Notes: I do not own anything. This was written for fun. Written as a sequel to a friend's fic on AO3 (A suit for every occasion by 0positiv).
Thank you for reading
It had been two weeks since James had been sent to bed on doctor's orders, from Helen, as Nikola kept on working on his suit. Two weeks and James had felt his ever increasing age every time he got up, walked up some stairs or had lifted something heavy. The experiment with Helen's blood, five years previously, seemed to have hastened his ageing rather than doing anything to prolong his life. James had observed this but hadn't mentioned anything as he hadn't wished to worry his two friends. He didn't have to say anything, though, as they knew him far too well to not see what was happening in front of their eyes.
Having been sleeping longer than usual, each night, the rest had done him some good and he was no longer looking quite as pale and drained as he had been. That being said, he had found his eyes starting to drift closed on an afternoon but it wasn't a regular occurrence. James had let Helen do her regular, albeit tiresome, testing in the run up to having the suit fitted and had even put up with some of her mothering – something that had both Helen and Nikola worried, not that the latter would ever admit such a thing.
The three of them had decided to perform the procedure of attaching the creation to James the next morning and James had been ordered, once again, to bed in preparation for what could be a strenuous day. Sleep had not come easy though and James found his over active mind playing the enemy in any plans he had to relax. His feelings were a contradiction in terms but also understandable. Scared to die, he was excited about the prospect of this working but also anxious and more than a little fearful that it wouldn't or that something would go wrong. None of the three held the answer as to how many more years it would give James, but James tried to shrug off the worry of uncertainty with the possibility and opportunities of what any extra time could give him.
Laudanum was what had finally got him to sleep and it was a lot less fitful because of it. Waking promptly at six in the morning, James went about his usual morning routine – even managing small spot of breakfast – before going to meet Helen and Nikola in the laboratory. Wanting to occupy his anxious mind, as he waited for the others, he carefully studied the finished chest plate and admired the talented craftsmanship that Nikola had put into it. James was trying his best to like it as he would be stuck with it for the rest of his life. He was about to reach out to trace a finger around one of the dials when a clear, crisp voice rang out from the doorway.
"No you don't, Watson. No touching."
James withdrew his hand with a sigh as his back straightened and his head turned towards the other man.
"I'm going to have to touch it eventually, Nikola. I was simply admiring your handiwork."
Tesla rounded the table and took a close look at what James had been examining, pursing his lips before sitting on a stool and turning his attention to another section of the complex suit.
"I had a thought last night. I want to tweak one of the primary outflow ports," he said as his slim fingers got to work once more.
James thought this through and nodded as he soon came to an understanding.
"To increase the ease and efficiency of blood pressure control, I assume," James stated – his confidence in his own mind much higher than that of his body.
"And I didn't even have to explain what my tweaking was," Nikola grinned up at James. "Good to see that you're not going senile yet. Sit down, your hovering is distracting."
Pulling a stool towards himself, James sat down and pulled out a pocket watch from his jacket pocket. It was an old keepsake that held both positive and negative memories for him but holding it seemed to calm him. His thumb wandered around the design and felt the cool metal as he let Nikola get on with his work. James was about to ask Nikola where Helen was when the woman walked through the laboratory door. The clicking of her heels caused his head to turn in her direction as he slipped the watch back into his pocket.
"Ah, James, there you are. I should have known you'd be as prompt as usual."
James noted that Helen sounded calm as she walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder – squeezing the joint lightly in a show of comfort. He took it as a good sign.
"Have you ever known Doctor Watson to be late?" Nikola countered. "He got here before I did. Found him about to fiddle with the chest plate."
"I was not," James shot back straight away, his head turning quickly to frown at Nikola. "I was simply examining the final product of all our hard labour. Or what I thought was the final product. Are we still on track to attach it to myself, today?"
"Yes," Nikola said a little tersely as he finally looked up at the both of them. "Helen can start preparing you while I finish this one final touch. We will need to run some tests once it's connected to you, of course. To check if anything else needs altering, but I think it could be my best work yet."
"Our best work," James added – trying not to get too tense, although with Nikola around he found that an all too familiar occurrence. The man's personality sometimes had a habit of pressing all of James' buttons.
"Now, now, Gentlemen," Helen chastised. "There's no need to argue over credit. We all know how difficult this project has been on all of us." She tapped James on the shoulder. "Why don't you follow me over to the bed we set up last night, James? I'll start getting you prepared, while Nikola finishes what he needs to do."
She could tell that tensions both within and between the two men were running high. This project had been a long time in the making and it meant so much, with so much risk involved. It was only natural that there would be a fair amount of stress shared out between them.
"Mmm," was the only reply James gave as he stood up and made to follow Helen over to the far side of the lab.
Taking his jacket off, he took in a deep, nervous, breath as he stripped down to his waist and sat on the hospital bed that Helen had borrowed from the Infirmary. Helen collected together the items she needed for now before turning her attention to James. Her eyes flickered up and down his torso and head, and she was unable to ignore the greying chest hair, the beginnings of the loss of muscle tone and other signs of ageing. Helen hoped beyond all hope that this would at least slow his ageing if not stop it completely. Seeing James like this only reminded her of her longevity. What had once seemed like a gift was starting to appear more like a curse. Watching her friends and loved ones age and die wasn't something Helen had been prepared for.
With a short intake of breath, Helen made no comment over what she had observed and got to work. Blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels and blood samples were all simple checks and were over quite quickly. Noting results down in his file, she put the blood samples over on the side for testing later – she would need the results to compare with samples she knew she would take later on.
James had sat there and did as he was told – staring off into the distance, back into one of his day dreams that seemed to be happening more often than they used to. He was only shaken by them when he heard Helen speaking to him.
"I'm going to need you to lie down now, James. I'm going to put the central line in along with three other ports we'll need. That should be enough for now."
Helen gently pressed down on his shoulders to urge him to do as she'd asked and James complied without resistance. His nerves were building and he wished he'd taken more laudanum before coming to the lab. The only reason he hadn't was due to his worry of it affecting the procedure. Closing his eyes, his hands clenched by his sides as he tried to breathe normally and let Helen continue.
Nikola had been working quietly as all this had been going on and was finished just after Helen started to put the necessary ports into James. Walking over, he kept to the foot of the bed but still had enough of a vantage point to see the pinched expression on James' face and one small droplet of blood trickle down the older man's pale skin. Nikola took a step back. Even though he was on his medication, Nikola didn't like to take chances – especially when he knew he had to be completely focused today. That particular temptation would not be conducive with keeping James alive.
"There. I believe we're ready," Helen said, breaking the silence of the last few minutes. Pulling back, she cleared away the equipment before checking on her work. Once satisfied, she smiled down at James. "You did brilliantly James. Part one is over."
The man in question let out a long breath but made no effort to move. The initial pain of the intrusions was fading but left him sore and tender – not that he was about to admit such a thing. A short nod was all the reply that Helen got. Looking down the bed, James looked expectantly at Nikola.
"Is it ready?"
"Yes. As ready as I think it will ever be. Ready for whenever you are, that is."
Nikola walked down the length of the bed as he spoke. Stopping at the head of the bed, he allowed only the smallest amount of concern to show as Helen joined him in gazing down at James.
"Nikola's right, James. Only when you're ready. If you need to rest then you only have to say. A few more hours isn't going to make much of a difference compared to the years you've already waited."
Helen's concern was more visible but was also partially hidden under the veil of her professionalism. It was something James was very grateful for. A certain level of coldness and stoicism was what he needed to support him through this. It's what helped him gather the courage to shake his head.
"I would rather get it over with. If it's going to work … or not … time will not make a difference. I'd rather not wait any longer. I'll rest afterwards if it'd make you both happy."
Helen and Nikola shared a look before Nikola turned away to bring the chest plate to James. Helen helped James to sit up and then to put the vest on that would keep the cold metal off his skin.
"What we'll do is put it on you while you are seated and then lie you back down before we attach the tubes to your ports. Then it'll be a matter of testing the different settings and seeing what the optimum combination is. Nikola and I already have an idea but it will be a little bit of trial and error, I'm afraid. I know we've said this before but I need to make sure you understand. This could be quite hard on your body. On your heart. If I deem that it is getting too dangerous I'll have to disconnect you for the time being. This is supposed to keep you alive. I'm not going to let it kill you."
James took her hand and gave it a squeeze. There was no point in denying his fear but he trusted his friends and knew that this might be his only chance to elongate his life before he got too frail.
"It's alright, Helen. I trust you with my life. I have faith that this will work. I understand the risks and accept them. I need to try this."
Chest plate in hand, Nikola returned to Helen's side. Offering it out, Nikola and Helen carefully put the neck strap over James' head so that the plate hung on his chest. Planning on doing up the back straps later, they then helped James to lie down.
"Comfortable?" Helen asked, her blue eyes meeting the brown of James'.
"In as much as I'll ever be," he replied. It wasn't as heavy as James had thought it would be but it was an unwelcome weight on his already anxious body.
"You should be able to take it off at night. Keep it on the bed beside you or on the nightstand," Nikola offered in reassurance. "The tubes will have to stay connected to you but they should extend that far. In the years to come we will have to see. I am expecting that we will have to add to this design as time passes and that could make it more difficult to take on and off but for now," he waved at it, "It's simple enough that you should get used to it quickly. The power source will need changing every year but that should be easy for a genius such as you." He ended in a smirk at the attempt at a challenge as he tried to lighten the mood somewhat.
"Next we'll be having a race to see who is faster at inventing a more efficient power source." James let out a light chuckle as he spoke.
"That's the best I could do given the time and what it has to power. First we need to get it working on you and then I can start on the upgrades. I can't believe I'm the one telling Sherlock Holmes to be patient."
To someone else it might seem like the start of an argument but it was just part of the friendly rivalry they'd built up over the years. The glints of humour in their eyes was proof enough of that and that the earlier tension was dissipating.
"Can we please save the competition until after we've finished here?" Helen asked. The one downside she knew about working with men was their pattern of always having to try and outdo the others. It both annoyed and amused her in equal measure.
"No time like the present," James agreed. Letting out a long breath, he waited for the other two to start their work.
"Alright then," Nikola agreed and started fitting the tubing to the chest plate. Some tubes went between neighbouring parts of the contraption whilst four main tubes would link it to James through the ports that Helen had inserted into him. It didn't take long for Nikola to have the correct tubes in the correct places and soon he stood back to admire his handiwork. "I think you're ready to be switched on."
"You're talking about me as if I'm Frankenstein's monster," James commented as he winced – Nikola hadn't been as gentle as he thought the man could have been.
"I'll have to refrain from shouting 'It's alive!' when we're done then, won't I?" Nikola retorted – sensing James' need for their usual style of interaction as he underwent this rather intrusive procedure.
Ignoring the other two, Helen double checked her work from earlier and that the tubes were connected correctly to James. "Right, we're ready to turn the suit on. Once the power is on, and the cycle starts, you may experience some light-headedness and palpitations. Just keep calm, James."
Taking a deep breath she looked over at Nikola who nodded.
"First things to control will be blood pressure and heart beat. The metabolism rate should be set already from my calculations. Then we can look at lung function and oxygen levels. I am confident that only minor adjustments will be needed."
James nodded and tried to keep his breathing calm and steady.
"Turn it on then."
With one final look at Helen, Nikola reached over to flip the switch and turn the suit on. What followed was a nervous few minutes as it whirred into action and started on its very first cycle. James watched as the tubes nearest his head filled with a substance of Helen's design and slowly pushed the liquid into his body.
"James, how are you feeling?" Helen asked as she watched over him – looking out for the first sign of trouble.
"Alright, I think," James replied just before his face contorted into a look of discomfort and mild panic.
"James?! James, what is it?" Helen asked with worry clear in her features as she reached to James' neck to take his pulse.
"H… Heart," was all James managed to say as he felt his heart start to beat uncontrollably and then he started to lose consciousness.
"Damn," Helen cursed. "Nikola we need to slow down his heart. He's going into tachycardia. Lower his blood pressure too, it might help to relieve some of the pressure on his system."
She barked out the orders easily as she knew Nikola was the best person to alter the controls. Watching the other man start to alter them as quickly as possible, Helen whispered to herself, "Come on, James. Hold on."
His nimble fingers working as quickly as he could, Nikola did as he was told and adjusted the corresponding dials. They couldn't be certain if this was due to a misalignment of the controls or James adjusting to the suit or even a reaction to the substances that they had hoped would help to keep him alive.
"Any change?"
Helen shook her head as her fingers remained at her pulse point. "Not yet. We can't keep him like this for too long. His heart could give out altogether."
Thinking for a moment, Nikola suddenly moved to another part of the suit and started to work with a great deal of urgency.
"Nikola, what are you doing?"
"Perhaps it's too much of a shock for his body. To suddenly have this machine trying to control it. If I lower the rate at which your compound enters his body, it might help. We can slowly increase it to the required levels once his body has been given chance to recover."
Helen could only stand there and wait. If there was no change in the next two minutes then she had what she needed next to her to save him but she desperately wanted to give the suit one more chance. James deserved that much.
Nikola stepped back after half a minute and looked intensely at Helen. It took a few more seconds but then James' body relaxed as his heart started to return to normal. His body was adapting and the suit was taking over even as he lay there. Helen sighed and took her hand away, satisfied that the crisis was over.
"It's alright. His heart is beating normally again. I think it might have worked."
"That was close," Nikola breathed out.
"Almost too close," Helen agreed. "I'll check his vitals and we can check them against the settings so we know what they should be in future. He should regain consciousness on his own. It might be a while though. With all the stress his body has been under, he could use the rest."
"Then we could all use a drink," Nikola replied.
Helen simply nodded before quietly taking James' vitals. Over the next hour Helen and Nikola made small adjustments to each of the settings until they were both satisfied with the readings. Just as they were finishing, James started to stir. This caused both Helen and Nikola to stand at the head of the bed and look down at him.
"What ... What happened?" James asked with slightly slurred speech from being asleep.
"You had us worried for a moment there, James," Helen took the opportunity to reply. "Your reaction was stronger than expected and you went into tachycardia. You lost consciousness. But we found out what was wrong and got your heart back into a normal rhythm. We gave you too much of the compound at one go. We're going to have to wean you onto it. It's the best way for your body to adapt."
"You've been sleeping while we've been doing all the hard work," Nikola smirked down at him.
James looked up at them both with some confusion but that soon disappeared and was replaced with understanding as he remembered. Looking down at the chest plate, James quickly laid back down – his exhaustion clear.
"So, it worked? Is it working?"
"Well, you're alive so I'd say for now it is. We won't know the long term results for a few weeks. Give it time to have an effect. That's plenty of time for you to rest and relax. You look like you need it." Helen smiled down at him.
James couldn't quite believe it. All that build up. All that risk and uncertainty, and it had actually worked. For the first time in years he didn't feel like death was creeping up behind him. He even managed to produce a smile for them both.
"I told you I'd be difficult to get rid of," James said with a weak chuckle. "All I needed was this suit."
"The only suit you'll need," Nikola added with his hands on his hips. "Don't say I've never done anything for you. I suppose I'd better start working on a better power source. I'm going to need a bottle of wine first."
Helen sighed, "You and my wine. Sometimes I think that's the only reason you visit me, Nikola."
"Wine and occasionally to share my genius with you both," Nikola called back gleefully as he made his way out of the lab and towards Helen's wine cellar for his reward.
That left just Helen and James in the room. Beaming at James, Helen reached up to brush back his hair, which had become a little unkempt during the procedure. She was happy beyond words that they might have saved James, for now. Her blood may not have worked but they had managed to find something – fingers crossed. There would still be many challenges ahead but all any of them could focus on was the achievements of now.
"You should rest. I can get someone to help me move you to the infirmary. It might be better that you stay there for a short time until we can be sure that no more crises will occur. Somehow I suspect you'll be asleep for a lot of it, anyhow."
James yawned and couldn't deny that rest was needed. Still, he couldn't help but feel that his heart was beating stronger. It was a subtle change but something that gave James hope for the future.
"Whatever you think is best, Doctor. I'm in your more than capable hands. I have a feeling I will be for quite some time to come. A lot longer than I ever thought possible. I can't wait to see what the next century brings."
"One thing at a time, James. One at a time."
Even as James closed his eyes and let himself fall back to sleep, the smile didn't leave him. Death would catch up to him eventually but not yet. Not for a long time to come.