2nd Series 04/7 - Trauma

by InfamousB

A missing scene to Split personality.

Trauma
A missing scene to Split Personality
by: Laura Boeff

"Cosmo?!" The plea was desperate and hurting as Ace lurched up on the bed, IV pulling at his arm. For a dizzying moment, wide, gray eyes looked around in complete confusion.
Hospital.
The word suddenly leapt into his head. He was in the hospital. He could sort that much out. Could get past the pounding ache in his head to come to that conclusion. The world spun around Ace as he stared, at a slight loss, dazed. White curtains rose around him, hemming in the small area where he and the bed he was stretched out on resided. Distantly, Ace heard the hustle and bustle of bodies and voices around him, moving beyond the curtains.
Emergency room, his brain provided suddenly. Emergency room. He'd been here often enough to recognize the place. That being a sad truth.
Still sitting, Ace turned, dragging his long legs to dangle them over the beds edge, gulping convulsively as the nausea rose in him. Muscles cramped as his stomach turned sickeningly. Oh god! He wanted to be ill, but only a dry heave spasmed through him, sending shards of pain through his whole system.
Emitting a low groan, Ace clutched at his stomach, arms hugging himself as he fought to keep oriented in the shifting haze. Emergency room. He remembered now. Being lifted, paramedics carrying him out into the light from the building's dim interior. It had hurt, the sun... the beautiful, bright sun, his body suddenly sensitized to it all, reacting to every bit of light and noise. Peace had been returned as he had been loaded into the ambulance, its back doors protecting him from the warm light.
Vega had been there. Brief glimpses touched his memory. Silent, worried, brow wearing a permanent frown. He had been there, between them, silent as he watched over them both.
Cosmo.
Oh god. Cosmo had been in the ambulance with him. Still and silent as the EMTs went about their business of tending to the damage he had wrought. He had been there, in the ambulance with him, which meant Cosmo was here. Somewhere here. He had to find him! Make sure he was alive, that he had survived. The image blew through Ace's memory with agonizing clarity. Cosmo, collapsed on the ground, breath raspy in his throat as his gray eyes stared at him glazed and fevered. Blood, so much life blood on his face, on his clothes.... And pain. Pain he had brought. Him!
He had to find him. No matter what. Had to! It was a mad imperative that made Ace jerk the IV from his arm, leaving the tube dangling as he slipped off the bed- and nearly collapsed. His hands just caught the edge, fingers digging into the stiff mattress, elbows locking to keep him upright as the world swayed drunkenly around him. Ace closed his eyes and tried to breathe, fighting the nausea rising in him again.
Lip caught between his teeth, Ace pushed free and nearly fell into the wall of curtains around his bed. He just managed to catch the curtain frame's post, leaning there, trembling from the exertion. Heart pounding hard in his chest, its pulse throbbing through his ears, Ace forced himself to breathe till the nauseous sway retreated enough that he could stand upright.
No one had noticed his movements yet, which was fine by him as Ace peeked out into the emergency room. Busy, it looked busy, but then... Ace sighed. He'd never seen an emergency room that wasn't busy. Gathering his courage, and meager strength, Ace released his supportive hold and stumbled out into the path formed by the curtained off areas of the ER ward.
He had to act natural, blasé. He didn't want attention, he just wanted to find Cosmo. Had to find him! Concentrating on taking small steps, Ace cautiously looked into the closed off areas by him. The first was empty, the second had a pregnant woman speaking feverishly with a nurse- in the third. Ace sucked in a hard breath. In the third was Cosmo.
He slumped there, just barely able to see in the small, curtained off area, catching a nearby medical cart for support.
"He's lucky," the ER doctor announced. Ace tried to read the man's name tag, but failed, as the young doctor drew another stitch through the seeping, bruised flesh of his partner's face. Ace stared at his young friend, unconscious on the bed's wrinkled paper sheeting, pale and wretched looking despite the fact that the blood had been cleaned away. So young. Cosmo always looked so young when he was asleep. But he wasn't asleep, he was unconscious, because of him, of what he had done and forced the teen to do. Ace stifled the aching sob that rose in his throat. Cosmo; he'd forced him to wield his magic against him. A magic the teen didn't entirely like.
Vega was there at his side, back angled toward Ace, watching the doctor work. One large, callused hand seeming to have become permanently grafted to the teen's arm. From here Ace noticed the damage to the back of his older friends long coat. Dozens of little tears all across the back. Where had those...? Oh.. damn. Ace dropped his eyes as he remembered. The coffee table. The glass coffee table he'd thrown the detective onto.
"From the trajectory of the cut, your young friend came real close to losing his eye," the doctor continued, drawing another stitch. "A centimeter more and the pupil would have been struck."
"Is he going to be okay?" Vega rumbled darkly, interrupting the doctor's rambling postulations. The doctor didn't look up from his work as he answered.
"Well, I'm still waiting for the x-rays."
"X-rays?"
Ace flinched. X-rays?
The doctor nodded seriously, frowning.
"Yes. In the initial examination severe bruising was found on the back of the skull and along his right side." The doctor paused in his work to lift back the flimsy blanket that covered his partner. A massive black and blue welt rose over prominent ribs and Ace's stomach twisted. The board. The board he had hit Cosmo with. For a moment the memory came back, crystal-clear and tormenting. The weight of the two-by-four in his hand as he swung it. The gross satisfaction that ran through Ace as he felt flesh and bone compress beneath the heavily landed blow... Silencing the sob that wanted to escape, Ace fought the desire to throw-up at the recollections, screaming inside at what he had done.
The doctor let the blanket fall. "He took some bad hits. Especially to the skull, there's extreme epidermal swelling there. That's what worries me the most. I'll be able to give you a more honest answer once I get the x-rays back."
Vega looked ill. He felt ill. Oh god!
"As to this..." The doctor nodded down to the sutured cut. "The scar will be permanent, but with plastic surgery these days... He can have it easily removed once it heals. There was a bit of blood loss and his blood pressure is still unusually low. Shock by all signs of it, though I'm surprised he hasn't reacted better to the medications. I'd like to keep him here overnight if possible."
"He won't like it."
The doctor chuckled. "No one does. I'm just a bit worried by his lethargy. I think he's only woken once. Normally, I'd have to use an anesthetic for this." He jerked his chin down to the suture needle in hand. "But he's so far out that I'm not even getting a r.e.m. reading. That worries me on top of the bruising. No prior medical conditions are there?"
Vega shook his head. "No."
Cosmo would hate it if he woke up in the hospital. He hated hospitals. Ace's fingers clutched at the medical cart. Shock. Cosmo was suffering magic shock from overuse of his abilities. Ace knew the feeling intimately and Vega was not unaware of the fact. No. Rest. Peace and quiet and rest were the only real cure for that. As to the other injuries... Ace groaned silently.
"There, done." Stepping aside, the doctor put away the suture kit and then proceeded to gently encase the freshly bound wound with stark white cotton. Vega was a silent spectator, holding onto the lifeless hand in his own, large fingers firm over the teen's slender digits.
"I'm going to order up a full antibiotic screening and check on those x-rays, then we can decide about the overnight. Though, if he doesn't start responding better in the next hour, I will have to insist he stays. We have to get that blood pressure up and him conscious," the doctor declared, as he finished his work.
Vega gave a slow nod.
"No problem," the cop rumbled. "Whatever's best for him."
The doctor offered a small smile, patting the large detective on the arm.
"We'll take good care of him, Mr. Vega. He's young and in good shape. I'm not too worried yet, so you shouldn't be either," the doctor stated confidently. Vega looked up at him and let out a deep sigh.
"He's gone through a lot lately. Been under a bit of strain," the older man confessed unhappily. The young physician frowned thoughtfully, brows drawing together.
"I know the report stated an accident, but I get a feeling there's more to it than that." He touched Vega's arm. "Is there something going on that you should report lieutenant? Or that I need to know about?"
Ace flinched. Damn right he should! Should report him for his attack against his young charge, for the abuse rendered. Oh lord... He was Cosmo's legal guardian. What right did he have to that after what he had done? He should be charged for his crimes. Most definitely he should. But how much more would that hurt Cosmo?
Ace bit his lip as Vega shook his head.
"No, just a fight that got out of hand. Nothing charges will help with. Everyone involved is pretty shook up as is. It won't happen again," Vega said softly. The doctor pursed his lips, not looking entirely satisfied, but not pushing either as he nodded slowly.
"Okay. Your best judgment then. I'll check in soon."
Ace hastily shuffled back as the doctor left. Forcing himself into a corner and holding perfectly still as the physician passed, the man's mind already on other things.Turning back again Ace noted Vega had changed sides, still holding a hand and brushing the red hair out of his partner's face. Bruises were stark over the older man's features, a butterfly bandage on his brow. His throat was a mottled purple mess from Ace's own arm. Trembling at the sight, Ace nearly retreated, fled from the scene:, wanting not to be reminded of what he had done, and who to. That option was taken from his hands as the cop looked up, straight at him.
"Ace, what the hell are you doing up?"
He nearly ran, right there and then. As it was, he could only stammer uncertainly.
"I... I.."
"You shouldn't be up, Ace! I know what they've been pumping you full of," Vega sighed.
Drugs? Him? It would explain the pain in his arm and the nausea twisting his stomach.
Vega moved from the bed and Ace tensed as a hand raised to him, but it only caught his elbow, gently guiding him into the small area. The cop delivered him to his partner's side, Ace's hand automatically going to Cosmo's arm, resting there, eyes wet. There was not so much as a twitch as he stared, watching the slow rise and fall of Cosmo's chest, mouth slightly open, body completely lax. A sob escaped as Ace stroked back the dirty red hair, blood and dust having gotten matted into the thick strands.
"He's going to be fine, Ace," Vega whispered.
"How.. how bad?" His fingers brushed at the bandages edge.
"Seventeen stitches. Slight muscle damage, but not enough to require surgery. The doctors have pumped him full of flesh binder on top of the antibiotics. It'll take a few weeks still, but he will heal," Vega explained. Ace flinched. Flesh binders. Expensive drugs. Not that he cared, but they were generally emergency use only. Bleeding, the bleeding must have been bad enough to require their use. The world swayed around him and Ace let out gurgle, feeling himself float briefly as hands caught him, lowering him.
"Damn it, you shouldn't be up," Vega protested again. Ace blinked, finding himself in a visitors chair at the bed side. Fingers clutched desperately at the slender arm of his young friend. Friend? What a joke! How could he call himself friend after what he had done?
"Ace?" Vega was talking to him, but everything became a distant noise at the slight muscle twitch beneath his fingers. A small, weak sob rattled from the teen and his body shuddered. Echoes, the emotional echoes were coming through. Ace's own pain and loathing seeping into the empathic teen's perception. Ace felt his insides twist. Even now he was still hurting him.
"Cosmo?" Vega called uncertainly, as another slight shudder rippled through the young man's body, the EKG jumping.
Ace clamped down on his emotions. Slammed them back with an angry fist. Cosmo couldn't shield and he dare not try to himself. Dare not risk the backlash while his partner was unconscious, weak and injured. Ace tasted blood as he bit his lip *hard*, forcing his mind to blank out. Cosmo shuddered again, drawing in a heavy breath as his head turned.
"Hey, kid," Vega called cheerfully and Ace looked. Gray eyes stared muzzily up at the cop, then shifted over to look at him. Ace was on his feet in a panic, heart beating brutally in his chest beneath that glazed, direhawk gaze. A slow blink and a slight frown disrupted the smooth skin.
"Ace?"
It was so weak and thick that he barely heard. Uncertainly, Ace hovered, hand trembling. It was a momentous effort on Cosmo's part, but he reached out, caught the magician's hand, fingers wrapping weakly around his. Cosmo smiled slightly, letting out a small cough, lids fluttering with the weakness. The hand tugged on his, urged him closer and numbly Ace went till he bumped into the bed side.
"You okay, Ace?"
He nearly cried. He didn't deserve this concern! This affection. Licking dry lips Ace stared down uncertainly. Afraid to speak.
"Can you go home now? Are you okay to go home?" the teen continued.
Home.
Oh no... The Express was still stuck on the other side of town.
"I.. I don't know yet," he managed in a whisper, voice unsteady. Vega touched the teen's arm, getting his attention.
"How are you feeling, Cosmo? You've got the doctors worried here," Vega chuckled, offering a very genuine smile. Cosmo shrugged slightly, wincing as his brow wrinkled.
"Tired, Vega. Tired," the last came out a sick rasp as his eyes started to flutter shut. With an act of will, he opened them again, staring at Ace.
"Okay. Be okay, Ace. Want to go home," he pleaded, fingers spasming as the EKG leapt again.
"Easy, Cosmo. Please.. just relax," Ace urged worriedly, the heart monitor wavering. Magic, when abused, would hurt a person badly. Throwing the body's natural rhythms way out of whack. While Cosmo had used his powers for the best of all reasons, he'd used too much and the consequences would have to be paid.
"We'll go home soon. You have to rest," Ace beseeched gently, hand rubbing over the exposed arm, mindful of IV that lay there.
Slowly, Cosmo nodded and gave him a small smile.
"Home... cool."
"Yes, Cosmo.. home. Rest, you need to rest," Ace urged desperately. His partner tried to nod, but his strength was gone as his eyes slid shut again.
"Ace..." he murmured quietly as unconsciousness reclaimed him. Tensely, Ace waited, too frightened to do more than watch and too scared to leave. The trembling worsened and Vega just caught him as dizziness swamped over him. A wave of disorientation that blanked out the world around him momentarily.
"Damn it, Ace! Come on, let's get you back in bed," the detective rumbled. Ace struggled, shaking his head madly.
"No...Vega.. stay here," he pleaded weakly. An arm caught around his waist, supporting him as the strength fled from his limbs.
"Bed, Ace. Cosmo will be fine, but only if you take care of yourself," Vega grumbled as he was guided, protesting, back to his own bed. A worried nurse was there and words were exchanged, though Ace couldn't follow any of it anymore.
Home... He wanted to go home.
But could he ever really go home again?