Who: Dorian, Cas, Nate, Fox, Rex, Casey What: Part two
It was a few hours before Casey surfaced again, hair wet and smelling like sanitizer in fresh scrubs as he walked out into the waiting room. He pulled up a chair next to Rex, eyes shifting over to where Dorian was settled. The doctor didn’t want to question why one of Caspian’s henchmen had been a part of this whole situation, maybe it was just a coincidence, but he knew better. Jude still had stitches and was (hopefully) wearing his shoulder brace so it would heal properly, so he was out of commission.
No, no, now was not the time trying to figure out what the crime lord down the hall was up to. Now he had to do what he was trained to do, “Sorry for the delay in updates. If you hadn’t guessed, we’re a pretty condensed squad and we all needed to focus so Fox would have a fighting chance.
“He’s stable but we’re not out of the woods yet. There was a lot of blood loss and we gave him everything we had on hand. I’ve got calls out to able bodied folks on the island with the same blood type to come in for donations while we wait for more from the mainland. Those fucking cats,” Casey sighed softly, head shaking as he raked a hand through his hair. “Fox is the third person to get attacked by them. The other two are doing fine, so we just need to see how the next 48 hours play out to really know what the odds are going forward. He’s in room three, you can spend as much time with him as you like,” Casey offered his most apologetic smile, gently patting Rex on the shoulder.
Nate popped up at the counter a moment later, he was a universal donor. The nurse motioned to Casey and the blonde’s eyes followed, brow quirking up fairly high when he saw Dorian off to the side.
“Can I help?” Rex lifted his head. “I’m an O positive. I can give everything. Even if if kills me, I’d rather know that he lives.” He was almost begging. His shoulders slumped and Rex got up, almost taking the small chair with him. He was able to shake it off and he stalked toward room three.
In the vacant chair by the bed, he sank down and scooted forward. Rex found one of Fox’s hands. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner. I’ll do anything I can to help you.”
The scents of rubbing alcohol, clean sheets, bandages hung in the air. A hint of blood lingered in small spells. Fox laid there still but for his breathing. His neck and throat were bandaged and wrapped. But as soon as he felt Rex’s hand wrap around one of his, the young man lightly squeezed. He felt so tired, but he opened his eyes and gazed deliriously at the man.
“Unfortunately, we can’t use your blood per your file,” Casey kept his voice down as that wasn’t public knowledge. He didn’t know why, but now wasn’t the time to start questioning why that was. “We’ve got blood handled, he just needs you to be there for him now,” this part of his job was the worst. While Casey could take some of the damage, there was only so much he could do for Fox. Blood loss wasn’t like a concussion or basic trauma, it needed time.
As Rex headed off, Casey moved to Nate and gave him the short overview of the situation without giving too much away. All they needed from him was blood and he could extrapolate the rest from the situation if he could. Honestly he was surprised the blue-eyed devil wasn’t there to chaperone, but he wasn’t going to question it as a nurse got Nate situated to start the donation process in a room away from Fox’s.
Usually just an observant person unless Caspian specifically required something else, Dorian slowly got up from his chair after Rex went to be with Fox. He had watched Nate arrive earlier and now moved to another room to have blood drawn out for the injured young man.
As soon as Nate was finished getting set up, Dorian ventured into the room and sighed. “What did Caspian say when you left to come here?” He was blunt and to the point at times. The connections between guests on the island were growing intertwined.
Rex could only nod. He felt helpless. By now his eyes had returned to blue. The chair squeaked as he collapsed into it though he leaned forward to make sure Fox knew he was there. He felt terrible, he should’ve done more. Fingers curled around the unmoving ones on the bed. “Fox,” Rex murmured. “I am here.” He purred softly, just fixing his eyes upon his friend. He’d be there until they made him leave.
Nate blinked when Dorian entered the room, hand squeezing a stupid little stress ball as the blood slowly flowed out of his vein and into the waiting bag. He didn’t like needles. He especially didn’t like needles that stayed in him for longer than a basic shot. And add in the unease he could feel all but radiating from the room down the hall, the guy that was usually sunshine and rainbows was looking…well, he wasn’t looking great.
Brows furrowed as his mouth opened and closed a few times, clearly baffled, “It’s great to see you too, Dorian. I’m doing great, thanks for asking.” There was a slight edge to his voice that rarely surfaced, he shouldn’t expect anything other than being straight to the point. Caspian’s right hand did things a bit more…directly than most folks Nate dealt with. And now that Jude was down for a bit, he had the sinking feeling that he’d get more time with the stoic one. “He didn’t say a thing, he’s in a staff meeting for the next hour. Or have you not been keeping tabs on his schedule?”
Casey stood quietly at the door to Fox’s room, giving them their moment before moving inside, “There he is, try to keep moving to a minimum. You’ve been through a lot and your body needs time to heal and readjust. You lost a lot of blood.”
The edge in Nate’s voice and the look didn’t go unnoticed. Dorian’s shoulders slouched a little. “Sorry. Looks like you’re doing your part to keep Fox alive.” When he needed answers, information, Dorian could be cruel. “I know his schedule. I just lost track of time.”
Fox blinked and frowned a little as he looked at and listened to Casey. His head was slowly becoming clearer, but the tiredness pulled at him. “Rex?” Fox whispered and looked over to see Rex sitting there. It hurt too much to turn his head, but he could see him out of the corner of his eye. His fingers curled tighter around Rex’s hand. The young man was also concerned about Dorian even if the lanky man seemed suspicious.
Rex perked up. He leaned forward, gently rubbing Fox’s hand. “I’m here. Don’t move. I’m not going anywhere.” He wouldn’t. They’d have to take him out of the room roaring and clawing because nothing was keeping him away from Fox short of a miracle. He purred softly.
He looked up at Casey. “Thank you for everything.” Maybe it wasn’t a rarity for a sincere moment of thanks for what doctors and nurses did, but he wanted Casey to know the depth of that appreciation.
“So it is Fox,” Nate sighed, going to reach for his bracelet but remembering that it was the arm currently bleeding into a bag. It was probably best not to tell the squad, though Caspian should probably know… ”wait a second, what have you told Caspian?” If Dorian hadn’t passed anything along to the devil, well, that would be interesting to play out.
It’s one thing for Nate to not give a shout about going to medical, it was another for Dorian to not pass along details about another attack. But he’d let Caspian deal with things as he pleased, the quiet one didn’t report to Nate.
“Of course, of course,” Casey smiled softly. “Just happy he’s conscious right now,” that was a big thing. He knew how hard it was to wait to see eyes open up after those dang kittens got ahold of someone. “There’s a painkiller drip that will keep you comfortable. You’re welcome to pinch it off, I’ll show Rex how to do it for you, but I recommend that you keep it going for a little while. I watched someone try to deal with similar gashes without assistance…would not recommend,” damn stubborn Jude.
“You okay?” Fox whispered after Rex spoke to him. He smiled softly at the purring, trying not to move more than his face and his hand. Then he looked over at Casey. “Thank you.” His voice was tired, watercolor thin instead of his bubbly chaotic self.
Dorian’s hand slipped to his own bracelet, tapping onto it from practice and memory. [[To: Caspian. There’s been another attack. They got Fox. He’s recovering in the infirmary.]] “I told him there was another attack and the target was Fox.” Blunt, truthful even though it was just in the moment.
Fox breathed. “Okay.” He gently squeezed Rex’s hand. The wild cats attacking him had happened so fast. But he wasn’t thinking about it yet. The painkiller was making his mind a wee bit soupy.
Rex smiled. It was so kind of Fox to inquire of him. He breathed a sigh, “I’m better knowing you’re okay and I wish I’d been faster.” He would carry that burden on his chest like an additional weight for a long time. “I’ll do what I can to help.”
[[To: Dorian. Did you get what I am after?]] the rerun message beeped into Dorian’s bracelet.
Casey quietly explained how the IV pump worked in the event that they wanted to cut the painkillers, “If anyone needs anything, please don’t hesitate to hit the call button. I’m on for a few more hours but I’ll be sure to swing by before heading out. Get some rest, the both of you.” A nurse tucked a spare gurney into the room with a blanket just in case Rex wanted to lay out while Fox slept or something.
“You just texted him, didn’t you?” Nate looked over at Dorian, head shaking softly with a little laugh. This whole fiasco had been going on for hours and now Caspian was just getting looped in. He could imagine the eyebrows already, turned down and grumpy.
Casey walked in, not totally shocked to see where Dorian had ended up, “Well, I think we’ve gotten enough blood out of you. You’re truly a life saver, we never need blood and then, all of a sudden, we need some fucking blood.” The doctor sighed softly, carefully unhooking Nate and bandaging him up before passing over a juice. “Drink that, I’ll get you another and a cookie. Is Dorian bringing you home or should I call Cas to come get you?”
As the demonstration about the pain medication came, Rex nodded and paid attention. He wanted to be absolutely sure that he didn’t mess anything up when and if the time came that Fox was done with the medicine. He didn’t let go of that hand, though. He wouldn’t unless there was a good reason. He hoped that Fox would be able to go back to his own personal room soon.
Dorian knew he had screwed up and he didn’t need Nate to throw more gasoline on the fire. He would deal with what Caspian said when they were both in the same room. He looked down at his bracelet and read it. Exhaling, Dorian entered another message [[To Caspian: A physical specimen was not obtained. The creatures are too aggressive and territorial.]]
Watching Casey come in, Dorian shook his head. “I’ll get Nate home.”
“If you’re sure, I’ll get you a wheelchair. Someone has a tendency to end up in a shrub if he walks home,” The doctor focused over on Nate who just stuck his tongue out, drinking the rest of the juice. “Just because my metabolism is fucked, I’m normally perfectly fine. I’ll just eat a steak the size of my face and take a nap,” which is clearly not what the doctor ordered given Casey’s head shaking.
As the nurse rolled the wheelchair in, Nate just melted into it with his spare juice and cookie, “Let’s roll, Dorian. I need to ask you something anyways.”
“I’m sure.” Dorian responded and didn’t react to the exchange between Nate and Casey. He was already trying to formulate a plan to get through this other than pure honesty.
Arching an eyebrow, Dorian assumed the position behind the wheelchair. “As you wish.” he then wheeled Nate out of the infirmary and into the fresh air.
Nate waved to Casey as they went. For the first few minutes he was quiet, drinking the juice and eating the cookie so his blood sugar would even back out. But once they were away from others, his head tilted back to look up at Dorian, “I’d like to ask for your help.”
While the relationship between Caspian’s right hand and his heart had never been overly chummy, Nate knew that he needed to actually work with Dorian if there was any hope of moving forward with his plan. “I’m calling a meeting with Caspian, Jude, and Ian. Obviously, you would be there as well given that you’re part of this big, happy family,” well, that was one way to put it.
“I’d like it if you could use your power to nullify everyone else’s. So we have equal footing,” no whispering devils, no speed, no bubbles or frozen time. Just a group of people discussing a path forward that would hopefully be mildly civil. Nate was going to be asking for something he wasn’t sure if Cas would approve of, but he wasn’t afraid to at least try.
“Would you be willing to do that? Obviously, I’d clear it with everyone involved. Not just going to go rogue and pull the plug,” There was no doubt in his mind that he could have just told Dorian that’s what he was going to do, but Nate wasn’t Caspian. He at least had to try to do things the right way before tilting his chin up and demanding it.
Dorian was already contemplating just how to handle what could be a hard reprimand from the blue-eyed Devil. He loved the man and was indebted to him. Then as the silence was broken, he looked down at Nate. “With what?”
He listened, but soon his wheelchair-pushing slowed as Nate spoke of a meeting, but more so at the request of his power to nullify everyone else’s in attendance. Stopping beside a bench between the infirmary and the hotel, Dorian circled round and sat down to face Nate.
The lanky dark-haired man didn’t speak immediately. He didn’t use his power on Caspian at all even though he often wished he could during the few times he saw blood coming from the Devil’s nose. “Perhaps…. As long as everyone’s willing.” Dorian answered though worry was evident in his eyes and the tensing of his jaw.
“As long as everyone is willing,” Nate nodded softly as he looked at Dorian. It was a risky move to even pose the idea to the group, Caspian was a fucking king ping and just because Nate had a ring on his finger didn’t mean it still wouldn’t be seen as an slight towards him. When it came down to it, he was a kid who had spent the last 5 years living contently in paradise while the rest of the world went on without him. The things he knew about the world that Cas and Dorian existed in were stories told, not his real life. What he was asking Dorian to do…it was unheard of, but it was also the truest form of trust.
Did they trust Nate not to have any tricks up his sleeve? Did Caspian trust Dorian enough to let him do it? Would no one actually try not to kill the other when they were all on level ground? Only time would tell.
“Thank you for even entertaining the idea. I know…” He paused for a second, taking another sip of juice. “I know this whole thing has to be really fucking weird for you,” Dorian had been there for Caspian since the beginning and he’d likely be there till the bitter end, Nate had no doubt about that.
Dorian breathed through his nose as Nate echoed the stipulation. Even after so many years, he worried about Caspian’s reaction. He was devoted to him, would do anything for him. That was their life before this island and he would not change. It was a challenge with the developments on the island, the ring on Nate’s finger. Trust was earned.
He trusted Caspian and Jude. But Caspian was the one he trusted the most. Dorian worried what Caspian would say and not say when or the idea was posed to him.
His eyes stayed on Nate’s as he wanted to read him as much as he could. “Everything is weird here.” Dorian echoed, staying just on the surface. “And I have to navigate what Caspian will say about this.” He gestured to Nate’s arm and the mental picture of rolling Caspian’s intended into their room.
“If I had to guess what he’ll say,” Nate pondered for a moment, downing another sip of juice before furrowing his brows. “Darling, you must know that just because the good doctor calls does not mean you need to answer,” While his accent needed a bit of work, he thought he did pretty well on the cadence. “Dorian, do you have what I asked for?” A brow quirked up as he had seen daily for almost the last year. “Then there will be some more grumpy eyebrows as he scares the hell out of you because clearly you don’t have whatever it is he’s looking for. But I’d argue that you at least tried, then things went sideways to the point that Fox nearly died. While Caspian probably won’t see that as a reason for failure, I’m really glad you did whatever to make sure my friend didn’t die,” Nate downed the rest of his juice.
“But really, whatever happens next, it’ll be fine,” Caspian, for as strong as he was, needed Dorian. And that was a good thing.
Dorian hummed softly to himself, the corners of his mouth tugging upward one moment and then downward. Nate had a good handle on Caspian’s mannerisms and cadence. But no one could truly capture the pure essence that was the Blue-Eyed Devil. “Yeah...still wasn’t my intention to put Fox in danger.”
“I like your confidence.” He breathed and nodded. He took another moment to sit before rising to stand and circling back behind Nate in the wheelchair. “Ready to go?”
“That’s probably a good thing, because Rex could tear most people limb from limb. That guy is built like a tree,” Like a big tree, one that would take everything down with it if it decided to fall. But thankfully the friendly desk guy seemed to have his hands full keeping an eye on poor Fox.
He laughed softly, a faint blush covering his cheeks, “You can thank your boss for that.” Nate had always been a bit confident, but things changed for the better when he got tangled up with Caspian. It was hard to explain, but he knew it was true. “ Yeah, we should probably get back sooner rather than later. You might miss out on catching him, not sure the meeting is over yet,” and that would be a blessing for Dorian.
“We’ll see if he decides to find me later.” Dorian shrugged. It was proved to the nth degree that Fox was infatuated with Rex and Rex had a heart as big as the island.
Dorian could be confident, but he knew Caspian could see right through him. “Yeah. Maybe so. It could give me time to run these wheels back to the infirmary. You okay…need more juice or something else to eat?” He answered as he briskly began to push Nate across towards the hotel.
“Eh, you know he probably won’t want to see you until you do whatever task it is. You know how he gets,” Nate had thankfully never been on the receiving end of Caspian in boss mode, but he had seen it enough to know how brutal it was. The last time it happened Ian nearly bled out in their bedroom (which is why business is no longer allowed to happen in the bedroom, unless it is indeed bedroom business).
“You can leave it in the lobby, there’s a pick up for it. Unless you need to get back to Fox,” maybe there was some unfinished business there, he was none the wiser. “And I’ll order something up, thank you though. You’ve already had enough shit to deal with today, I don’t need to to play nurse on top of it,” though it was…really sweet that Dorian offered.
“I know.” Dorian sighed, biting at his lower lip. Caspian was his sun and moon. And boss mode was frightening. But whatever consequence he received, he’d accept it. He was even willing to be left in NYC if he was still going with the Blue-Eyed Devil.
Dorian nodded, “Okay.” He didn’t have anything else with Fox or Rex for now. But time would tell. “You’re welcome. Well….it’s the least I can do besides making sure you get back to Caspian and your room safely.” If he could continue to make nice with Nate and endear himself, maybe the brunt of Caspian’s disappointment would be lessened.
Dorian wasn’t the first person on the island to realize that an easy way to get a little bit of safety when it came to the blue-eyed devil was through Nate. From day one Casey had encouraged Skylar getting close to the babe from California so that if something ever happened that put a target on his husband, that maybe there’d be a chance. “If a toucan hasn’t flown off with me yet or made a nest in my hair…” he chuckled softly, head shaking as they made their way along.
“I’m just glad everyone made it out in one piece. Like getting mauled to death by a kitten is a bit of a nightmare,” could you imagine how they would have to explain that to the coroner? Absolutely wild.
A team player. Dorian had been able to do that for the most part as long as Caspian trusted the other players. And Dorian stuck to those he trusted in the past and those who were trusted by the others. “May want to worry about any huge birds to accompany micro feline assassins.”
They entered the hotel and now the rattling sounds of the wheelchair were occasionally muffled by the mats at almost every doorway. “Could still be a nightmare.” Dorian plainly assessed as they reached the elevators.
Nate’s head lolled back to look up at Dorian, eyes wide, “But could you imagine huge birds air-dropping murder kittens?” It was like a shitty b-horror movie but now that’s all the speedster could think about. It gave ‘death from above’ a whole new meaning.
“You’re not wrong, I pondered going out there to see if I could find them,” Would he be faster than a kitten with a taste for blood? Odds were pretty high that he’d at least be able to keep some distance between them. It’s not like he never had to catch the barn cats when they got into areas they weren’t supposed to be in at home.
Dorian shivered and shook his head. “Nope…no.” He was sure it wouldn’t be as scary as Caspian on a bad day. It was that simple.
“You did?” He grimaced. “Still…I think your ability is quite useful for getting around the island.” Dorian offered. His own was useless around non-human creatures. Soon then he remembered and pushed Nate down the corridor towards the room the speedster shared with the blue-eyed devil.
“Yeah, though I got a stern talking to about adventuring off paths from bother Caspian and Casey, so I figured I probably shouldn’t,” but it would be so much fun. And kittens were cute, even if they were trying to kill you. Skylar even agreed with him!
“But no adventuring for me today, just going to chill. Order room service, it’ll be great,” Nate sighed contently, hand reaching out to tap his bracelet to unlock the door to their room.
“Good idea.” Dorian shook his head. Just how stern of a talking to was he going to get. If only he could accomplish the task without failing.
“Definitely no adventuring. Sounds good,” he smiled. “Let me help you get inside. And order some awesome food. But also…let me know if you need anything and about what we talked about.” Dorian nodded.
Nate nodded softly, carefully getting out of the wheelchair and flopping on the immaculately made bed once they were in the room. From what he could tell his darling dear was still out but who knew how long that would last.
“Thanks for playing nurse, Dorian,” Nate rolled over against the pillows. “I would have been in a bush without you,” or lounging till super tall doctor could give him a ride home.
Rolling the wheelchair back, Dorian turned it around and gazed a little around the room half-expecting Caspian to step out of the half-shadows.
“You’re welcome, Nate. Mmm. Glad I could help. Take it easy and I’m a tap away.” He nodded before waving and slipping out of the room pushing the empty wheelchair.