Disclaimer: Harry Potter and company are property of JK Rowling. No money was made writing this fiction.
Summary: An accident brings Severus home to Echo earlier than anticipated.
Warnings: Tissue Warning, Explicit Descriptions Of Injuries, Discrimination,
Author’s Note: We are quite serious, parts of this may very well warrant tissues. Yes, we've harmed the Wolffes....but we promise, they are all better now. Please don't hunt us down.
The men in the living room listened as Mother Wolffe and Allie gossiped and laughed in the kitchen. The small man looked up at Max once more. "You know I'm always glad to see you, but I don't think you came all the way out to simply tell me he pulled your hair, now did you?" He looked from Max to Severus and waited.
Max sighed. "I'll go back and check him over again after we are finished here." He eyed Severus. "Come here and let me check you over again, alright Grant. I need you to stretch out someplace. Can we take this back to a bedroom so you can be comfortable and we will tell you all about this alright?"
He nodded at Severus. "You have it ready? Got your Dicto-Quill?"
Severus held up both items and nodded. Grant looked at them and just walked back to his bedroom and laid on the bed after taking his shoes off.
The small man laughed nervously and looked up the Healer. "You know I feel like a guinea pig here…"
Max nodded and laughed as well, just as nervous. He normally didn’t take chances like this but for Damon he would. “Well, now there’s a story to that and I am going to let Severus tell it to you. I want you to lie back and be really still as I scan your abdomen. Are you still in pain there?”
He drew his wand. “Alright Grant. I am going to touch your stomach and I want you to tell me how severe the pain is. Zero being none and ten you need to go to the emergency room, yeah?”
Severus cleared his throat and set the quill down on the parchment. “Patient G. Motorcycle accident victim, minor internal abdominal haematomas of the liver and kidneys. Confirmed by Magi-scan attending Healer S.”
He looked at Grant and held his finger to his lips. “Testing of Modified Ingestible Bruise Salve, patent pending upon approval Creator Severus Snape Potions Master and Pharmacist. Created for Patient D after same Motorcycle accident as Patient G. Patient D has major haematomas in the abdominal area including liver, kidneys, pancreas and spleen accompanied by internal bleeding. The bleeding has ceased and patient is under sedation and in Magi-coma. End Dictation.”
Severus sat down at Grant’s head and brushed back the dark hair. “Alright Max and Grant go ahead.”
Grant raised his eyebrows as he listened to the men and wondered what they were up to. He was Patient G? Okay, well if it would help Damon, he'd swallow boiling bleach if they asked him to.
Grant winced and cried out as Max pressed on his abdomen. "Seven, maybe a nine when you push lower. Oh Merlin please stop, please stop," he gasped and turned pale, breaking out into a cold sweat. The pain was horrible.
Severus took his hand and smoothed his other hand over Grant’s brow as they waited for Max to draw up the small dose. "It should stop hurting in a few minutes Grant, just hold on, alright?"
Grant managed to nod and hold still as Max approached his head.
Severus brushed Grant's hair back. "Begin Dictation. Patient G has indicated a pain level of seven over the kidneys and a level nine over the liver. Healer S will administer loading dose of three drops. The purpose of this potion is to speed the healing of the internal haematomas. Muggle studies with no potion application indicates anywhere from a fortnight to two months for complete healing depending on severity. Footnotes; Dr. R Attending Physician of ER at Johns Hopkins. Magical study on Patient S with an externally inflicted bruise and ingested potion ten minutes time to healing. Potions Master's expected healing time for Patient G thirty minutes to one hour, monitored by Magi-scan by Healer S. End Dictation"
Max cast the spell and a grey mist formed over Grant's middle. He pointed out the swollen areas to Severus and cleared his throat. "Start Dictation. Patient G's Magi-scan shows enlarged kidneys and liver indicating haematomas in the stated areas. There is no fluid present in the body cavity and this rules out internal bleeding. Time is 19:36 pm administering loading dose of three drops to Patient G. End Dictation."
He smiled at Grant. "Ready to help Damon out, Grant? Open up and tells us what you feel alright." Max held the potion phial close to Grant's mouth the dropper ready to let the first drop go when Grant opened his mouth.
Grant opened his mouth obediently and made a face as the potion was dropped on his tongue. "That is truly foul Severus," he said with a grimace before closing his mouth and waiting for something to happen. It didn't take long.
"I feel cold in my belly, not icy cold, but cold," he said as he started to rub his abdomen, but caught himself and dropped his hand back to the bed. "Feels numb, is it supposed to feel numb?"
Severus nodded. "Start Dictation. Patient G indicates coolness internally and a numb feeling. Urge to touch stomach passed over but remarked upon. End Dictation." He reached over and rubbed Grant's stomach. "Does that help?" He looked up at the Magi-scan and could see no difference just yet. He looked at Max.
Max eyed the scan waiting to see what was going to happen. "You did say thirty minutes man, we'll just have to wait and see" He waved his wand over Grant and a red light appeared next to the small man's head and his vitals spilled out. "Start dictation. Patient G's vital signs are consistent with sixty-four year old Patient G's chart with the exception of newly broken and healed left leg. End Dictation" He smiled at Grant. "Keep going, Grant you are doing fine."
The small man shook his head and muttered good naturedly. "I'm a submissive guinea pig." He smiled and gave Severus' hand a squeeze. "I feel the same. Numb, cold, something like a tingle now. What am I supposed to be feeling?" he asked and then sighed, he knew Severus couldn't tell him. "Do you think this will fix Damon?"
Severus looked down at him and brushed his fringe from his eyes. "I certainly hope so, if for no other reason then it takes the pain away from him. You said you wanted to move the bedroom downstairs, is that still what you'd like to do?"
"Max, will it help Damon to be on one floor when he comes home?" Grant asked, determined not to allow bad thoughts.
Max shrugged. "Might, he is going to need some kind of therapy I am thinking for him to walk again since the bones were crushed in his pelvis. I have got the nurses moving his legs so the muscles do not deteriorate even though this just happened." He rubbed his hand over his face. "Merlin, it's only been two days."
Grant raised his hand and laid it on the big man's arm. "He'll get through this, Max. He promised that he'd never leave me alone and I believe he'll keep that promise," he said confidently. "If you boys would help me, I'd like to set our room up in the bedroom by the kitchen."
After a few moments of feeling like his innards were being frozen, he noticed that the sensation was leaving and he was beginning to ache once more, wincing he looked up at Max and got his attention. "Should I still hurt?"
Severus looked up at the mist to see nothing had changed. He looked at Max as well. The big man shrugged. "It's your potion man, I have no idea. How long has it been?" He patted Grant's arm. "Give it the full thirty minutes, Grant and we'll see otherwise just lie still, alright."
Severus looked at the clock. "Start Dictation. Patient G has indicated that fifteen minutes into the proceedings there is still pain. I will leave it the next fifteen minutes to see if there are any changes as there are none at this time. End Dictation."
He smiled down at Grant. "Let's keep waiting, I know it will work."
Grant closed his eyes and prayed the potion would work and that they could give it to Damon and he'd wake up and be better. He listened to Max and Severus talk about the needed steps to present his potion, if it should work, for a patent here in the States. Grant hoped that Severus would be able to market his creations once he retired here, now the boy only needed a young man to take care of him.
He took a shallow breath and moaned without realizing it, suddenly he was aware of both men's attention on him and he opened his eyes to look up into their faces.
Max grabbed Grant’s wrist and checked his pulse. He waved his wand over Grant and checked his vitals again. "Stats are the same but there's an elevated pulse and respiration rate. Are you in pain still? Has it gotten worse?"
Severus eyed Grant and then the mist. Still there was no change and the initial thirty minutes was almost up. His face tightened and then blanked. "Answer him, Grant and be very specific about what you are feeling." He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes to think while Grant talked.
"First it got cold and numb, kind of tingly, then the cold went away and I started to ache again, my lips and nose itch terribly, and i have a headache....oh and a very bad taste in my mouth," the little submissive said as he stared up at the ceiling. "I'm still hurting, but it doesn't seem as severe as before."
Eyes still closed, Severus grimaced. "What all do you have allergies to? Bloody stupid of you Severus, not to ask in the first fecking place." He sighed and shook his head.
Max stared at the read out. "Nothing's changed. The swelling is still the same as well as the stats." He looked at Grant then up at Severus. "Shall we give him something to purge his system?"
"Depends on if he has any allergies." Severus answered and reached into his robes. He set a bottle down on the nightstand. "Lustrate Philtre."
Grant rolled his eyes and looked at the two men. "You could always ask me. Yes I do have several allergies. Yarrow, yucca, bee stings, and nettles. Does that help Sev?" he asked as he patted his boy's knee gently.
Severus shook his head. "No, there's none of that in there. I'm going to give you this philtre and it's going to clean you out. You'll feel tingling and then a fullness. Ever had a catheter? It's similar to that yet the waste is filtered out the kidneys and you will have to urinate severely in about five minutes. Can you make it to the toilet?"
Grant thought for a moment. "I might need a hand to get up, I'm still very stiff. But how is this being administered?" he asked with an odd look. He'd had a catheter in him before and the idea of something else going in that route was not a pleasant one.
"You swallow it, Grant." Max chuckled. "He was referring to the sensations being similar." He helped the other man to a sitting position and his pager went off. He cursed and frowned. "Fuck, it's Jennifer. I need to call her and see what the hell is going on I told her I was coming over here to see to you and not bother me unless it is an emergency." He saw Grant and Severus' look. "No, it's not Damon. See." He raised his wrist and showed them the monitor. "You want me to have Allie take Mother Wolffe home so you two can get some rest?"
Severus moved to help Grant to the bathroom. "I'll leave that up to you but I am taking over the kitchen to brew in. I have to go back to the cauldron and work on the potion more." He looked down at the little sub.
Both men sighed in relief and Grant handed Max the portable telephone before he put his arm around Severus' neck and standing. "Fuck that hurts," he groaned and hunched over. "Mother Wolffe can stay here if she likes, we have the room, so Allie doesn't need to drive all the way into Wheeling.
As Grant got into the bathroom he held onto Severus for a moment for support before sitting down on the toilet. "You need to call Hogwarts, go do that before you start brewing, okay? Now leave an old man to his privacy."
Severus sneered. "It's early there. I'll wait." He handed the phial to Grant as Max came and stood in the doorway. "One of my patients has gone into early labour and I have to leave. If you are certain abut Mother Wolffe then I will take Allie with me. You alright, Grant?"
The big man turned to Severus and squeezed his arm. "No more experimenting on the old man tonight. Get some rest and we can try again tomorrow." He knew Sev would still be up for a little while trying to perfect the potion and he could see the defiance on the other man's face. "Healer's orders. Don't make me drug you to get you to rest. You aren't going to do Damon any good if you collapse in your cauldron from exhaustion and then I will have another patient and you really can't afford me." He chuckled.
Severus glared at Grant for a moment and then turned his attention to Max. "I would not even consider giving him another experimental potion this evening, but I do intend to work tonight. I will be fine, now go tend to your patient. I have things in hand here."
He strode out of the bathroom and left Grant in peace while he set the kitchen up for what he needed to do. He bade Mother Wolffe good night as she climbed the stairs to take the small bedroom opposite his.
Grant came into the kitchen and sat down at the table to watch Severus as he began to grind up some sort of beetle. "You are going to fire call him, aren't you?" he asked as he folded his arms over his chest and looked at the younger man.
"Whom?" Snape stepped away from the mortar and pestle and filled a cauldron with spring water. He threw in arnica flowers, Saint-John’s-Wort flowering tops, witch hazel bark and chamomile flowers. He stirred the mixture, lit the flame on the hob and waited for it to come to a boil. Last time he had added only the bark and this time he would try both the bark and the camomile. He made notes on this potion and ignoring Grant's eyes as they bored a hole in his back. He began crushing the beetle again just to hear it crunch.
"Dumbledore," Grant said as he stared at the taller man's back. "Max told me that he only gave you three days, you need to reach him. He watched the younger man work at his craft and knew once more just how talented Severus was and thought about how much of his talent was being wasted on teaching. The man should be doing research. "I want you to go call him so you don't lose your job."
“Don‘t want to.” Severus muttered and tapped the crushed jewelled beetle into a phial and corked it. He rinsed the mortar and pestle and then stirred the cauldron six times clockwise and then six times widdershins. “Have you called Grandmother Rainwalker?” He asked trying to take the focus off himself.
Severus waited for the potion to return to a boil then tossed in lavender flowers.
Grant narrowed his eyes and looked at the back of Sev's head. "We are not discussing my mother Severus, we are discussing your job and you keeping it," he snapped back. "Now you need to go call, I don't want you to lose your job." He reached out and lined up the potion bottles that set on the kitchen table. "The floo is open Severus."
"Then you should use it." Severus stated flatly. "Grandmother Rachel has every right to be informed. She might know of some remedies we could try." He stirred the potion slowly waiting for it to change colours while he aerated it. "Any thing or anyone that would or could help Damon should be considered." The potion slowly began it's change and he slowed the mixing even more. "Besides I told Dumbledore all he needs to know when Max came to retrieve me."
"Then Mourning Dove would be the one to call, not my mother," Grant said as he stood to retrieve the portable. "I can call her by phone. Go use the floo, Sev. You need to consider your future and not throw away your career." He said as he came back into the kitchen with the phone and a small phone book. Sitting back down at the table, he began to flip through the pages. "Do you really think she might have knowledge of something to help him?"
Severus sighed and took the stirring rod from the cauldron. The potion now had to simmer for a minimum of two hours, however the longer it did the more potent the brew. "It's not a career Grant, it's a job. One I could bloody well do without." He sat down at the table across from Grant. "I though Rachel was a medicine woman as well. Not that it matters but I would love great-grandmother's opinions on things as well." He reached across the table and brushed Grant's hand with the back of his. "I am willing to try anything and everything to get him back for you. As a doctor you should know sometimes the smallest things can trigger a cure or the methods to one."
"I never said Rachel wasn't a medicine woman, Severus. I'd simply rather not call her," Grant said as he looked down at the number. "We don't always see eye to eye and I really don't want to hear how this is simply the fates punishing me for marrying Damon." He punched in the number and let the other end ring a good twelve times before ending the call with a sigh. "Why don't you want to contact Dumbledore? You know you need the job in order to make the money to retire on."
Severus snorted and shook his head. "Surely after all this time she still isn't spouting the 'evil white man' nonsense. Damon has done more than his share and I don't think he really cares one way or another." He stood to get a glass of tea from the fridge. "Would you like some tea?" He sat two glasses out on the counter and then opened the door to the refrigerator and bent down and into the appliance to get the tea jug. "I can get another job because I quit Hogwarts." He said softly.
Grant looked at him open-mouthed. "You what?!" he exclaimed. "You can't, Damon is going to bust your ass, Sev. You'd better fix this before that man wakes up." He took the tea and motioned to the chair across from him. "You aren't a quitter Severus, that just isn't you." He took a long pull from his glass and sighed.
He picked up the phone once more and slowly punched in another number, holding it to his ear and waiting. "Hello Mother, it's Grant. There's been an accident and I was hoping you might be able to help Severus," he said into the phone without looking at his boy. "No, Severus is fine. It's Damon, they have him in a coma to give him time to heal." He listened and motioned for the small notepad and pen he kept on the counter for grocery lists.
"The healers say he's got a brain injury and other internal injuries, a lot of bruising." He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he listened to the woman ask just how they knew it was brain damage since it was Damon in question. "Sev is trying to create a bruise reducing potion to be taken internally, do you have any suggestions?" He listened intently and scribbled down what the woman suggested.
"Thank you for your time Mother, sleep well." He broke the connection and looked up at Severus. "She suggested sumac berries, tea tree oil, clover, comfrey, and mallow root," he said softly as he passed the paper to Severus. "Will any of that help?"
Severus stood at the door of the fridge until Grant finished talking to his mother. His anger at Grant's outburst dissolving as he watched the tension fill the older man's face. He took the slip of paper and stared at the list, not looking at Grant when the phone was set back on the table. "I had to. They weren't going to let me come at all since Damon wasn't my blood father. The adoption papers got me three days. I'll not go back." He looked up at Grant and waved the paper. "This might. I've got everything but the sumac berries and mallow root. You aren't allergic to any of that are you? I'll get started on new batch with just the other ingredients to see what I can come up with."
"I'll fetch the sumac and you'll find mallow out in my little garden by the door. You know what you're looking for, don't you?" the small man asked as he slowly got to his feet, going into the laundry room to get a basket to put the berries in. He looked at Severus before he walked out the back door. "Can you take a sabbatical or something along those lines? If not, you'll need to be packing to go home in the morning."
Severus grabbed Grant's arm as he paused on the back door stoop. "I just told you I am not going back. Didn't you listen to what I said?" He tried to calm himself but only squeezed Grant's arm harder. "They weren't going to let me leave." He shook the other man. "Do you understand what that means? He didn't care for how I felt or what you both mean to me. Dumbledore laughed at my name. The name you and Damon gave to me." Severus threw up his hands in exasperation. "What the fuck is wrong with people? Grandmother didn't even ask about you."
Grant pulled the taller man down into a fierce embrace, running his fingers through the black hair. "My sweet boy," he murmured as he rubbed his back with his other hand. "People simply do not understand. I'll not bother you anymore about it. As for Rachel," he shrugged and continued, "at least I didn't have to hear the lecture about how I brought it onto myself." He took Severus' hand and led him back to the chair where he'd been sitting. "I'll get the mallow and the sumac, and no, I'm not allergic to anything."
Leaving him to sit in the kitchen, Grant went out with his basket and flashlight to collect what was on Rachel's list, he had decided he'd contact Dumbledore himself from the floo in their bedroom while Severus worked. He filled his basket quickly and brought it back in.
After Grant left Severus turned down the flame on the hob a bit more and sat back down. He laid his head on his arms for just a moment to think about the potion and the new ingredients. His eyes closed and he never even felt himself drift off as he thought out the problem with the potion that didn't work. He was jolted awake, suddenly. "An hour. Grant!" He shouted. He looked up at the kitchen clock. "Grant!"
Grant rushed as fast as he could from the living room in to where Severus was shouting. "What is it? Are you alright?" he asked quickly as he put his hand on the younger man's shoulder and looked down at him. He had noticed when he came back in that he'd fallen asleep and had opted to just let him rest for a little while before going up to fire call Dumbledore, he really didn't think disturbing the man's sleep would be good for the conversation he needed to have with him.
Severus grabbed Grant's shoulders. "How do you feel? Are you still sore? I know we gave you the purgative but the potion was in you for almost an hour. Tell me. We have to call Max as well."
Grant looked at him and thought for a moment while he prodded his abdomen, he winced but really it was nowhere near as bad as it had been just two hours ago. "I'm sore, but it seems to be fading," he answered as he continued to push in on himself. "I only hurt in a couple of spots where I expect the bruising to be the worst." He looked at Severus with a grin. "Call Max and get him over here!"
Severus smiled. He grabbed the phone and punched the speed dial. His face fell when Allie answered the phone. "Where is the great lummox?" He listened as the other woman explained. "When will he be back?" Severus nodded and then hung up the phone. "He's at the hospital. Come on, we'll take my bike, since I can't drive your little car." He grabbed Grant's hand and began to pull him from the room.
Grant froze in his tracks and stared at Severus. "I'll drive," he managed to get out of a suddenly dry as dust mouth. "Okay? You just let me drive the car." His face was pale and his hands were shaking at the thought of getting back on a bike again.
Severus pulled on his arm. "No, you've had pain potions and such today and Max would kill me if I let you drive." He pulled the other man into an embrace. "I'll use all the charms on both of us and we'll go carefully." He caressed the long hair and tipped the pale face back to look into the scared eyes. "Grant, you've taken a fall and you have to get back up and try again. I know it's scary and it seems like it’s too soon. But don't let that bastard do that to you or Damon. He took something out of your control and we are going to get it back."
Grant swallowed hard and licked his lips nervously. "I don't think I can," he mumbled as he let Severus pull him out of the house. He knew he had to get to Damon, but he was close to panicking at the thought of getting back on a bike, the fact he'd never ridden with anyone aside from Damon was not helping anything.
As they got to the barn and turned the light on inside, what was left of Damon's bike lay there inside the door. Mangled metal and chrome, nothing really to identify it as the Road King it had been just the week before. For Grant, this was the first time he'd seen the wreckage and he bent over and vomited at the sight.
Severus grabbed Grant around the hips to help steady him and gathered up his hair out of the way. "It's okay. Get it all up and out." He rubbed the other man's neck at the base under his hair. He vanished the mess and lead Grant back out again to the garden hose. He sat the older man on a stump and brought him the hose. "Remember when I skidded off the pavement and into the gravel in the parking lot where you and Damon taught me to ride. The Harley landed on top of me, burning my thigh and scrapped up my back. You both made me get up and get back on afterwards. I didn't think I could do it either but you made me and I'll help you as well."
Grant rinsed his mouth repeatedly and then drank deeply from the hose before he looked up at the younger man. "Would you do something with Damon's bike? I don't think I can look at it," he asked softly as he wiped his face. "I don't even have a helmet now Sev..." He looked down at his out stretched, shaking fingers and drew a breath. "We have to get to the hospital. Get your bike, baby." His husband needed him there and he could hear the older man in his head telling him that he would be alright, that Severus would keep him safe.
“Stay right here and I'll bring the bike to you, alright." Severus kissed Grant's forehead and went back into the barn. He looked at the wreckage of the beautiful bike and shook his head as his own stomach rolled. It hit him that they could have been killed and he wondered once again how Damon had gotten Grant away from the cycle. The older man had told him some of it but he hadn't been really focused on the mechanics of it.
Severus uncovered the cross and used that drop cloth to hide the broken cycle. He grabbed his helmet and the practice one he had used those years ago to learn to ride. It was scuffed and marked up but the shell was still tight and not cracked. He uncovered his Harley and grinned. He cast several cushioning and balancing charms on the machine and mounted up after donning his gear. He started the cycle and revved the engine letting it warm up. He let out the clutch and tooled out of the barn and next to Grant. He kicked down the stand and dismounted to stand next to the small sub. "Okay, watch. I'll do me first then you alright." He handed Grant the practice helmet and began to chant over himself feeling the magic weave around him.
The smaller man watched and then closed his eyes as Severus began to weave the spells around him as well. He put the old helmet on, buckling it tight, feeling it still a bit loose, but it would work. He opened his dark eyes and looked up at Severus. "I think I'm ready," he said shakily as he waited for Severus to remount the bike and then he swung his leg over, putting his feet on the pegs and his arms around his boy's waist. His heart was racing and he knew he was close to a panic attack. Ironic, he thought, a psychiatrist having a breakdown, with a slight shake of his head he kept his eyes open as Sev pushed off and they slowly made their way down the drive. The bike was a strange one to Grant as was the rider, but Damon had always told him he was born to ride bitch and he was determined to prove his husband was right.
Severus grinned when he felt Grant's arms wrap around his waist. He stopped at the end of the drive and watched for traffic then reached back and knocked on Grant's helmet as he had seen Damon do before. "You alright? Take a deep breath, Grant, and blow it out. Calm down." He was almost certain he could feel the man's little heart beating on his back. You let me know when you feel ready alright. We'll sit here until you are if you like but visiting hours are coming to an end, soon." He yelled over the motor.
Severus revved the engine and made certain his signal was on. He looked both ways again and waited for an answering squeeze or some other sign.
Grant squeezed Severus' waist, the knock on his helmet had been a reminder to him that they needed to get to the hospital quickly. He needed to be with Damon, Severus thought he had the answer now. He let out the breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding and leaned into the turn with the younger man. His body knew the routine, knew what was expected of it and he could let his mind drift a bit on autopilot as they sped through the darkness, the air cold as it rushed over him. Soon the lights of the hospital were looming over them and Severus was pulling into a parking slot.
"I need Damon," was all Grant could say as he got off the bike and unbuckled his helmet, his hands still shaking.
Severus pulled his helmet off as well and grabbed Grant. "See, you did it." He hugged the other man, tightly. "Let's go tell Damon and get him his potion alright." He grabbed Grant's hand and led him into the hospital. He squeezed the fingers with his own. "I am proud of you and Damon and Max will be as well. You did good, Grant."
Grant shook his head at the words. "I didn't know if I could get back on. I still don't know if I'll ever feel safe again.”
He covered the distance to the elevators and pushed the button, as they waited for the car to come down, he looked at Severus. "You know I'm going to contact Dumbledore, don't you?" he asked quietly as the elevator doors opened and they got in. "I'm not letting you throw away your job."
The elevator opened and let them out on the ICU floor and Grant hurried down the hallway to Damon's room. Once inside, he dropped to his knees by the man's bed and laid his cheek over Damon's cool fingers. "I'm back honey. Severus brought me in on his bike. He says he knows how to make this new potion work," he murmured as he stroked the man's arm, tears forming in his eyes and dripping down over Damon's knuckles. "I was so scared to get back on a bike, so scared, but I had to get to you."
Severus said not a word to Grant's pronouncement but went to the nurse's desk. "Can you get Dr. Sorens up here? I need him please it's about Damon Wolffe."
Damon had been floating on a haze when he felt something on him. He looked up into the darkness and lifted a hand to his face. Was he crying? Why was he wet? Then he heard it. Grant's tearful voice telling him something. He tried to call out once again to his mate. But Grant never answered. He listened to the other man babble through his tears. He wanted so badly to reach out and touch his husband, to stroke and tug on his braid. He raged again that he couldn't do those things and vowed to remember why he had been taken away from Grant.
Max was in the cafeteria getting a cup of gods only knew how old coffee when he heard himself paged to ICU. 'Shit!' he thought to himself, he had only one patient in ICU, Damon. Dropping his cup into a trash bin, he ran out of the cafeteria and down the hall. There was a line waiting at the elevators, with a growl and muttered profanity, the big man ran past them and barrelled through the door to the stair well.
He took the three flights of stairs at a run, thankful Allie had him on a good diet and jogging every morning as he burst through the door at the end of the hallway and quickly made his way to the nurse's station. Out of breath, he looked at her and then motioned for Damon's chart, not noticing Severus standing to one side. "What is it?" he panted as he quickly looked at the chart and then looked down at the monitoring device on his wrist, nothing had gone off, no alarms, nothing. "How is Damon Wolffe in 405?" he demanded.
Severus grabbed Max and shook him. "He's fine, asshole or rather he's going to be." He got really close to Max and whispered in his ear. "Grant's less sore and rode back to the hospital with me on my bike." He stood and grinned at the other man and palmed him the potion bottle as he shook Max's hand.
Severus began to drag the red head to Damon's room "Come check him."
Max allowed himself to be led to Damon's room, but before they went in, he grabbed Severus' arm. "You put Grant on a bike? Are you shitting me? You put him on a bike? He had to have been terrified," Max said, not sure whether to be glad that the older man had done it, or worried that Grant had been pushed too far. "Is he alright? What do you mean, he's not as sore? Did you dose him again?" He held onto Sev's arm and refused to let him in the room until he'd been answered.
Severus shook his head. "Remember I said thirty minutes to an hour for it to work. Well it had been about forty five minutes when we purged him so I think it had started to work we just didn't give it long enough. Also maybe a slightly higher dosage as well might work too." He took a deep breath trying to calm down.
"Grant didn't want to get on it at first but I knew you wouldn't want him driving. He got sick because some idiot put the remains of the Road King in the barn. But I got him on the bike and he was a little shaky but he made it, Max. That's the thing. He got back on it after what happened." Severus grinned. "He's in there now with Damon telling him about it." He made for the door again. "Please Max we have to get this in Damon. I know it will work, we just have to give it time.”
"It works? You're sure of it?" Max asked as he looked at the small phial in his hand. It could very well be what brought the little submissive's husband back to him. "You know I can't administer it and neither can you. I don't know if Grant can or not, he's not a physician on this case, he's seen as Damon's spouse." He licked his lips and blew his breath out. "We need to get this in him though, the last scans showed he was having an increase in blood pressure, most likely from the pain."
Grant had rose from his knees and was now sitting on the chair he'd pulled up to Damon's bedside, his hair undone and laid over his husband's hands, one of which was curled in a fist around the dark tresses. "We're going to make you better, sir, and then you're coming home where you belong."
Severus pulled Max aside and whispered harshly. "Look Max. I don't give a damn about the bloody ethics committee or anyone else for a matter of fact except for Damon and Grant right now. Go in there and scan Grant to see if his insides have changed any. He stood in their kitchen, mashing on his stomach and telling me it wasn't as sore. Either you trust me or you don't. One way or another though that potion is getting into my Da in there."
Max looked down at his friend, saw the determination in his eyes and sighed. "You know I trust you, Sev, you know that. Let me look at Grant and I'll figure something out," he said, a sick feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. He knew he could easily end up in jail as well as lose his license to practice by giving Damon an unapproved treatment. He pushed the door open and crossed the room to where Grant was sitting, noticing that Damon had one hand wrapped in his hair again.
"Grant, I need to scan you. How are you feeling?" he asked as he drew his wand and manoeuvred it an awkward position so the smaller man would not have to try to stand up. The readings were coming back negative for bruising except for two spots, both had been deep and the worst of them. Grant looked at him with bright eyes and smiled.
"I don't hurt much now, just a little if I really press over my liver and again over one kidney. Sev's potion works, Max."
The healer smiled down at the smaller man and stepped away to begin the calculations of how much to give Damon and the best way to do it.
Severus grabbed Max's arm. "Decide on the treatment dose and then leave, Max. I'll give it to him." He hugged the other man. "I'm sorry about my outburst a few moments ago." He looked into the healer's eyes and sighed. "If we take him home we can administer the treatment there without anyone being the wiser. Now that he is stabilized can we do that?"
Severus looked to Grant. "I am not certain we could hire anyone else out because of the experimental potion but we could care for him, I think. It saves Max from being implicated for malpractice. What do you think? Look at it from your medical point of view Grant, not as his husband."
Grant thought for a moment, nodding his head before he spoke. "He's not on oxygen or any other machinery, so yes, we could care for him at home. In fact it may serve him better to have him in familiar surroundings. We'd need to set the downstairs room up first though," he said as he curled his smaller hand around his husband's large one. "Severus, I can care for him, I've no doubts about that. I just have to sign the paperwork to move him. Max, what do you think?"
Max sighed. "You realize what you are doing to me, don't you?" He held up a hand to stop their protests. "I understand how you feel and I suppose we can transfer him to the house but you realize moving him might set him back." He hated being in this position and knew that it would help Damon to have Sev's potion. His oaths as a Healer and Doctor were warring with his need to help his adopted family and it was giving him a headache. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Let me think for a few moments."
Severus moved around Max to the other side of Damon and rubbed the man's hair then placed his hand over Grant and Damon's. "I know you can, Grant. I had no doubts of it. I was asking you just to be certain, to ask you to think about this as well. Your license could be in jeopardy as is Max's by doing this." The obsidian eyes roamed over Grant's face and the sleeping form of Damon. It confirmed his decision that he should be the one that actually give Damon the potion.
Max opened his eyes and looked at the trio of men in front of him. "He's right Grant. Think about it. I’ll make my decision when we hear your answer, Dr. Wolffe."
"I'm willing and ready to take the responsibility of Damon Wolffe's care," Grant said quietly. "If I lose my license, the worst that will happen is that Damon has to deal with me at home more." He reached out and took Max's hand. "I'll sign the release papers, just bring them to me and tell me everything we need for him at the house. You know as well as I do that being in familiar surroundings has positive effects on how a patient heals."
Max nodded and then shook his head. "Alright. Let me get the discharge papers." He squeezed Grant's hand and left the room.
Severus leaned over Damon and kissed his forehead. "We're taking you home, Da." He turned to Grant. "Shall we go back to the house and move the bedroom about now?"
"Yes, one of us needs to. Do you know what needs to be done?" Grant asked as he ran his fingers through Damon's hair and then stroked his cheek. "We can just transfigure the bed in the downstairs bedroom into a hospital bed for now, you can take our room. Other than that, I just need linens for his bed and a pallet to throw down on the floor."
At the nurse's desk, Max quickly filled out the paperwork, transferring all care to Doctor Grant Wolffe and making a call to arrange transportation for Damon.
Severus nodded. "I take it you'll be riding in the ambulance back to the farm house with him." He straighten back up and moved to hug Grant. "You did well, getting back on the bike. I am proud of you and I know Damon will be as well." He kissed the top of the older man's head and then stepped back. "You are not sleeping on the floor. Is there anything else you need in the room?"
Max came back with the papers. He waved them at Grant. "Alright, he's yours. Let me know if you need anything else because I signed him into your care." He handed the papers to Grant. "The stitches will need to come out in three days. The ones on the inside of him will dissolve naturally. Until then keep the sutures moist with antibacterial ointment. Check the drain hourly. It will be slightly bloody until the Deflating Draft finishes it's work. Physically work his limbs to keep the muscle tone in them." He stopped and rubbed his face. "I'll show you both the Magi-scan Spell. The feeding tube and I. V. solutions can be picked up at the medical supply place in town. Any questions?"
"How long before he's ready to be moved?" Grant asked as he looked over the chart Max handed him, appraising it with a clinical eye. He glanced up at Severus and smiled. "Yes baby, I'm going to go home with him in the ambulance. I'm glad I got back on the bike, but I need to be with him."
Damon had a nasogastric tube and a central port for his I. V. line. Grant looked at Max. "The ng tube is staying in? And the port, right?" he asked, he knew he could reset them if need be, but he didn't want to inflict more pain on Damon. "I'll write a script for the I. V. solution to get here at the pharmacy tonight and get more tomorrow."
Max nodded. "I can leave them in, if you like. He's got to get nourishment and meds in somehow while he's in the coma. Keep an eye on them to make certain they don't roll." He sighed. "I told them to be here in an hour to give Sev time to get back to the house and set things up."
Severus nodded and kissed Grant on top of his head. "I'm going. Anything else you need at the house that I can get on the way there?"
"Not that I can think of off hand, if there is once we get there, I'll take care of it," Grant said as he leaned up and kissed Severus' cheek. He turned back to Max. "I'd appreciate it if you did leave them in, I don't see any reason to cause more stress on him by removing them and then reinserting them an hour later." He looked at Max and once Severus left the room, he sat him down on the chair.
"What's wrong Max? Don't tell me nothing, I know better. If you don't think I can do this, simply tell me, okay?" he said gently as he stroked the man hair.
Leaning into the caress from the other man, Max sighed again. "It's been a long day Grant. I'm worried about all of you to be honest. I have no doubts that you are a good doctor Grant, it's just been a long time since you practiced physical medicine." He shrugged. "I feel bad about how I reacted to Sev's potion. He didn't need that even if he is trying to help."
Grant sighed and hugged the big man to him. "Severus doesn't have the things to worry about with licensing that we do, but he knows that in many respects our hands, especially yours are tied. I know it's been awhile since I was in a general practice setting, but I think I'll be fine." He rubbed the broad shoulders and looked down at his younger friend. "Would you rather Damon stayed here?"
"I don't know Grant. He isn't in that bad of shape, except for the head injury and internal bruising. I know it's the concussion keeping him under. At home he'll be with you and Sev and Mother Wolffe and have the individualized attention that he needs to bring him back. Here, we can do all we can for him medically but not mentally. It's a catch twenty-two, Pet. Damned if we do and damned if we don't." Max looked into Grant's dark eyes. "I just don't want you to get your hopes up with him going home. It's going to take time Grant, for him to come back and even then he might not be one hundred percent. Do you understand Grant? Doctor to Doctor. Do you understand what I mean?"
Grant nodded, he'd read the chart, he knew he could very well be married to a man in a vegetative state for the rest of his life. "I do understand Max, Damon may need care for the rest of his life. I've been turning this over in my mind since the accident, and remembering what my husband had told me he wanted if he was ever in this state," he said softly. "I cannot, however do that to him, even if he does beat my ass in the afterlife."
Max chuckled and scratched his head. "Severus and I talked about it earlier and his answer was the same when I told him. You all are in for a hard road, Grant. I'll do whatever I can to help you out, when I can."
Damon listened to Max and Grant's voices. Surely the weren't talking about him. What had happened? All he knew was the ever encompassing darkness and pain. He tried to get their attention but knew it wouldn't work. He had to try though. Grant and Max were doctors and they would help him. He screamed and screamed but no one answered him.
Damon moaned, aloud and his fist twitched as if trying to grab something.
Grant spun around and grabbed his husband's hand gently. "Baby? Damon, I'm right here, we're going to take you home now, okay? You're going to go home and be able to listen to your games in peace and I'll be right there with you," he said as he smoothed his hand over his husband's brow. "I know you're hurting, we're going to try to fix that just as soon as we can, okay?"
He looked up at Max and bit his lip. "He did this earlier when I first got here, grabbed a handful of my hair and gave it a good yank as if he were demanding to know where I'd been," he said, trying to keep the hopefulness out of his voice. "He seems to be more aware now, doesn't he?"
"Could be. The Muggles may have missed something when they opened him up. I‘ll check again." Max drew his wand and began a scan on the older man. The readings were all the same including the increased blood pressure. He showed Grant the vitals. "It's all the same. We can give him some morphine for the pain, if you like."
Grant nodded. "Give him a moderate dose, just enough to keep him comfortable for the trip home, after that, I'll use Demerol," he said as he made a note on the chart. "The potion of Sev's will help alleviate the pain soon I hope, I know I feel a hundred percent better than I did." He looked at Max and smiled. "But you have to admit, he is showing good signs of brain activity."
Max nodded and rang for the nurse. When the door open he gave the nurse the order. "Five cc's morphine" He turned back to Grant. "Yeah, I'll give you that. He's a stubborn old fucker." His pager went off and Max grinned. "I hope Sev's ready that's the ambulance."
The nurse came back with the drug and Max slowly pushed it through the I. V. Damon's brow went lax and his fist relaxed. He waited for the nurse to leave before giving Grant the instructions on the potion. "Since we gave you three drops, start him out on that as well and after an hour check him. If that works wait another hour and give him the same dose. I'll come by first thing in the morning to check on you all."
"So dose him twice," Grant said as he wrote it down on his hand out of habit. Reaching down he stroked Damon's limp hand and sighed quietly. "We'll have him tucked in soon and resting comfortably. There's a game on tomorrow I know he wanted to watch..."
Two orderlies came in then to transfer Damon to the gurney and both Grant and Max followed along to the ambulance port, where he was loaded and Grant climbed in the back with him. "We'll see you in the morning Max, try to rest," Grant said gently as he noticed the monitoring charm still on Max's wrist.
Max grinned. “I’ll live Grant, I always do. Dose him once and wait for two hours, if he‘s improved any then dose him again. His bruising is extensive and we need it cleared up. Be careful, Grant.” He carefully closed the doors and beat on the back to give them the all clear.