A/N) New Year's Resolutions: Stop imagining Nick caring for an ill Katherine, stop picturing Katherine leaning on Nick's shoulder for support as they make their way into hospital, stop visualising Nick arguing with doctors to get Katherine what she wants when they won't listen to her.
I am very bad at resolutions.
Enjoy!
He had felt guilty as soon as Katherine left the room, of course.
Will needed him, Nick had argued to himself at the time. Rebecca needed him. His family needed him.
But the way Katherine had yelped as he grabbed her wrist - mangled and burnt from the explosion that he had just managed to escape - that surely proved she needed him too. Not that he had seen that at the time, of course. Why would he have done? He didn't pick up on the haunted horror in her eyes when she had recounted her experiences of the last six months which he had previously assumed she had found it simple to forget. Of course, it would never be that simple. Katherine had always been strong-minded and looked as if she cared for nothing and no-one, but maybe Nick just told himself that to stop himself having to worry about her, too. "I was in constant pain," her voice reminded him helpfully now.
The guilt was nothing compared to later on, when Michael Hoffman had just left his office, when Nick had the presence of mind and the odd sense of dread to check the CCTV from the corridor just outside. He watched the camera screen in growing horror as Katherine half-fell against the wall, staring in disbelief at her hand. That proved how much she had needed him to understand just at that very moment, when no-one else would. Maybe she would have gone so far as to actually ask him for help, for the first time of him knowing her. But he had chosen to shut her down, insisting that his son was the only thing he cared about. They both knew that wasn't quite true, of course, but maybe Katherine hadn't known that.
She breathed heavily, her eyes closed. Back pressed against the wall, as if it was the only thing holding her up. Maybe it had been. Nick stared at his co-worker and wished he had been there, had cancelled that useless phone call and gone to find her in that state.
And if Nick had been a better friend - a better person, even - he would have gone and searched for Katherine when he had seen that CCTV footage, gone and asked if she was really okay, despite the obvious answer being no.
But he just went back home to his family, like a coward, burning with that same guilt all the while.
It was a struggle even to make it the short distance from where the school prom was being held to Calimov.
Urgently theorising possible solutions to the situation as they hurried along the pavement, Will, Eve and KT half-ran ahead. Katherine tried to keep up with them - in her normal healthy state she would usually have no trouble with that, despite two of the three being untiring robots - but white-hot needles of pain kept firing themselves persistently into her arm and shoulder and left her gasping for breath as she did her best to stumble along after the racing teenagers on their bid to save the world.
Only Lily hung unsurely back from her friends, having realised as they left the school building at a jog that Katherine was not as fine as she always claimed to be. "Are you all right, Dr Calvin?" she asked now, slowing to keep pace with the older woman.
Another needle arced up her arm into her torso and Katherine had to fight the strong urge to fall to her knees, to just curl up on the street and sleep. "Yes," she lied in an exhale, teeth gritted. She staggered another couple of steps as if to prove it, blinking away another wave of dizziness. She was fine. She had to be, at least for now. They all had bigger things to worry about than her health right now.
She saw Lily frown in the corner of her wavering vision, but the girl didn't push the subject. However, when - a minute later, when they were crossing the carpark of Calimov, breaking out into a run now their destination was so close - Katherine's legs buckled under her and she hissed in agony, Lily was swift to slide her arm around Katherine's uninjured side and support her as they speedwalked the last few metres to join the others impatiently waiting in the foyer.
Nick was no fool either.
As the door of his office opened and the group tumbled in haphazardly - both Will and Eve already talking at top speed filling him in on the recent events - Nick's eyes widened as Lily entered, a half conscious Katherine leaning heavily on the girl for support. The pallidity of his friend's features initially shocked him: he hadn't realised her condition was deteriorating so quickly. He asked none of the questions immediately brimming over on his tongue, but wordlessly helped Lily with Katherine, half carrying her over the seating on the far side of the office. Katherine's rapid breaths were hot against his neck as they lowered her carefully into the relative security of the sofa. Katherine moaned softly and curled up onto her side, propping herself up against the back of the chair with another pained breath. "How long has she been like this?" he asked Lily in an undertone as they joined the others crowding around his desk.
"I don't know," replied the girl apologetically. "She seemed okay before, but on the way here -"
"Uncle Nick?" Eve interrupted, and Nick forced himself to focus. Deliberately avoiding looking over at where Katherine struggled to keep her head up seemed to work best as they were catapulted head-first right back into the midst of the action. One problem at a time.
Beside him, Nick sensed Katherine visibly stiffen as they all registered Mary's entrance, her expression contorting in actual genuine fear as she barricaded both arms rod-straight against her body, ready to bolt (although in her current condition that looked unlikely at best). He understood her fear; after all, he was pretty scared of Mary himself and he hadn't survived two separate bombing attempts courtesy of the insane scientist.
And when Mary moved in Katherine's direction, talking smoothly all the time, eyes narrowing in amusement as she took in the evident vulnerability of her rival - Nick didn't register himself unconsciously moving between them until he was shielding Katherine from Mary's view as if that would do anything to prevent Mary's wrath, an EMP aimed directly at the robot's chest. Katherine didn't seem to be Mary's immediate priority, but he had little doubt that the android-Mary still sought revenge on her old enemy, the tangible terror written all over her intended target's tensed body confirming that probable intention.
Of course, he had no intention of letting that happen.
As Eve and Mary battled mentally for control of the nanovirus, the rest of the group forced to just look on in nervous anticipation, Nick felt a slight pressure on his shoulder and realised Katherine was on her feet beside him, though unable to take all of her own weight as she relies on him for support. "What are they doing?" she wondered aloud in a hoarse whisper, her cheeks pale and sunken as evidence of her illness.
"Whatever it is, Eve's losing," Will was the one to reply, dread in his voice. He obviously ached to go and help his friend, but without any nanobots any more he had no way of intervening between the robots.
Katherine exchanged a fearful glance with Nick as KT silently stepped forward, placing her hand on top of the already clasped ones and closing her eyes.
It was another half minute before Eve's eyes suddenly shot open and Nick realised a dark, writhing cloud of nanobots was making its way through the vents and disappearing into Eve's open mouth. Katherine's eyes were wide beside him as they all watched Eve take control of the virus, Mary gradually regaining awareness and staring at Eve, her look unreadable. "Silly, silly girl," was all she said.
Eve staggered back a couple of steps, Nick recognising the look she got when the robot girl was dedicating a large amount of her processing power to an issue, her head making almost imperceptible motions from side to side. "I can't destroy it," she realised in growing horror. "It's growing. The will to live is too strong."
Katherine managed to stand unaided beside Nick, looking genuinely concerned for Eve; although they have always clashed in the past, Nick believes the aloof businesswoman has come to care for the robot girl, just as he does himself. "Someone help her!" she said urgently, before her legs appeared to give out on her once again and she gently lowered herself back into the seat, Nick poised to help her as KT obediently followed her creator's instructions.
"And it's time we told everyone the truth."
There was an odd, subdued silence after Eve made her final statement. Eve was beckoning to her best friends to join her and a smiling KT, quietly suggesting the prom as an ideal location to carry out her promise. Both Will and Lily argued, of course, but Eve had obviously made up her mind some time ago and gently rebuked her friends' concern, insisting it had to be done. Nick admired his 'niece's' resolution. She knew when it was time for things to change, even if the decision was tearing her apart inside.
Michael Hoffman left first, his eyes clouded over in deep thought. It was obvious he had a lot of things to mull over in his mind, and Nick had to pity the young man. He obviously hated technology for taking his father away from him, and he had believed he was doing the right thing by seeking to destroy artificial intelligence. That assurance had obviously been put into doubt now. "I'll call you," is all he quietly offered to Nick before nodding respectfully to the rest of the group and taking his leave.
"Dad, you coming?" Will asked a moment later in the doorway as Lily and KT follow Eve from the office.
Nick glanced back at the sole person left in the room now everyone else had vacated it, and shaked his head at his son. "I'll meet you back at the school," he offered.
Will nodded, looked like he wanted to say something, apparently decided against it and left. As soon as Will had left his sight Nick moved back across the room, finally allowing himself to properly look at Katherine, who flashed him a weak smile as he approached. "Day satisfactorily saved," she remarked with a glint of pained humour in her expression.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Nick wanted to know, not wanting to be angry when Katherine was in such an obvious state, but having to ask the question nonetheless.
"C'mon, Nick. I was getting some of my later nanobot supplies from your ex-wife. I intended to use your son as well. How could I tell you, of all people, what I was going though, when you have repeatedly expressed that all you care about is your family?" Katherine tried to keep her tone light, tried to hide behind the mask of her usual arrogance, but her eyes kept drifting down to the mesmerising pattern of mottled-red burns covering her hand.
Nick's gaze followed her own; he hates to think how far up her arm those burns actually go, and how when he grabbed her wrist earlier he must have accidentally hurt her. "We need to get you to hospital," he said eventually, deciding that they'd broach that particular argument later.
Katherine's eyes widened. "No!"
"Katherine, you're practically slumped on a sofa in my office. Your entire arm and goodness knows what else is covered in burns. You weren't even trying to hide your fear of Mary behind your usual exchange of witty banter to bide your time. You're ill. Therefore - I'm taking you to hospital."
"I'm fine."
Nick rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Why won't you let me help you? You don't have to be so proud all the time, Katherine - you are allowed to admit weakness every once in a while. That's what friends are for. Do you really expect me to believe that you're 'fine' in the slightest?"
In response, Katherine let out another gasp as she tried to get to her feet and failed, pretty much proving her point wrong. Nick moved instinctively to catch her arm as she stumbled - unfortunately it was her injured one and Katherine just about managed to mute her scream by clamping her lips tightly together, only allowing a muffled squeak to escape instead.
"Sorry, sorry!" Nick apologised quickly, his insides swimming with guilt as Katherine flashed him a reproachful look, leaning heavily against his shoulder on her uninjured side and clutching her other hand protectively to her chest. "Can you walk?"
"Yes," Katherine replied somewhat uncertainly.
"That's a no, then," Nick conceded, adjusting his arm position so he supported Katherine more fully around her upper torso and beginning to help her move haltingly towards the door. "I'm taking you to hospital, Katherine."
This was originally a oneshot then turned into more like a threeshot, so... stay tuned ;)