A lesson in physics - part 2 Who: Jude & Skylar; Casey, Ian, Caspian, Nate What: A lesson in physics - Part 2 When: Present Rating: Mild - language and mention of blood
Across the island, Nate’s brows shot up as he nudged Caspian’s side gently and held up his wrist, “Uh, Ian just messaged me. Apparently Jude and Skylar were in some accident? Both are out cold so no one knows what happened but it’s bad.” As much as he had been planning on seeing how long they could go without getting properly dressed, it seemed like that window had shut.
With a bit of interest, Caspian glanced over at the bracelet. His own was dormant, silent. He lifted his own wrist to check it and saw that nothing had come in while Nate’s was lit up like a Douglas Fir. “An accident, you say?” That was…interesting. And odd. “Why didn’t they notify me at medical?” He’d been put on as Jude’s emergency contact for a reason. Ian be damned. It seemed they both understood that with the message relayed although there would be time to correct Ian’s misstep later, once things died down. Caspian pulled back into his shirt. “Come along, then. No time to waste.” Once he was decent enough for an appearance, the devil wasted no time in making his way down to medical.
He didn’t need to look at the faces of the staff to understand the severity of the situation, not that the more seasoned medical professionals had anything less than the best of poker faces. He could hear their thoughts even before he reached the doors to medical. “Wait here, love.” It wasn’t a question toward Nate, but a soft command. They didn’t know yet what they were walking into and putting another love on a gurney was not the objective today.
Caspian made his way toward trauma. He could see the tall doctor and Ian, but he felt their minds - that fear and grief and uncertainty. He frowned a bit. “Gentlemen, if you would both please step aside. I would like to ask for focus while I find out what befell our beloveds.” He was shooing them all out with gestures of his hands. “Arguing or protesting will not be tolerated and will be met with backlash.” He focused his gaze on Ian. “Am I clear? It’ll take only moments but I need to understand what happened and to do that you cannot be here.” He could focus just fine with them there but with emotions running high he knew that he might not get all of what he was after without an interruption.
“I beg of you both. You shall get a detailed report once I am finished, and Nate will be welcome to join in if he fancies to do so.”
Without another word, Caspian dragged a chair over and set it between the beds. He reached over to grasp Jude’s hand after settling, and he closed his eyes to see.
Nate settled into a chair in the waiting room without question, leg crossing over the other as he did the only thing he could do: try and make things easy on those who were having a rough time. He got Skylar’s next few shifts at the cafe covered and the same with Jude’s (it didn’t take a medical degree or mind reading powers to know how bad this was). A message was even sent off to Dorian so the devil didn’t need to worry about it.
In Ian’s defense, a message to Cas hit shortly after Nate’s, as well as the medical page (because Casey had quickly realized the mistake he had made in the heat of the moment). But they’d come to that later, once everything was settled and they had answers.
“Crystal,” Ian didn’t want to move, just as much as Casey didn’t trust that this wouldn’t cause some catastrophic outcome for Jude. But things had been going well with no additional nosebleeds, so maybe it was okay…Regardless, he moved to the door with Casey going to explain the situation to the other doctor who seemed a bit concerned but oddly seemed frozen in place. As much as it pained the two to cave to Caspian, they all knew it was for the best.
Caspian sighed. “Look at you, then,” he murmured. A bit of tutting and he shook his head. “Let’s have a look see. Tell me what happened, won’t you?”
With his hand wrapped around Jude’s, Caspian closed those pretty eyes and opened up the channels in his mind. The replay was intense. He watched through Jude’s eyes as he interacted with Skylar. The beginning of the journey into the end. “You sassy devil,” Cas remarked. “Trying to be the hero.”
When that was done, he sighed. “All right then. Onto the next one.” The same thing would happen with Skylar. Caspian wrapped his fingers around those more lithe ones and he opened his mind up to the newest edition to the Aller clan.
“Bloody hell.”
A hand would arch up to his own face and Caspian wiped away a droplet of blood from his own nose. He withdrew and didn’t move, but sent Ian and Casey a mental phrase, “if you’re interested, chaps, nows the time.”
You would have thought Casey was the one with super speed as he moved back into the room, pen at the ready to jot down notes as the nurses and other doctor continued to tackle the basics. They could run tests and scans, but having a solid direction would help rule out what was unnecessary. Ian was right there with him, pulling out a handkerchief and passing it over to Caspian (he wasn’t a monster).
“How bad is it?” because there were already stitches being worked into Skylar’s chest wound and Jude’s leg. They were queued up for x-rays already, just needed to get the bleeding under control before making any attempt to proceed with more treatment. “You could connect, right?” that meant they were still with them, that their minds were still functioning and that meant odds were high for the rest of them to follow suit.
Caspian quirked an eyebrow in response. “Have you gone mad, Casey?” He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Would I have bothered to have you come back in here if there was nothing? They’re dormant, not dead.” With a firm sigh, Caspian accepted the handkerchief from Ian with a bit of a nod and moved to lean slightly back against the side of Jude’s bed.
“So, it seems that your darlings decided to play adventurer today. They wandered into a restricted area of the island. I didn’t realize that we weren’t alone - I have only ever seen birds and the occasional rumored sighting of a lion wandering the beach. However, it seems that there are other things out there we’ve yet to encounter. Until today.” He waved a hand at Skylar’s chest. “Apparently they were examining the top part of the ravine when out of the bushes came a little creature - a feral cat of some sort. Skylar went over the edge, Jude tried to put up a barrier to stop him. Two more of these things leapt out at Jude and then he - and they - went tumbling. He did his best to keep everyone from falling. Unfortunately they ended up in the water. However, it seems that the height they actually plummeted from wasn’t enough to do serious damage. Jude sustained a shoulder injury on the way down, he collided with a rock, but other than a good knock on the noggin, I think they’ll survive.”
Caspian patted Ian on the arm, then looked at Casey. “They’re dormant right now, as I said a moment ago. That means there is brain activity. I can try to coax them both back to reality or you can sit by their bedsides until they feel up to coming around, your choice. It was hard to find the event - they’re…it’s almost as if they’re dreaming. I had to cut through a few rotations of memories to get what I was after. I did repair them, by the way.”
“Given the current situation, I think it’s a fair question. But I’ll go back to thinking logically once my husband and Jude aren’t actively bleeding,” Casey said with the most neutral voice he could muster at that moment. Like Caspian was fully together when his blue eyed babe was laid out in that bed with a sprained knee. “To be fair, mate. The bleeding seems to be under control,” Ian motioned to the freshly bandaged wounds. And, for the first time that afternoon, Casey heaved a sigh.
But his hand moved over the paper as Caspian spoke, brow arching at the mention of some weird cat. “Bonnie, let’s get a proactive STAPH treatment going on them both. Plus rabies,” because cats could do a number on someone with a scratch and a bite. “Prep for scans to confirm no internal bleeding or fractures,” the last thing they needed was for that to sneak up on them.
“We’ll let them come to, you’ve done more than enough for now. Thank you,” Casey shoo’d Cas and Ian out of the room as they prepped for moving the beds. “Fucking cats casually tossed them off a cliff? That’s absolutely mental,” he said, pulling over a chair for Caspian to sit in. “You feel alright after all that? Nosebleed is never a good sign in this case,” he asked quietly, not wanting the blonde currently staring down the hall at them to catch on.
“You’re paid to think logically in the most tragic of situations, love,” Caspian unfalteringly reminded Casey. “Best get it together.” Fair or not, Casey knew the answer before the question had left his mouth. But he didn’t want to pick a fight here or encourage any more emotion than was already provoked. There would be time for that.
He didn’t protest when Casey shooed them out. “Ay, it does seem that way, doesn’t it?” He sat down in the chair and leaned forward to put his elbows on his knees and his head into his palms. “Mhm, spoils of war, darling. I watched Skylar through Jude’s eyes. I felt them both fall, that jolt when Jude’s stomach rocketed up into his brain. I could feel Skylar’s panic as he watched Jude tumble over the edge…” Caspian mused for a bit. “It’s as if I were there with them, seeing things play out from all angles.”
He sat up a bit. “So the nosebleed is the least of my concerns.” Settling back into the chair, Cas turned those blues upon Ian. “Do you want to know what he was looking at? In the dormancy, I mean.”
Casey would let it drop, he’d have more than enough time to beat himself up about every misstep that he had made later. For now he just needed to confirm no one had anything worse hiding under the surface as the pair were wheeled out, trailing after them in the event that they woke up.
Ian arched a brow, “that sounds absolutely miserable. Like, extremely useful, but fucking Christ.” Having Jude and Skylar live it was one thing, but hitting rewind and then blindly doing it on your own? That was more than most folks bargained for and Cas just looked right as rain…well, maybe a little green around the gills but he’d be fine.
The offer that came was a bit shocking. Normally that would come with a price but Ian didn’t care, he wanted to know, “I do.”
“You.”
It was a fairly simple answer. “You know when people’s lives flash before their eyes during those supposed last moments? Jude’s life only consists of the last ten years or so, but he chose you and these short few moments both of you have shared to reflect on. You will be the last thing he ever sees should those pretty eyes never open.”
He’d seen that, too. Been there for those moments, right alongside the mini devil and the scruffy Brit.
“Same with Skylar. Moments here and there of his family back home but just as I left him, he was watching his wedding on repeat. It was quite lovely.”
Such was the price to pay for memories. Your mind was a complex thing and he could feel the depths of the emotions and pain as if he’d been there himself. That was one of the reasons it was so dangerous.
Up to that point, Ian had been holding himself together pretty well. Jude got his whispered words and Casey got his anger, but the emotion that had been carefully concealed behind that solid facade came crashing down at three little letters.
You
The Brit crumbled and would have ended up on the floor if someone hadn’t been watching the entire thing play out. Nate tucked an arm around Ian, guiding him into a chair before he just melted completely. “Sorry for the intrusion, but you know I’m a terrible eavesdropper,” he said softly, grabbing a box of tissues and some water for them while Ian just quietly sobbed into his hands.
His eyes moved to Caspian, then into the empty triage room before focusing back.
Caspian patted Ian gently upon the back. Love was a terrible thing to feel; it was as treacherous as it was lovely. If this moment was any indication of that he would’ve folded up a long time ago. “Things’ll sort themselves out, love. In due time. I cannot tamper or meddle here without Casey’s permission, but I can bring him back sooner.” He retracted his hand in the mindset of keeping it intact, and then nodded at Nate.
“Please tell me you didn’t alert the Calvary?” He didn’t think he could mentally handle the rest of the ‘babe squad’ storming in for the rescue.
He patted the chair next to himself for Nate to sit in if he chose. Caspian leaned over to rest his head on Nate’s shoulder. “Bit dizzy, I am. It’ll work itself out in a moment.” Falling could do that to you.
Ian heard words, but he didn’t have a response as his mind took him on what he would probably call the ‘greatest hits’ from their relationship. The first time he saw Jude’s face in Laura’s files, stealing his cigarette through the window, their run in in the broom closet and all the way up to that morning. A pair of men who were far deadlier than anyone would have realized, tangled up close making fun of their bedhead between kisses. Jude would be fine, but that didn’t make this hurt any less.
“Ouch, you wound me. I know better than that,” while he loved his friends, the medical facility didn’t need a bigger crowd for these two. Nate settled in to the chair, hand coming to rest on Cas’ knee, “Just got those two out of work for at least a few days, looped Dorian in, and put in an order for food since I’ve got a feeling no one is going to be prioritizing dinner while they wait,” somewhere, his mother would be so proud.
“Why don’t you have a drink and close your eyes, love? Or I bet I could convince a nurse to let you take a quick nap in one of the rooms,” he offered, pressing a bottle into Caspian’s palm.
It was bound to be a long evening. Thankfully one of them seemed to have their priorities in order. “Oh thank the stars. While I adore your friends, darling, I am at capacity for cheer and mental anguish just now.” The extremes and all of the things in between were sending his senses into overdrive. He’d shake it off soon. Sometimes memories lingered on for longer than he liked. When you made contact they were the strongest and also the hardest to wipe away.
He opened up the water after sitting up and drank. The coolness helped balance out the heat from the wave of emotions. “Mm, maybe in a bit. I’ll stay until we have better word and then I can leave.” He wasn’t going anywhere while his investment lay sprawled on a gurney nor while emotions were running high in the killer seated next to him.
“I know, I know,” Nate had a whole mental chart for when (and when not) to engage the babe squad in their current situation. Given that there was blood, that quickly moved to ‘DO NOT ENGAGE’ zone. They’d get an update once things were clear and Casey had given his blessing. “Alright, just don’t push yourself too far. I’d rather not join the emotional masses,” as if worry wasn’t pouring out of the speedster.
The beds were finally rolled back down the hall with Casey following after with his notes, an oversized folder tucked under his arm. He took in the sight of Ian just…well, he wasn’t sobbing anymore but his shoulders were shaking so hard. “…did I miss something new?”
“Ah, a small development but I have a feeling things will calm shortly. How are things? Any updates?” He would’ve browsed for his own answers had he not been in the position he was presently. He hoped things weren’t looking as grim after the scans. “I can’t quite help but wonder whatever happened to those feral cats…the ones who tumbled down the mountain with our precious Jack and Jill.”
Surely someone had plucked one up out of the muck to examine it. Or, maybe they’d washed down the bottom of the ravine and off someplace else.
“I also wonder if the rumors of that lion shifter are true, and if so, what we could offer for a bit of his services.” Another time, though.
“Sky’s fine, just banged up with probably a gnarly headache. Jude’s clavicle has a pretty clean break, so he’s out of commission for at least 6 weeks but other than that he’s good,” Casey was so thankful for that, those were things that could get easily fixed. They just needed to get them to wake up without causing more damage.
The nurses got the beds setup as Casey just melted down into a chair to take a moment to collect himself now that they had more information. His hands pressed into his eyes, taking a deep breath before reopening them, “Now we just need to wait. It could be a few hours, could be tomorrow…wait, lion shifter?” So those footprints on the beach were a big ol’ cat, wild.
“It’s just a rumor.” That was what he’d picked up on except he knew better. There was a lion shifter on the island and from what he understood it was easy to sway him. Nate had leverage in his friend Fox. But that wasn’t what they were after just then. The mention of the clavicle fracture was noted. “Anything Jude needs will be taken care of. When can he move back to his quarters?” Ian needed to be the one to care for him. This monotone, bleached and sterile aesthetic was no good for morale.
“And don’t forget. He tried his best to save your husband. We want only the best care.” He would have no less.
“Once he’s awake, we’ll be able to get a better read on how bad the break is and then get him setup to go home. I’ve already got a kit with all the supplies he’ll need being sent to their room,” Casey wasn’t even going to touch the reminder, he was going to make sure Jude was taken care of even before knowing. The mini-devil was a friend, he always took care of his friends.
Ian scrubbed his hands over his face before thrusting them through his hair, “it’s just a sling, right? And keeping it stable.” Casey nodded, “And pain killers as needed, but we can figure that out once he’s up. Though knowing Jude, he might go cold turkey.”
Nate gently tipped Cas towards Ian before popping back up with a few bags of food, “why don’t we move this party into the room so folks can get comfy?” Who knows, maybe the smell would help wake them up. “I even got lemonade!”
With the introduction of food, Caspian perked up a bit. “Ah, yes. Good thinking.” He got up slowly and helped with some of what Nate had. Eventually they made their way back into the room. Only the sound of machines and beeping could be heard. Then that gave way to rustling paper. It did smell good.
“Good choice, love.” Things were passed out as needed. He set something aside for Casey if he had any appetite at all, and then Cas found a seat.
It was easy enough to block out the memories. There wasn’t really chatter in the way one normally would think to themselves and he found it both odd and unsettling.
Nate settled into a chair next to Caspian, curling up with a container of Mac and cheese because situations like this called for comfort food. Something that felt like a hug while you waited for the tides to turn. His eyes floated over to the friends currently laid out in beds, watching the soft rises and falls in their chest while he ate, “figured it was a good idea after the day everyone was having.”
Ian had settled next to Jude’s bed, a hand going to fix his hair, “You’re looking right scraggly, love. You’d be so unamused by your hair right now. But I can get it back to its normal glory, you’re already going to have enough shock when you wake up.” His voice was soft as his fingers worked to get the snags out as gently as possible.
Casey eventually made his way in, iPad in hand while he settled next to Sky’s bed. He carefully pulled the gauze back to check the stitches, snapping a photo so they could figure out what tiny creature had attacked them, “y’know, if you found a new species of cat, I bet they’d name it after you.”
“Wouldn’t that be something?” Caspian piped up softly. “Having your name associated to a species of feral wildcat. They were quite cute, though, if I may say so.” And perhaps malnourished. Or maybe they were predators and it wasn’t desperation. If there was a litter of small cats he wondered how many were left, how they had gotten there…and, if there were bigger ones.
He didn’t want to see those memories again any time soon so he refrained from thinking about it too much. Instead, he tucked into the food and ate slowly. He always did hate waiting.
It felt like hours later when Jude began to shift a bit. Almost restlessly. An instant shock of pain wracked through him. Those blues popped open and he tried to sit up. “Skylar!” With teeth bared from searing pain, the mini devil managed to sit upright and those blues fell on the outline of his friend still unconscious in the other bed.
“I mean, it would be fitting,” Casey smiled softly, fixing Skylar’s hair before settling in as well. He kept an eye on the monitors, taking down notes while trying to find claw marks that matched up. Maybe they were something newer or unknown, they’d have to talk to animal services.
When Jude woke, Casey and Ian both jumped up to help him. “It’s okay, he’s okay,” came Casey in full doctor voice, sweet and reassuring while he braced Jude’s shoulder while raising the bed to meet his back. “You’ve got a broken clavicle, so I’m going to tuck a pillow under your arm to support it. Just take slow breaths while you get your bearings,” he said while getting Jude situated.
“There you are, love,” Ian smiled softly, eyes watery as he found Jude’s hand. “Gave us all quite the scare.”
Inhaling sharp breaths which pushed the envelope of mild panic, Jude just watched Skylar for a moment with wide eyes. But the soothing tone of Casey and the familiar accent had the mini devil leaning back again. “I tried to save him…” He didn’t want it to look like he had been the cause of any of this. “We got close to the edge..and there were these weird cats that kept popping out of the underbrush.”
Finally his breathing began to even out. A broken clavicle. Fantastic. He looked up at Ian and softened instantly. Moisture tumbled from his eyes. “I didn’t think we would make it.” As grim as it sounded, it was the truth. Had those cats not been there he would’ve been able to get Skylar back up onto the surface safely.
“I’m sorry.” He looked at Casey and then again at Sky.
“We know you did,” Casey smiled softly, checking over his vitals and paging the nurse to bring in some fresh drips. “And I’ve got no doubt that your actions are the reason you two made it. You did everything you could,,” he wasn’t here to point fingers and Cas easily confirmed that Jude had done everything in his power.
Ian was there to wipe those tears away, “based on what Caspian saw, you weren’t the only one thinking that. But you’re here, just a bit banged up, and you’ll be back to normal before you know it.” And if maybe they could make it till 2024 before another potential death, that would be great too.
“I’m going to push some slightly stronger pain killers if that’s alright with you, that should help with the pain and overall soreness from the fall,” Casey offered once the nurse came back with everything.
Well that was a relief. Jude was glad that Casey wasn’t upset - things could go sideways sometimes. But the mention of Caspian seeing brought all of it together and it made more sense. “Not fast enough,” he grumbled but didn’t protest much. He hated being restricted and unable to do the things he wanted. Plus he was aching for a cigarette.
At mention of painkillers, Jude shook his head. “Give them to Skylar. I don’t want them, I’m fine.” He was in a lot of pain, he was sure everyone could see it but he didn’t like taking things and he’d learned a long time ago just to work through any pain.
Skylar shifted a bit in his own bed. He took a deep breath and a slow exhale.
“I’d argue it was, or else neither of you would be here,” Ian said softly, pressing a kiss to Jude’s temple. The first few days would be rough, but they’d make it through and he’d be back to normal before they knew it.
Casey gave Jude a look at the whole ‘I’m fine’ statement, “how about some purely over the counter Tylenol? Just to help the swelling and soreness. Skylar’s already got his own going thanks to the chest wound.”
Though the doctor’s attention quickly shifted when he heard that breath, shifting over to Skylar while he waited for Jude’s response, “c’mon sleeping beauty, I know you’re in there.”
Jude hated hospitals. He fussed a bit with one of the tubes but knew better than to start yanking stuff out. At least while anyone was looking. He leaned over, laying his head on Ian’s shoulder and he let his eyes close.
It took a moment or two of debate and he relented. “Fine. Just Tylenol.” There was no need to suffer, he supposed, even if he was stubborn. He perked up a bit and turned to look in Skylar’s direction when the rustling began.
“Mmm…” Skylar murmured. “Case?” Those green eyes opened slowly. Skylar took another slow, deep breath and fought off the haze.
“Soon, sweetheart. Soon,” Ian muttered into Jude’s hair, he was getting him out of there as soon as possible. They’d probably need to borrow a wheelchair so the stitches could settle, but it would be smooth sailing from there.
One of the nurses added the painkiller to Jude’s drip while Casey focused on Skylar, “Right here, babe. You’re okay, Jude’s okay, just don’t sit up. Take all the time you need, don’t rush.” Because he’d just end up disoriented and that was the last thing Casey wanted.
Nate smiled softly, wiping at his eyes while he curled into Caspian’s side. He pressed his lips to that soft spot just below Cas’ ear, “I swear to god we hit the quota for near death experiences for the decade.” He just wanted to put everyone into big ol’ bubbles for safety.
Soon wasn’t quite soon enough but he didn’t protest. It wasn’t his call and while it might’ve come as a surprise, he trusted Casey with medical advice. Stubborn didn’t mean stupid. He wanted to be back in action as quickly as possible which meant playing by the rules for a little bit.
Skylar looked up at Casey with tears in those big green eyes. He didn’t move even though he wanted to just leap up into Casey’s arms and not let go for a while. Instead he just held out a hand.
Cas held onto Nate. He didn’t want to be underfoot as those necessary tended to their hearts. “Ah, in this business, my love, death is only ever a phone call away.” It did seem as if a few were more clumsy than others, though. “Perhaps we encourage the group to refrain from wandering off the path? It may help prevent unfortunate and unnecessary accidents.”
Casey took the offered hand in his, pressing soft kisses to the slightly banged up knuckles, “how’s your pain? You took quite a tumble after getting mauled, there’s about thirty stitches in your chest so moving is going to suck for a while.” Seriously, Skylar and Jude were both going to be on bestest for a few days. “But I’m so happy to see those eyes of yours open, you two had us a bit worried,” Casey shot a teary smile over at Ian, then the devil and his babe.
“I don’t think we’ll need to do much encouraging,” there was first hand proof of why you shouldn’t go off. “Though I do have a few little hideaways that are safe if they did want to sneak off,” like he was planning to do with Caspian once he had rested. After an afternoon like this, some relaxation was in order.
A nurse brought in some test results, setting them down for Casey to review when he wasn’t a teary mess.
“I can’t feel anything!” Skylar looked down at himself and frowned. There were bandages over the stitches but that cat really did a number on him. He was going to scar and that sucked. “I was really hoping to get back into the kitchen today.” Skylar pouted a bit but as soon as he saw Casey there his smile was back. “We were going sightseeing,” he explained.
“That idiot wanted to find new places to take selfies,” Jude corrected, although there was no malice or sternness in his tone. And he might’ve been smiling.
Skylar shrugged and laughed. “The beach gets so old. Who can blame me for wanting fresh scenery?”
Those little hideaways were good with a significant other. Caspian was intrigued that Jude and Skylar had been palling around in the first place considering their mutual interest.
“…like there’s no pain or you literally can’t feel anything?” Casey’s eyes widened a little bit as his brain went through the possibilities. Spinal injury? Paralysis?! wheel chair for life?!? Though he remembered fairly quickly that Skylar had lifted his hand and he’d seen his legs move. Okay, crisis averted.
Ian snorted softly, “oh yes, blame it on Skylar when you’re just as much of a selfie fiend.” Nate just shook his head with a smile, “can I just say I prefer boring selfies over battered friends.” Or dead friends, that was not ideal at all.
Casey didn’t think twice about Jude and Sky hanging out, they had spent some time together with the babes, maybe they had struck up a friendship. Between the pair there was plenty of Casey stories to tell. Ian was just glad it was someone who was outside of Caspian’s circle of influence.
“No pain.” Skylar looked down at himself again. Between the numbing agent and the drip he was feeling pretty good. He would start to feel it soon, he was sure, but for that moment he was okay. “I’ll let you know if that changes though.” He wasn’t like his blue eyed friend who suffered through when there was ample medication available designed to help with the burden.
“I swear it was his idea,” Jude laughed. Skylar grinned and glanced over, “I need to know why you smell so good. Can anyone tell me?” Jude snorted. “Shut up. Stop smelling me, that’s…weird.” And then they both looked at Nate with a nod.
Whatever friendship they had was bound to happen at some point or another. They ran in the same social circles and the island wasn’t terribly large.
Casey gave his hand a soft squeeze, “I’ll keep you comfortable, but you only have access to the good stuff for a day before switching over to the normal stuff.” He had seen the addiction kick in pretty quickly, that wasn’t going to happen to his love.
At the question about why Jude smelled so good, Casey and Ian both responded, “because he’s bougie.” They blinked, making eye contact before bursting out laughing. Which just got Nate to laugh as well, “I mean, he does smell good.”
Apparently everyone was lowkey sniffing Jude?
Skylar nodded. He wasn’t super partial to taking medicine anyway, but he trusted Casey and wouldn’t fuss about the pain. “Okay!” As long as he could get back to work with minimal pain he’d be happy.
Jude just rolled his eyes although the smirk across his mouth was telling the truth. “I just know what my men like, okay?” Was that wrong? He was like a fly trap and was designed to be used as a lure. He’d perfected it by now. “But seriously, stop smelling me.” All of them were laughing by now. Jude had to stop, though, because the motion in his chest and throat were making him ache.
“Speaking of smells…” Skylar sniffed at the air. “Do I smell lemonade?”
“Then stop smelling so good… but not really because it’s very nice,” Ian smiled over at him, wiping tears from his eyes. For a day that was so emotionally charged, it was a nice change of pace from everything else. As Nate passed off lemonade to Casey for Skylar, the Brit realized something that was far more alarming than he would have expected: they actually liked each other.
Or, it at least seemed like it. Maybe this would all work out in the end.
“And I’ve got more food if you two are hungry,” Nate pulled a few things out of the bag to pass over to the respective partners. “We all know the cafe food is better than the hospitals. Though you might need to be fed, given the situation,” but that would be cute, right?
“If you feed me I’m going to bite you,” Jude warned playfully. He snapped his jaws at Ian, emitting a playful growl coupled with a wink. Okay. He wasn’t doing this whole don’t move or else shit very well. “I can move my arms. Sort of.” Maybe? He sighed hard.
Skylar leaned in against Casey. “You can feed me. It would be so cute.” He didn’t mind at all. Putting something in his stomach was better than nothing. He hoped he wouldn’t get sick from all of the medicine.
Cas nodded and helped pass out the rations. Any empty containers would be tossed away.
“You literally broke a bone, Jude. If you don’t want to end up needing surgery, you’ll let Ian take care of you for at least a few days,” Casey gave him the doctor look because he wasn’t messing around. “Also, hate to break this to everyone, but no sex for at least two weeks…well, Caspian and Nate are fine but the rest of us are going to be relocated to third base,” because that needed to be made clear, poor Jude might end up with a slightly longer time out.
Ian, completely unphased by Jude’s snapping, already had a forkful heading for that mouth, “Darling, you know I don’t mind getting bit but it seems like we’re already getting cockblocked. So let’s not get into a situation we can’t partake in.” At least till they get home, Ian would rather he didn’t tend to Jude with his ex and his husband right there.
There was a chorus of groaning.
Jude sighed and nodded, hanging his head. He hated being taken care of but he didn’t want surgery. Those blue eyes rolled up as that fork came at him.
He complied, taking the bite from the fork. He did his best to be teasing but it was painful and he just gave up. “Just keep feeding me.”
“Defeat looks good on you once in a while, love.” Caspian sat back a bit. Jude sighed.
Ian would do his best to make it easier on Jude, to not smother him too much so that he felt smothered…well, he’d try at last. Sometimes that oversized Brit wasn’t the best when it came to subtle, but he’d do his damnedest. “Anything for you, honey bunny,” he coo’d and kept feeding Jude small bites.
Nate snorted softly, playfully swatting at Caspian’s knee for that quip, “Savage, love. savage.”
Casey carefully moved Skylar so he wasn’t laying completely flat so he could get some food into him, “you’re not going to put up a fight, right babe?”
“Thanks,” Jude murmured. He looked at his fiancé with nothing but love. The few bites would be taken. He felt better with something in his stomach.
Cas shrugged but he was smirking as his arm dropped around Nate. “The world isn’t kind.”
Skylar shook his head. “Have you met me? I think gluttony is my middle name.”
The speedster just curled in, pressing a kiss to the side of Caspian’s throat, “And you’re not so secretly snarky.” Which Nate loved, even if it came back to bite him in the ass occasionally. “We should probably start packing up so that they can get some rest.”
“These aren’t churros, but I can see that,” Casey smiled playfully before carefully feeding Skylar some food. He was just happy that there was no pain coming from his green eyed babe, though there was some subtle winces coming off the doctor. Not that he would be taking some of the pain from both the bedridden babes, that would be ridiculous.
“Oh? I should tamper myself, then.” Caspian chuckled a bit. “Mm. Not a bad idea. I think we’ve done enough today.”
Skylar ate. He murmured in delight and caught that wince. “No.” He said. He wasn’t going to allow Casey to take his pain. Or their pain. There wouldn’t be residual siphoning of his pain. “Case.”
“Never, I love you the way you are. Horns and all,” because that was true. No matter what terror Caspian brought upon the world, Nate was head over heels for him. He knew that said a lot about him, but the heart wasn’t always the most logical thing. “I’ll get us packed up,” and he was off in a flash to clean up what was empty so far.
The doctor hummed around a sip of lemonade as if that was the cause of that wince. But Casey knew he couldn’t hide much from Skylar, the brunette saw right through him each time, “hmm?” And it’s not like he played dumb well.
Neither of them could deny it. Caspian only shrugged and helped Nate pick up the few things needing to be tossed or set aside. Terror could be set aside today, they’d had plenty of it already. It didn’t matter to him how other people felt as long as Nate remained at his side. “Thank you, darling. I’ll be here when you’re ready.”
“Case…” Skylar said, again, giving the doctor a look. “Tell me you aren’t taking the pain from me.” It was a soft request so the mini devil wouldn’t catch wind. “Don’t do it if you are, I don’t want to share that with you.”
Nate took care of everything, getting the things that didn’t need refrigeration set out on a counter and the rest could be tucked away in the staff fridge. Once it was all good, he gave a wave with a ‘have a restful night, call if you need anything’ before heading for the door.
“I…uh,” he scratched over the back of his head, a sheepish look on his face. “If you’re sure, I’ll back off over the next few minutes. I won’t just unload it all,” Casey hadn’t been taking a ton, but letting go all at once wouldn’t be pleasant. And he could focus on Mr Stubborn with pain relief, even if he knew Jude would give him the same response if and when he realized.
Caspian offered a nod. “Please do call if I can be of any further help,” he said, and then followed Nate out. He hated hospitals but it seemed as if his investments were still in functioning order and so it was worth the trip.
Skylar looked at Casey with skepticism. “Okay, but you can’t take any more from either of us.” He wanted that to be clear. Casey didn’t deserve any pain and Skylar wasn’t going to be the one giving it to him, even if it would make him feel better.
Either? “Sky…he won’t take anything for that shoulder, I can’t just…” Casey’s gaze moved over to Jude as Ian fed him the last bit of dinner. While the mini-devil wasn’t his anymore, he still cared for the man. A broken bone was no easy feat to heal from and it’s not like the other was the ideal patient.
Ian caught Casey’s eye, brow arching at what hushed conversation was happening across from them. It wasn’t hard to guess that the good doctor was doing everything in his, ahem, power to help out their battered boys. But it wasn’t his place to interfere in that, he’d leave the bickering to Skylar and Jude.
“Let him come to you if it’s that bad.” Skylar knew that Casey and Jude had a history, he wasn’t stupid. Which meant the probability that Jude knew what Casey could do was high. “He’s got pride, and it’s not our place to stomp it out.” Sometimes you had to let the stubborn ones come around on their own and by their own rules or they wouldn’t come around at all.
Jude glanced over toward Casey and Skylar, also. He studied them both for a moment and then turned to look back at Ian. “I want out of here. I want to go home.” Back to their room where they had their things and where Ian could get in closer. And, he didn’t want to hang out with Casey and Skylar’s secrets - whatever they were murmuring about was between them and he wanted no part of it.
Casey sighed softly, knowing Skylar was right. He was always right when it came to things like this. “Fair, fair, I’ll take care of it,” he was already easing up, slowing the flow so that there wouldn’t be a shock to the pair. If either of them needed help, he would be there with hands or medication to take care of it.
“I know love, let’s see if we can sweet talk the good doctor into letting you go,” Ian ran a hand through Jude’s hair softly. “Then you can snuggle Mr Bear and focus on resting. Rumor has it the Queen took care of your work schedule somehow,” he swore Nate knew everyone on that damn island.
That acceptance made Skylar smile. “Thank you, babe.” His eyes shimmered and he leaned back to relax a bit so as not to pull a stitch. He knew he’d be sore in a little bit but that things would heal. He felt bad for Jude’s clavicle. Being in bed for a long time could get boring. “We should find stuff to help keep Jude entertained while he’s healing.” Games, magazines, something to help pass the time. That would help take his mind off of any pain that might come.
“Long love the Queen,” Jude murmured. Snuggling Mr. Bear sounded good even if he preferred tucking into Ian more. “Would you check and see when I can get discharged?” And they would likely need a wheelchair. Damn cats.
“Oh, I fully plan on having you play nurse for each other, then I don’t need to worry about having to give you the doctor look to get your actual pain levels,” because Skylar was going to end up being in bed for a few days as well. They could keep each other company and make sure no one went stir crazy.
Ian nodded, a smirk on his lips, “Oi! Can I take this one home yet?” Casey just rolled his eyes, though there was a smile peeking at the corner of his lips. “Let me get a brace for him and a wheelchair. I’ll also send everyone home with antibiotics, actual painkillers, and Tylenol. The first and the last are non-negotiable, but the painkillers are injured’s choice, use them or turn them back in next week,” because they could say no all they wanted, but they came in handy at three am when the pain was unbearable.
Skylar laughed a bit. “Deal.” He didn’t mind keeping anyone company and if it let him get to know Jude better, he was happy to do it. There were bound to be things to do that didn’t cause a ruckus or for someone to get killed. They would figure it out.
Jude glanced over at Casey. He nodded at the instructions even though he had no interest in some of the guidelines. They could talk more about pain levels later when he was back in his own room and comfortable. “A brace. Great.” Cause that didn’t cramp your style, right? At least he was out of work. That just meant Dorian had to pick up the slack on his end for Caspian, although he was sure that Dorian wouldn’t protest much.
“And it’s a fancy brace that inflates because you did a number on your shoulder. Feel free to bedazzle it to your standards, Fox. I’ve got faith you’ll make it cool,” Casey could already see people coming in for shoulder injuries so they could get one too. He probably should order more.
The doctor popped out to talk to a nurse, getting the discharge papers written up for all of them. “I’ll have a list of things you can and cannot do, which includes raising your arms above your head, wearing pull over clothing, and letting your wounds dry out,” because that was always fun. Thankfully they had partners who would lovingly sponge bath and clothe them.
“I’m going to see if I can get out of this shift, but if not you can stay here till I’m free, Sky,” because there was only so many doctors on the island.
“Great,” Jude murmured. He rolled his eyes but sat still. Setting injury trends was always a highlight. And bedazzling wasn’t cool anymore. “Thanks.”
Both men raised their heads when the instructions came. Thankfully they were in a climate that allowed for less clothing so the mini devil wasn’t too disappointed. That fall could’ve ended up much worse.
“You got it!” Skylar grinned and offered a bit of a salute. Like he was going anywhere anyway.
When the nurse brought in the brace, Casey moved over to Jude to get him all setup. “The key with this one is making sure the waist belt is set properly so it’ll hold you in the right position. You can also sleep in this one, or just get a ton of pillows to build a support setup so than you don’t roll,” gentle hands carefully guided the mini-devil into the device, showing Ian how it went together so he could take it on and off.
As the wheelchair was rolled in, Casey dropped the side of the bed, “your chariot, please stay on the actual trails no matter how convincing my husband is.”
With a huff, Jude complied and worked into the device. He already hated it a lot but he said nothing. He was sure his expression was saying all that needed to be said. “Great.” Ian would help and things would be fine. He was certain of it. Hopefully he could go without more often than being in it but he was going to get better the right way.
“Is this necessary?” He balked at the chair but got into it with help, anyway. “He’s like a siren. I’d run for the hills.”
There was giggling somewhere behind him and Jude just smiled, shaking his head.
“Seriously, Jude,” Casey said softly, giving him the same look that came out when he had to patch the mini-devil up back in the day. “At least for the first two weeks, if it doesn’t heal properly you’ll be down for longer and you’ll be even more miserable. So just, take some time or I’ll get Skylar to pout and that’s a war crime,” and he was not above that.
“And yes, you’ve got stitches in your leg. Take. It. Easy,” Casey got him settled in, grabbing the bag of shredded clothes and passing it off to Ian.
“And away we go, honey buns,” Ian pressed a kiss to the top of his head before rolling him towards the check out.
“Ugh,” Jude scoffed at the threat of pouting. “You wouldn’t dare.” But he relented. He would stop protesting and being as stubborn about it. He didn’t want to be out of commission for too long; Caspian was apt to put him out to pasture and that wasn’t a good thing. There was no retiring from that payroll.
It took a bit of maneuvering but he finally made it safely into the chair. The bag of his clothes set into his lap easily enough and he waved goodbye to Skylar as Ian wheeled him out.
Sky waved back and then turned to smile at Casey. “I never thought it’d see the day where someone convinced him not to move.”
It was a very real fear to have knowing Caspian, but Nate had taken a shine to Jude and if there was ever a mention of sending the mini-devil to a farm upstate…well, it’s wild what skills someone learns after a year of dating.
Casey sighed, settling on the edge of Skylar’s bed, “For now, Ian’s going to be in for an adventure. He’s stubborn on the best of days, find him at his worst?” The doctor whistled, shaking his head softly while looking over his dear husband. “But he’ll find a way to still work, because there is no chill in that body when Caspian is involved,” but that’s how it was.
He took Skylar’s hand, pressing a kiss to his knuckles, “But enough about Jude, how are you feeling?”
While he couldn’t really understand the bulk of it, Skylar just nodded. He would take Casey’s word for it. The little bit he knew about the mini-devil confirmed that he was stubbornly persistent but overall Skylar just wanted everyone to get better. All he could do was hope that things changed a bit for the better and that their luck would shift into something a bit more positive.
His cheeks flushed but he smiled. “I’m a little bit sore right now, but I’m okay.” Jude had taken the worst of the accident and Sky was thankful while also sympathetic to him. “And kind of tired now that I’ve eaten.” It was amazing what a bit of food could do.
“Why don’t you rest your eyes and I’ll go see when we can go home,” Casey smiled softly, leaning in very carefully to press a kiss to Skylar’s lips. “Won’t be gone for more than ten minutes,” because the idea of being out of Sky’s sight right about then was a bit too much. With one last kiss he headed out to talk to the shift supervisor.
A few minutes later Case was walking back in without his scrubs on and with his phone in hand. Apparently the twin mental connection could span an ocean and Saylor was casually inquiring what the heck was going on with his twin.
Sky nodded. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes once the kiss ended. The sound of machines was a bit soothing although it wasn’t a favorite sound of his. He hoped to not have to hear it again anytime soon. For himself or anyone close to him. That ten minutes seemed to coast by fairly quickly; he felt like he’d just started to drift off when Casey was back.
He sat up a bit and tipped his head. “Saylor?” Of course his twin had called to check in. He’d forgotten about that mental link for a while and goodness - that had probably given his twin one hell of a start.
“Ah. I sort of fell over the edge of a cliff,” Skylar admitted sheepishly, brushing a hand through the hair on the back of his head. “I’m okay, I promise!”
“you ‘sort of’ fell off a cliff!? How does that even work, Sky?” Was Saylor a wee bit frantic? Maybe, but when your twin just casually fell off the face of the earth and you could feel that something was very wrong, that was warranted. “And when Casey didn’t answer I almost…” he paused, sighing softly as he pulled his thoughts together. “I’m just glad you’re okay, Sky. Truly, if anything happened to you,” it wouldn’t be good.
Casey chewed his lips softly, he probably should have called Skylar’s family. But that wouldn’t do any good if he didn’t have answers and getting to the island was a bit tricky, “I leave my phone in my locker when I’m working and just jumped into triage mode, sorry Saylor.”
“Welll….” Skylar began, eyes drifting away from the phone for a moment. “I went on a hike with a friend and we got ambushed by the cutest little cats. They knocked us off of our feet and here we are.” It was the abridged version for sure but he’d given Saylor the bulk of the information. Those green eyes settled on the image of his brother on the video call again. “It was actually sort of a fun day until then. I have stitches,” he added.
“I didn’t mean to worry you, Say. I swear. If Jude hadn’t have been there…well, I’m glad he was. I don’t think I’ll ever go exploring without him.” Honestly. Those protection barriers came in handy when you wanted to play Indiana Jones.
“Casey has been taking good care of me. I’m going to be okay, I’m just a little sore.” And tired. And ready to sleep for at least a day but overall he was fine.
“Wait, you got stitches from a cute little cat? That’s ridiculous,” he laughed, leave it to Skylar to have a near death experience with a cat. “How bad of stitches are we talking about here? Mom is giving me the concerned mother look,” which was fair when your baby was hurt hundreds of miles from home.
“Around thirty, I don’t have the exact count. They beat me to doing it,” which was probably for the best. As good as he was giving stitches, Casey didn’t need to be doing them while not-so-casually freaking out about Skylar. “It’ll be such a badass scar. And you’re not going exploring at all without a gps locator too, Indy,” Jude was helpful, but a bubble didn’t do any good if you couldn’t get found.
Saylor blinked, “that’s so many stitches! Good thing it’s in a place that’s normally covered or else I’d have to get a matching set.”
Skylar just smiled and shrugged. His love for animals remained unfazed by the recent incident. It didn’t matter about the stitches. It was an accident, anyway.
“Right? I’ll have a story to tell forever - sorry mom!” GPS locator would be a welcomed addition to the next excursion. “Hey, I really could go looking for treasure. There are plenty of spots on this island that are remote and hard to get to.” Just saying. It wasn’t a farfetched idea.
He laughed. “Maybe you still can. Maybe we will see those cats again.”
“Please try and stay on the actual paths, honey. You’re not the most…graceful when it comes to blazing a trail,” she said as kindly as a mother could. Clearly she had seen the amount of bumps and bruises Skylar racked up as a child, apparently you didn’t grow out of some things. “No matter how friendshaped a creature is, it doesn’t mean they’re actually friendly,” no wiser words had been spoken.
“I’d rather not get stitches, but I’ll keep that in mind. Please try not to maim yourself any further, no matter how much of a badass you’ll look like with scars. We’ll leave you to get some rest, call me tomorrow so I can see those sweet, sweet stitches,” Saylor smiled. “And try not to give your poor husband a heart attack,” Casey muttered playfully.
Skylar’s smile turned sheepish at the scolding. He deserved it. She wasn’t wrong at all. “I promise to stay on the path and out of trouble.” With a grin and a nod, he waved to his mother carefully. It was a promise he intended to keep even if trouble did have a way of bounding up and leaping into his chest.
“I’ll call you, I promise. Casey will help me remember.” Just in case he had a dose of medicine and knocked out for a while. A cheeky grin and he waved goodbye to Saylor, then looked at Casey. “No heart attacks.”
“I’ll make sure he calls,” Casey smiled, pressing a kiss to Skylar’s cheek as the call hung up. With the phone tucked away in his pocket, he dropped the side rail of the bed, “I grabbed one of my spare hoodies and some scrub bottoms so you’re not walking home half naked. Try and swing your legs over the edge, I’ll take care of the rest.” While he was normally taking layers off, Case would rather put them on in this situation.
He laid out the clothes across the foot of the bed as Skylar moved, the tall doctor kneeling down to get those feet into the scrubs before pulling them up to his thighs, “And I’ve got the rest of the week off to play nurse.”
“Aren’t you the best?” Skylar did his best to move carefully around to the side of the bed. He made a bit of a face from the soreness, but managed to get twisted around without hurting anything. “And they’re my favorite color - it’s like you’re reading my mind!” He wouldn’t have cared about walking around half naked but he appreciated the ability to be decent. The island had enough adventure for one day, and he could imagine the chorus of groans as Jude was wheeled out in the chair looking like he’d been in a scrap.
He shifted into the scrubs carefully, bracing with the bed and on Casey to slip fully in. And then he let Casey remove any IV or machines hooked up before sliding into the hoodie.
“Very cozy.”
Casey took note of the severity of the wince, filing that away in his head to keep track of as Skylar healed. As much as he wanted to take that pain away, he was a man of his word and wouldn’t do anything without his babe asking first. While it hurt to see him like that, the doctor would suck it up.
“All bundled properly,” Casey smiled, zipping it up to cover the gauze taped across Sky’s chest, they didn’t need to announce it to the island. A nurse brought in a wheelchair for him, “and home we go.” After some careful shifting, the pair were on their way.
Skylar wasn’t as opposed to the wheelchair as his friend had been. Actually, it was kind of nice to be taken around. “The perspective from here is so different.” He looked at everything, getting ideas for possible new inserts in films. If he ever got back to the studio, that was. He was hopeful, though. This couldn’t be forever.
“Home sounds great.” By the time they got back to their room Skylar had crashed in the chair. He was snoozing, chin down against his chest just snoring away.
They’d get off the island eventually, find a little place to call home and live the lives they were supposed to live. They just…needed to wait it out, they’d be free before they knew it.
Casey couldn’t help but snap a quick picture of the snoozy star before carefully shifting him from the chair to bed once he had the pillows properly laid out. The scrubs were peeled down and tossed towards the laundry. The doctor got Skylar all snuggled into the bed, taking all the precautions he would for a patient (though they didn’t get forehead kisses like Sky did).
Once the green eyed babe was settled, Casey headed for the shower. It was the normal after-work routine with an added sprinkle of the mental breakdown that he had tried so hard to keep it in. The reality of almost losing Skylar and Jude finally hit him, and he just let go knowing the shower would drown it all out.