're not a moron, or helpless, but do you want me to get you anything before I go?" She knew herself well enough to know she would probably go to the bar after work, assuming the bar was open, and she didn't really want to come home late and have to deal with playing nurse to her brother. Thankfully she knew he was pretty self-sufficient... but that leg wound had been a bad one.
Part of Kane wanted to ask for more details about the weird shit, because Bailey surely knew more than he did, but he was too tired to listen and think about it very hard yet. A lot of missing people sounded bad, but ... pretty par for the course in Point Pleasant. He knew he’d felt incredibly fucked up when he’d picked a fight with the man-monster, and he’d been intensely trained to maintain self-control. If normal people had been feeling the same, he was sure there had been a lot of deaths. Bailey would be busy. Maybe that was best, while they were sharing space. “Nah, m’alright,” he told her as he crumpled up the burger wrapper and lightly tossed it into the bag. Kane drank some from his straw before moving the cup out of his way too. “Just gonna shower and get some sleep. Haven’t gotten much, I fuckin’ hate hospitals.” With some grunting and help from his crutches, he got to his feet and started for the kitchen to find the plastic wrap.
She hated hospitals too, so she understood not having gotten enough sleep. Bailey watched her brother head for the kitchen, slowly chewing her food before she exhaled a bit through her nose. Standing, she wiped her hands on a napkin before heading down the hall to her bedroom. In there she grabbed two extra blankets from the closet and snatched one of her pillows from her bed. She hadn't thought to wash the pillowcase, but whatever. Dropping them to the couch, Bailey shook out one of the blankets. "Do you need help with the plastic wrap? You'll need to make it tight enough that no water can get in. The pharmacist said to tape it for reinforcement if you need to."
Bailey’s kitchen was pretty sparse but organized, so it didn’t take Kane long to find what he was looking for. Tucking it into the surviving side pocket on his pants -- the ER doctors had had to cut open the other leg to get to his wound -- he crutched his way out of the kitchen and into the hall. “I got it, Bailey,” he told her on the way to the bathroom. “Thanks though. Go to work if you need to, I’ll be fine.” Not that he thought she was really worried about him or anything. He just didn’t need her to hover. There was already enough awkwardness between them. He could wrap his leg, he could manage a shower even if it took him a while, and then he could finally get some blessed sleep. Then the real work of healing and figuring out what had almost killed him began.
The thing was, she was worried about him. Everything had happened so fast the other night, and she had been more focused on getting him to the hospital before he bled out and died. But showing any amount of real concern, or vulnerability, opened the door for rejection, and for some reason, Bailey felt like she couldn't lose any footing where it came to her brother. They had to not care equally.
Watching him to make sure that he looked steady, even with crutches, Bailey decided work was definitely the place to be, at least for a while. Then she could stop by and check on their mom, and then hit the grocery store to make sure she had some food in the house. "All right. I'll stop at the grocery store on my way home tonight, so... if you think of anything specific you'd like to have, just text me."
“I will,” he said over his shoulder. Kane glanced back at Bailey when he reached the bathroom. Knowing what he knew about what was out there in this cursed town, he worried about her too, being out on patrol and responding to fucked up calls and all that. He couldn’t fret over her though, Kane was pretty sure she wouldn’t respond well to that, just like he didn’t. They were probably more alike than they cared to think about most of the time. A dozen things he couldn’t really say bubbled up to the back of his throat as Kane paused. He gave her a nod after a beat. “Watch your back out there, Bails,” he said, then ducked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
Of course she would watch her back. And if she didn't, it was nice to know she had people at work who would do it for her. Bailey watched the bathroom door shut before she turned to head back to her bedroom to change. Before she left she would make sure he had his pills, some water and the remote near the couch so he wouldn't have to hobble all over getting what he needed. Maybe she would get lucky and he would be asleep when she got home. All Bailey knew was that it was going to be a long couple of weeks, depending on how his leg healed. They were just going to have to try and adjust to being around each other more and Bailey hoped that they could do it without trying to kill each other.